Masters Degrees (Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology)
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Browsing Masters Degrees (Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology) by browse.metadata.advisor "Forster, Dion Angus"
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- ItemAn ecological theology in the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa? : a critical theological review(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-11) Hoffmann, Dewald; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematical Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The global Earth community finds itself in an unprecedented environmental crisis; a crisis that has been bought on by the actions of its human inhabitants. As humanity has evolved and grown, so has its societies and the way in which it views the world. This rapid growth and progress have however had a devastating impact on the whole Earth community. The power with which humanity enacts violence against the rest of creation has physically altered delicate balances that sustain life, effecting both human and non-human existence. Never has a single species had such an overwhelming effect on the Earth. These habits and practices are deeply embedded in beliefs and worldviews that have objectified the natural world as a recourse to be exploited for human gain. These issues demand theological reflection. Many contributions in Ecotheology have been shared, but one could ask how the environmental crisis has been engaged from within a South African context? The environmental crisis is something that affects all of the Earth community; it not only has an effect on the natural world, but also on the livelihoods of people. It is therefore a concern that is relevant (and essential!) to local congregations. This study will focus on the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) of South Africa and attempts to map the landscape of Ecotheology within the denomination. This is done by examining the theologies and worldviews that have had an impact in shaping the environmental crisis as we have it today. Then by engaging with the complexity of the South African context, the study situates the DRC by understanding environment in a holistic manner. Following this, the study focusses on the impact different metaphors and creative language can have on engaging with the environmental crisis. The environmental crisis is an unparalleled test facing humanity. The human race has to honestly reflect on the scope of its destructive impact and drastically change its ways. Examining a well-established and institutional church in the South African context has the potential to awaken conversation and fresh contributions. Surveying the ecotheological landscape of the DRC can become part of a wider movement in society. The call to adopt alternative practices helps frame the rest of creation as more than just a recourse, but as good and part of God’s great cosmic story.
- ItemHoly or wholly? : a systematic theological study of Sabbath keeping in the works of Samuele Bacchiocchi and Marva J. Dawn(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Mats’aba, Kofo; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis is a study of the doctrinal concept of Sabbath keeping in the works of Samuele Bacchiocchi and Marva J. Dawn, respectively. Bacchiocchi is from the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church which believes that the seventh day of the week is to be kept as the Sabbath. On the other hand, Marva Dawn is a Lutheran who believes in the relevance and benefits of keeping one day in a week as the Sabbath. Using a qualitative content analysis of books and articles by these two Theologians the doctrinal concept of Sabbath keeping is extensively studied in their respective works to find the distinctive theological contributions to Sabbath keeping that each author offers. In addition, other theologians including those who have written on Sabbath keeping are cited as secondary sources to maximize the critical theological discourse and outcome of this study. The intention of this process is to facilitate a critical engagement on Sabbath keeping in the works of Bacchiocchi and Dawn to gain a new, more complex, and nuanced understandings of Sabbath keeping. The study is then concluded by summarising the findings of the research, how the theology of Sabbath keeping can be enriched, developed, nuanced, and problematized through this critical theological engagement between the works of Samuele Bacchiocchi and Marva J. Dawn, and suggesting areas for future research.
