Faculty of Theology

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The Faculty of Theology is a faculty of Stellenbosch University. We are a faculty for theology, and through research, teaching and learning and community action we are a knowledge partner for other academic communities, various church denominations and institutions of broader society.

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Beyond handouts : a gendered analysis of faith-based organization’s response to homelessness
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-03 ) Mbaya, Brandina; Bowers-Du Toit, Nadine; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Homelessness is a complex issue, caused by interlocking socio-economic factors and Faith Based Organisations (FBO’s) are one of the sectors at the forefront in addressing this issue at grassroots level. Causes of homelessness include poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, immigration, urbanisation, and abuse. Although, homelessness can be experienced by anyone if a crisis occurs in one’s life, homeless women face critical and gendered issues as they are vulnerable and become an easy target on the streets. Such issues include challenges of reproductive health issues, lack of antenatal care, sanitary essentials and often physical, sexual, emotional and substance abuse in addition to challenges faced by the homeless population in general. Women also are rejected by families when gender identities are revealed. It is also important to note that women are an increasing population within the homeless community. Women issues lack representation in literature, particularly homeless women. This study, therefore, seeks to highlight the plight of homeless women, and additionally seeks to engage this issue theologically from a Womanist lens. The story of Hagar found in Genesis is analysed using womanist theology to expose how intersecting issues such as class, gender and race perpetuate homelessness. Finally, the study employs a qualitative approach using critical discourse analysis to analyse three FBOs in Cape Town to ascertain whether they engage a gender sensitive lens in their work with the homeless population and whether they address the issues of homeless women within the work of their organisations. This analysed their websites, reports, programmes, partnerships, and testimonials. The findings of the study indicate that while, the organisations (FBOs) cater to the basic human needs of street homeless population, there is a lack of consistency and attention given to gender issues, specifically issues faced by women. Recommendations are also, therefore, made in this regard.
Embodied desire : Song of Songs and body theology
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Joubert, Odile; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africans are confronted on a daily basis with undeniable power structures shaped by patriarchy, demenial language, gender inequality, cultures, traditions and ideology which not only victimises the oppressed, but also victimising the oppressors themselves. These acts of victimisation and injustice are not simply shaped by history and its abusive Body Theology, but are spurred on by a distorted Body-and-Sexual Theology and the abuse of biblical texts. Social behaviour as found in the small town of Beaufort West, riddled with various challenges, is shaped and even ‘scripted’ by perceptions, internalised language and ideologies, normalised and passed on within the community. The impact of this pre-determined and ‘script’ identity markers, specifically of the Beaufort West community, is clearly seen in the manner in which individuals and groups are categorised, sexual expectations are presented and traditional morality is shaped by personal preference. The normalisation of social hierarchy, patriarchy, gender inequality, demenial language and sexual expectations pre-determines humanly well-being, value and morality as no individual is completely free from ideology and its misrepresentation. The normalisation of such ‘scripted’ behaviour in a community such as Beaufort West, flowing from societal influence, is not a twenty-first century phenomenon, but is deeply rooted in the biblical and historical comprehension of the human body. Contemporary individuals share a great amount with ancient individuals when dealing with social normality, hierarchy, patriarchy, humanly well-being and the intoxicating power of desire in human lives. A great amount of socialisation processes’ is involved in desire which is more than often ‘scripted’ by the media through various onslaughts of movies, advertisements and even cultural messages. It is by understanding the shaping and complexity of human well-being and desire that the unquestionable value of the Song of Songs comes into play, as the study of the Biblical text explores the importance of desire and its force in life. The importance of the Song of Songs for the contemporary world lies in its exploration of desire, Body Theology, gender and sexuality, investigating, probing and emphasising vulnerability. Such an understanding of the Song of Songs leads to a morality that is not legalistic in nature but that is receptive to the contemporary world and its legislations. The aim of this study is therefore to explore the history of Body-and-Sexual Theology, too grasp an understanding of the complexity of sex, sexuality and gender, too wrestle with the Song of Songs and its wasf texts and thus striving to see if such a study is of any significance to an analogously ‘scripted’ twenty-first century community such as Beaufort West. The importance of human well-being is not to be ignored as such well-being is deeply intertwined with human dignity, fighting for a healthy, God-intended life and society. As bodyselves humanity is created to experience cognitive, physical, emotional and spiritual needs, striving for intimate communion with God, the natural world and fellow humans.
