OpenUCT :: Browsing by Author "De Gruchy, John W"

Browsing by Author "De Gruchy, John W"

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An Anabaptist paradigm for conflict transformation : critical reflections on peacemaking in Zimbabwe
(1996) Kraybill, Ronald Sherer; De Gruchy, John W
This thesis outlines a proposal from an explicitly religious standpoint of the key dimensions of peacebuilding, focusing particularly on mediation and facilitation as a primary task. What is the value of such a study? My initial responses in the paragraphs which follow are made at the broadest possible level: the desperate need for effective peacebuilders in a world torn by violence and the potential for religiously-based peacebuilders to fill that need. I then support this response by examining other reasons for the study: the current inadequacy of religious response to conflicts, the danger of manipulation of religious leadership by other actors, and potential for the insights of religiously-based actors to contribute to the over-all practice of peacebuilding and diplomacy. In addressing the latter question I outline my own understanding of the meaning of "religion", an understanding whose impact on the broad question of peacebuilding I explore throughout the chapters which follow.
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Analysing transition narratives : Christian leaders in public life in post-apartheid South Africa
(2004) Getman, Eliza Jane; De Gruchy, John W
The dynamic discourse between religion and public life is illustrated in South Africa in both the pre- and post-apartheid eras. Specifically, this relationship is manifested in the lives of a number of individuals who straddled both facets of society. This thesis centres on a social analysis of the journeys undertaken by thirteen men and women who held Christian faith and political commitment in each hand as the New South Africa emerged from the Old. In-depth interviews were conducted with all subjects using qualitative research methods based on an oral history approach. Subjects were asked to consider their faith identities and the ways in which their faith directed their involvement in the public arena.
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Anglican identity and contemporary relevance : a critical study of the Partners in Mission process within the Church of the Province of Southern Africa
(1992) Gregorowski, Christopher; De Gruchy, John W
This is a church historical study and critical theological analysis of the Partners in Mission (PIM) process in the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (CPSA), which uses methods appropriate to such a study. Chapter 1 examines the background against which the PIM process and CPSA's PIM 'Vision' must be seen: Anglicanism, its origins, intentions and mission - and the tension between Anglican identity and contemporary relevance. Chapter 2 traces the process of renewal which has been described as the Anglican Communion's 'coming of age', and identifies some of the themes which were later to become 'The Vision'. The Anglican PIM process emerged out of the church's efforts to adjust to the rapidly changing post-colonial world of the nineteen-fifties and sixties, when Anglican provinces within newly-independent nations could no longer be regarded as inferior to and dependent on the Church of England. A watershed in this quest was the Anglican Congress in Toronto in 1963, when for the first time the equal partnership was articulated in the statement Mutual Responsibility and Interdependence in the Body of Christ (MRI). MRI became a Communion-wide programme which evolved into the PIM process, and together they constitute the Anglican Church's programme of contemporary reform and renewal. The CPSA is a full participant in this PIM process and has held three PIM Consultations, the third of which took place in November 1987 when the church was given the vision to engage in the struggle for the eradication of apartheid and the building of new societies of justice and peace in southern Africa. .In Chapter 3 we examine the Provincial 1987 Consultation, the process which led up to it and the making of The Vision. In Chapter 4 we examine publications and records of the CPSA and correspondence with the Bishops of the Province which describe the implementation of The Vision in the life of the CPSA and its contribution to the church's mission. Chapter 5 is a critical evaluation of the CPSA's PIM process, based on the evidence of the previous chapter. Our conclusion is that The Vision has been only partially implemented because of the church's persistent failure to transform words into actions, poor communication, the failure to focus on priorities, a lack of resources, traditionalism and clericalism in the CPSA, the fear of loss of identity, and a spiritual crisis - much of which points to a lack of appropriate leadership. The consequences of ineffective implementation include the failure of the CPSA as a whole to engage relevantly with the crisis in southern Africa, to express appropriate penitence and make restitution for its part in the sin of apartheid, and to engage in effective evangelism. Chapter 6 is an attempt to see how the CPSA could be renewed by means of a revitalised PIM process, in order to be relevant in southern Africa today. We explore a possible pastoral plan and ways in which the CPSA would benefit from engaging more fully in the 'Kairos' process. The CPSA will contribute to the life and future direction of the Anglican Communion insofar as it is true to its ecumenical calling to witness to the kingdom of God as a part of the church in southern Africa, and the Communion will best serve its members and enable them to discover their true identity by setting them free to be faithful to their mission in their various contexts. Throughout this study we have used primary source documents from the Anglican Communion and the CPSA which tell of the birth, progress an implementation of MRI, PIM and The Vision.
