bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Van Kent Merkezi ve Yakın Çevresinde Yeşil Altyapı Bileşenlerinin CBS Araçları ile Tanımlanması
Authors: DEMİR Ayşe , BAYLAN Emel
Published: May 2019

Nüfus artışı ve kentsel yayılmanın baskısıyla doğal peyzajların parçalanması sonucu ortaya çıkan habitat ve biyoçeşitlilik kaybını önlemek ve ekosistem işlevlerinin zarar görmesini engellemek amacı ile 20. yüzyılın ortalarından itibaren ekolojik ağlar, yeşil koridorlar ve yeşil altyapı gibi mekansal planlama yaklaşımları geliştirilmiştir. Yeşil altyapı planlama ve tasarım süreci; ekosistem hizmetlerinin doğadan insana ulaşmasını ve doğal kaynakların koruma-kullanım dengesinin gözetilmesini temel alan, sürdürülebilirlik odaklı çözümleri hedefleyen bir yaklaşımdır. Yeşil altyapı sistemi, parklar, bahçeler, tarım alanları, sulak alanlar, ormanlar, yol ağaçlıkları, akarsular, doğal rezerv alanları, tarihi alanlar, göller gibi farklı özellikte ve farklı boyutlardaki doğal ve kültürel alanları içerir. Bu alanlar birbiriyle, merkez (çekirdek), bağ (koridor) ve alan olarak tanımlanan yeşil alt yapı bileşenleri ile ile birbirine bağlanmaktadır. Bu bildirinin amacı; Van Kent merkezinde ve yakın çevresinde, Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemleri kullanılarak belirlenen yeşil alt yapı bileşenlerinin mevcut durumunun saptanmasıdır. Bu kapsamda, alanda yer alan doğal ve kültürel peyzaj öğeleri ARCGIS 10.2’de Spatial Analyst ve 3D Analyst araçları ile analiz edilerek Van Kent Merkezi ve yakın çevresinin yeşil altyapı bileşenleri bakımından mevcut durumu ortaya konmuştur.
The Schorsing in Implementation of Administrative Decision that Endanger the Environment by Administrative Court
Authors: Caniago Miftah Sa'ad
Published: May 2019

The postponement criteria of the implementation of KTUN (Administrative Court Decision) based on Article 67 of the Act Number 5, 1986 concerning the State Administrative Court (the Act of Administrative Court) merely states that such Postponement can be made if there is a very urgent circumstance which results in the plaintiff's interest to be lost if the sued state’s administrative decision is still implemented. By the promulgation of the Act Number 30, 2014 on the Governance Administration, it reregulates the delay of the implementation of the decision worded in Article 65. However, there are varies in the regulation of the implementation of the such decision pursuant to Article 67, of the Act Law Number 5, 1986 concerning the State Administrative Court. In accordance with Article 65 of the Administrative Governance Act, it rules more detailed regarding the reasons for the State Administrative Court that may delay the enforcement of a Government Decree, one of which if a Government Decision or Action "has the potential to cause environmental damage" and the Court in issuing such a delay shall be in the form of a "Verdict", so that it is different from the arrangement in Article 67 of the State Administrative Judicature Law and its derivatives which stipulates that the reason for the postponement of the validity of a State Administrative Decree if there is an "urgent circumstance" issued in the form of "Stipulation".

The research shows that the Act Number 30, 2014 as a substantive law does not regulate in detailed regarding procedural law of such adjournment application, hence based on the principle of lex specialis derogat legi generali a judge has to refer to the rule on the postponement that already exist till it is enacted the new one that might accommodate the postponement implementation and it can determine that the Postponement Execution Delay a judge must view the urgency of the Decision/the Government Action might be delayed by referring to review result or auditing from auditors of the environment that has been certified by the LSK of environmental auditors that is under the Ministry of Environment, and it is not against “ the public interest”.
The Effectiveness Of Qanun Aceh No. 6/2014 Of Jinayat Law In Order To Prevent Jinayah Khalwat In Law Territory Of Sabang Municipality
Authors: Aditya Webby
Published: May 2019