Encountering the female voice in the Song of Songs : reading the Song of Songs for the dignity of Kenyan women
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-12) Juma, Dorcas Chebet; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates one of the central aspects of a Kenyan woman’s identity, namely the notion of sexuality, which unfortunately also underlies numerous socio-economic and developmental challenges currently confronting Kenyan women. The research shows that in Kenya, patriarchal ideologies are used to control the sexuality of women in the name of ‘our culture’. Thus, it is and has been difficult for many Kenyan women to live with dignity as beings equally created in the image and likeness of God. The study, therefore, sought to identify, expose, criticize, destabilize and to deconstruct patriarchal ideologies that deny Kenyan women the right to live with dignity. Patriarchal ideologies that have been used to mute the voices of Kenyan women on matters of sex and sexuality are challenged by introducing the voices of Kenyan women. The latter is done with reference to poetry that reflects the voices and experiences of Kenyan women as a means of expressing who they really are in the midst of a society that silences them. It is shown that, by means of poetry, the full power and energy of these women may be mobilized. Moreover, the voices and experiences of Kenyan women offer a contextual re-reading of the Song of Songs for their dignity. The study presents the female voice in the Song of Songs (a text from a male pen) as responding in a new way to the patriarchal Old Testament society on matters of sex and sexuality. In the process, a twofold strategy is proposed with which negative perceptions of the sexuality of women in the worldview of Kenya may be addressed: First, this study proposes that it is important to purposefully steer conversations regarding issues of sex and sexuality. The latter is done in the conviction that this is one way of creating a platform for addressing other gender-based injustices that deny Kenyan women the right to live with dignity. Second, by focusing on Kenyan poetry, as well as on the female voice in the Song of Songs, there is a possibility of reconstructing positive aspects of the sexuality of Kenyan women, which may allow them to live with dignity. To achieve the aim of this study, to re-read the Song of Songs for the dignity of Kenyan women, an African Women’s Theological approach is used within the broader context of feminist and womanist approaches to the Song. Through an African Women’s approach to the Song of Songs, the study asks how the female voice that spoke boldly in the patriarchal setting of the Old Testament can also be liberating in the Kenyan patriarchal setting. The female voice in Song of Songs presents issues of sex and sexuality in a new way. As such, it is proposed that the latter voice, read through the hermeneutical lens of Kenyan women’s poetry or poetry on Kenyan women, has the potential to inform and therefore to transform the patriarchal setting of the Kenyan society. It is only if Kenyan women are empowered to negotiate safe sex and to express their sexuality on their own terms and conditions, that this will be fully realized.
Equity and access for persons with disability in theological education, Ghana
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-11-22) Amenyedzi, Seyram Bridgitte; Simon, David Xolile; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Persons with disability in Ghana experience stigmatization, marginalization and exclusion from society; this accounts for their lack of participation in society, equitable access to the Christian life and theological education. By means of a qualitative approach, this study sought to investigate equity and access for persons with disability [blind persons, Deaf persons and persons with physical disability] in theological education in Ghana. The aim was to explore and realistically evaluate the cultural dimension of the stigmatization and exclusion they experience. In my endeavour to do so, a missiological approach to culture from a social constructionist perspective was employed to explore and to some extent realistically evaluate [context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations] the social and theological factors that influence equal accessibility to theological education for persons with disability. The use of stigmatization and inculturation theology as a conceptual framework showed that the Ghanaian culture and traditional belief system has indeed influenced the interpretations and constructions of disability in the Ghanaian Christian context. The dialogue between the Ghanaian culture/traditional belief system and Christianity is a reflection of sociological-anthropological inculturation theology, which is an aspect of contextualization. The stigmatization and exclusion of persons with disability from theological education in Ghana was explored from a perspective that takes into account perceptions (worldview and meanings) of disability in the Ghanaian culture and also considers how these influence equal accessibility for persons with disability in theological education. Hence, contextualization is a relevant and appropriate way of making sense of the disability situation in Ghanaian Christianity and theological education. It was found that Ghanaian Christians construct disability as a curse and as being unacceptable in a similar manner as it is constructed in the Ghanaian culture itself. Consequently, constant pressure is exerted on persons with disability to be healed by means of exorcism, or through faith healing. However, if healing does not occur, the person is accused of lacking faith and the situation is compounded even further. It was therefore established that the churches and theological institutions need to realistically engage in dialogue from a disability theology and a theological hermeneutic of disability (Reynolds, 2008:34-35) perspective in order to integrate, include and embody persons with disability in their ministries and activities. The Ghanaian culture and Bible were thus proposed as two interventions, among others, for equal accessibility for persons with disability in theological education. Although the Ghanaian culture has negatively influenced stigmatization and the exclusion of persons with disability from society at large, and theological education in particular, I suggest that the same culture can also be viewed as an intervening resource. In the final chapter, I list a number of recommendations as ways forward to resolve/address this issue. In addition, I propose that Ghanaian churches and theological institutions as instruments involved in God’s mission have the task of ensuring equal accessibility for persons with disability in theological education. To conclude, from a missio Dei dimension, Ghanaian churches and theological institutions as instruments involved in the mission of God need to be all-inclusive in all their ministries and activities without any form of discrimination, stigmatization or exclusion. Hence, it is only when persons with disability are ensured equal access to churches and theological institutions in Ghana, that they can reflect their true involvement in the missio Dei.
Facing a masculine God : towards a pastoral care response in the context of gender-based violence
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-03 ) Msibi, Msizi Cyprian; Mouton, Dawid P.; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aimed to provide a critical theological reflection on the possible links between masculine images of God and gender-based violence. The objectives of the study included exploring possible alternative images of God that could be helpful in providing pastoral care to victims of gender-based violence (GBV). As such the study further set out to explore and reframe appropriate pastoral care approaches in response to the plight of victims of GBV. Osmer’s four tasks of practical theology provided a broad framework for the research methodology and theological reflection. This study made use of desktop research to conduct an extensive literature survey as input for the conceptualisation presented in the thesis. In addition to engaging with pastoral care, as an academic field and its associated concepts, the thesis also unpacks and engages the concepts of gender, gender-based violence and various nuances in the discourse on masculinity and its relation to GBV. It includes reflections on Biblical texts containing potentially problematic notions of masculinity with regard to characters in these texts and which are also applied to God. In engaging with some of the violent and abusive male metaphors of God in Scripture, the study highlighted the potential for these depictions to be abused in perpetuating the phenomenon of GBV. However, the study also succeeds in presenting life-giving and feminine images of God which might offer tools for pastoral care and hope for those living with the effects of GBV. These alternative female images of God have been employed as a pastoral care response to the scourge of GBV. Feminist pastoral care, womanist pastoral care and narrative pastoral care together may offer a framework for even more practical responses in this regard.