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The Apostolic Faith Mission in Africa, 1908-1980 : a case study in church growth in a segregated society
(1989) De Wet, Christiaan Rudolf; De Gruchy, John W
This case-study of the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) in Africa in relation to Church Growth theory covers the period 1908 - 1980. Its geographical scope is South Africa, including the black Homelands. In chapters 1 and 2 we examine the history, origins and development of the AFM in Africa in relation to Pentecostalism and the white AFM. In chapters 3 and 4 we research the contextual issues of racism, apartheid, and the relationship between the AFM, the State, and politics. From chapter 5 to the end our focus is on the church growth of the AFM in Africa. Our study has shown that the AFM in Africa has grown significantly during the period studied. Significant growth factors have been: the prioritization of evangelism accompanied with an emphasis on the supernatural manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit; the active involvement of the laity; their theology of missions revealing a distinctive pneumatology, an eschatological urgency, and a sense of divine destiny; their ecclesiology; their culturally relevant liturgy; and homogeneous groupings of Blacks. Conversely, factors hindering their growth have been the superpaternalistic approach to mission of the white "Mother-church". The endorsement of apartheid and lack of a prophetic witness of the Apostolic Faith Mission towards the State have also harmed their credibility in the black community.
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Architects of our own destiny : profiling opportunities for reconciliation and restorative justice within the context of the Presidential Urban Renewal Programme in Mitchell's Plain
(2005) Esau, Matthew; Cochrane, James; De Gruchy, John W
By the time that President Thabo Mbeki announced in his State of the Nation address to the South African Parliament on 02 February 2000, that Mitchell's Plain and Khayelitsha in the Western Cape would be the focus of the Presidential Urban Renewal Programme, Mitchell's Plain had been in existence for 25 years. By this time [2000], the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) had completed most of its work and 'reconciliation' had become probably the most talked-about concept in the country.
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Baptist identity in ecumenical context : a critical exposition of the 1987 Statement on Baptist Principles of the Baptist Union of South Africa
(1996) Harris, James Ian; De Gruchy, John W
Baptist Identity In Ecumenical Context is, essentially, an exposition of the 1987 statement on Baptist Principles of the Baptist Union of South Africa. The Statement has had no critical reflection given it to date and therefore this study is a new contribution to the growing corpus of material on Baptist theology in South Africa. The thesis explains the identity of South African Baptists using the key word discipleship. Though not stated as such, the1987 Statement on Baptist Principles is an expression of discipleship. Discipleship is described and critically analysed in the thesis as community, its sign as baptism, ministry is discipleship expressed in society, and freedom is the term given to denote the focus on religious liberty and the separation of church from the state, as well as indicating the church's prophetic role. Drawing from the rich heritage of Anabaptist and English Baptist history and theology, and reflecting on other evangelical and ecumenical theological writings, the thesis shows the value of 'discipleship' as the motif for Baptists in the contemporary South African setting. The thesis invites South African Baptists to re-discover this motif both in the context of their own tradition and in their relations with other Christian churches.