Article 23 paragraph (1) of Aceh Islamic Criminal Law No 6 of 2014 tells about Indecency (Jinayat) law which regulates the criminal punishment for the perpetrator of jarimah khalwat. This article is expected can minimize the crime rate of the indecent (jinayah) behavior perpetrator. However, in fact the number of jarimah khalwat perpetrator increase steadily as what happened in Sabang Municipality law area. It proves that there were two legal issues, what is the causes of the ineffectiveness of the indecency (jinayat) law in minimizing the number of jinayat perpetrator in Sabang Municipality? This research was aimed to know the obstacle of the increasing jinayat khalwat issue which make jinayat law become ineffective in minimizing jinayat khalwat perpetrators in Sabang Municipality, and to know the efforts conducted by the Civil Service Police Unit, Sharia Policy, and Office of the District Prosecutor General of Sabang Municipality and to know the factor which causes the number of jinayah khalwat perpetrator in Sabang Municipality. The research method used in this research was empirical juridical empirical using case approach, historical approach, comparative approach, conceptual approach, and statute approach). The research result shown that there were 3 effectiveness obstacle factors  of jinayat law in Sabang Municipality, the first obstacle of jinayat law is the bad regulation because the punishment is an alternative not a cumulative  and for those who deal with the jinayat law is potentially punished with canning punishment in public, the application of jinayat law normatively is in contrary with the basis of personality and territoriality which causes this law contrary with the fair legal system (due process of law). The second factor which becomes the obstacle related to quality and quantity of the human resource of the law enforcement, law understanding and the number of personnel investigator of the Civil Service Police Unit and Sharia Police of Sabang Municipality was limited. The third factor, there is no special jinayah prison cell in the Civil Service Police Unit and Sharia Police of Sabang Municiplaity
Grant me Justice! Reading the Chronicle of the Ordination of Women in the MCSA as the Making of a Patronage Ministry
Authors: Tiroyabone-A-Sedupelela Obusitswe
Published: May 2019

In 2016 the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) celebrates 40 years of the ordination of women which signifies a milestone in the ministry. Whilst this calls for celebration, it is also important that we lament the challenges women ministers are facing in the church. The chronicle of how the church came to ordain women as ministers in the MCSA cites tensions and debates as well as theological arguments for and against the ordination of women. This paper reads this chronicle with a hermeneutic of suspicion. The paper holds that the decision of the church to ordain women has not translated to women being ordained ministers like men within the church, but rather the decision created a patronage system within the ministry where male ministers (and their wives) are patrons and female ministers their clients. The woman minister in the MCSA joins the woman in the Luke narrative who continues to go to the judge (the MCSA) and laments â€œGrant me Justice!â€
The Continuing Task of Black Theology: The Challenges Emerging from the Contemporary Black Church in the United States
Authors: Fields Bruce L.
Published: May 2019

Because of continual shifts in the sociocultural, political, and economic realities of any setting, theology, in order to maintain relevance, must be reflective of such shifts. It must commit itself to the maintenance of recognised confessional constants, but it must speak in relevant ways to the needs of the churchâ€™s present situation. This is the voice of many African Christian theologians. Black theology in the United States is confronted with the same type of challenge, namely, what is relevant reflection for the black church and the black community in the present? Confronting and overcoming racism has been a constant challenge for people of African descent in the United States. What kind of theological reflection emerging from the black church, would best accomplish two things: to enable the black church to exercise leadership in the movement toward black flourishing despite the effects of racism, and to contribute to the enhancement of Christian theological reflection for the church of Jesus Christ, in general. There are a number of important factors to be considered, but I see three areas of needed consideration. First, what is the meaning of â€œblacknessâ€ in play today? Second, what is the nature of â€œoppressionâ€ experienced in the present? Finally, is there a place for forgiveness in the black church in the present?
Servant Leadership: The Style of Frank Chikane from Early Life to the Presidency of Thabo Mbeki
Authors: Kgatle Mookgo Solomon
Published: May 2019

This article is a historical study of Frank Chikane from early life to the presidency of Thabo Mbeki. The article looks at the early life of Chikane; his experience of the crusade organisation â€œChrist for all Nationsâ€ in 1975; theological studies at the Pan-African Bible Correspondence College; pastoral duties at Kagiso; ordination in 1980; detention by government; suspension by the church; involvement in Institute for Contextual Theology; reconciliation with Adriaan Vlok; involvement in the unity of the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM); and his role as a director general in the presidency of Thabo Mbeki. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that the leadership style of Chikane is servant leadership.
Jansenism in the Modern African Church: The Indigenous Pentecostal Church Tradition in Nigeria
Authors: Obineche John Okwudiri
Published: May 2019

