Browsing by Author "Erasmus, Johannes Christoffel, 1961-"

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    Eskatologiese temas in Jes. 1-12
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1986) Erasmus, Johannes Christoffel, 1961-; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of . Dept. of .
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    'n Ondersoek na die godsdienstige topografie van Suid-Afrika : 'n vergelyking van sensus '96 met die van 1911-1991
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2000-03) Erasmus, Johannes Christoffel, 1961-; Hendriks, Hans Jurgens; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology & Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa and the rest of the world research is being conducted on the growth and decline of the Christian church and specific denominations. Most congregations keep record of their membership. These data are very useful. However national census data on religion, when available, bring a neutral dimension to the statistics. Census data in most cases provide the only reliable means of establishing religious affiliations of the population at a certain point in time or over a certain period. Since the 1911 national census respondents are being asked to state their religious affiliation. It is essential that the data of these censuses are available in a database. This basic data can then be used to make different combinations and do certain calculations. Different denominations can be combined into families to compare their percentage markets hare of the total population and of the Christian church. If all census data are made compatible with each other it is possible to establish trends over a longer period. When the Census '96 data was made available by Stats SA it was important to prepare the data so that it could be studied en compared with previous census data. This study attempts to do this. It seems that the biggest determining factor in the religious topography of South Africa is the religious shifts that happen amongst the Black population. The biggest percentage Christians belong to the mainline denominations while the Africa Independent Churches have the second most. To compare different denominations with one another over a longer period of time is a difficult task. Inconsistencies with which data are treated as well as the political instability in South Africa are two important factors that hamper the research. The fact that the question regarding religious affiliation was made optional since 1991 complicates the issue even further. The Christian church in South Africa grew from 1911 to 1980 and then started to decline. Membership of both the African Independent Churches and Pentecostal/Charismatic churches are growing. Since 1991 respondents who indicate that they have no religion are growing amongst all population groups.