Doctoral Degrees (Practical Theology and Missiology)
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- ItemBreaking the silence : sexual reproductive health as a challenge and opportunity for youth ministry in the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) synod of Livingstonia(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03 ) Gondwe, John; Cloete, Anita Louisa; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study was motivated by the increased prevalence of unwanted pregnancies, early marriages, unsafe abortions, and school dropouts among the youth due to a lack of Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) knowledge. The aim of the study was to explore and establish whether the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) is silent on issues of SRH, and if so, how the Synod can break the silence. This study investigated how the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia can engage theological concepts to break the silence on SRH as a challenge or opportunity for youth ministry. The study focused on human dignity as the main theological concept that pays attention to the image of God (imago dei). The theological concept of human dignity focused on some attributes of the image of God, such as inviolability among others. Every human being, in the image of God, should be able to exercise their rights. It further explored how the church must consider SRH services as part of holistic ministry. The literature studied further indicated that there are some SRH determinants such as social and cultural behaviours, social-religious beliefs, and poor health facilities. The empirical research was conducted within the CCAP catchment area where the interviewees were either church elders, church ministers, or youth. Usingin-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, the views and opinions of those participants mentioned above were gathered. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis, and subjected to theological interpretations. The study findings showed that Synod had an SRH policy in place. However, that policy had not been implemented since the package of SRH contradicts its church doctrines that emphasize abstinence among the youth. Further, findings indicated that the church was not doing much to promote SRH among the youth because should the Synod be engaged in SRH issues, it might be seen as promoting immorality among the youth. Nonetheless, almost all respondents accepted that individuals are aware of the importance and appreciate the package in SRH as it will be able to protect the youth from the consequences of lack of SRH. The findings further confirmed that the church had witnessed youth being suspended due to unwanted pregnancies despite continuous preaching of abstinence. One of the worst scenarios mentioned by participants was the deaths of young women in the church suspected to have died from complications of unsafe abortions. However, church policies do not allow the Synod to promote SRH services.
- ItemXenophobia as a challenge to the notion of hospitality in pastoral care : the plight of Burundian refugees living in Cape Town-South Africa(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University , 2024-03 ) Niyukuri, Benaya; Thesnaar, C. H.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research was conducted to deal with xenophobia as a challenge to hospitality in pastoral care within the context of the plight of the Burundian refugees living in Cape Town, South Africa. The Burundian refugees fled their country due to the long history of war. They ended up in Cape Town where they face fear due to xenophobic attacks threatening their lives, having lost their loved ones and their belongings during xenophobic attacks. The research has opted for Practical Theological Approach as a methodological framework. Along with the information gathered through literature review, the researcher conducted the interviews among Burundian refugees in Cape Town. The responses from the interviews agreed with the findings of the literature review. In this regard, this research discovered that refugees suffered xenophobia as they were accused of ‘stealing’ South African women, as well as ‘stealing’ jobs and businesses belonging to South Africans. The political transitions and speeches from certain political leaders worsened xenophobia as the attacks were mostly responded to in denial. The refugees in Cape Town have to endure the attacks by the locals who call them denigrating names to make them feel unwanted. This research has discovered the way black South Africans suffered at the hand of apartheid and how this contributed to the attitude of xenophobia as black South Africans view foreigners from other African countries as parasites who come to South Africa to use up their resources. In this research, the theological reflection has discovered various types of xenophobia in the Bible. This was dealt with in chapter four where the researcher brought out the situation of xenophobia which the Israelites faced in Egypt and in Babylon. This research has also discovered how xenophobia was perpetrated in the Bible. The laws given to protect the foreigners in the Bible are lauded as ways through which the church in South Africa can teach locals to accept the strangers through hospitality. Furthermore, this research has also pointed out the way Jesus accepted foreigners and taught His disciples to offer hospitality to strangers. Dealing with the xenophobia that challenges the notion of hospitality, the interplay between Diakonia and hospitality was useful in a bid to draw an action plan of dealing with xenophobia in Cape Town. In this regard, the church can use the skills of peaching, counselling, missions, diakonia, fellowship, as well acknowledging the skills of foreigners and giving them a chance to serve. Among the theories of xenophobia, the cosmopolitanism theory has been considered as the theory that is more useful to curb xenophobia.