Jansenism is a seventh-century religious movement within the Roman Catholic Church, named after a Dutch theologian Cornelius Jansen, whose work Augustinus (1640) reviewed the major thoughts of Augustineâ€™s theology. Jansenist teachings were associated with harsh moral rigorism against the Jesuitsâ€™ Molinist thoughts. It was first condemned by Pope Innocent X in 1653, and finally in 1713 with many French migrants finding refuge in Holland from persecution. However, having retained traces of its teachings in the same Catholic Church that condemned them, Jansenist thoughts have found flourishing ground in the modern churches of Africa, especially among the African indigenous Pentecostal denominations in Nigeria. This indigenous Pentecostal tradition comprises the African Independent Churches, the Aladura movement, and the African Pentecostal movement, whose belief and practices are in line with the five pillars of Jansenism. This work, therefore, proposes that the reality of history lies with the future; whose interpretation of the past is proved by modern reality, and not by the ancient traditions
Ramsden Balmforth on the Reformation and the Evolution of Christianity: A Post-Protestant South African Perspective
Authors: Hale Frederick
Published: May 2019

Theologians and historians of the Protestant Reformation have often interpreted it in terms that are strongly determined by their own concerns. One such writer was Ramsden Balmforth (1862-1942), a prominent Unitarian minister and public intellectual in Cape Town from 1897 until the late 1930s. An advocate of Darwinian evolutionary thinking, liberal theology, religious freedom, the comparative study of religions, and social reform, this transplanted Yorkshireman perceived the Reformation as an important stage in the Judaeo-Christian tradition, one marked by liberation from the spiritual and intellectual shackles of Catholicism. However, he regarded it as a truncated and ultimately reactionary reform movement which substituted the authority of the Bible and creedal formulations for that of the Roman Catholic power structure. Balmforth called for a â€œnew Reformationâ€ which would resume the liberation of religious life.
Die Rooms-Katolieke Wortels van die Mistiek in die Sewentiende en Agttiende-Eeuse Kaapse PiÃ«tisme
Authors: Raath Andries W.G.
Published: May 2019

The research on Cape spirituality of the eighteenth and nineteenth century by Christina Landman, Celestina Pretorius and Karel Schoeman shifted the focus from a constructivist to a transconfessional religious profile. The research of Landman and Schoeman heralded a new era in Pietism research in South African religious and historiographical publications: both authors point out the manifold religious origins of Pietism at the Cape, the mystical nature of Cape Pietism and suggest Medieval origins of the mysticism at the heart of Cape pietistic spirituality. This essay traces the mystical roots of Cape Pietism to prominent Roman Catholic authors: Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Ã  Kempis and Johann Tauler. It is concluded that the mystical roots of Cape Protestant spirituality are not the exclusive inheritance of Roman Catholic spirituality but also of Protestant spirituality in Dutch and German Pietism
Music of Politics and Religion Supporting Constitutional Values in South Africa
Authors: Lebaka Morakeng Edward Kenneth
Published: May 2019

The Constitution of South Africa has been taken as a model globally as it supports non-discrimination and human rights. The purpose of this study was to analyse the South African National Anthem and a secular political song to investigate how music supported the values enshrined in the Constitution, including religious freedom, during the transition from a history of apartheid towards 25 years of democracy. Politicians such as Nelson Mandela and religious leaders such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, black African spiritual practitioners, Muslim ecclesiastics, rabbis and others played a prominent role in a peaceful transition to democracy. Although there have been a few violent episodes like service delivery protests, farm murders, xenophobia and the tragedy of Marikana since 1994, in general South Africa has been peaceful, despite its history. This study concluded that the music of politics and liberation can be related to value systems and lack of conflict between ethnic and religious factions in South Africa since 1994.
Are we Going Back to our Roots? The Restoration of Early Church Ecclesiology in the Modern Church Today
Authors: Pillay Jerry , Greyling Machiel
Published: May 2019

