32 research outputs found
Scientific-theoretical research approach to practical theology in South Africa
In this article, I present a critical literature study of the theoretical approach of practical
theologians in South Africa to our discipline, in honour of Yolanda Dreyer on her 60th birthday.
Some of my colleaguesâ approaches at the universities of Stellenbosch, Free State, Pretoria,
Unisa and NWU (Potchefstroom campus) are discussed. All of them work with practical
theological hermeneutics. The basic hermeneutic approach of Daniël Louw is widened with an
integrated approach by Richard R. Osmer in which practical theology as a hermeneutic
discipline also includes the empirical aspect which the action theory approach has contributed
to the discussion. After discussing Louwâs basic hermeneutic approach, all the other colleagues
who basically accepted Osmerâs approach in their publications are discussed. Important and
new ground is being broken by contemporary colleagues, including research in public practical
theology, without neglecting the focus on Christian congregations, and new work is being
done at the grass roots level of African issues in our country.Prof. Dr Pieterse is
participating in the research
project, âGender Studies and
Practical Theology Theory
Formationâ, directed by Prof.
Dr Yolanda Dreyer,
Department of Practical
Theology, Faculty of
Theology, University of
Pretoria.http://www.hts.org.zaam2017Practical Theolog
A church with character and its social capital for projects amongst the poor
In this article I present a theoretical framework for my argument that specific congregations
which are renewed to address the current culture and context, according to the vision presented
by Professor T.F.J. Dreyer, are competent to generate projects directed to the poor and humble
as social capital. The problem addressed in the article, also phrased as the research question,
is: what is the nature and diversity of care in the form of projects as social capital amongst the
poor in renewed congregations as it emerges from the sermons on Matthew 25:31â46? The
goal of the grounded theory analysis of sermons on this text in a research cycle of selective
coding, collected from renewed congregations, will be the identification of projects, types of
projects, and their properties. I discuss the idea of local theologies as a motivation of contextual
religious action by the congregation in projects amongst the poor, provide a description of
poverty in South Africa; show the role of religious faith communities in addressing poverty,
followed by conceptualisation of social capital in projects of congregations, and lastly I give a
description of two examples of projects thus far discovered in analysed sermons.This article is part of a project with financial support by the
National Research Foundation.http://www.hts.org.z
An open coding analytical model of sermons on poverty with Matthew 25:31-46 as sermon text
This article reports on the first cycle (out of three) of a grounded theory analysis of sermons on poverty with Matthew 25:31-46 as sermon text. The problem addressed in this research project has to do with the poverty situation in South Africa. The leading research question is: how do preachers deal with sermons on poverty with this text as sermon text. The goal of the first phase in this project is to develop an open coding analytical model from the sermons. Six sermons by Uniting Reformed Church preachers and six sermons by Dutch Reformed Church preachers have been analyzed. Significant sermon segments in the light of the research question were then coded in the analysis. Initial categories could then be formed as they emerged from the data, based on the open coded codes. From the categories an open coding analytical model with hypotheses has been constructed.National Research Foundationhttp://www.uovs.ac.za/actatheologic
A grounded theory approach to the analysis of sermons on poverty : congregational projects as social capital
This article reported on the second cycle (selective coding) of grounded theory research of
sermons on poverty in the South African context, with Matthew 25:31â46 as the sermon text.
The problem which the author was researching pertained to the question: How do congregations
in the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk) and the Uniting Reformed
Church handle the care for the poor in practice? A theoretical sample of congregations with
outreach projects to the poor and humble was drawn. After the analysis of the sermons was
conducted, the next question to be addressed was: What are the categories and properties of
the projects by congregations as the how of the care for the poor? New thinking on the issue
of preaching on poverty is necessary because homiletic literature in this field of preaching
does not address the how question. The author therefore described a theoretical framework
for the interpretation of the projects, as well as an anthropological view of the communication
occurring on an equal footing, with the givers in the projects functioning as social capital and
the receivers (the poor and humble) as the participants with their own responsibility and
freedom. The classification of the projects in categories showed that a wide variety of different
types of projects to the poor have emerged from the sermons.The National Research
Foundationhttp://www.ve.org.zanf201
Oorsigartikel â F. Gerrit Immink se praktiesâteologiese studie van die geloofspraktyk : liturgiese vernuwing in die Protestantse tradisie
This contribution is a review article on the three most important books by F. Gerrit Immink in
practical theology. His approach to this discipline is studying faith praxis of the Protestantse
Kerk in Nederland (Protestant Church in the Netherlands) which is a church in the Reformed
tradition. In his first book he explained his approach to practical theology in a discussion with
the action theory and hermeneutical-communucative approaches. His choice for the study of
faith praxis opens the way for a more theological approach to him in which communication
between God and people is an important aspect. His second book forms the central part of this
article. He uses the concept performance in the liturgy which is adopted from the theater
world. In the performance by means of the execution of the liturgy by the congregation
(preacher, organ, music, singing, praying) they all get involved in the message from the Bible