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Before the pool of Narcissus : the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk's journey to confessional orthodoxy and isolation through the lense [sic] of doctrine
(1995) Holkeboer, Mieke Rae; De Gruchy, John W
This thesis considers South Africa's Nederduitse Gerefonneerde Kerk (NGK) in its journey toward confessional orthodoxy and isolation which began already in the late nineteenth century and continued, through the apartheid era, well into the twentieth. The dates chosen roughly to frame this inquiry (1907 to 1962), however, drive equally toward a particular ecclesial unity. For in 1907, the NGK synods established, out of a desire to cooperate more closely, the Federal Council of Churches (FCC). In 1962 this drive toward ecclesial unity then culminated in the convening of the General Synod, where delegates from all the church's "mother" synods gathered in a single synod for the first time in one hundred years. So united, however, the NGK was, in its ecumenical affiliations, at an all-time low. What were the circumstances within which this unity-in-isolation occurred? In light of the NGK's role in sanctioning and advancing apartheid, this thesis explores Afrikaans church and missionary periodicals and church documents from these years with a view to evaluating what went wrong. More specifically, however, the inquiry is driven by an interest in the complex role of doctrine in hermeneutics and the life of the church. Indeed, this thesis views doctrine as the key to understanding the NGK's journey to isolation and apartheid and asks, how did it function - in the church's ecumenical decisions, internal church matters and even its political involvement during this period? In The Nature of Doctrine1 George Lindbeck offers a metaphor within which to conceive doctrine's role for a healthy church: doctrine is "grammar" for the primary language of Scripture. This thesis employs (with several critical divergences) Lindbeck's theory of doctrine in evaluating healthy and unhealthy dynamics within the NGK. The inquiry is broken into four chapters:1) Lindbeck and the NGK; 2) Ecumenicity and the NGK; 3) Confessional Foundations; and 4) Race Relations and the NGK.
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Called to mission : Mennonite women missionaries in Central Africa in the second half of the twentieth century
(2009) Scarborough, Mirjam Rahel; De Gruchy, John W
This thesis is an investigation of the "sense of call" as a potential support factor for Mennonite women missionaries from North America based in Central Africa during the latter half of the twentieth century. The investigation is conducted in two main parts. In the first we investigate the theological-historical distinctives of the Anabaptist/Mennonite tradition; in the second part, through a case study, we examine how a select number of women missionaries interpreted their call in relation to their heritage, how their sense of call functioned as a support factor or otherwise, and whether this was determined in any significant way by the Anabaptist/Mennonite tradition. Central to the study is a pastoral concern for women missionaries as women whose missionary role has placed special burdens on them in situations of cultural dislocation.
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A changing paradigm of mission in the Protestant churches of Mozambique : a case study of Eduardo Mondlane
(2007) Faris, Robert Neil; De Gruchy, John W
This work traces a changing paradigm of mission within the protestant churches of Mozambique and particularly in the Igreja Presbiteriana de Moçambique (IPM), as it moved toward autonomy within the context of the Portuguese colonial project. In this shifting paradigm, the church was forced to define its role in the broader struggle for liberation, particularly after the formation of the Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (FRELIMO) in 1962. Although this is an historical critical study, the focus is theological and more particularly missiological and employs the paradigms of mission identified by David Bosch. The study draws significantly on the work of Teresa Cruz e Silva, Eric Morier-Genoud and Alf Helgesson as well as Malyn Newitt and the recent biography of Janet Mondlane. Primary material has been drawn largely from the archives of the Departement Missionaire de la Suisse Rornande, the World Council of Churches and the Instituto dos Arquivos Nacionaisfforre do Tombo of the Ministerio da Cultura de Portugal. The main body of the work examines the life and thought of Eduardo Mondlane, the first President of FRELIMO. Mondlane was raised in a traditional African family before becoming integrated into the MS through the missionary Andre-Daniel Clerc. He pursued studies in South Africa, Portugal and the United States with the support of church scholarships and his connection with the church continued until his death. His theological thought, particularly his understanding of the role of the church in the context of colonialism, challenged and impacted the protestant communities in Mozambique, the Reformed church in Switzerland and the emerging modem global ecumenical movement. It is argued that Mondlane's motivation for involvement in the liberation struggle cannot be thoroughly understood without a serious examination of his life of faith and his changing theological understanding of the mission of the church. The final chapter of this work examines the impact of this changed paradigm on the relationships among the local protestant churches, the former mission sending church, the new FRELIMO government and the World Council of Churches in the years following Mondlane's death Particular attention is paid to the impact of the death in prison of Zedequias Manganhela .