A movement, known as the Restoration Movement, developed on the early American frontier (19th century) to unite the various denominations that followed migrants from Europe and to bring them back to the ideals of the early church. The means to fulfil this quest was done through the belief that the early church could be â€œrestoredâ€ in the 19th century. It was asserted that if all denominations simply read the Bible only and rejected all human creeds and traditions that came along with the centuries, there would be one church, total unity and an exact replica of the 1st century church. The methodology was correct, but unfortunately the intellectual paradigms of the day led the restoration leaders to formulate a wanting ecclesiology which ended in more schism than unity. This article sets out to establish that when one considers the modern church trends today and the true nature of the early church, there is clear evidence that contemporary ecclesiologies are being shaped more accurately into the shape of the early church. This is happening by default and spontaneously. Postmodernism is the catalyst that is slowly but surely influencing the natural restoration of the early church in contemporary society.
APLA and the Amnesty Committee of the TRC? An Ethical Analysis of the Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa
Authors: Lephakga Tshepo
Published: May 2019

This article examines the role of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of South Africa, led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It focuses on the amnesty committee and challenges regarding amnesty applications of members and supporters of the Azanian Peopleâ€™s Liberation Army (APLA), an armed wing of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC). These complications emanated from policies and politics of the mother-body (PAC) and APLA, which made it difficult to distinguish between acts with a political objective committed by bona fide APLA members and purely criminal acts committed for personal gain. Such policies were expressed in: 1) The APLA slogan â€œOne Settler, One Bulletâ€; and 2) The policy regarding â€œRepossession of propertyâ€ by Azanians. The position of APLA needs to be understood against the fundamental politics of the PAC that the presence of white settlers in South Africa (occupied Azania) is an act of occupation, dispossession and colonisation. Thus, all white people in South Africa are regarded as settlers and targets for APLA. This position contends that, as a result of the settler status of all white people in South Africa, everything that they purportedly own belongs to Azanians and must be repossessed. Another complicationâ€”according to the TRCâ€”was for some applicants to meet at least one of the requirements for amnesty, since any incident committed had to constitute an act associated with a political objective. Other challenges were lack of documentation to prove membership of APLA, and the autonomy or independence of the mother body (PAC) and its armed wing (APLA).
The YCW moves into Soweto and other Black Townships: 1952 to 1965
Authors: Bate Stuart Clifton
Published: May 2019

The Young Christian Workers (YCW) movement in South Africa officially began in Johannesburg in 1949. Within a few years the movement expanded into Soweto and then other surrounding emerging black townships of Johannesburg. The YCW was a movement of the working class: by workers for workers. The young workers were the leaders of the movement. As a movement led by lay people in the church, the YCW is a movement of â€œCatholic Actionâ€ and this dimension will be clarified in the text. The specific focus of this article is an examination of the early history of the YCW in Soweto. This was initiated through the work of a young worker, Eric Tyacke, who was appointed to this mission by the local bishop in Johannesburg, William Patrick Whelan OMI. Missionary priests in the townships, especially those from Belgium and Ireland, facilitated the establishment and development of the movement in their role as chaplains. However, the main means of the primary activity of mission to workers, was carried out by the young worker leaders of the YCW themselves in their places of work and their communities. For this reason a major part of the data collection was through oral history, where possible from those former YCW members still alive, as well as other written sources. This missionary activity will be analysed in terms of a model of method in contextual missiology previously developed by the author. The social context of this period is also examined, as this was the time of establishing racially defined suburbs in Johannesburg as well as restrictions on trade unions, in a time when the apartheid policy of the new nationalist government began to grip.Â
The Many Reformations of Catholic Womenâ€™s Religious Life
Authors: Rakoczy Susan
Published: May 2019

One of the last enactments of the bishops, as the Council of Trent ended in 1563, was to mandate enclosure for all consecrated women. This reflects a prohibition against the first steps toward apostolic, non-cloistered womenâ€™s religious life, which was occurring at that time. This article examines some of the various â€œreformationsâ€ of womenâ€™s apostolic religious life from the 16th century to the 21st century in South Africa. A case study is presented of Mary Wardâ€™s attempts to found a womenâ€™s apostolic congregation and her persecution in the light of Trentâ€™s decree. The initiatives of Francis de Sales and Jeanne Frances de Chantal were also thwarted, but Louise de Marillac and the Daughters of Charity survived. Two significant reformations were the growth of apostolic congregations beginning in the mid-17th century and womenâ€™s responses to the theology of the renewal of religious life of Vatican II, including its impact in South Africa. Because womenâ€™s religious life came to Africa in Western structures and theology, principles of inculturation which guide the initiatives of making religious life African, are presented. The historical narrative is analysed through the lenses of womenâ€™s agency and womenâ€™s voice. Although male church authorities consistently tried to limit womenâ€™s initiatives to shape new forms of religious life, which frequently caused immense suffering, womenâ€™s apostolic religious life has evolved to be a very vibrant part of the life of the Catholic Church, including Africa, in the 21st century
The Lumko Music Department and Cultural Heritage
Authors: Dargie Dave
Published: May 2019