- ItemAn interdisciplinary engagement with the human dignity of the sexual minorities in Grace Bible Church, Soweto : a case study on gender, law and religion(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Sewapa, Tebogo Molate; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Pentecostal theological notion of being “born again” stems from the mainstream Evangelical doctrines of “sin,” “salvation” and “baptism in the Holy Spirit” that are inextricably interwoven into the fabric of the Pentecostal church in general. Most theological discourses in Pentecostalism are founded upon these notions. Sexual morality is expected to be grounded on the principle that “marriage is an institution created by God in which one man and one woman enters into an exclusive relationship for life, and that is the only form of partnership approved by God for sexual relations.” This study uses the Grace Bible Church (GBC) in Soweto, a dominantly “black” township west of Johannesburg South Africa, as its case study since the church declared in its Statement of Faith (SoF) that it will only allow persons to become members in the church if they adhere to these heterosexual, monogamous, heteronormative principles. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) lifestyles are in most general cases pathologized as being a transgression, spiritual deviance among the conservative and fundamentalist Bible-literalist churches, particularly the Pentecostal-Charismatic churches. They are regarded as sinful “unnatural” acts that may result in divine judgement whilst other go as far as asserting that same-sex sexual activities are demonic and “Un-African”. This is mainly because of the widely accepted binarism views and assertions that according to the Bible God created humans as either male or female. This binary view of gender has been largely upheld within the South African religious community while gender diversity has been ignored. People born intersex have been forced to live according to this gender binary. The gender bipartite also problematizes people that are transgender and excludes people that are gender diverse. Gender identity is widely accepted as a person’s private sense of being male, female, both or of the other gender. This may or may not match the biological sex assigned to them at birth. Due to the gender binary that promotes heterosexist theological positions, sermons are preached from the most conservative Christian pulpits with the intention that non-heterosexual members will repent, be ‘delivered’, and transformed by the power of God. Such sermons are viewed by some as being derogatory and discriminatory against members who are of LGBTIQ sexuality. Their argument is based on the premise that these churches do not consider queer members’ lived experiences, but instead insist on a literalist hermeneutical approach on the Bible exegesis and the traditional heteropatriarchal views ascribed to the Biblical worldview. Moreover, such views hold that human sexuality promotes only the heterosexual perspective as a religious and societal norm. Queer persons experience a negative impact from stigmatization and victimization due to patriarchal, heteronormative and cisnormative societies, that is even argued to be dominated by the hegemonic masculine mindset. This study shows that international and South African research has found significant negative effects are caused by exclusion and other forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation and queer gender identity. Sexual orientation-based discrimination presents the same risks of psychological and other harm as discrimination based on race, religion or gender. Notably, among youth who already identify as, or think they may be homosexual or bisexual, research has found that family rejection and exclusion, as well as bullying by peers, correlates highly with a range of high-risk behaviors and outcomes ranging from truancy to substance abuse to attempts at suicide. Much of the evidence shows that this stigmatization leads to deep-seated and widespread prejudice, discrimination and violence in Africa toward those who are not heterosexual. Furthermore, many gay and lesbian people suffer from stress due to ill treatment by a homophobic society, especially when confronted with religious condemnation. Public religious speeches can lead to not only grave psychological, but also social consequences, as such speeches may contain a strong element of humiliation and degradation that may promote corrective rape, bullying and belittlement. Religious homophobic speeches may cause a polarization of society as people unconsciously absorb the hidden agenda that is intended to show that people who do not conform to the heterosexual norm are inferior and should be shunned. Research and observation have found that gay and lesbian people are referred to as “detestable” or “unnatural”, which could constitute religious hate speech. Due to what is believed to be a religiously infused homophobia, the LGBTIQ church members and activists have started protesting their churches. While some leave churches, others choose to remain “in the closet” and celibate so that they may be accepted by the Christian community and participate in church activities. In other instances, some closeted LGBTIQ members in Pentecostal-Charismatic churches are experiencing heightened homonegativity when anti-gay sentiments are uttered. It is therefore, the purpose of this study to investigate issues related to gender, law and theological discourses within the context of a selected Christian denomination –the Grace Bible Church in Johannesburg South Africa. This study is interdisciplinary, since it is positioned within the fields of Christian theology, the sociological concept of human sexuality with a specific interdisciplinary dimension on the intersection between gender, law and religion. The interconnectedness of the notions on gender, law and religion is the foundational basis of this study. This is pertinent since, historically, law and theology have been accepted as the fundamental grounds of the universal notion of the recognition of the inherent dignity of persons, and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family. Such laws form the foundations on liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness of all members of human family in the world. These laws are also contained in the liberal Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996. The South African Constitution, recognizes and protects, in Chapter 2 Section 9 of its Bill of Rights, the human rights of LGBTIQ persons to not be discriminated against on the ground of their sexual orientation or gender identity. While there appears to be some tension with regard to understanding the Constitution’s definition of religious freedom, churches seem to be generally free to formulate the conditions of their faith and church membership and free from state intrusion and doctrinal entanglement in such matters as relating to faith dictates. Hence this study considers these issues, focusing on human sexuality, theological and legal notions of human dignity, human flourishing, and human rights jurisprudence.