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Christology from below : an examination of the black christology of Takatso Mofokeng in the context of the development of black theology in South Africa and in critical relation to the christological ethic of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
(1987) Forrest, Martin R; De Gruchy, John W
This thesis examines the framework for a Black Christology constructed by Takatso A.Mofokeng in The Crucified Among the Crossbearers (1983) and evaluates this work with the Christological assistance of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The emergence of Black Theology in South Africa since the early 1970s is placed in the context of the black struggle for liberation and the philosophy of Black Consciousness. The result, theologically, is seen to be an anthropological concentration, an affirmative doctrine of oppressed humanity and a concern with human liberation. An identity with the suffering and liberative commitment of Jesus, together with a rejection of oppressive concepts of divinity, is shown to have led to a Black Christology based on engagement with the human history and struggles of Jesus. The message to whites is interpreted as a call to accept and repent of the guilt of the oppressors. Reflecting the early emphasis of Black Consciousness on the transformation of the black self-understanding, this is held to be Black Theology's first stage concerned with the perspective of the black oppressed as the privileged position from which to understand the Bible and the Christian faith. This biblical approach is seen to be common ground shared with most African Theologians, though some gave greater theological significance to the African experience. A second stage of Black Theology is then described, corresponding to a shift in the Black Consciousness movement towards critique of the material structures of society. Theologically the results of this shift are described as a more critical attitude to the biblical texts, in terms of their class interests, and the giving of greater weight to the black praxis of liberation as primary theological data. Bonhoeffer's Christology, unfolding in the context of the ethical demands made by his resistance activities, is then described to highlight the fact that in a situation of conflict and division, a Christological ethic reaches beyond solidarity to engage in vicarious action on behalf of others. Bonhoeffer is used to stress Black Theology's call to committed whites to stand in guilty solidarity with their people and repent on their behalf. It is then seen how Mofokeng draws on the work of J.Sobrino to engage contemporary liberation struggles with the history of Jesus and to give Christological significance to the struggles of those with whom Christ is in solidarity, as the work of his Spirit. It is also seen how Karl Barth is used to strengthen Mofokeng's concern with the birth of black people as acting subjects of their own history. With the insights of Bonhoeffer's Christological ethic it is concluded that Mofokeng overstates black solidarity, taking insufficient account of black divisions and conservatism. Mofokeng is seen not to apply his own historical methodology consistently, leading him to underestimate the theological importance of the failure of the poor to remain in solidarity with the dying Jesus, and the significance of the faithfulness of his women followers.
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Christology from within : a critical retrieval of the humanity of Christ, with particular reference to the role of Mary
(2001) Holness, Lyn; De Gruchy, John W
The aim of this dissertation is to recover the significance of the humanity of Christ for our redemption. This involves exploring ways in which the issue of Christ's humanity has been dealt with in the past, identifying both shortcomings of previous Christological models and elements that can be retrieved for a contemporary paradigm.