- ItemDie gereformeerde pastor in die Eeu van Egtheid(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03 ) Bodenstein, Gerbrand; Wepener, Cas ; Vosloo, Robert; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit blyk of verskeie pastors in ’n laatmoderne samelewing in ’n identiteitskrisis gedompel is. Die oorsaak van hierdie identiteitskrisis is wyd en uiteenlopend. Dit wil egter voorkom of die vernaamste rede vir hierdie identiteitskrisis, die kwynende relevansie van pastors is. Dit was egter nie altyd die geval nie. Histories gesien, was pastors vir die grootste deel van die Westerse geskiedenis, ’n beroep wat outomaties aanvaar was as dié met ’n hoë status en invloed. Hierdie het egter mettertyd verander met verskeie pastors wat vandag op die rand van die samelewing funksioneer en wat dikwels as irrelevant bestempel word. Hierdie hedendaagse identiteitskrisis noop pastors om verskillende identiteite aan te neem en op verskeie maniere te streef na relevansie om sodoende weer ’n betekenisvolle plek in die samelewing te herwin. Verskeie pastors slaag in hierdie poging tot relevansie deur “in te koop” in die tydsgees van die laatmoderne wêreld. Dit kom egter teen ‘n prys. Die filosoof Charles Taylor noem hierdie laatmoderne Westerse samelewing, die Eeu van Egtheid (“Age of Authenticity”). Die Eeu van Egtheid behels ’n wêreld waar elke mens sy/haar eie manier moet vind om hul menslikheid te verwesenlik sonder eksterne invloede. In die Eeu van Egtheid is geloof slegs een opsie tussen verskeie ander gelyke mededingers om betekenis en diepte tot jou lewe te voeg. Sommige “relevante” pastors gebruik die Eeu van Egtheid tot hulle voordeel om geloof as die beste opsie tussen ander te verkoop maar daardeur word geloof verarm en as ’n persoonlike hulpmiddel aangebied teen die spoed van die immanente raam. Op hierdie wyse word goddelike aksie na die agtergrond verskuif. Pastors wat hierdie “in koop” in die Eeu van Egtheid teenstaan deur te poog om hulle roeping op ’n geloofwaardige en verantwoordelike manier in die Eeu van Egtheid uit te leef, word egter in ’n identiteitskrisis gedompel. Hierdie studie argumenteer dat relevansie net ’n simptoom van die ware krisis is. Die ware krisis wat pastors vandag in die gesig staar is dié van goddelike aksie, eerder as relevansie. Die idee dat daar ’n persoonlike God is wat in die kosmos werk en optree het ondeursigtig, of ten minste aanvegbaar geword in ’n laatmoderne samelewing. Die skynbare afwesigheid van goddelike aksie skep die gunstige ideaal om God te reduseer tot ’n persoonlike hulpmiddel en te verkoop, ten einde relevant te wees as pastor. Deur ’n pastor se eie ervarings en wroegings in die Eeu van Egtheid, asook die werk van Taylor en Praktiese teoloog, Andrew Root, poog hierdie studie om ’n alternatief vir die “in-koop” in die Eeu van Egtheid ter tafel te lê wat pastors kan opneem ten einde goddelike aksie weer ernstig te neem in ’n laatmoderne samelewing. Die voorgestelde alternatief is die “afwagtende pastor” wat goddelike aksie ernstig neem deur ’n posisie van aktiewe wag in te neem. Hierdie wag behels ‘n “aktiewe wag” vir die Gans Andere God om Godself te openbaar in verskeie situasies en ruimtes, onder andere: lyding, gebed, eredienste en verhoudings.