Until the 1960s music in the African language Catholic churches in southern Africa was confined to European (or European style) tunes set to African language texts. The music used suited neither the languages of the people nor their spiritual and emotional needs. Some church leaders, such as Archbishop Hurley of Durban, wished to see a change for the better. Certain missionaries tried to do something about it, in particular Oswald Hirmer and Fritz Lobinger, Bavarian missionaries working in the Xhosa area. The author had done music studies, and in his work in Zwelitsha parish, near King Williams Town, had used some of the music resulting from the work of Hirmer and Lobinger. The two missionaries gave him the chance to start a project for creating new church music in African styles by working with local church members in different areas. This went so well that the author was taken onto the staff of Lumko Pastoral Institute, with Hirmer and Lobinger. Over the period 1979 to 1989 the author was able to promote and record new church music in many languages in South Africa and its neighbours, plus a great deal of the traditional music of the region. In 1996 Anselm Prior, then director of Lumko, returned all the field recording originals to the author, giving him the opportunity to put together a significant contribution to the preserved music heritage of Southern Africa, including African traditional music and church music. The article is a report on the project and its results.
From South Africa to Different Corners of the Globe: Christian Formation as â€œPilgrimageâ€
Authors: Lesage Mark , Padilla Estela
Published: May 2019

This is the story of how Anselm Prior, OFM, inspired a priest and a lay team from the Parish of St Joseph in Las PiÃ±as, Philippines, who attended the Lumko international course in Lesotho, South Africa in 1992. Concurrently within this narrative lies the birth of Anselm Priorâ€™s doctoral dissertation, for Prior â€œdiscoveredâ€ his thesis while working in the Bamboo Parish in Manila, taking the parish as the subject of his theological study. This parish team later established a pastoral centreâ€”Bukal ng Tipanâ€”serving the dioceses of the Philippines, and more widely dioceses in Asia and Europe. Inspired by the travelling, the authors explore the image of pilgrimage in discussing inculturation or contextualised Christian formation. The narrative informs the reader of the international reach of the Lumko Pastoral Institute under Anselm Prior, and how the Lumko template has influenced pastoral renewal throughout the Philippines and much of Asia. It is also a case study of how the turn to systematic reflection on experience during the last half century has decided the direction of theological undertakings in Asia and beyond.The first part of the article is written by Mark Lesage then parish priest of St Joseph Las PiÃ±as, sharing the beginnings of a mission journey with Anselm Prior of Lumko and the parish. The second part is written by Dr Estela PadillaÂ sharing how the inspiration of contextualised Christian formation from Â Lumko was further developed by Bukal ng Tipan and then shared with Asia and Europe.
Towards a Reform of the Christian Understanding of Shona Traditional Marriages in Light of Ancient Israelite Marriages
Authors: Mwandayi Canisius
Published: May 2019

As we celebrate 500 years of the great reformist, Martin Luther, among the most memorable and cherished ideas about him were his calls for a return to the Bible as well as reforms in the understanding of marriage. Departing from the traditional sacramental theology of marriage, Luther convincingly argued that since matrimony existed from the beginning of the world, and still continues even among unbelievers, there are no reasons why it should be called a sacrament of the church alone. Tapping from his reformist ideas, this paper argues for the place of Shona traditional marriages in light of celebrated traditional biblical marriages. The argument here comes against the past and current onslaught against African traditional marriages. Evaluated against the European white wedding, African traditional marriages have been rated as living in sin unless a marriage had been blessed in church. Had it been just a colonial ill-thought it could have been tolerable, but what is quite disturbing is that most pastors today continue to ridicule those who are traditionally married but not yet married in church. Engaging a pragmatic approach to the biblical text, this paper argues that if God blessed such marriages as Isaac to Rachel, Jacob to Leah and Rachel, Boaz to Ruth and othersâ€”which were contracted traditionallyâ€”there is no way His hand could be seen as short when it comes to African marriages. Since biblical marriages which were contracted traditionally were not sinful in nature, one can use such examples as a leverage to appreciate and defend Shona traditional marriages.
Germany, South Africa and Rwanda: Three Manners for a Church to Confess its Guilt
Authors: Denis Philippe
Published: May 2019

