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 25:31–46 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 – F. Gerrit Immink se prakties–teologiese 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 ‘performance’. ’n 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

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 colleagues’ 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 Louw’s basic hermeneutic approach, all the other colleagues who basically accepted Osmer’s 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, ‘Gender Studies and Practical Theology Theory Formation’, 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 25:31−46? 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 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

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

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 churches’ 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 “Metatheoretical assumptions in Practical Theology”. 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 “what are the ritual-liturgical qualities that make sustainable multicultural worship possible with the goal of enhancing social cohesion and reconciliation?” 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

Belief in God among South African youth and its relation to their religious socialization and praxis

This article investigates belief in God among 538 students from standard 9 who attend Anglican and Catholic schools in the Johannesburg/ Pretoria region, and relates this belief to the students' religious socialization and praxis. The students' belief in God appears to correlate strongly with their religious praxis in the present and less so with their religious socialization. However, some elements within this religious socialization play a rather important role, namely the parents' religious modelling, communication, and transfer. Two elements do not appear to have any influence at all, namely the parents' church participation and the parents' religious steering of students in the past and present.Spine cut of Journal binding and pages scanned on flatbed EPSON Expression 10000 XL; 400dpi; text/lineart - black and white - stored to Tiff Derivation: Abbyy Fine Reader v.9 work with PNG-format (black and white); Photoshop CS3; Adobe Acrobat v.9 Web display format PDFhttp://explore.up.ac.za/record=b1001341wm201