For king and country: an ideological critical study of covenant in Jeremiah 11:1-17 and Kingship in Jeremiah 22:1-23:8 as examples of cultural violence
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12) Gertzen, Marius; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study offers an ideological critical investigation of the notion of covenant in Jeremiah 11:1-17 and kingship in Jeremiah 22:1-23:8 as examples of cultural violence. Employing the theoretical framework of Johan Galtung with reference to direct, structural and cultural violence, the ideological-literary aspects and ideological-contextual aspects of the world in, behind and in front of these texts are explored. In Chapter 2 of this study the theoretical framework of Galtung pertaining to direct, structural and cultural violence is critically discussed. Cultural violence as exemplified by, for instance, religion and ideology is shown by Galtung to justify or legitimise direct or structural violence. Cultural violence makes direct and structural violence look, even feel, right – or at least not wrong. Cultural violence thus plays a crucial role in legitimising acts of direct violence, and rendering the fact of structural violence acceptable in society. In Chapter 3, the world of Jeremiah is investigated. Textual aspects of structure, genre and the Deuteronomistic source informing Jeremiah are brought into conversation with the historical, social and religious aspects of the world of Jeremiah. In Chapter 4 the notion of covenant is defined and interrogated. After offering a diachronic as well as a synchronic analysis of covenant in the Hebrew Bible in its Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) context, this chapter addresses the way in which covenant features in Jeremiah 11:1-17. This includes the ideological-literary manifestation of judgement; the text’s close affinity to the Deuteronomistic ideological worldview; and Jeremiah 11’s correspondence with the temple sermon of Jeremiah 7. These aspects are then used to investigate the ways in which the temple in Jerusalem can be perceived as an example of structural violence and the process of the centralisation of the cult as an example of direct violence. Thereafter, covenant as cultural violence is explored in terms of the covenantal ideology of election; the covenantal ideology of Zion; and the covenantal ideology of the Deuteronomistic. Lastly, it is demonstrated how the direct, structural and cultural violence of covenant in Jeremiah 11:1-17 are closely related to each other by utilising the violence triangle and violence strata image of Galtung. In Chapter 5 of this study the notion of kingship is defined and interrogated. The monarchical state is identified as a theoretical vehicle that is useful for investigating kingship in Israel. The synchronic focus of kingship on divine election and the upholding of justice in the ANE and Israel is investigated, where after diachronic aspects of the divine election and the upholding of justice of selected kings of Israel are explored in conjunction with aspects of direct and structural violence pertaining to the monarchical states during the reign of these kings. The direct violence of the monarchical state of Jehoiakim is discussed in terms of the practise of corvée labour, as well as the structural violence of the monarchical state pertaining to functions of the state as introduced by Solomon but continuing to the time of Jehoiakim. The theology of kingship is discussed especially with reference to the way in which the future promise of a just king is used in Jeremiah 22:1-23:8 to save the institution of kingship. Mention is also made of how the royal psalms can be seen as the popular discourse that kept the elective position of the king before YHWH alive, even if the prophets saw this relationship as a thing of the past. Lastly, the direct, structural and cultural violence of kingship in Jeremiah 22:1-23:8 are once again brought into conversation with each other by employing the violence triangle and violence strata image of Galtung. Finally, the study shows how an understanding of the theoretical framework of Galtung regarding violence may help one to better understand the direct, structural and cultural violence of the ideology of Apartheid in a contemporary South African context. The study concludes by showing the dangers of an inerrant view of Scripture, but also cautions against limiting the violence of Scripture to only texts that contain visible direct violence.
Geweld en Patriargie in Esegiel 16 en 23 in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks van geweld teen vroue en kinders
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-04) Gertzen, Marius; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis is an ideological critical analysis of Ezekiel 16 and 23 in the South African context of Intimate Partner Violence. The ideology of patriarchy and the ideology of violence were used as a hermeneutical framework in the interpretation of the occurrences patriarchy and violence in Ezekiel 16 and 23. The ideological critical analysis of Ezekiel 16 and 23 consist of an extrinsic and intrinsic analysis. Accordingly it is assumed that the presumed audience is the ruling class in exile. In the extrinsic analysis the semantic, syntactic, and morphological occurrences of the marriage metaphor, adultery/prostitution, sexuality, violence metaphors, rape, and shame in Ezekiel 16 and 23 was researched. It was found that adultery/prostitution fulfills a central role in these texts. Therefore, the sexuality in the texts operates as a transition to the violence in Ezekiel 16 and 23. The research of the social context of the abovementioned themes made it clear that the covenant making aspect of the marriage is an important theme in Ezekiel 16 and 23, and that adultery is seen in a worse light than prostitution because of the detrimental effect adultery had on the covenant part of the marriage. It was further found that sexuality was socially strictly controlled, and that the ideology of violence occurred among the ruling class as an honorable form of war. In the intrinsic analysis the rhetorical and theological power of the abovementioned themes was researched. It was found that the vehicle of the implicit patriarchy of the marriage has the ability to provide the tenor of the marriage metaphor namely the YHWH-Israel relationship (the covenant), with more rhetorical and theological power. In the proposals for a contextual reading of Ezekiel 16 and 23, the problem of a violent God was considered, arguing that the covenant creates a space for this understanding of God, but also that this divine image can by ethically reinterpreted in connection to the covenant. The idea of a violent God was further discussed in terms of the Theodicy question. An ideological critical analysis is able to acknowledge the anger of God, but also the anger of humans. In connection to Intimate Partner Violence the metaphors in Ezekiel 16 and 23 cannot be seen as innocent and ought to be critically evaluated.