The paper examines three historical situations where Christian churches confessed their guilt for their implication in episodes of extreme violence, whether by acts of omission or commission: post-Second World War Germany, post-apartheid South Africa and post-genocide Rwanda. In Germany and in South Africa several churches confessed their guilt rapidly and fairly comprehensively. In Rwanda only the Presbyterian Church did so. The other churches either abstained from making any statement or only acknowledged the crimes committed by some of their members. This paper argues that, for a large part, the political and military context explains the difference. In Germany the war was irremediably lost and in South Africa the apartheid government had accepted the necessity of a regime change. In Rwanda, by contrast, the government which had orchestrated the genocide had withdrawn to a neighbouring country and vowed to continue the fight. A second factor is the quality of the church leadership, strong in the first two cases, weak and divided in Rwanda except for the Presbyterian Church.
St Paulâ€™s Anglican Theological College during the Transition towards a Democratic South Africa, 1986â€“92
Authors: Mbaya Henry
Published: May 2019

St Paulâ€™s Theological College was established in Grahamstown, South Africa, in 1902 to train white Anglican students for the ministry. During the last six years of its existence, from 1986 to 1992, the college went through rapid changes: emerging new trends in theological training and ministry raised questions on the relevance of traditional patterns of training in which St Paulâ€™s College had been established and operated from. Although the College was originally intended to exclusively train white students, during this period, the numbers of black students started to balance off with those of white students, just as the number of women ordinands also started to rise. On the other hand, financial challenges facing some dioceses also adversely affected the college. In the dying days of apartheid, the college became more involved in the socio-political issues of Grahamstown. Moreover, its enduring image as a â€œwhiteâ€ college in the emerging new South Africa seemed an embarrassment to the church authorities. The closure of St Paulâ€™s College, and its merger with St Bedeâ€™s College on the premises of St Paulâ€™s College, paved the way for a new College of the Transfiguration (COT), which was an attempt to respond some of these challenges.
Africanising the Catholic Mass Celebration in Ghana: Recognising Cultural Identity or Agenda to Retain the Faithful?
Authors: Quan-Baffour Kofi Poku
Published: May 2019

The Catholic Church started in Ghana in the 1500s. The missionaries of this Eurocentric Church prohibited its converts from practising their culture, for example the singing of folksongs, drumming, dancing and wearing of talismans in and outside the church, because they were deemed satanic, savage, fetish, heathen and ungodly. The missionariesâ€™ perception was that Ghanaians did not know God and theyâ€”the missionariesâ€”had come to Africa to â€œteach the Ghanaiansâ€ about God. Church premises were decorated with the cross and Christ images to facilitate full conversion of converts; whereas Ghanaian traditional, cultural and religious shrines for the veneration of â€œtheirâ€ gods were destroyed. Church hymns were in Latin and English with few translations. However, in a noteworthy change of heart, over the past two decades Ghanaian drums, songs and dance were once again accepted into the Mass. This ethnographic study, which was undertaken to understand the sudden â€œU-turnâ€ on Ghanaian culture, found that the change of attitude was to recognise African culture with the agenda of retaining the faithful in the wake of competition from emerging charismatic churches.
The Bantu Presbyterian Church of South Africa and Ecumenism: 1923â€“1939
Authors: Duncan Graham
Published: May 2019

The Bantu Presbyterian Church of South Africa (BPCSA) was birthed out of a quest for union amongst Presbyterians, which began in the 1890s more than 30 years before it was actually established as the fruit of the mission of the United Free Church of Scotland in 1923. From that date onwards church union hardly ever disappeared from the agenda of the highest court of the denomination, the General Assembly. During the twentieth century such discussions involved two of the three other Presbyterian churches and the Congregational Union of South Africa. In addition, the BPCSA has maintained a high ecumenical profile in both the South African and global contexts. The main thrust of this article describes and analyses the vicissitudes of Presbyterian conversations during the period 1923â€“39
The Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa and its Reformed Influence on the Socio-Political and Economic Development of Zimbabwe (1890â€“1990)
Authors: Pillay Jerry , Mushayvana Rev David
Published: May 2019