of that Sunday, they are touched by it, it has an effect on them, and they get a new perspective
on the problems of everyday life. This is possible through the work of the Holy Spirit. The
epiclese prayers in the liturgy are prayers for the enlightening and work by the Spirit. He
discusses singing, praying, preaching, baptism and Holy Communion in detail. The main idea
is that the performance in the liturgy does something to you, it has an effect on you, something
happens to you. To my mind there is no need to choose between the ritual approach and the
approach he is putting on the table. The approaches can enrich each other.n Refleksie op Gerrit Immink se bydrae oor âperformanceâ. ân Oorsigartikel van sy boeke In God geloven. Een praktisch-theologische
reconstructie, Zoetermeer, Meinema, 2003; Het Heilige gebeurt. Praktijk, theologie en traditie van de protestantse kerkdienst, Zoetermeer,
Boekencentrum, 2011; Bidden in het besef van Gods tegenwoordigheid, Zoetermeer, Boekencentrum, 2016.http://www.hts.org.zaam2018Practical Theolog
An emerging grounded theory for preaching on poverty in South Africa with Matthew 25:31-46 as sermon text
Since 2009, I am researching sermons on Matthew 25:31-46 by preachers of the Uniting Reformed Church and the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk). The sermons are collected in South Africa's eight provinces. This is an empirical-homiletic study with a grounded theory methodology. The open coding and selective coding cycles are already completed. This article presents the results of the last cycle, namely theoretical coding. The theory for practice describes the concepts which emerged from the data and shows the relationships between the concepts. This is a theory for the practice of preaching on Matthew 25:31-46 in the South African context of poverty. It has a bearing only on the qualitative analysis of the texts of the sermons on this text in Matthew, and does not address the entire process of the preaching event from the sermon text, the rhetorical and communicative process. It only covers the sermon analyses and the effects on the listeners' actions on the sermons mentioned in the sermons.The National Research Foundation.http://www.ufs.ac.za/ActaTheologicaam2013mn201
Angry preaching : a grounded theory analysis from South Africa
Expressions of anger can be observed all over South Africa and by individuals and groups from different social, economic and racial backgrounds. In this article the argument is advanced that such expressions of anger can be expressions of love and signs of hope showing that people still care. Therefore, anger should not be avoided, but instead be embraced and channelled for positive ends. This article furthermore develops an argument in favour of the celebration of angry liturgies and the preaching of angry sermons as an integral part of the on-going road towards reconciliation and healing after apartheid in general and in particular it reflects on sermons preached in Afrikaans Reformed churches in South Africa on the theme of anger between 2010 and 2015. By means of content analysis, and specifically Grounded Theory, the collected sermons were analysed and a homiletical theory for praxis regarding angry preaching developed. In conclusion the theory for praxis is presented as homiletical route markers for angry preaching as one way of liturgically embracing and meaningfully channelling anger.https://brill.com/view/journals/ijpt/ijpt-overview.xml2020-11-05hj2019Practical Theolog
The stimulation of the modern transformation processes by the church and the opportunity this presents to industrial mission
The church had reacted to both political and industrial change. Localised theology was the
answer to a restricted political dispensation, and the final result was the application of liberation
theology. The Kairos Document, the Evangelical Witness, the Belhar Confession and Church and Society
express the different churchesâ viewpoints about the apartheid regime. This contextual focus
on the same political dispensation unleashed church influence during the establishment of a
national democratic dispensation. The different efforts to deal with industrial change by means
of church renewal have finally paved the way for the development of a new industrial mission,
vision and approach. This has resulted in the forming of an interchurch industrial organisation,
and far-reaching possibilities within the industrial environment.http://www.hts.org.zaam201
Noodsaak van die verrekening van metateoretiese vertrekpunte in prakties-teologiese wetenskapsbeoefening
This article is the first in the research project âMetatheoretical assumptions in Practical Theologyâ. The research problem has to do with the lack of explicit expression of metatheoretical assumptions against the background of a plurality in scientific
approaches to the discipline. Sometimes researchers do not explicity state their theological and other approaches. In this project a group of reformed practical theologians explicitly state their metatheoretical theological and other perspectives and
explain their vantage points in researching the praxis. The necessity to explain metatheoretical assumptions pertaining to the assumptions about reality, the hermeneutical process in understanding, explaining and changing actions in praxis, and
the nature and task of scientific research, is discussed from a reformed perspective.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_skrif.htm
Multicultural worship in Pretoria. A ritual-liturgical case study
The main aim of this article is to develop a theory for praxis with regards to multicultural
worship in South Africa. With this aim in mind qualitative research were undertaken in
three denominationally different congregations namely Dutch Reformed, Roman Catholic
and Charismatic. The research question was âwhat are the ritual-liturgical qualities that
make sustainable multicultural worship possible with the goal of enhancing social cohesion
and reconciliation?â After a discussion of the theoretical points of departure of the research
project the congregations and collected data are presented and ritual-liturgical qualities are
identified. The article concludes by revisiting these qualities rephrasing them into a preliminary
theory for praxis which could possibly enhance the development of more sustainable
multicultural worship services in the South African society.http://ngtt.journals.ac.za/am2014mn201