Infertility a female problem? : engaging with narrative theory and biblical narratives
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12) Strydom, Natalia; Penxa-Matholeni, Nobuntu; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study to present the problem that there is a large faith community, especially ministers and counsellors, who are not sensitive to the matter of infertility. By employing a feminist and gender lens, I also wish to point out that male infertility is an often taboo topic. Nevertheless, couples come to ministers and counsellors for counselling. By conducting this research, I want to to explore possible ways that ministers and pastoral counsellors can help to deconstruct the dominant stories regarding infertility, which are loaded with stigma. By employing the narrative approach, the counsellor and the counselees can construct a new preferred reality and make new meanings out of the crisis of infertility. Secondly, I argue that by being informed about the crisis of infertility, the counsellor will be better equipped to engage with empathy in a pastoral counselling journey with the couple. It is important that couples discover safe spaces to share their infertility story. The pastoral counsellor or minister should be one of those safe spaces and not contribute to the dominant problem story. By following the narrative approach and by sharing a self-narrative of infertility, I wish to paint the background of why a study such as this is important. The study offers an in-depth investigation to find biblical narratives that could be used by pastoral counsellors. The Bible stories that were chosen for this aim are mainly the stories of Ruth, Judah and Tamar. Other biblical and extra-biblical stories are also investigated as sub-narratives. However, this endeavour points to the fact that these are narratives that only illustrate implied male infertility. There are no biblical narratives regarding male infertility due to the stigma that has enveloped infertility from the earliest times. The researcher also unpacks male infertility and how it affects male identity, in other words, masculinity. The link between virility and fertility is explored in an attempt to better understand to what extent infertility causes a crisis for males and for the couple. By understanding this link, we are better equipped to understand that two individuals are affected by this crisis, but they are also affected as partners in the marital unit. The narrative counselling process allows the couple to create new meaning around the crisis and allows them to build preferred realities of what other goals they have for their marriage. It is also critically important that ministers, pastors and members of congregations begin to realise that they have the responsibility and privilege to form a support structure around this couple.
Microfinance as a tool for socio-economic empowerment of rural women in Northern Malawi : a practical theological reflection
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04-04) Chilongozi, Mwawi Nyirenda; Bowers-Du Toit, Nadine; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Poverty is a multifaceted, gendered global challenge that affects women significantly more than men. To alleviate poverty and achieve sustainable development, women in the Global South are engaging in microfinance. Microfinance is the provision of financial services to underprivileged people who cannot access credit from commercial banks and is proving to be a tool of socio-economic empowerment of women from rural areas. This study explores the ways in which the church can promote the microfinance model of savings and loans in a holistic and sustainable way. This study discusses poverty and the feminisation of poverty in the light of the gender and development (GAD) approach and explores the status of women in Malawi in terms of education, health, agriculture, the environment, politics, issues of gender-based violence and socio-economic empowerment. African women theologies and transnational feminism are the theoretical lenses used to explore the advancement of the socio-economic empowerment of rural women in the Global South in the context of economic globalisation. Identified as feminist liberation theologies that seek justice and liberation of all people, African women theologies, are used as the theological lens to analyse the socio-economic empowerment of women in order to explore how women can be liberated from the oppression caused by economic injustice. As a qualitative empirical study, this research explores the nature and impact of existing savings and loans groups run by rural women in the communities of Bwengu and Bolero in Northern Malawi. With a view to understanding the role of the church in microfinance with regards to rural women, clergy from the Henga and Nyika Presbyteries and church leaders of the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia and the Malawi Council of Churches were also included in the study. The findings from the empirical research indicate that microfinance is beneficial to individual women, their families and communities as the savings and loan model encourages women to save money from their resources. Through the savings and loan groups, it appears that women are empowered socio-economically and they become financially independent. The findings also indicate that women who are involved in savings and loan groups can now participate in decision making at household and community levels. Furthermore, women’s involvement in such groups assists in reducing incidents of gender-based violence at the household level because women are making a substantial contribution to the household income. The microfinance model of savings and loans is, therefore, deemed to be both holistic as it encourages women to save from what they have and to generate social capital and spiritual inspiration as they work together in solidarity through the groups. These findings call the church to engage with such models of economic development as they highlight the fact that the churches are aware of microfinance initiatives but the churches have not engaged in the initiatives. However, there is need for the churches to engage in such initiatives because they empower the communities. In order to promote holistic and sustainable microfinance, the church has to advocate for economic justice and build the capacities of its members concerning microfinance. The church should, therefore, seek to encourage all including men, women and youth to engage in microfinance so that the entire community is lifted and empowered socio-economically.
Peace talks : towards an intercultural Bible study on 1 Samuel 25
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Dercksen, Elmarie; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study has the goal of constructing an Intercultural Bible Study on the story of Abigail in 1 Samuel 25, with an accompanying workbook, that has its goal the flourishing of communities. The point of departure of this study is the fragmented and culturally isolated communities of South African society, where the church is an important role player. Using a specific congregational context of Blaawbergstrand, the context is described, which forms the background of the study. By recounting the demographic, socio-economic and ecclesiastic circumstances of residents from this community, the contextual integrity of the study is maintained. The description provides insight in this community, which is a sufficient exemplar of a typically South African one. It illustrates the effects of rapid urbanization, the prevailing gap between rich and poor, and the church’s failure to contribute to concrete and lasting reconciliation in a country with a racial and racialist past. The description, in line with the feminist approach applied throughout this study, also underlines the plight of women in a patriarchal society. This study moreover offers an in-depth description of the nature and significance of an Intercultural Bible Study that builds on s the Contextual Bible Study as applied by the Ujamaa Centre for Community Development and Research. In particular the contribution of Intercultural Bible Study hermeneutics is considered, namely the value of intercultural, interpersonal contact between people, and the benefits of transformative reading, of which cultivating compassion is paramount. The Biblical text chosen for the development of an Intercultural Bible Study is the story of Abigail, as told in 1 Samuel 25. The female hero of the text, her prophetic words and proactive deeds of generosity, provides the reader with relevant topics for “peace talks”: she halts a war with provisions and diplomacy; she intercedes on behalf of others, showing genuine compassion; she acts outside of the demarcated borders expected of a woman of her time. The text is read with close attention to both literary criticism and feminist appreciation. The accent on food as instrument of inclusion is confirmed with the reading, and this is also appropriated in the workbook provided.
