Conflicts between the Church Associations of the UPCSA, with special reference to the Presbytery of Tshwane : a narrative approach

This research study is based on investigating the conflicts between the Church Associations (also called This research study is based on investigating the conflicts between the Church Associations (also called iimanyano) of the UPCSA. These associations are essentially a group of people who gather together to achieve certain aims and objectives in serving God within the Church.anyano) of the UPCSA. These associations are essentially a group of people who gather together to achieve certain aims and objectives in serving God within the Church. The iimanyano are normally identified by means of a specific uniform, even though the UPCSA (as with the reformed Church tradition) does not generally wear a uniform. The uniform of the iimanyano therefore does not have any specific origin. However, Chapter One of this study traces the purpose of the iimanyano in that it was formed to evangelise and reach out to black people within a cultural ethos. The research embarks on narrative, qualitative interviews and follows a participatory approach in discovering the problems that led to the iimanyano deviating from their original focus. In Chapter Two, the amalgamation of The Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa with the Reformed Presbyterian Church of South Africa in 1999 is discussed. (The emerging of these two Churches formed the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.) The process of joining the iimanyano of the two former (PCSA and RPCSA) Churches resulted in dissatisfaction and caused several grievances. These tensions of the iiimanyano are a threat to the union of the UPCSA. The study investigates through narrative research why the problems still persist. In Chapter Three, the narratives of the co-researchers in the context of the Presbytery of Tshwane are presented. These helped to identify certain experiences that the remaining iimanyano in the UPCSA denomination still encounter. It is further indicated that some underlining issues may have been rushed or underestimated by the Special Commission on Union. An interesting observation is that the tension is mostly referred to by the black members of the former two churches. Furthermore, some members are suspicious of any outside influence perpetuating the problem. In Chapter Four the struggles within the body of Christ whereby the uniform issue among the women is discussed. In Chapter Five, a narrative reflection on the research findings and recommendations to the associations of the UPCSA are given.Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.Practical Theologyunrestricte

Ubufundisi bonyana womgquba : in memoriam of Vuyani Shadrack Vellem

Vuyani Vellem was a distinguished scholar of black theology of liberation. A number of giants of black scholarship and theologians have written constructive tributes in recognition of his work, particularly in academia. He has rightly been lauded as an excellent academic, but very little has been said about his role as a churchman. Despite being an outstanding African theologian, Vellem’s ministerial formation was hewed in the context of the black-conscious minister from the African Christian missionary church enterprise. He was a trailblazer, a voice of the voiceless within the church, in South African black communities, in ecumenical relations and globally. This article reflects on the crucial role of yobufundisi bonyana womgquba or womthonyama [ministry of the son of the soil, land or earth], in which Vuyani Vellem relentlessly served the church until his untimely death at the age of 50 years on 04 December 2019. The article argues that Vellem unrelentingly loved and served the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA) with distinction as its first black general secretary at a transitional epoch in the postapartheid era where the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa came into union with the Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa in 1999 to form the current UPCSA. CONTRIBUTION : The scholarly contribution of this article adds value and significant tribute to the ministry of Vellem, his quest for justice and unshackling of the church. It seeks to espouse ubufundisi bakhe [his ministry] within the UPCSA, his perpetual calling in serving the needy and downtrodden. Moreover, the article contributes a practica reflectere of his spirituality, black consciousness and life identity with underprivileged black churches and communities.http://www.hts.org.zaam2023Practical Theolog