- ItemIs ovarian cancer the end of womanhood? : a feminist theological engagement(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Minnaar, Tayla Amy; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis is a study of the contemporary notions of the body that may seem to challenge concepts of womanhood among women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer who, as a result, may not be able to bear children. The research engages with certain social, biblical and political ideas of what it means to be a woman, and how these social perspectives impact and influence women's identities as a whole, especially when one's body no longer performs the way it did before. These notions will be viewed through a theological lens. Social notions of motherhood influence the ideology of womanhood socially, emotionally and psychologically, which implicates how women understand their own femininity, sexuality and their bodies. The aim of this project?? is to reconstruct the social and Christian assumption that women are created for the purpose of childbirth and mothering. The intention of this research is to critically engage with the complex ideologies and concepts of motherhood and womanhood, how theology plays a role in both reinforcing and/or addressing this ideology and to criticise theological and social engagement between body theology and ideas of motherhood. This will be done by using a qualitative research method since it will engage with existing secondary research on women with ovarian cancer. This research will be a descriptive and a critical analysis of the social and political nature of society and media and how it plays a role in the self –identity of women and their femininity. In addition, feminist theologians including Lisa Isherwood and Gayle Letherby have contributed significantly as secondary sources to widen the critical theological engagement and discussion on body theology and womanhood. In chapter 2, the research will describe key medical procedures before and after women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, to illustrate the emotional, psychological and physical trauma women experience from ovarian cancer. Chapter 2 introduces social notions and implications of sexuality, body theology, motherhood, and womanhood. These notions are then critically engaged within Chapter 3, where the intersectionality of these social issues is interlinked through the health condition of ovarian cancer. Chapter 4 of the research communicates the theological complexity of ideologies of motherhood and engages with both voluntary and involuntary childlessness. In addition, chapter 4 suggests the need for church engagement with the social construction of motherhood and draws on a West African conference in Nigeria as a primary source. The study is then concluded by summarising the research findings of ideologies of womanhood, childbirth, and motherhood and problematizing this critical social construction through a theological engagement with body theology. It suggests further research should be done in future to help develop a richer research project.
- ItemIs that your (real) child? Adoption : the sacrament of belonging(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-04) Kelly, Angus; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematical Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Is it possible to call the relationship between adoptive parents and adopted children real in the sense that a sacrament is real? This study is a reflection on Kelley Nikondeha’s book Adopted: The Sacrament of Belonging in a Fractured World (2017). Through qualitative analysis and reflection on available media and literature this study will explore: a) Some of the circumstances that lead to relinquishment through abortion, and abandonment, or to belonging through foster care and adoption in South Africa. b) Perceptions and ethical controversies related to the history and practice of transcultural and international adoptions. Through theological analysis and reflection on literature suited to the South African context it will explore the narrative aspects of Desmond Mpilo Tutu’s Ubuntu theology and practice and Methodist Theological Ethics as described by Stanley Hauerwas and D Stephen Long (2011). Exploration of these theological frameworks will yield three connecting themes namely blessing, belonging and progressing outlining a theology characterised by a positive ontology, an inclusive ethic and imminent eschatology. This framework of blessing, belonging and progressing will be used as a lens through which to reflect on Kelley Nikondeha’s narrative in order to understand the possibility of calling ‘the relationship between adopted parents and adopted children real in the sense that a sacrament is real’.