Preaching reconciliation : a study of the narratives in Genesis 37-50
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03) Daniel, Nicodemus Pele; Cilliers, Johan; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis is a practical theology endeavour that evaluates the narrative preaching of Genesis 37-50 as a means of promoting reconciliation and social cohesion in a situation of religious and ethnic conflict in a context of the employment or mobilisation of religion and ethnic identity to the exclusion, marginalisation and, according to some, dehumanisation of others. The region specifically referred to is that of the Middle Belt Region of Nigeria, where religious and ethnic differences between people are being used to advance inequality and to dominate others. The study critically examines how actions such as the traditional African concept of ethnicity, the traditional African concept of land ownership and boundaries, manipulation by the elites of ethnicity and religion, religion fanaticism, and poverty and unemployment fuel ethnic and religious division, conflict and violence. In addition, the study examines how these phenomena may be engaged with through the technique of using narratives to create points of identification, narratives as imageries to shape imagination, and narratives as sermon illustrations. As such, the research argues that the narrative of Joseph and his brothers, found in Genesis 37-50, may be used to create a point of identification in preaching reconciliation and social cohesion, because the story depicts defamation of character, egocentrism, favouritism, dehumanisation, and pain and trauma as elements that fuel divisions, conflicts and violence. Furthermore, the study also considers the use of the narrative of Joseph and his brothers as imageries for shaping imagination in preaching reconciliation, because the story pictures changes of thought, changes in actions, forgiveness devoid of confession of evil done in the past, and building a common future as bases for coming together, staying together and walking together as ingredients of reconciliation. Therefore, the study proposes prophetic preaching, biographical preaching, pastoral preaching and economic preaching of the narrative of Joseph and his brothers as techniques for preaching reconciliation and social cohesion.
The role of the church with regards to maternal health : a case study of the church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Synod of Livingstonia
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03) Chilongozi, Mwawi Nyirenda; Bowers-Du Toit, Nadine; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Many women in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Malawi, in particular, die during childbirth due to preventable and treatable complications that develop during pregnancy and childbirth. This study is motivated by the need to reduce the maternal mortality ratio in Malawi, which higher in comparison to other countries in Southern Africa. Therefore, the study aims to interrogate the role the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), Synod of Livingstonia plays or can play to reduce maternal mortality. The study is undertaken within the field of Theology and Development with a focus on the intersection between gender, health and theology. The study discusses development approaches and discourses; the historical perspectives of issues of women in development and how it has shifted from Women In Development (WID); Women And Development (WAD) to Gender and Development (GAD). It placed maternal health within the Gender and Development approach. It further explains how the global initiatives on maternal health and the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals have brought awareness of maternal health as a developmental issue. The initiatives have assisted governments and non-governmental organisations to put strategies that would assist in reducing maternal mortality and it has been noted that Faith-Based Organisations play a crucial role in the health sector in most countries in Africa, including Malawi. The findings indicate that maternal health mirrors the disparities between developed countries and developing countries, between the rich and the poor, between the educated and the uneducated, between the urban and the rural women. Maternal deaths are caused by preventable and treatable complications that develop during pregnancy and childbirth, however, these complications result from socio-cultural, religious, economic and political factors. Above all, maternal mortality is perpetuated by gender inequality in societies. Further the study analysed the role of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Synod of Livingstonia with regards to maternal health using Mercy Oduyoye’s four theological themes as the theological lens. It has been noted that the Synod of Livingstonia is playing a crucial role in the education and health sectors in Malawi. However, the Synod of Livingstonia regard maternal health as a health issue and women’s issue and therefore does not tackle maternal health at different forums. This study concludes that maternal health is a socio-cultural issue, a developmental issue, a gender issue, an economic and political issue that needs to be tackled through the collaboration of the government and churches and the communities in general. Denominations such as the CCAP, therefore, has a crucial role to play in addressing this challenge and the study concludes with recommendations to the Synod of Livingstonia as to how it could assist in issues of maternal health.
The Sin of Gibeah? : reading Judges 19 and Hosea 9-10 in the context of migration and trauma
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-11-12) Fry, Alexiana Dawn; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation explores an intertextual connection of the texts Judges 19 and Hosea 9-10 based on the phrase “the sin of Gibeah” through the methodological lenses of trauma hermeneutics and migration theory. With particular consideration of the impact of the Judean exile on texts not only in the exilic period, but also post-exilic, I propose in this study that the sin of Gibeah can best be understood as one of Othering. A central argument of this dissertation is that both Judges 19 and Hosea 9-10 can be read as stories of migration, as writing impacted by exile, depicting the horrors the community had experienced. In these texts, we find that the literary figures of the bodies of the women Gomer and the nameless Concubine are characters through whom the trauma of migration played out in order to make sense of the senseless for the community in the form of narratives. Yet, from the position of the authorship of both texts, this understanding is not necessarily to be condoned. The sin of Gibeah as Othering demands that the history of exile be told with all truth, with all horror, even as it calls many to account. The importance of these biblical narratives of migration is brought into sharper focus when read also in the context of contemporary narratives of migration. The role of trauma narratives as formative, enabling the re-making experience for both individuals and communities impacted by migrating, manifests in biblical as well as contemporary stories of migration. In exploring the intersection of trauma, migration, and gender in contemporary discussions on migration, specifically in my context of the United States, this study’s understanding of the sin of Gibeah as the sin of Othering continues to point the finger at those in power, asking if we too will bear witness.