The role of St. Augustine as a North African church historian

The intention of this study is to investigate the role St. Augustine has contributed as a North African Church Historian. In order to archive the intention of this study one of the most significant works that Augustine wrote the City of God is going to be used as a literature review. The City of God is originally written to defend the church against charges of being responsible for the destruction of the city of Rome in 410 CE; the City of God has come to stand as a monument to theological reflection on the history of God’s creation. Though not primarily a historian, Augustine has made a significant contribution to the study of Christian history. He raises scripture to become the source of the meaning of history and defines the only true history as sacred history. This study considers Augustine’s critique of the Church catholic, the meaning of history, the origins of the City of God, Augustine’s views on the philosophy and theology history and the prophetic nature of biblical history. The first part of the study will trace the early life struggle of Augustine in his quest for knowledge and the truth. He learnt rhetoric studies; he examined the Holy Scriptures and found them unworthy. Then he was a follower of the Manicheans, but he was disillusioned when he met their sophistical leader Faustus. Finally, bishop Ambrose of Milan in his allegorical interpretation and explanation of scripture and the influence of Christian Neoplatonism helped Augustine to find an approach to the Bible and to overcome his difficulties with his childhood religion. Ambrose led him to the verge of conversion. Augustine’s impact on Reformation is considered. He is a father of the Church who has exerted an unparalleled influence on more than the thousand years that separated him from the birth of Protestant churches, but that long period is not an empty space because his historical work was influential throughout this period. In a movement to renew and reform the Church the various Reformers of the sixteenth century like Martin Luther and John Calvin studied Augustine in order to challenge abuses within the Catholic Church. The influence and the legacy that Augustine had on other people is discussed as the final conclusion of the study. The ideas, which he phrased with great skill, were to be accepted by almost all the leading thinkers of Europe until after the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century. Augustine had made much of being the Catholic bishop of Hippo.Dissertation (MTh)--University of Pretoria, 2007.Church History and Church PolicyMThUnrestricte

The role of St. Augustine as a North African church historian

The intention of this study is to investigate the role St. Augustine has contributed as a North African Church Historian. In order to archive the intention of this study one of the most significant works that Augustine wrote the City of God is going to be used as a literature review. The City of God is originally written to defend the church against charges of being responsible for the destruction of the city of Rome in 410 CE; the City of God has come to stand as a monument to theological reflection on the history of God’s creation. Though not primarily a historian, Augustine has made a significant contribution to the study of Christian history. He raises scripture to become the source of the meaning of history and defines the only true history as sacred history. This study considers Augustine’s critique of the Church catholic, the meaning of history, the origins of the City of God, Augustine’s views on the philosophy and theology history and the prophetic nature of biblical history. The first part of the study will trace the early life struggle of Augustine in his quest for knowledge and the truth. He learnt rhetoric studies; he examined the Holy Scriptures and found them unworthy. Then he was a follower of the Manicheans, but he was disillusioned when he met their sophistical leader Faustus. Finally, bishop Ambrose of Milan in his allegorical interpretation and explanation of scripture and the influence of Christian Neoplatonism helped Augustine to find an approach to the Bible and to overcome his difficulties with his childhood religion. Ambrose led him to the verge of conversion. Augustine’s impact on Reformation is considered. He is a father of the Church who has exerted an unparalleled influence on more than the thousand years that separated him from the birth of Protestant churches, but that long period is not an empty space because his historical work was influential throughout this period. In a movement to renew and reform the Church the various Reformers of the sixteenth century like Martin Luther and John Calvin studied Augustine in order to challenge abuses within the Catholic Church. The influence and the legacy that Augustine had on other people is discussed as the final conclusion of the study. The ideas, which he phrased with great skill, were to be accepted by almost all the leading thinkers of Europe until after the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century. Augustine had made much of being the Catholic bishop of Hippo.Dissertation (MTh (Church History))--University of Pretoria, 2008.Church History and Church Policyunrestricte

Storying Ubuntu as a rainbow nation

South Africa is often referred to as the ‘Rainbow Nation’. This term was coined by Desmond Tutu during the advent of democracy in the country. Tutu stated: ‘They tried to make us one colour: purple. We say we are the rainbow people! We are the new people of the new South Africa!’ This article seeks to answer the question as to whether the Rainbow Nation is a true reflection of Ubuntu in South Africa or whether it is just idealism.This article was written as part of the research for a PhD degree that was done under supervision of Prof. Julian C. Müller, Department of Practical Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa.http://www.ve.org.za/am201

