Browsing by Author "Mahokoto, Marlene S."
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- ItemLament in liturgy : a critical reflection from an URCSA perspective(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-03) Mahokoto, Marlene S.; Cilliers, Johan; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa faces many challenges, as a country. Our communities are struggling with many issues such as poverty, inequality, rape, abuse, violence, corruption and many more. Yet, our faith community seems reluctant to lament these issues during their worship services. This research looks specifically at the practice of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa. The question that this research wrestles with is: “Given the challenging times that we live in, in what way could a re-discovery or a re-claiming of lament in liturgy, against the background of healing and hope, obtain new meaning in our congregations?” The assumption of the research is that if the church wants to be relevant in the lives of their members today, she would need to revisit and reclaim the process of lament in the liturgy. It could further be argued that a re-thinking and a re-introduction of lament in liturgy could have far-reaching and enriching implications in the life of the faith community, especially where the healing of memories is concerned. Part of the research was a literature study while another section consisted of empirical studies. Congregations from the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa, in the Western Cape, took part in the studies. The main focus of the research was descriptive empirical and the information gathered had to be interpreted. Through the normative task, theological reflections could be carried out and finally possible criteria could be deduced in terms of how lament could be re-integrated into existing liturgies of our church.
- ItemLament in the aesthetic(Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2019) Mahokoto, Marlene S.The aim of this essay is to look at the function of lament in the aesthetic. The concept of lament cannot be looked at in isolation because what we experience emotionally influences our life in all its facets. Our understanding of the language of hope and lament is quite crucial when we look at lament in the aesthetic. This essay will also go into conversation with some of the work of Johan Cilliers to show how he has argued that the layered and complex beauty of God can be seen, even within lament in the aesthetic. Attention will also be given to the language of hope and lament and how it could function in the aesthetics. Furthermore, I will also argue that an aesthetical practical theology could provide us with an important tool to approach the layered and complex beauty of God. In this essay illustrations will be used to depict the complexity and layers of God’s beauty.