Tamar as victim of levirate marriage? : reading Genesis 38 within a Zulu cultural context of marriage
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03) Thabede, Slindile; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Zulu society for the most part is deeply patriarchal in nature and rooted in male dominance that is supported by androcentric cultural beliefs and practices that have led to the oppression of women. Because of patriarchy, Zulu marriage for many women implies victimization and objectification. In particular, the inability to bear male children has resulted in the victimization of the wives that subsequently diminishes their worth as human beings and also has implications for their religious life. In this study, the story of Tamar as told in Genesis 38 is read in the context of the ostracism and oppression that many Zulu women continue to experience in marriage. Reading the story of Tamar, who can be described as a victim of levirate marriage gone wrong, by means of an African Feminist and a Postcolonial Feminist exegetical approach, this study proposes that the story of Tamar may offer Zulu women an alternative way of understanding their own situation, not just as victims, but as survivors as well. In Chapter 2 of this study, I explore Zulu culture and identity in relation to gender by venturing into the cultural folktales to discover the hidden oppression over its women. The purpose of this chapter is to show how cultural symbols like folktales reflect the culture of subjugation and domination over women. But, more importantly, I demonstrate how these folktales serve as a way of socialization of girls and the perpetuation of the male idealization of women in marriage. Furthermore, I show in this chapter how the dominant paradigm of Zulu life in relation to marriage to a great extent continues to centres on the necessity of procreation. I moreover show that the reality of infertility and barrenness and the social consequences reveal some of the layers of ambiguities within the Zulu context of marriage that is rooted in a patriarchal culture that oppresses women and is detrimental to their health. In Chapter 3 of this thesis, the story of Tamar will be read by means of an African Feminist approach that will employ the experience of Zulu women’s oppression in the context of marriage in order to expose the different practices that allow men to victimise, objectify and control women in the cultural marital context. And in Chapter 4 of this thesis, the same text will be read through the lens of a Postcolonial Feminist approach in which themes such as hybridity and mimicry will be used to explore the imperial elements in Genesis 38 when it will be shown how the character of Judah comes to represent Israel as the “coloniser” who is subjugating the Canaanite “Other”, Tamar. Reading Tamar’s story through an African Feminist as well as a Postcolonial Feminist lens affirms that subalterns like Tamar as also many Zulu women today do have a voice after all. Through this study, the possibility for the voices of Zulu women regarding their oppression they experience in terms of marriage is opened up. Female survivors of such oppression are called to help liberate the women of our culture by teaching them how one subverts the oppressive structures in order for every woman in the Zulu culture to flourish. This is a society in which Zulu men treat their women with the same dignity and respect that they themselves demand and which Zulu women are able to reach their full potential and not judged in terms of their ability of bringing a male child in the world.
Trampling on the poor : poverty as violence in Amos 2:6-8, 5:10-13 and 8:4-6
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-04) Garande, Tatenda; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Poverty is a global phenomenon that is complex and multi-dimensional. Since the early 1990s, Zimbabwe has been going through a serious socio-political and economic crisis that reached its peak during 2008-2009. Current conditions in Zimbabwe indicate that the crisis is not yet over. This socio-political and economic crisis has plunged the majority of Zimbabweans into an abyss of poverty. In their quest to find a solution to their poverty, many Zimbabweans have turned to the Church. In particular, the Prosperity Gospel promoted by two popular preachers, Immanuel Makandiwa of the United Family Interdenominational Church and Walter Magaya of Prophetic, Healing, and Deliverance Ministries, has appealed to many Zimbabweans who are deep in poverty. The Prosperity Gospel proclaimed by these pastors claim that prosperity is a blessing and a sign of faith while poverty is deemed a curse and a sign of lack of faith. Conversely, poverty is also depicted as a demon that has to be exorcised. This understanding of poverty poses a challenge because it turns a blind eye on the historical and economic policies that caused poverty not only in Zimbabwe but also in other parts of Africa. In our quest to understand poverty, the meaning we ascribe to the concept will determine how individuals, nations, organizations or the church will respond to and deal with this phenomenon. This study thus argues that poverty is violence against the poor and it is embedded in societal structures that benefit a few powerful elites at the expense of the weak and innocent poor. In addition, this study proposes that Prosperity Gospel is a form of cultural violence that legitimizes the structural violence associated with poverty. The study further argues that Prosperity Gospel is not peculiar to only Makandiwa and Magaya, but that the prophet Amos dethroned a similar kind of theological construction when he castigated the rich and powerful for violating the dignity and rights of the poor. Employing literary and rhetorical criticisms as exegetical tool, this study identifies hidden forms of violence in Amos 2:6-8, 5:7, 10-13 and 8:4-6 that emphasize the basic assumption of this study which is that poverty ought to be understood as violence against the poor.