- ItemMolinism and divine aseity : a review of ontological commitment(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03) Pretorius, Richard Matthew; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The doctrine of Molinism seeks to reconcile God's sovereign predestination with humanity's free will by postulating a middle knowledge between God's natural knowledge and God's free knowledge. God's natural knowledge is taken to exist prior to the divine decree and consists of all necessary truths. Through this knowledge, God comprehends the possible so that God knows all ways in which things could be. God's free knowledge exists after the divine decree and is thought of as the knowledge of contingent truths which God determines by creating our world. The Molinist's proposed middle knowledge slots in between God's natural and free knowledge, but before the divine decree. Through God's middle knowledge, God knows all contingent truths which exist apart from God's control. It is through God's middle knowledge that God comes to know how any free creature would act were they to be left free in any specific set of circumstances. By combining natural knowledge and middle knowledge, the Molinist believes that God is empowered to select and create a feasible world in which all events which transpire do so because God created a world in which they would. Molinism postulating middle knowledge presents a potential problem: if God's middle knowledge exists prior to the divine decree it must take the form of prevolitional and contingent subjunctive conditionals. If these subjunctive conditionals, taking the form of propositional statements, exist in the metaphysically heavyweight sense, then God would have to draw from outside of the triune Godhead in order to complete middle knowledge. This would seem to undercut God's aseity by making God something other than wholly selfexistent and independent. To address this issue, ontological commitment with respect to abstract objects is investigated. Three broad approaches to abstract objects, namely realism, arealism and anti-realism, are presented. In encountering the platonist's realist view of abstract objects, the Molinist must either defeat the Singular Term argument or find a way to affirm that abstract objects do exist - but as entities which depend upon God in some way or another. To this end, non-platonic realist views and anti-realist views are investigated, both from the perspective of their philosophical content and their theological suitability.
- ItemPatriarchal inscribed bodies : a feminist theological engagement with body and sexuality in the “Worthy Women Movement”(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03-01) Stander, Sunelle; Forster, Dion Angus; Van der Walt, Charlene; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Gretha Wiid is the female leader of the Worthy Women Movement in South Africa. Wiid‟s discourse promotes female subordination and male headship. Her teachings seem to suggest that when wives submit to their husbands, husbands will be enabled to take back their rightful and God-given position as head of the household. Through a feminist theological lens, Wiid‟s discourse can be categorised according to the following themes: Female submission and male headship; Gender identities; and the female body and sexuality. Despite the oppressive nature of Wiid‟s discourse, with its patriarchal and formenist overtones, the Worthy Women Movement is highly popular and attracts thousands of women to yearly conferences. When approaching the question with regard to the reasons behind the popularity of the movement, the context of a post-apartheid South Africa that is in transition, as well as the intersections that exist between gender, class and race (more specifically whiteness), seem to play a significant role. Although internalised oppression might play a role in the popularity of the movement, themes of patriarchal bargaining can also be detected. With all of these factors taken into consideration, it seems as if Wiid and the followers of the Worthy Women Movement are bargaining with female subordination in exchange for a utopian future of a faithful and loving husband, as well as more stability and security in the post-apartheid South African context.
- ItemPlanetary health in the anthropocene : sharing agency in the body of God(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Greyvenstein, Juanita; Forster, Dion Angus; Van der Walt, Charlene; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The earth, more-than-human communities, and many marginalised human communities are currently suffering because of the immense strain industrialised societies place on the earth’s life-support systems. Climate change is but one of the symptoms of a planet in peril. A number of earth-system processes are functioning in high risk zones and being fundamentally altered by the impact of society. To signal the changes observed by many scientists in the functioning of the earth, this epoch has been named the Anthropocene. This term is however more than a scientific designation, it disrupts our understanding of the presuppositions on which we have built both environmental and humanistic sciences and it specifically challenges their absolute separation. The Anthropocene as term itself is, however, controversial because it is not without cultural and gender bias. For theology to take up its public and prophetic role, it is necessary to engage with the wide range of disciplines that are defining, characterising and critiquing the Anthropocene. This study engages these disciplines through a specific methodology – through an eco-feminist critique. It shows how an androcentric bias has informed both scientific and religious understandings of the world – leading to a perception of the more-than-human world as inert, mechanic, fully knowable and primarily a human resource. This study suggests that an organic and agentic cosmology – as e.g. defined by Sally McFague in her model of the universe as the body of God, provides a more appropriate religious cosmology that takes the natural sciences and specifically an evolutionary cosmology seriously. I argue that this religious cosmology may offer a framework for ethical reorientation in the time of the Anthropocene. McFague’s theology gives fundamental value to embodied existence. It is through the matter of our bodies that we experience life and do theology. In this perspective it is also through our bodies that we share in the body of God, who is “transcendently immanent” through the physical processes of the universe. The doctrine of incarnation is both complexified and radicalised to apply to all fleshly bodies. To further understand how entities relate to one another in McFague’s model of the universe as the body of God, her conceptualisation of agency is explored. Masculinist formulations of agency as autonomous efficacy are shown to have cost the bodies of women and the earth dearly. To think more democratically and organically about being agentic beings, Bruno Latour’s argument of “sharing agency” is explored. When we realign human history with the common creation story we begin to see that humans are not the only actors in this world. An agential view of all matter allows us to articulate new orientations between the call for humans to be heroic earth stewards and the call to return to “wild untouched nature.” Sharing agency brings us to the humble acknowledgement that we are not the sole authors of bodily life but that our bodies are intertwined and implicated by the lives of other more-than-human bodies and the body of God.