- ItemPartnership towards self-reliance : back to God movement of South Africa as a case study of holistic mission(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03 ) Celesi, Mawonga Phaphile; Bowers-Du Toit, Nadine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Poverty is an enormous challenge that the church and the world face today, and efforts are being made across societal sectors by mission and development practitioners to overcome it. If holistic mission and development are to be realised, the Church and development practitioners have to partner with the poor in efforts to help them achieve self-reliance. Poverty alleviation through diaconal means, such as feeding schemes and soup kitchens, is beneficial in development, but it is even more beneficial when this partnership translates into developmental projects that help the poor do things for themselves and be self-sustaining, expressing and demonstrating their God-given qualities and talents in society. This study aims to demonstrate how the two components of the gospel mandate, evangelism and social development, complement one another and make mission and development holistic, rather than working in opposition, which is detrimental to the gospel. The poor are affirmed as worthy partners in mission and development, while the Church is affirmed as a strategic partner in the poor's journey out of poverty. This effort advocates for the poor in this partnership to be afforded space and an opportunity to express themselves as worthy mission and development participants. As a result, the partnership ethos that guides the partnership between the Church and the poor is being looked at with the purpose of cushioning and shielding the poor in the journey, as people who often suffer in relationships with development partners. In this study, the Assemblies of God-Back to God (AoG-BtG) church is used as a case study of holistic mission to see how it was founded by Nicholas Bhengu and ministry colleagues to intentionally grow in a manner that helps the poor face the challenge of poverty through self-reliance means and initiatives. The AoG-BtG church has two development projects women's self-help initiatives and the youth education fund. Many in the development sector see women and youth as the face of poverty since they bear the brunt of poverty in society more than males, as a result, this study focuses on developmental initiatives for women and youth, and because this is a mission and development obstacle that cannot be overlooked. The objective of this study is to figure out how the Church can improve its efforts to tackle poverty through a partnership that features comprehensive strategies that help the poor to achieve self-reliance. The argument of this study in Africa is that the African context and philosophies, such as Ubuntu and Black Consciousness, should have an impact on the operations and conduct of the Church and developers, contributing to the comprehensiveness of mission and development. The Church that examines and takes the African context seriously cannot do so while remaining oblivious to the scourge of poverty and the need to address it, and any effort to address poverty should be done in partnership with the very poor who need assistance, instead of being done for them.
- ItemA pastoral perspective of Vimbuza ritual among people suffering from mental illness in the Rumphi district of northern Malawi(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03 ) Kamanga, Chrispine Nthezemu; Thesnaar, C. H.; Vähäkangas, Mika; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study explores a pastoral perspective of Vimbuza ritual performance among people suffering from mental illness in the district of Rumphi of northern of Malawi. Through the teaching of the mainstream churches on inculturation and the theorisation of Dialogical Intergenerational Pastoral Process (DIPP) of Nagy, the study considers the Pastoral Care ministry of the church as an important institution to provide a direction among people involved in the performance of Vimbuza ritual as a therapy for mental illness. This is against a background of ostracising people involved in Vimbuza cultural practice by the church, colonial masters, and the hospital. It is understood that the cosmology of the Tumbuka people, their cultural upbringing, and their conceptualisation of mental illness influences their health seeking behaviour. Methodologically, this is an empirical qualitative study which involved interviews and focus group discussions with selected Vimbuza ritual practitioners, relatives or guardians of mentally ill people and the patients themselves. The study uses the DIPP theory not only to navigate, understand and appreciate the attitudes, values, norms, and beliefs of the Tumbuka people who engage in the practise of Vimbuza but also to suggest church’s reasonable pr oposals that will provide resolutions from the perspective of Pastoral Care. The chapters are structured around the proposed Richard Osmer’s tasks of practical theology. Chapter one introduces the study and makes a huge claim that the people of Rumphi resort to Vimbuza ritual practice as a remedy to their mental problems. The claim is based on a backdrop of their cosmological understanding of mental illness that it is an “African religious” disease requiring a religious approach. Chapter two discusses Vimbuza as a cultural performance with different aspects: a sickness, an entertainment, a form of healing and a medium of morality which has survived antagonism from the church and state machinery. Chapter three examines the empirical data which indicate that hospital-based care for mentally ill people does not meet all the needs of the Tumbuka people under study. The discussion in chapter four reveals the histories of relations among the patients and ritual performers, cyclic nature of mental illness, community involvement in the performance of Vimbuza ritual, flexibility of payment and the confusion brought by the white person among the people practicing Vimbuza ritual in Rumphi. In the final analysis, Chapter four claims that Vimbuza ritual performance remains a big pulling factor among people with mental illness in Rumphi district and will continue to influence the lives of people. Chapter five normatively suggest a pastoral perspective of Vimbuza ritual among people with mental illness. The chapter uses the core concepts of DIPP to discuss themes and findings of this study. Pragmatically, Chapter six recommends that the Pastoral Care ministry of the church should take a postcolonial ecumenical approach to engage with Vimbuza ritual practitioners to achieve sustainable mental health healing, an integration of prayer in the treatment of mental illness, psychoeducation, integration of traditional medicine into healthcare system, collaboration and TCM policy formulation, adaptation, and ratification.