Uncovering the wounds in Inxeba-The Wound : the value of posttraumatic public theology for considering masculinity constructions within amaXhosa initiation schools
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-02 ) Fumba, Zukisa Patrick; Mahokoto, Sipho ; Claassens, L. Juliana M.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis explores the value of Posttraumatic Public Theology in considering the masculinity constructions within amaXhosa initiation schools. This study is performed by uncovering the wounds using the film Inxeba-The Wound, which captures well the complexities of the amaXhosa hegemonic masculinity. Inxeba-The Wound provides a platform for this study to employ gender-critical lenses, which have been used in this thesis. Furthermore, the study used hermeneutical lenses, the work of Shelly Rambo on a Posttraumatic Public Theology, to address the construction of wounds from and within amaXhosa initiation schools. This study proposes that Posttraumatic Public Theology is well suited to study amaXhosa initiation as a system that constructs masculinities that are harmful in forming boys into manhood. The critical engagement of intersectional themes like masculine gender construction, gender-based violence and sexual orientation in Inxeba-The Wound proves that amaXhosa initiation schools, from their harmful practices, are a source of wounding the bodies of non-conforming groups such as women, girls, and queer men. However, this study also argues that Inxeba-The Wound can serve as a trauma narrative of survival of queer men bodies and women's bodies. The illustration in this chapter has been done through the pedagogy of discomfort as a meaningful facilitator of difficult conversations like amaXhosa initiation schools. This study thus proposes that a film like Inxeba – The Wound to challenge harmful cultural practices within amaXhosa initiation schools. This study reveals an urgent need for amaXhosa communities to recognize the challenges faced by the initiation schools, whose initial purpose is to build and make a home (including communities) flourish through maleness. However, the portrayal of some of the harmfulness at amaXhosa initiation schools (if not all) is extremely concerning because of the violation and violence to other bodies and self. The kind of damaging practices, prescribed or not, are absorbed with dehumanizing effects on women, girls, and queer men, requiring urgent communal attention to restore the meaning of these initiation schools to their intended purpose. This study makes a case for alternative forms of masculinity construction that can be redemptive for all bodies to be free and respected by all people. The architecture of the amaXhosa initiation schools is a hope to heal the wounds they have created and continue to cause, only if amaXhosa communities act soonest to stop the wounding of the others in these initiation schools.
Unmanned and unmade : uncovering violence, emasculation, and shame in Nahum 3
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-02 ) O'Malley, Mel Baars; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation explores the intersection of cultural trauma and masculinity in the book of Nahum to better understand the sexual violence described in the text. God’s rape of Nineveh, and by extension, the king of Assyria and his army of warriors, is deeply problematic. However, avoiding and ignoring this text misses an opportunity to understand the book of Nahum as a survival narrative, written in response to trauma and disaster in the Judean community. This violent portrayal offers a glimpse into the real experience of emasculation of male survivors of sexual trauma, not only in the past, but also in the present. Exploring what male survivors endure in Nahum provides particular insight into the experience of male survivors of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) today. This study seeks to illuminate the connections between warriors of the past and of the present who share common ground and to understand the loss of identity, both of maleness and of vocation, which ensues in the aftermath of rape. Nahum demonstrates the insidious power of patriarchy and the enduring problem of hegemonic masculinity. By exploring constructs of gender, it becomes clear that when a man, especially a warrior, is raped, either as a show of power or after being defeated on the battlefield, he undergoes an unmanning process. In essence, he is no longer a man. The experience of emasculation is traumatic and causes a male survivor to become isolated not only from God and others but also from himself. Neglecting Nahum’s story denies the reality concerning male rape, which remains hidden to this day. Consequently, survivors are often cut off from needed social support which could contribute to the recovery journey. Uncovering Nahum and its horrific violence is an opportunity to see spiritual and emotional wounds that have been buried for far too long. Interpreting the violence in this book through the lens of cultural trauma empowers the reader to better understand the male survivor’s journey including emasculation, shame, and isolation. With this knowledge unearthed, the journey of healing may become possible. For those with the courage to read it, Nahum’s survival story is, and has been, a teacher of trauma’s truths over the millennia. By reading Nahum and contemplating its implications for male survivors, the rarely discussed consequences of sexual violence against men can be more fully recognized and addressed.
Unmasking violations against human dignity in selected Afrikaans films in South Africa 1960-1976 : a practical theological investigation
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12) Van Huyssteen, Elmarie; Cilliers, Johan; Claassens, L. Juliana M.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Three Afrikaans films were released in South Africa during the tumultuous apartheid years (1960-1976) with the focus on the Afrikaner identity, the policy of apartheid and the injustices suffered by its people as a result, specifically focussing on the so-called Coloured community. These films were received with enthusiasm by the mostly Afrikaans viewers, but a dissonance became clear between the “message” delivered by these films and the perception of the content of the films by the public. Human dignity, and its relation to human rights, is offered as a theoretical tool in understanding this discrepancy between message and audience. It seems as if the filmmakers understood that the social injustices they portrayed in the narratives touched on the very fibre of a person’s humanity. In uncovering these injustices, the violations that were done against the human dignity of persons and groups were clinically unmasked as the realities of the current social circumstances were offered as background. The assumption of this study is that human beings are created as imago Dei, in the image of God, to His glory. Violations done to the identity, relationships and the indwelling of God, to a person, violate not only the other, but also the own self as perpetrator, and most importantly, God (the Other) as the grantor and origin of the dignity of each person on earth. Four different “movements” are applied as framework for analysis in order to unmask the manifestation of violations as perpetrated against human dignity, namely observation, interpretation, anticipation and transformation. The material is analysed against the context of the historical background. The dissonance between message and perception by audiences was found to be a consequence of the difference in perceptions of humanity and intent because of the different lenses used. The filmmaker, as artist, portrayed persons as valuable because of their “being human beings”, whereas the audiences accepted the films through the various filters that were operative in society at the time, and which acted together in preserving the value of group interest. The divergence between the view offered by the films and the filters through which they were received was too deep to offer integration, and resulted in dissonance instead. Within any culture the artist may act as a prophet, and this role is investigated by analysing the message brought to the audiences by these artists. The impact of the artist on society may differ, depending on the lenses and filters present as a result of the openness or closeness of a society. Future studies may hopefully shed light on the way in which murky filters may become enlightening lenses in changing societies. It seems as if the dissonance may only disappear when the human glance at our reality, through the eyes of faith, becomes one with the vision of God for His Kingdom.