- ItemThe Presence of the Kingdom in the light of the Speech Act Theory (SAT) : an ethical inquiry(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-12) Cho, Anna; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis relates Christian ethics to the presence of the kingdom of God in Jesus’ sayings and to its real meaning and application by reconsidering the religious language of the kingdom of God from the perspective of the Speech Act Theory (SAT). In SAT, the Christian ethical approach to the presence of the kingdom in Jesus’ sayings is not only aimed at reconstructing meanings of the ethics of the kingdom in the form of a propositional morality theme. It also aims at reconstructing the Christian life as the performance of the ethics of the kingdom in daily life, that is, in terms of the presence of God’s kingdom in Jesus’ utterances and its witness. Christians do not merely assert certain facts about God’s sovereignty or God’s kingdom; they address God in the act of committing themselves to God’s kingdom and applying their minds to its righteousness. Since Christian ethics depends on the message of the kingdom proclaimed by Jesus, the essence of interpretation in Christian ethics is therefore to recognize the illocutionary act in the Bible. In SAT, only illocution is able to determine meaning and to act. It also creates the perlocutionary act as an appropriate response in the believer such as trust or obedience. The living Triune God is still speaking to us through Scripture – not in past stories but in the present in order to fulfil God’s will and God’s kingdom. This indicates that Jesus’ preaching about the kingdom of God focuses on what we should do or how we should live as Christians. The Bible is not supposed to be interpreted only in an academic context but should also be performed by the people of God. Consequently, the Christian community should try to discover the momentum and function of the text in order to build up the people of God to live in the world and to participate in the activities of the kingdom of God, not as spectators but as active participants in the present world. It also tells us who God is, and how we ought to live in relation to that God. Christian communities are called to institute policies that alter the settings in which the interpretation of Scripture takes place. In this way, Christian ethics can map out a new moral sensibility and specific directions through the presence of the kingdom of God in the light of SAT.
- ItemRipples of power : towards a Christian theology of power with a view to inter-religious converstation(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12-01) Samaila, Kurginam Nahor; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Divine power is a religious belief which ascribes apparently inexplicable acts of wonder to God, affirming God’s authority, might, and abilities. It is a conviction which often relates to God’s sovereign activities in creation and human lives. Typically, the theme is associated with God’s attributes in that it describes God as omnipotent, almighty, and all-powerful. This belief is deeply entrenched not only in the Christian tradition, but also in other religious traditions. This project engages understandings of divine power, primarily in the Christian tradition. In order to understand this motif, the study engages in conversation with the theology of the two important scholars who have written on the subject of God’s power. It explores this subject by examining each of the scholar’s standpoints. Each of them approaches the subject from a different perspective arguing how they believe it should be understood. The Presbyterian systematic theologian, Daniel Migliore, argues that God’s power is understood as triune power which is defined, and described, by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and which is demonstrated by his love. Divine power is centred in love and not in domination or coercion. The second scholar, Hans-Ruedi Weber, comes from an ecumenical theological position. He approaches divine power from the perspective of biblical theology. Weber approaches the question of power from what he calls ‘faith trajectories’. These faith trajectories or traditions include: God’s liberating acts (the Exodus tradition or Mosaic Faith); God’s royal rule (the Royal tradition); God’s empowering wisdom (the Wisdom Tradition); God’s holy presence, (the Cultic tradition); God’s vindication of the poor (the anawim tradition); and God’ renewing judgement (the Apocalyptic tradition). Each of these trajectories offers a distinctive understanding of God’s power. Towards the end of this thesis Weber’s interpretation of power, and Migliore’s approach are brought into conversation by highlighting places where they share similar interpretations and so complement each other, and where they differ. These faith trajectories serve to offer some additional material to Migliore’s interpretation of God’s power. In addition to investigating what God’s divine power means, the study also proposes that this theological theme could be an avenue for engaging in inter-religious discussion, particularly in Nigeria. It is proposed that such an approach could deepen and enrich the conversations of the different religious traditions with one another in a deeply divided country by understanding and accommodating religious similarity and the appreciation of distinctive religious and theological beliefs.