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The confrontation between the Archbishop of Cape Town, Joost de Blank, and the South African government on racial policies, 1957-1963
(1978) Paine, Victor C; De Gruchy, John W
This study arises partly out of a pre-occupation with a period covering six impressionable years of my life - the final year at school, university days and the commencement of a teaching career; and partly from a reading of Alan Paton's Apartheid and the Archbishop which in covering the political aspects of Geoffrey Clayton's archbishopric inspired me to attempt the same for the term of Joost de Blank. The racial legislation passed since 1948 is discussed at the outset as it is the backdrop against which the whole Confrontation must be viewed. The reader might stagger under the sheer weight of detail but this is my intention since it facilitates an identification with de Blank who was overwhelmed by a plethora of legislative acts. The Anglican background to the period under discussion is of moment in that it reveals how de Blank became embroiled in a Church-State relationship which had gradually, yet perceptibly, deteriorated. Much of the material here is based on my own study of Synodal Resolutions and the Charges of Geoffrey Clayton. The biographical chapters provide the reader with the necessary factual background and, at the same time, make an independent judgement possible. de Blank's theological insights detected in the works written before his Enthronement furnish the categories into which the Confrontation naturally falls. This must be stressed because it is my conviction that de Blank's attack on apartheid represents not a departure from, but an extension of his earlier views, In conclusion, the Assessment examines the achievement of the Archbishop largely, but not exclusively, in the light of his own theological criteria.
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A critical examination of Evangelicalism in South Africa, with special reference to the Evangelical Witness document and concerned evangelicals
(1989) Lund, Christopher Alan; De Gruchy, John W
This dissertation arises out of a recognition of the need for research into evangelicalism as a distinct and important area within the Christian church in South Africa. It focuses on the struggle for the symbols and doctrines of the evangelical tradition in South Africa as that struggle is articulated in the Evangelical Witness document (EWISA), and the Concerned Evangelicals organisation (CE), with which the document is associated. Evangelicalism is approached as the site of a struggle for certain theological elements, which have a particular material force as ideology. This struggle is discussed in four chapters. The first chapter discusses the way in which evangelicalism may be defined, suggesting that the struggle over the definition of evangelicalism is itself an indication of wider struggles in evangelicalism. It then develops a brief working model of evangelicalism in South Africa as a framework for understanding CE and EWISA and their critique. The second chapter addresses the EWISA document in some detail, focussing on the way in which EWISA's restatement of certain tenets of evangelical theology has a particular material (ideological) force. The third chapter provides a brief history of CE, and discusses its main agenda as it has been articulated thus far. The final chapter reflects on CE and EWISA's major contributions, indicates some parallel movements in the One Third World and other parts of the Two Thirds World, and makes certain theological and practical recommendations for CE's ongoing work. The main thesis argued is that the liberation critique offered by CE and EWISA shows the need for a reassessment and restatement of evangelicalism in South Africa. Some of the ways in which this restatement may occur are tentatively suggested through an analysis of CE and EWISA's retrieval of certain elements of the evangelical tradition for its project of liberation. This, it is suggested, forms an important beginning for the reclaiming of evangelicalism from the right wing of the evangelical community.
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A critical examination of the infancy narratives in the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke
(1980) Morphew, Derek Jeffery; De Gruchy, John W
The study of Christology in the N.T. documents can be approached from a number of different directions; dogmatic, historical-critical; in terms of biblical theology' or with a hermeneutical priority. To avoid a projection of a Christology into the N.T. it is important that Christology should be grounded on a thorough exegesis of the text. Two recent critical methods which have helped to foster such a basis are redaction-criticism and structural analysis. While both methods have certain weaknesses a combination of these with the more traditional methods can produce a comprehensive 'systems' approach to the text. Such an approach is most likely to attain to the ideals which the biblical interpreter seeks to reach. In our case a particular section of the N.T. has been chosen, namely the infancy narratives in Matthew and in Luke. The first requirement is an examination of the work that has already been done. This requirement is due to the absence of a comprehensive survey on the subject and the fact that different schools of thought have developed which often ignore each other. There is therefore a need for an exposure to the full spectrum of research. The origins of research into these narratives may be traced to the enlightenment and the period of rationalism. This led to a reaction from conservative theologians. A fierce debate was provoked by these two schools of thought which had the positive result of raising all the critical issues. The study of the infancy narratives has unfortunately been somewhat blurred by a preoccupation with the doctrine of the virgin birth. Another area of preoccupation has been the linguistic origins of the Lucan infancy narrative. In more recent times the theory of midrashic creation has become popular. Redaction-criticism has brought the first step towards an exegesis of the infancy narratives which allows them to speak for themselves.