Viewing ‘Krotoa’ through a Rahab Prism : a postcolonial feminist encounter
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-10) Davis, Sheurl Valene; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis employs a hermeneutic of suspicion to reread the narratives of two underdog women characters, as it analyses the narrative world of Rahab in Joshua 2 and 6 and the story of Krotoa as portrayed in the 2017 film Krotoa side-by-side. This study argues that decolonising and deconstructing hegemonic interpretations of the biblical texts is the only way the Bible still may possess value to the marginalised. Insights from postcolonial feminist biblical interpretation are employed to show how these two very different narrative worlds collide with each another. To reflect on the stories of Rahab and of Krotoa, Musa Dube’s Rahab’s reading prism is used as a reading strategy to reread the narrative of Rahab as well as the portrayed character of Krotoa in the 2017 film Krotoa. Rahab’s character and portrayals are analysed by means of a postcolonial reading optic. Although most previous interpretations have portrayed Rahab as heroine as well as traitor, this study argues that Rahab was also the victim of the coloniser's pen, a literary construction of Israelite ideology. This study further employs postcolonial feminist film theory as an additional methodological approach to critique the imperial strategies employed in the portrayal of Krotoa in the film Krotoa (2017). Postcolonial feminist film theory shows how the portrayal of Krotoa in the film version possesses a specific form of power which could liberate and at the same time perpetuate imperialising interpretations and ideologies. Instead of revolutionising Krotoa in the history of South Africa by offering a life-giving portrayal of Krotoa, this study argues that the film has perpetuated elements of Afrikaner nationalism. Delineating the various portrayals of Krotoa exposed the patriarchal and imperial ideologies still present in the film especially with a practical application of Rahab’s reading prism. The central premise of this thesis is that both Rahab and Krotoa have much in common. This study, therefore, applies a hermeneutic of suspicion that prioritises alternative perspectives in the pursuit of a transformative understanding of these two women in contrast to their reputation and portrayals as traitors. This study argues that the two women have suffered under the rhetoric of God, glory, gold, and gender. The biblical narrative of Rahab and the film Krotoa (2017), as well as the historiographies that depict them, are a perfect example of how the imperial powers impose their control on foreign lands and on the bodies of women, who have been sacrificed on the altar of unity and imperial control. Moreover, this study explores the possibility that these two women were betrayed by their own people and the colonisers have done what they do best—employing the bodies of women who serve as the contact zones for colonisation. By interrogating, deconstructing, and re-interpreting these two characters, this study prioritises life-affirming interpretations and portrayals of both women. The study demonstrates how the chosen reading optic liberates Rahab and Krotoa from the yoke of imperial and patriarchal interpretations and portrayals.
Yithi Uyindoda! (Say, you are a man!) : an ethnographic study on the religion and masculinities in initiation schools in Cape Town Townships
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-04) Ncaca, Mawethu; Simon, David Xolile; Claassens, L. Juliana M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates the construction of masculinity in the Xhosa initiation school (ulwaluko) in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa from a religio-cultural perspective. This ethnographic study utilized interviews with participants, observations of the initiation school, and is also complemented with documents that are written by Xhosa authors Thando Mqolozana, Nelson Mandela, Peter Mtuze, and A.N.N. Ngxamngxa. The documentary by Mayenzeke Baza and a blog post by Xhosa journalist Luzuko Pongoma were also used. The data collection and analysis was done with the Grounded Theory Approach using Atlas.ti version 7. The ontological and epistemological premise is of the constructivist understanding. The conceptual framework is grounded within the African philosophy of Ubuntu and African religio-cultural underpinnings. A new term, ancestral masculinity, was given to depict the type of masculinity described by the findings. It is marked by participating in a ‘manhood’ rites of passage and adhering to its prescribed processes and procedures, according to the ‘living and dead’ ancestors, in order for one to be accepted and recognized as part of the community. The findings show that ancestral masculinity, in its micro context of ‘boyhood’, is a searching route to acceptance. The initiate longs and finds acceptance in the initiation school through enduring pain and fostering a relationship with his guardian and teacher (ikhankatha). Secondly, ancestral masculinity is seen as the yearning to be African in its macro-context. It was demonstrated by admonishing (ukuyala) that helps the initiated to live an exemplary life of honouring (inhlonipho) those who are living and dead. This honouring is portrayed by doing everything possible to be helpful and to accord respect and care to elders. Inhlonipho also challenges individualist accomplishment and materialist flaunting and any ills that negate relational harmony. The study reveals challenges in the ulwaluko institution and construction of masculinity, such as alcohol abuse; carelessness, neglect, and passivity by elders in the process; exclusivity that discriminates against others; and inflexibility toward other constructions of masculinity. However, opportunities are also present within this institution to encourage dialogue and reconciliation, to create flexibility, and to utilize existing values to promote social cohesion amidst the challenges of the contemporary South African context.

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