Knowledge, values, and beliefs in the South African context since 1948: An overview

In this contribution, an overview of the distinct waysin which the interplay between knowledge, values, and beliefs tookshape in the South African context since 1948 is offered. This is framedagainst the background of the paleontological significance of SouthAfrica and an appreciation of indigenous knowledge systems, but alsoof the ideological distortion of knowledge and education during theapartheid era through the legacy of neo-Calvinism. The overviewincludes references to discourse on human rationality (as an implicitcritique against ideology), on the use of social sciences in theologicalreflection, on the teaching of evolution in public schools, on scienceand religion, and on religion and ecology. The essay concludes witha survey of some of the major voices regarding the interface betweenreligion and science in South Africa

Speak with one voice! Towards an ecumenical ethics applicable to the church-state dialogue in South Africa

This research deals with the question of whether an ecumenical ethics can be developed in South Africa that at least will be applicable in the field of political ethics and that can assist the various ecclesiastical traditions to ‘speak with one voice’ when they address the government on matters of Christian ethical concern. The research rests on the recognition of the variety of ethical persuasions and points of view that flow from the variety of hermeneutical approaches to Scripture. However, within this plethora of ethical discourses, an ‘overlapping’ ethics based on a proposed set of minimum theological ideas can be pursued in order to reach at least an outline of an applicable ecumenical political ethics conducive to the church–state dialogue in South Africa today. The article concludes that a ‘minimum consensus’ on the role of revelation in the moral discourses is possible and is enriched by traditional ideas such as creation and natural law, the reign of God and Christology, and it can provide a suitable common ground for an ecumenical ethics applicable to the moral difficulties in the political domain in South Africa today