"Om te word wat ons sien en te ontvang wat ons is" : 'n praktiese-teologiese studie van die verhouding tussen die nagmaal en menswaardigheid in 'n stryd van rasseskeiding
Date
2020-12
Authors
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Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingstuk is ‘n praktiese-teologiese studie van die verhouding tussen die nagmaal en menswaardigheid waarin die praktyk van die nagmaal in die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk in Suid-Afrika ondersoek word. Dit word gedoen met die doel om vas te stel op watter wyse die teologiese teorie en vervolgens die teologiese praktyk van die viering van die nagmaal verstaan, verander en verbeter kan word om sodoende die menswaardigheid van alle deelnemers aan die sakrament te bevestig.
In die studie word die tema aan die hand van die vier sleuteltake van praktiese teologie wat deur Richard Osmer in sy boek Practical Theology: An Introduction uiteengesit is, onder die loep geneem. ‘n Eerste diskoers, as die beskrywende-empiriese taak, word ingelei deur ʼn teologiese en geskiedkundige agtergrond van die nosie van menswaardigheid om sodoende vanuit hierdie agtergrond ʼn raamwerk van menswaardigheid daar te stel om as die lens te dien wat deurlopend in hierdie studie ingespan sal word om die effek van uitsluiting op die menswaardigheid van individue – hetsy met die viering van die sakrament van die nagmaal, in die kerk, of in die samelewing – duidelik te maak.
Hierdie eerste diskoers word opgevolg met die interpretatiewe taak, waar die historiese agtergrond van die 1857-sinodebesluit van die NGK aangaande die skeiding van aanbiddingsruimtes en vervolgens die nagmaalstafel ondersoek word. In hierdie gedeelte word ook aandag geskenk aan die rol wat ʼn sekere beskouing van die persoon en teologie van Johannes Calvyn in die 19de-eeuse NGK gespeel het, waarna ʼn alternatiewe beeld van die hervormer daargestel word.
ʼn Derde diskoers as die normatiewe taak van hierdie studie stel ʼn alternatiewe beeld van Johannes Calvyn voor: die beeld van Calvyn as vlugteling en Christelike humanis met ʼn besondere fokus op die mens en die welstand van die gemeenskap. In die lig van hierdie beeld word sy teologie en veral sy nagmaalsteologie aan die hand van die raamwerk van menswaardigheid uiteengesit.
Die studie word met die finale, pragmatiese taak afgesluit waar praktiese voorstelle vir ʼn alternatiewe nagmaalspraxis vir die huidige NGK gegee word. In hierdie verband word daar ondersoek ingestel na die wyse waarop ʼn verantwoordelike beskouing en gebruik van die nagmaal in die lig van Johannes Calvyn se teologie die menswaardigheid van alle lede van die liggaam van Christus kan herstel en genees.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This is a practical theological study of the relation between the Lord’s Supper and human dignity in which the religious practice of the Lord’s Supper in the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa is explored. This is done with the aim of determining the way in which theological theory and subsequently the theological practice of the Lord’s Supper can be understood, altered and improved in order to affirm the human dignity of all participants of the sacrament. In this study, the theme is investigated in light of the four key tasks of practical theology outlined by Richard Osmer in his book Practical Theology: An Introduction. A first discourse, as the descriptive-empirical task, is introduced by a theological and historical background of the notion of human dignity in order to construct a framework of human dignity to serve as lens that will be used throughout this study to show the effect of the exclusion from the sacrament, the church, and society on the human dignity of individuals. This first discourse is followed by the interpretative task, which examines the historical background of the 1857 Synod decision of the DRC regarding the separation of worship spaces and subsequently the communion table. This section also addresses the impact of a certain view of the person and theology of John Calvin in the 19th century DRC, after which an alternative image of the reformer is established. A third discourse, as the normative task of this study, proposes an alternative image of John Calvin: the image of Calvin as a refugee and Christian humanist with a particular focus on the human being and the well-being of the community. In light of this image, his theology, and especially his eucharistic theology, is delineated in terms of the framework of human dignity. The study concludes with the final, pragmatic task where an alternative practice of the Lord’s Supper is suggested for the current DRC. In this regard, the way in which a responsible view and celebration of the Lord's Supper in the light of John Calvin's theology can restore and heal the dignity of all members of the body of Christ is advanced.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This is a practical theological study of the relation between the Lord’s Supper and human dignity in which the religious practice of the Lord’s Supper in the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa is explored. This is done with the aim of determining the way in which theological theory and subsequently the theological practice of the Lord’s Supper can be understood, altered and improved in order to affirm the human dignity of all participants of the sacrament. In this study, the theme is investigated in light of the four key tasks of practical theology outlined by Richard Osmer in his book Practical Theology: An Introduction. A first discourse, as the descriptive-empirical task, is introduced by a theological and historical background of the notion of human dignity in order to construct a framework of human dignity to serve as lens that will be used throughout this study to show the effect of the exclusion from the sacrament, the church, and society on the human dignity of individuals. This first discourse is followed by the interpretative task, which examines the historical background of the 1857 Synod decision of the DRC regarding the separation of worship spaces and subsequently the communion table. This section also addresses the impact of a certain view of the person and theology of John Calvin in the 19th century DRC, after which an alternative image of the reformer is established. A third discourse, as the normative task of this study, proposes an alternative image of John Calvin: the image of Calvin as a refugee and Christian humanist with a particular focus on the human being and the well-being of the community. In light of this image, his theology, and especially his eucharistic theology, is delineated in terms of the framework of human dignity. The study concludes with the final, pragmatic task where an alternative practice of the Lord’s Supper is suggested for the current DRC. In this regard, the way in which a responsible view and celebration of the Lord's Supper in the light of John Calvin's theology can restore and heal the dignity of all members of the body of Christ is advanced.
Description
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
Keywords
Lord's Supper, Human rights -- Religious aspects -- Christianity, Dignity, Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564, UCTD