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Cultural and theological factors affecting relationships between the Nederduitse-Gereformeerde Kerk and the Anglican Church (of the Province Of South Africa) in the Cape Colony 1806 -1910
(1980) Le Feuvre, Philip; De Gruchy, John W
The structure of this study of inter-church relationships abounds with artificialities. First, there is the artificiality of its geographical setting. It is confined to the Cape Colony Which, although permissible during the years when no other conventionally recognized political entity - at least, to Western eyes - existed in South Africa, and justifiable in terms of the jurisdiction of the N.G.K. Cape synod, becomes sheer artificiality so far as the Anglican Church is concerned. For the Church of the Province of South Africa never saw itself as limited by the frontiers of the Cape Colony. One of its earliest dioceses was that of Natal, and by 1910 it was at work throughout southern Africa south of the Zambezi. Despite its diocesan organization, the C.P.S.A. and its members were very aware of the total scope of Anglicanism at the bottom end of the African continent, and would have regarded a study confined to the Cape Colony as not truly representative of Anglican realities. Secondly, there is the artificiality of the chronological periods into which I have divided the study. I have, in fact, used an Anglican yardstick: the episcopate of Robert Gray, and have divided the study into a pre-Gray (1806-1848), a Gray (1848-1872) and a post-Gray (1872-1910) period. This hardly fits the course of events in the N.G.K., for the coming and going of Gray disturbed the sequence of that body's life hardly at all. And yet, perhaps, the division has something to be said for it, for it was pre-episcopal Anglicanism that had to relate to the N.G.K. in its pre-Church Ordinance (1843) days; both laboured and toiled over much the same ground in the 60's; both were caught up in the quickening antagonisms of the latter years of the century. Thirdly, there is the artificiality inherent in describing the inter-relationship of two church bodies as manifested in a purely local setting. Clearly, in dealing with cultural and theological factors, mention will have to be made of the cultural and theological roots of the two denominations, but these will tend to be mere back-ground to their outworking in the Cape scene. It will have to be constantly borne in mind that Anglicans saw themselves within the total context of a Church that was spreading from native England to every continent, spreading as the Empire did, while the N.G.K., conversely, moved away from its traditional moorings in the Netherlands, while strongly maintaining the Reformation principles of its European origins.
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Development of sin as personal and social: a critical comparison of Irenaeus of Lyons, Martin Luther and Juan Luis Segundo
(1990) Mentoor, P M; De Gruchy, John W
This thesis explores the development of the Doctrine of Sin as personal and social in the thinking of three representative theologians, Irenaeus, Martin Luther and Juan Luis Segundo. We shall show that both their understanding of sin, and their understanding of redemption is at once personal and social. This thesis rejects any individualistic or private conception of sin as unbiblical and contrary to the mainstream of Christian tradition. We shall show how the three theologians we have chosen expose the corporate nature of sin, and therefore show an awareness of a deeper, communal involvement of human persons in sin, thus demonstrating that sin is both personal and social. At the same time each of the theologians approaches the problem in a different way, highlighting that dimension of sin which is most appropriate in his particular context.
