Pub Date : 2023-12-14DOI: 10.17570/stj.2023.v9n3.a9
P. Langerman
In this article I examine the recent case of the Rev Andres Arango, who was fired from his diocese for using the wrong language formula in baptism and use that incident to interrogate the different views of the Catholic and Reformed traditions to the sacraments. The article begins by going back into the history of Christianity to the Donatist controversy, especially as that controversy relates to the administration of the sacraments, of the fourth century CE. I outline the way in which Augustine of Hippo dealt with that crisis and the implications for the administration of the sacraments. Following from that, it tracks the development of the attitudes to the sacraments, especially in the Reformation and the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century , and the way in which that shaped the way in which the two traditions came to regard the sacraments. It examines statements in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, especially the WCC’s Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry and the Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification to chart some of the progress that has been made in discussions between the two traditions in the ecumenical space. Finally, it examines contemporary attitudes to the sacraments in Roman Catholic and Reformed theology and practice to suggest a way forward.
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Pub Date : 2023-12-14DOI: 10.17570/stj.2023.v9n3.a4
E. Fortein
This study argues that the Reformed Churches in South Africa failed to constructively contribute to social cohesion and justice since the drafting of the Belhar Confession in 1982 due to its failure to embody the demands of unity, reconciliation and justice. Firstly, the study briefly discusses the historical setting of the Belhar Confession and how it remains a bridge too far to embody for the Church in South Africa since its drafting in 1982. Furthermore, the study indicates how the Church’s failure to embody the Belhar Confession leaves a vacuum in the discourses on racial tensions, the land issue and the new apartheid. Finally, the study engages how the Church can be an agent of transformation and hope.
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Pub Date : 2023-12-14DOI: 10.17570/stj.2023.v9n3.a5
Doret Niemandt
This article will hold up a mirror to the Reformed tradition’s theological education past and present, specifically in the context of the DRC. This paper will also make proposals for the future, peering through the window towards possibilities for theological education and formation and the reformation of Reformed spirituality. The Reformed tradition has always maintained a high academic standard when it comes to theological education and the formation of its clergy. The curriculum used by the DRC, modelled on the European system, still to a great extent reflects the needs of the church decades ago and is challenged by the DRC’s current ecclesiological understanding. A missional church, as portrayed by the DRC’s policy document, requires missional clergy, or missional leadership, and thus theological education that supports this type of formation. This article proposes a more holistic spiritual formation programme that cultivates a sound Reformed spirituality and enables the formation of these missional leaders.
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Pub Date : 2023-12-14DOI: 10.17570/stj.2023.v9n3.a6
Dirk J Smit
The article provides some broad perspectives on what is happening in the global Reformed world today. It takes its point of departure in two recent editions of the Reformed World, the official journal of the World Communion of Reformed Churches that is again being published since 2021 after a short interruption in publication. It shows how these editions embody the present self-description of the global body, namely “Called to Communion; Committed to Justice” as well as its strategic vision, “Confessing the God of Life in a World Fallen Among Thieves.” In this process, a brief overview is offered of distinct Reformed emphases in four of the most important bilateral reports in which the World Communion participated in recent years. Based on this overview, four brief theological observations conclude the broad picture.
这篇文章对当今全球改革宗世界正在发生的事情提供了一些广阔的视角。文章的出发点是最近出版的两期《改革宗世界》（Reformed World），这是世界改革宗教会联合会（World Communion of Reformed Churches）的官方期刊。它展示了这两期刊物如何体现了这一全球机构目前的自我描述，即 "呼唤共融；致力于正义 "及其战略愿景，即 "在一个堕落为盗贼的世界里承认生命之神"。在这一过程中，我们简要概述了近年来世教会所参与的四份最重要的双边报告中改革宗的独特重点。在这一概述的基础上，以四条简短的神学意见作为大局的总结。
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Pub Date : 2023-12-13DOI: 10.17570/stj.2023.v9n1.a19
N. Philander
The years between 1958 and 1994 saw radical shifts in the theological training of the DR Missionary Church (DCMC) in South Africa. This article offers a chronological overview of those changes by extensively quoting from and offering interpretation of the original documents. The shifts are analysed thematically as a journey from a pietistic inspired curriculum taught by missionaries in a single-church seminary in Wellington, to an academic education at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Belville. This was guided by well-trained theologians and represented a further leg of the journey, representing development from a single-church institution to an ecumenical collaboration with the University of the Western Cape (UWC).This article presents a historiographical overview of the development of theological training under the influence of the specific contexts of an era. It offers a window on an overview of the educational changes that were affected and indicates the need for the acceptance of a discipline that can consistently continue to accommodate formation, reformation, and transformation. The article in itself testifies to a changing and developing educational process and to the way that the passage of time enhances its growth and development.
从 1958 年到 1994 年，南非 DR 传教会（DCMC）的神学培训发生了翻天覆地的变化。本文按时间顺序概述了这些变化，广泛引用并解释了原始文件。文章从主题上分析了这些转变的历程，即从惠灵顿单一教会神学院传教士教授的虔诚主义课程到贝尔维尔西开普大学（UWC）的学术教育。这是在训练有素的神学家的指导下，从单一教会机构发展到与西开普大学（UWC）进行普世合作的又一段旅程。本文从历史学的角度概述了神学培训在特定时代背景影响下的发展。这篇文章从历史学的角度概述了神学培训在特定时代背景下的发展，提供了一个了解受影响的教育变革的窗口，并指出了接受一门能够持续不断地适应培养、改革和转型的学科的必要性。这篇文章本身就证明了教育过程的变化和发展，以及时间的流逝是如何促进其成长和发展的。
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Pub Date : 2023-12-12DOI: 10.17570/stj.2023.v9n1.a14
Jacob Mokhutso
This article is a reflection on the theology of resilience using the book of Psalms, reading specifically from Psalm 137. The Psalmist seems to be addressing a few challenges, with which the Israelites were struggling at that time. First, there is the issue of anomie, where everything was crumbling around them, and disorder was the order of the day. Secondly, the Israelites were bothered by the historical memory of their past – as they remembered Jerusalem. Thirdly, the Israelites wondered how they could sing a song of the Lord in a strange place that was seemingly hostile and ungodly. Thus, the article uses these three challenges to reflect on the current situation within the South African context, by using the Psalter. To further engage this psalm, form-critical method, derived from a German word Formgeschichte which means “form-history” is used as a methodology. The article concludes with some challenges taken from the Psalter for the South African populace.
