Research Articles (Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology)
Recent Submissions
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Worship as protest : Johan Cilliers as a public theologian?
(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2019)This article argues that Johan Cilliers is a public theologian of a particular kind. A review of his work shows that Cilliers views worship as “protest”. In this instance, protest is understood in etymological terms as a ... -
Beauty appears in sadness, misery and folly an ethical perspective
(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2019)This chapter focuses on the beauty that often appears in and from (extreme) sadness, misery and folly. It argues that the experience of beauty is an ancient impulse, and that one need not progress through the lower ... -
Humanity matters : the strange priestly yes of God actualised amidst the struggles of life
(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2019)Barth’s rejection of natural theology gives the impression that his theology holds only negative views of anthropology. A description of the office of the priesthood of Christ offers insight into how humanity matters in ... -
The message to the people of South Africa in contemporary context
(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2019)In September 2018 John de Gruchy presented a paper at the Volmoed Colloquium entitled “Revisiting the Message to the people of South Africa,” in which he asks, “what is the significance of the document for our time?” In ... -
A politics of forgiveness? Engaging the ontological and the structural in the dialogical theology of John de Gruchy
(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2019)Forgiveness is a deeply contested theological notion in contemporary South African theology and society. The same could be said for South African theologies of reconciliation, of which forgiveness is considered to be a ... -
In search of the grain : Israel, the Palestinians, South Africa and Germany
(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2019)In this article I investigate the scientific grounds for reflecting on Palestine-Israel in light of other struggles, particularly those against Nazism and South African apartheid. Keeping in mind the distinction between ... -
Is there any hope for church unity? Some perspectives on the causes of the Reformed Churches split since the Reformation and its impact on church unity discussions today
(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2019)This article gives some perspectives on the causes of the Reformed Churches split since the time of reformation and how these divisions impacts on church unity discussions today. Since reformation, church divisions took ... -
Kern-oorwegings in die besinning oor die rol van die (NG) Kerk in Suid-Afrika se grondhervormingsdebat
(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2019)Core considerations in the reflection on the role of the (NG) Church in South Africa’s land reform debate. This article deals with the question as to whether the church (the Dutch Reformed Church in particular) ought to ... -
Martin Luther – held of skurk?
(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2019)The article investigates whether Martin Luther was anti-Semitic, and if so, what effect it had on his theology and ministry. First the article investigates the written comments of Luther in his works, from his article in ... -
A history of gender insensitivity in URCSA
(Church History Society of Southern Africa, 2019)This article utilises autoethnographical methodology to dissect the history of gender insensitivity in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA). According to Carolyn Ellis (2010), autoethnography is an approach ... -
The Dutch Reformed Church, mission enthusiasts and push and pull of empire
(Church History Society of Southern Africa, 2019)The various ways in which the British Empire acted as both a beacon and a repellent for Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) mission enthusiasts in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, are considered here. Focusing especially on ... -
Where have all the Prophets gone? URCSA 25 years later : re-acquainting with prophetic theology in post-apartheid South Africa
(Church History Society of Southern Africa, 2019)The Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) was formed in 1994 as a merger between the former Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) and the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (DRCA). URCSA, as the bearer of the ... -
Building blocks of consciousness : revealing the shared, hidden depths of our biological heritage
(AOSIS, 2020)Human consciousness has been a hard problem for thousands of years and, in the course of time, variously interpreted and often too narrowly defined. As a result, the possibility of animal consciousness, sentience or even ... -
Building blocks of free will : in conversation with Dick Swaab
(AOSIS, 2020)The issue of free will is a complex one that has occupied the minds of many theologians and philosophers through the ages. The two main aspects of free will are the freedom to do otherwise and the power of self-determination. ... -
Towards redeeming marriage custom from triangular captivity : the missional dilemma of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe
(AOSIS Publishing, 2020)Marriage in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe (MCZ) is under siege. This scenario was bequeathed by the British imperialists. This siege is evident because the ecclesiastical theology of marriage in the MCZ is fastened on ... -
Reflecting on the nature of work in contemporary South Africa : a public theological engagement with calling and vocation
(AOSIS Publishing, 2020)This article argues for a rediscovery of a theology of work in South Africa that is based on the Protestant notion of calling and vocation. Such a view has the primary intention of emphasising obedience and faithfulness ... -
Leadership, corruption and the dignity of humans : some reflections from the Nigerian context
(AOSIS Publishing, 2020)Leadership inadequacy in Nigeria has contributed to the rise in corruption, which has undermined human dignity through insufficient provision of basic human needs. This happens because the leadership venerates self-interest ... -
Women, the Vatican, and hope for the future : an ecumenical process
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Theology, 2006)The prevailing position against women's ordination to the ministerial priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church presents itself as an ongoing ecumenical dilemma within and beyond its ecclesial borders. This paper is critical ... -
Industrial theology in South Africa : problems, priorities and prospects
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Theology, 2006)This paper discusses the nature and role of industrial theology in South Africa against the broader theme of the vocation of the theologian in South Africa after ten years of democracy and its implications for teaching ... -
Human dignity and moral renewal
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Theology, 2007)The pathway adopted by South Africa to give serious attention to the challenge of moral transformation as a public responsibility that is affirming of life is explored in this article. In the first place, the historical ...
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