- Item'n Sistematies-teologiese ondersoek na die rol wat emosie mag speel(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-04) Jacobs, Jacques Warrant; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematical Theology and Ecclesiology.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Emosies kan ʼn belangrike rol speel in die vestiging van samelewings van geregtigheid en indien negatiewe emosies nie aangespreek word nie, kan dit destruktiewe gevolge hê, soos vervat in die woorde van die Anglikaanse priester, Michael Lapsley: “If we are filled with anger, hatred, bitterness and a desire for revenge, we will never create a just and compassionate society.” Kwessies oor geregtigheid staan as brandpunte uit in die heersende politieke en etiese diskoers in Suid-Afrika. Dit sluit kwessies in rakende sosiale en ekonomiese geregtigheid soos die herverdeling van grond, ekonomiese ongelykheid, en die regte van vroue en persone in die LGBTIQ+-gemeenskap1 . Hierdie studie ondersoek die rol wat emosies in die verwesenliking van geregtigheid binne hierdie konteks kan speel. Die soeke vir geregtigheid word binne die raamwerk van ʼn etiek van verantwoordelikheid geplaas, omdat verantwoordelike optrede vereis dat die gevolge wat handelinge in die hede op die toekoms mag hê, verreken moet word. Teologies veronderstel ‘n etiek van verantwoordelikheid dat Christene aan God toerekenbaar is wat betref hul verantwoordelikheid teenoor hul naaste. Die kognitief-evaluerende teorie betreffende emosies, soos geskep deur Martha Nussbaum, word bespreek omdat dit die moontlikheid van die vestiging van gewenste emosies en die uitwis van ongewenste emosies bied. Die kognitief-evaluerende teorie stel dat emosies intelligent is en dus waardevolle inligting oordra oor wat vir mense belangrik is. Prominente emosies wat aan die orde kom, is simpatie, empatie, deernis en liefde, asook skuld, skaamte en afguns. Die sentrale vraag wat hierdie studie poog om te beantwoord, is waarom emosies so ’n beduidende rol in die vestiging van samelewings van geregtigheid kan vertolk, ondanks die feit dat daar reeds goeie beginsels in plek is. Emosies mag ’n belangrike motiveerder vir die najaag van geregtigheid wees, omdat die bereidheid tot en strewe vir geregtigheid op ’n emosionele basis berus. So stel liefde en genade persone byvoorbeeld instaat om lydendes en verontregtes raak te sien. Die teenwoordigheid van emosies soos liefde impliseer nie volmaaktheid, of geen gronde vir kritiek nie, want publieke liefde kan betoon en geregtigheid nagestreef word, ten spyte van publieke onvolmaaktheid.