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Pub Date : 2023-12-12DOI: 10.17570/stj.2023.v9n1.a27
M. Mujinga
The Zimbabwe heads of Christian denominations issued a pastoral letter proposing to postpone the general elections for seven years. The leaders argued that Zimbabwe’s political paralysis and the economic decline have a long history and they needed to be addressed. The leaders called for a national Sabbath on all political contestation to allow for the rebuilding of trust, and confidence, reset politics, and chart a shared way forward toward a comprehensive economic recovery path in a non-competitive political environment. Their views were criticised by politicians and individuals resulting in the Church leaders withdrawing the call. This article was aimed at analysing the church leaders’ theological justification of the Sabbath call. It also challenged the leaders’ muting of their prophetic voices at a time when they were supposed to shout louder on issues that direct political leaders to democratic elections that are controversially marred with mistrust, intimidations, abductions, and rigging.
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Pub Date : 2023-12-12DOI: 10.17570/stj.2023.v9n1.a15
Caleb Ogunkunle
The violent prayers in imprecatory Psalms have attracted serious criticism among Christians and Biblical scholars who find it difficult to reconcile the spirit of vengeance in the Psalms with the injunction of Jesus Christ that says, “Pray for your enemies and those who persecute you” (Mt 5:43-48). Biblical scholars have done profound research on imprecatory Psalms, but none of them has given significant attention to the activities of the enemies which motivated this present study. Therefore, this article examines the concept of enemies in the Psalter and the Yorùbá worldview to gain insight into the spiritual implications of dealing with enemies in each context. In addition to a review of the literature on the Psalter, a textual analysis of Psalms 35, 69, and 109 was carried out. Also, Yorùbá proverbs and pithy sayings lend credence to the Yorùbá perspective of the enemies. It was discovered that the enemies in each of the contexts were bent on destroying their perceived foes. Consequently, individuals in each cultural setting tried to be freed from the clutches of these enemies. The essay concludes that the Psalter and the Yorùbá worldview have brought different angles to the concept of enemies, which would help appreciate the complexities of enemies on a global scale. The article recommends that individuals should not give up in the face of challenges emanating from enemies and their activities.
在基督徒和圣经学者中，咒诅诗篇中的暴力祷告引起了严重的批评，他们认为很难将诗篇中的复仇精神与耶稣基督的诫命相协调，诫命说："为你们的仇敌和逼迫你们的祷告"（太 5:43-48）。圣经学者们对 "咒诅诗篇 "进行了深入的研究，但他们都没有对仇敌的活动给予足够的重视，而这正是本文研究的动机所在。因此，本文研究了《诗篇》和 Yorùbá 世界观中的仇敌概念，以深入了解在不同背景下与仇敌打交道的精神内涵。除了回顾有关《诗篇》的文献外，还对《诗篇》第 35、69 和 109 篇进行了文本分析。此外，约鲁巴谚语和精辟格言也为约鲁巴人看待敌人的视角提供了佐证。研究发现，每种语境中的敌人都一心想要消灭他们认为的敌人。因此，每种文化背景下的个人都试图摆脱这些敌人的魔掌。文章的结论是，《诗篇》和约鲁巴人的世界观从不同角度诠释了敌人的概念，这有助于理解全球范围内敌人的复杂性。文章建议，面对敌人及其活动带来的挑战，个人不应放弃。
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Pub Date : 2023-12-12DOI: 10.17570/stj.2023.v9n2.a10
Nobuntu Penxa-Matholeni
This article delves into the origins and extent of racial conflicts within and among us as South African Christians, questioning whether they arise from a flawed foundation. Employing an indigenous storytelling methodology, this article aims to uncover these quarrels and their impact on the church, academy, and society. Central to our exploration is the endleleni metaphor, meaning “on the road,” which will be defined to dismantle the divisive hierarchized foundation and foster a new interconnected foundation rooted in our shared humanity. Ultimately, the metaphor of endleleni lights the path towards a promising future.
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Pub Date : 2023-12-12DOI: 10.17570/stj.2023.v9n1.a24
Mias Van Jaarsveld
Zambia is an official Christian nation – it is added in their constitution’s preamble. When tracing the country’s history, the story of European Christian missionaries who installed a heteronormative and patriarchal understanding of the Bible is quite prominent. Despite decolonisation and a growing awareness of the importance of gender equality, heteronormative – and consequently anti-gay – sentiments are still prominent in African churches – especially in Neo-Pentecostal churches, whose theology is rooted in the American televangelism. These churches are the fastest growing nodes of spirituality on the African continent, and despite preaching “freedom” and “power”, they have a fundamental understanding of the Bible where there is no room for queer bodies. In fact, in this Christian country, homosexuality has been politicised, even weaponised since a majority of Zambians are opposed to homosexual behaviour. In this article, I give an overview of anti-gay sentiments in Zambia as experienced in the field, place this in conversation with Queer Theory and Queer Theology with the hope to draft a disruptive narrative for transforming practice.
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