Gender-based violence in South Africa : a narrative reflection

This article was presented at the Society for Practical Theology in Southern Africa (SPTSA) conference, hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics from 17 to 19 February 2021.The pervasiveness of gender-based violence (GBV) against women and children constitutes the most severe expression of discrimination and dehumanisation of women and children in South Africa. Even before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic came, domestic violence was already one of the greatest human rights violations. Women for centuries suffered different forms of violation and continue to struggle in subtle forms in the 21st century. This article investigates the sociocultural theories, narrative reflections and COVID-19 pandemic challenges associated with the prevalence of GBV in South Africa. The article argues that patriarchal culture, religion, gender norms, lockdown and violence in South Africa perpetuate gender-based abuse. Therefore, the article unfolds this research through a literature review and narrative approach which is used to allow the co-researchers to share their stories. The article embarks on sociocultural experiences, the scourge of GBV in South Africa, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, qualitative interviews and theological reflections and concludes by suggesting future possibilities to fight GBV. CONTRIBUTION : This article contributes to an understanding that abafazi nabantwana baphefumla ngenxeba [women and children are breathing through the wound] amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. It discusses the prevalence of GBV, the intersection of religious cultural effects, social sciences, gender inequality and the continued oppression of women and children.http://www.hts.org.zaam2023Practical Theolog

Augustine's historiographical method

Peer reviewedOriginally written to defend the church against charges of being responsible for the destruction of the city of Rome in 410 CE, Augustine’s City of God has come to stand as a monument to theological reflection on the history of God’s creation. Although not primarily a historian, Augustine made a significant contribution to the study of Christian history. He raises Scripture to become the source of the meaning of history and defines the only true history as sacred history. This article considers Augustine’s critique of the Catholic Church, the meaning of history, the origins of the City of God, Augustine’s views on philosophy and theology history, and the prophetic nature of biblical history.Research Institute for Theology and Religio

Single stage electrochemical exfoliation method for the production of few-layer graphene via intercalation of tetraalkylammonium cations

We present a non-oxidative production route to few layer graphene via the electrochemical intercalation of tetraalkylammonium cations into pristine graphite. Two forms of graphite have been studied as the source material with each yielding a slightly different result. Highly orientated pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) offers greater advantages in terms of the exfoliate size but the source electrode set up introduces difficulties to the procedure and requires the use of sonication. Using a graphite rod electrode, few layer graphene flakes (2 nm thickness) are formed directly although the flake diameters from this source are typically small (ca. 100–200 nm). Significantly, for a solvent based route, the graphite rod does not require ultrasonication or any secondary physical processing of the resulting dispersion. Flakes have been characterized using Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)

Fast-charging high-energy lithium-ion batteries via implantation of amorphous silicon nanolayer in edge-plane activated graphite anodes

As fast-charging lithium-ion batteries turn into increasingly important components in forthcoming applications, various strategies have been devoted to the development of high-rate anodes. However, despite vigorous efforts, the low initial Coulombic efficiency and poor volumetric energy density with insufficient electrode conditions remain critical challenges that have to be addressed. Herein, we demonstrate a hybrid anode via incorporation of a uniformly implanted amorphous silicon nanolayer and edge-site-activated graphite. This architecture succeeds in improving lithium ion transport and minimizing initial capacity losses even with increase in energy density. As a result, the hybrid anode exhibits an exceptional initial Coulombic efficiency (93.8%) and predominant fast-charging behavior with industrial electrode conditions. As a result, a full-cell demonstrates a higher energy density (>= 1060 Wh l(-1)) without any trace of lithium plating at a harsh charging current density (10.2 mA cm(-2)) and 1.5 times faster charging than that of conventional graphite

Conductive Cellulose Composites with Low Percolation Threshold for 3D Printed Electronics

We are reporting a 3D printable composite paste having strong thixotropic rheology. The composite has been designed and investigated with highly conductive silver nanowires. The optimized electrical percolation threshold from both simulation and experiment is shown from 0.7 vol. % of silver nanowires which is significantly lower than other composites using conductive nano-materials. Reliable conductivity of 1.19 × 102 S/cm has been achieved from the demonstrated 3D printable composite with 1.9 vol. % loading of silver nanowires. Utilizing the high conductivity of the printable composites, 3D printing of designed battery electrode pastes is demonstrated. Rheology study shows superior printability of the electrode pastes aided by the cellulose\u27s strong thixotropic rheology. The designed anode, electrolyte, and cathode pastes are sequentially printed to form a three-layered lithium battery for the demonstration of a charging profile. This study opens opportunities of 3D printable conductive materials to create printed electronics with the next generation additive manufacturing process