Rural education : reimagining the role of the church in transforming poverty in South Africa
Date
2014-10
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AOSIS OpenJournals
Abstract
The desire to remember the plight of the poor in South Africa has reduced in the last 20 years
after the transition from apartheid to freedom. To a large extent, Faith Based Organizations
(FBOs) and the religious society at large have lost their ‘dangerous memory’ which keeps
us mindful of those who suffered and whose plight is usually forgotten or suppressed. In
this contribution the conditions of poor farm school children in multigrade rural education
will be scrutinised by unpacking the contextual factors that cause us to forget their plight.
This article will seek to reimagine the role of the church in poverty-stricken South Africa
by engaging with the work of Talcott Parsons, the practical theologian Johannes A. Van der
Ven, as well as the work of the political theologian Johann Baptist Metz in order to affirm
the focus of Practical Theology to transform society and to contribute to the quest for justice
and liberation for the poor in rural education. This reimagining discourse has a fundamental
responsibility to challenge the social, political and economic realities that shape the lives of
human beings within rural education, remembering the plight of the poor, and participating
on their journey towards liberation and healing. It is proposed that if the church can activate
its ‘dangerous memory’ it will be able to reimagine its role by transforming our povertystricken
South African society, open new avenues for breaking the cycle of poverty and
contribute to rural education.
Description
Please cite as follows:
Thesnaar, C. 2014. Rural education: reimagining the role of the church in transforming poverty in South Africa. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 70(1): 1-7, doi: 10.4102/hts.v70i1.2629.
The original publication is available at http://www.hts.org.za
Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.
Thesnaar, C. 2014. Rural education: reimagining the role of the church in transforming poverty in South Africa. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 70(1): 1-7, doi: 10.4102/hts.v70i1.2629.
The original publication is available at http://www.hts.org.za
Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.
Keywords
Education, Rural, Poverty -- South Africa
Citation
Thesnaar, C. 2014. Rural education: reimagining the role of the church in transforming poverty in South Africa. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 70(1): 1-7, doi: 10.4102/hts.v70i1.2629.