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The formation and ethos of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, 1967-1992
(1998) De Villiers, Peter Elvidge; De Gruchy, John W
The commission to do post-graduate studies in Congregational Church history came from the Assembly of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa since the Church was in need of a church historian. The title and contents for this dissertation thus had to be a result of research done in the history of the UCCSA. The questions which came to mind when we chose the topic and which we are attempting to answer, are: How did the UCCSA come into being? What was the ethos of the UCCSA during the first twenty-five years of its existence? What role did Joseph Wing, the first general secretary play in the formation and ethos of the UCCSA? and What can be learnt from the history of the first twenty-five years of the UCCSA? Chapter 1 deals with th e formation of the UCCSA in 1967, but traces the history of Congregationalism back to its roots in England during the Reformation. The latter was necessary to show the links between early Congregationalism and the UCCSA which were very influential in the formation of the UCCSA and the shaping of its ethos during the period under review. Research on early Congregationalism, the LMS and ABM was done from secondary source material, but CUSA was also researched from primary sources, notably year books containing the minutes and reports of assemblies. Chapter 2, researched entirely from primary source material, deals with the ethos of the Church up to 1992. The habitual character of the UCCSA would most clearly be revealed in the decisions taken by its courts and the efforts made to implement such decisions. The intention in this chapter was to let the assembly minutes and reports speak with a minimum of critical comment, since this would be done more fully in the final chapter of the dissertation. The approach, then, was to document the historical events without too much interpretation and evaluative comment. The events are documented in a thematic way, rather than chronologically, since the former method is more suited to the purpose of the thesis. In Chapter 3 we look more closely at the role played by Joseph Wing, the first general secretary of the UCCSA in the formation of the Church and the shaping of its ethos. From documents studied it became apparent that he had played a very significant (if not the most significant) role in the uniting of the Church and the shaping of its ethos during the period under review. Most of the research for this chapter was done from primary source material located at the Kuruman Moffatt Mission where Wing spent the last days of his life. These documents included personal letters, sermons and talks, some of which were handwritten. The material is presented in such a way as to show the motivating forces behind Wing's strong belief and active involvement in church unity and social justice issues, the two issues which dominated the ethos of the UCCSA during the period under review. A critical evaluation of the formation and ethos of the UCCSA is done in Chapter 4. The formation is looked at from the decision of the uniting bodies to become a Church rather than a union of churches and how that decision influenced the ethos and witness of the UCCSA during the first twenty-five years. Though it is not specifically mentioned, an attempt has been made to also show the influence of early Congregationalism in the formation and ethos of the UCCSA, thus trying to link the first and fi n al chapters of the dissertation. The role played by Joseph Wing is also evaluated.
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Gender justice : a theological challenge to the church in Zambia in the 21st century
(2003) Kabonde, Peggy Mulambya; De Gruchy, John W
Guided by faith in the love and justice of God for humanity, this paper aims to examine the rhetoric and reality of the question of gender justice in the church in Zambia.
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The influence of fundamentalism on evangelicalism in South Africa with special reference to the role of Plymouth Brethrenism amongst the Cape coloured population
(2002) Jansen, Alan Lance; De Gruchy, John W
This dissertation is a study of Christian fundamentalism in South Africa looking at its character, history, major influences, development, resilience and resurgence. The study focuses on the Plymouth Brethren who thrived among the coloured communities of the Cape in the early decades of the twentieth century. The Brethren provide more than a useful case study on a subject which is complex and multifaceted, because their influence has been significant in the rise of fundamentalism in this country as has been the case in North America and Europe. This influence arises from their distinctives: dispensationalist millenarianism, literalist hermeneutics, ecclesiastical separatism, and their lay- based governance structure.
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Liturgy and the public square : from inauthentic workshop to credible witness
(2002) Gaum, Laurie; De Gruchy, John W
Through a literature study into the historic-philosophical roots of what John de Gruchy calls the privatisation of piety, the origins of this privatised faith to Enlightenment thinking and the individualism and secularism that came along with it are traced. Indications are found that, especially during the later phases of apartheid, the value-free mentality that accompanies modernism the breeding ground for a status quo religion. What Willie Jonker calls the Second Enlightenment, along with the influence of the Second World War, were further precipitated in the information of apartheid policy.