- ItemA theological-ethical critique of Korean entertainment television in the light of Alasdair MacIntyre's ethics(2019-04) Kim, Hoseok; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The mass media is exerting an enormous influence on Korean society today, especially television media. The latter does not only mirror Korean norms, but also determines and reinforces current ethical trends. Amongst others, survival audition programs have gained much popularity in recent years. This study argues that the neoliberal values embedded in these programs are impacting on the moral formation of viewers, and thereby facilitating the ethical deficiency of Korean society. To understand this phenomenon further, this study examined the specific values of Korean television entertainment, and took cognizance of why and how these programs should be critiqued. This analysis was done from three different perspectives: A socio-historical perspective, a media theoretical perspective, and an ethical-theological perspective. The former tracked the origin of neoliberalism in Korean society and how it has evolved over time. Neoliberalism in Korea started with the influence of the economic policies of Western countries, but there were already traces of neoliberalism before that, i.e. during the Korean War and monocracy. Through the theories of representative media scholars, namely, Walter Benjamin, Harold Innis, Marshall McLuhan, and Günther Anders, it was found that media is no longer just a tool to deliver content, but also exercises a profound and powerful influence on the moral trends of society. Finally, this study critiqued neoliberalized Korean television entertainment from an ethical-theological perspective. Alasdair MacIntyre's ethics formed the basis for this critical reflection, and his virtue ethics, which emphasizes community, was proposed as an alternative. MacIntyre’s ethics was introduced as an ethical foundation to critique Korean television entertainment in conjunction with the theological viewpoints of John Milbank, Stanley Hauerwas, and Graham Ward.
- ItemWhat science? who’s theology? : a reformed theological response to Andrew Newberg’s neurotheological model(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03-01) Du Toit, Dubois; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Religious, mystical and spiritual experiences are some of the most important and complex experiential qualities of human life. It has always been our greatest endeavour to make sense of our reality, and these experiences have permeated our theories, analogies and theologies since the beginning. The rise of the modern scientific enterprise has given us access to previously unattainable perspectives and insights into just how significantly these experiences influence us on a psycho-somatic level. In no other field of study has this investigation seen more prominent development than in the neural sciences. Their studies and findings gave us the opportunity to engage our experiences critically, but researchers started asking questions regarding the experiences’ causal nexus as well – where some even dismissed them as an evolutionary by-product of brain function. In reaction to this position, a new field of study emerged that endeavours to reconcile the scientific study and theology of these experiences, namely, neurotheology. Andrew Newberg, a proponent of neurotheology, is currently spearheading an attempt to establish neurotheology as a autonomous discipline. However, his perspectives on the goals, principles and neurological basis of a neurotheology raise some concern from both the scientific and theological communities. Thus, it will be the task of this study to critically evaluate Newberg’s neurotheology from different interactive perspectives, while focussing on the relevance of its contribution and possible relationship with regards to neuroscience and theology. In order to undertake this task it is necessary to provide a few frameworks which will be able to accommodate neurotheology, neuroscience and theology. An argument will be made for the specific use of a cognitive neuroscientific and critical reformed theological model with respect to the unique thrust of this study.
- ItemWhen Christians suffer? : a South African Pentecostal engagement with theodicy and the character of God(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-10-20) Hifindaka, Vilio Tutungeni; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis presents a Pentecostal understanding of the character of God in light of Christians suffering sickness, depression and death in South Africa. Given the statistically verifiable prevalence of suffering among the majority Christian South African population, an understanding of God in light of suffering is pertinent. Moreover, the thesis addresses the problem which exists as a result of the perceived inconsistency between what some Christians believe about the character of God and what is experienced on a daily basis by South African believers undergoing suffering. To further narrow the context of the study, the author writes specifically concerning an understanding of God in suffering from a Pentecostal Christian perspective. The research project uses a qualitative-analysis methodology as its principal theoretical framework. The author uses this methodology when assessing selected works from Chris Oyakhilome as a representative of a particular type of Pentecostal theology present amongst South African believers. Moreover, the emerging theology from Oyakhilome is critically evaluated. This evaluation is undertaken by engaging with the Crucified God by Jürgen Moltmann and weighing up Oyakhilome’s understanding of God in suffering against that of Moltmann, inter alia, other influential approaches to theodicy. Finally, the findings are consolidated and a proposal for a revised Pentecostal understanding of God’s character in relation to suffering is offered. This consists primarily of three traits, namely: the good God, the healing God and the suffering God. The study concludes by summarising the findings of the research, making some proposals for how a South African Pentecostal understanding of God can be further developed, and suggests areas for future research.