The second half of the 19th century was characterised by the spread of Christian ethos in Southern Africa. This state of affairs also permeated the Zimbabwean soil, and in the Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa in Zimbabwe (PCSA) missionaries disseminated Reformed teachings, among other things, to proclaim the gospel of Christ. This article argues that Presbyterian teachings influenced the socio-political and economic development of Zimbabwe. It is a historical analysis illustrating how Reformed theological perspectives influenced the socio-political and economic development of Zimbabwe through the work of the PCSA. It is not the intention of this article to get into theological debates but to show the impact of Reformed influences, mainly through John Calvin, on the expansion of Presbyterianism in Zimbabwe.
Ministering on the Edge: Reflections on Mvumelwano Dandala, Pastor and Politician
Authors: Kumalo Simangaliso Raymond
Published: May 2019

This paper explores the contribution made by Dr Hamilton Mvumelwano Dandala during his time as chairperson of the Black Methodist Consultation (BMC). We begin with a brief look at church and state relations and the role of the clergy, followed by a historical background of Dandala and the making of a political priest. We then explore the BMC from Dandalaâ€™s perspective and ministry from a perspective of the BMC. We reflect on Dandalaâ€™s role in the building of racial bridges within the MCSA and the struggle against poverty. The paper is concludes with a discussion of Dandala as a peacemaker, ecumenist and humanitarian. The author argues that Dandala should be hailed as one of the finest sons of the Black Methodist Consultation.
Development and South Africa: A critical Theological Reflection on the Discourse of Development within the All Africa Conference of Churches and its significance for post-Apartheid South Africa
Authors: Klaasen John Stephanus
Published: May 2019

The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) has made significant contributions to the theological discourse of development in Africa. Two gatherings, Lome (1987) and Harare (1992), stand out in the history of the AACC as defining moments in the theological discourse on the regression of development in Africa since the achievement of independence of the first African states from colonial rule. The purpose of this article is to investigate the contributions of these two gatherings and to assess the role of personhood and personal responsibility for development in South Africa as one of the last African countries to achieve democratic rule. Development attempts by the religious, and specifically Christian institutions such as the Ecumenical Federation of Southern Africa (EFSA) and the World Council of Churches, are correlated with dominant development theories to demonstrate the overlapping of development approaches. Some of the weaknesses of these approaches are pointed out. The constructive part of the article suggests that a theological notion of personhood and its relation to development is a more sustainable form of development within the context of contemporary South Africa.
On the 250th Anniversary of A Plain Account of Christian Perfection: A Historical Review of Wesleyan Theological Hybridity and its Implications for Contemporary Discourses on Christian Humanism
Authors: Forster Dion Angus
Published: May 2019

In recent decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in discourses of secular and Christian humanism. This interest engages the question of what it means to be truly human, and what the implications of true humanity are for individuals and society. The genesis of theological and secular humanisms stems from the Eastern Orthodox doctrine of theosisâ€”God in Christ becomes human so that human persons may become more truly like the God whose image and likeness they bear. John Wesley was deeply influenced by Eastern Orthodox theologians. Without grasping this hermeneutic position, one cannot understand either the content or intent of John Wesleyâ€™s theology adequately. This paper expounds this aspect of Wesleyâ€™s theology by means of a historical theological exploration of the influences of Eastern Orthodoxy in Wesleyan soteriology. It is argued that when Wesleyâ€™s theology is understood as a hybrid of Eastern and Western theological influences and approaches, Christian perfection in the ordo salutis (order of salvation) supersedes the traditional Protestant emphasis on justification. In particular, this approach holds promise for making a unique and valuable contribution to contemporary discourses around Christian humanism.
British Imperial Wars and the Strengthening of the Dutch Reformed Churchâ€™s Mission: Mashonaland in the late 19th to early 20th Centuries
Authors: MÃ¼ller Retief
Published: May 2019

This focus is on conflicts in which the British South African Company (BSAC) had a direct hand, and in which British forces were victorious. Three specific conflicts will be highlighted: the First Matabele War (1893â€“1894), the First Chimurenga (1896â€“1897), and Second Anglo Boer War/South African War (1899â€“1902). It is argued that the Cape Dutch Reformed Churchâ€™s (DRC) missionary enterprise directly and indirectly benefited from these wars. The personal letters and other writings of A. A. Louw, pioneer DRC missionary to Mashonaland reveal a relatively good relationship with Cecil John Rhodes and the BSAC. The weakening of powerful local polities through the colonial suppression of African uprisings might have helped mission stations such as the DRCâ€™s MorgenstÃªr to attain surrogate status as centres of power in the affected areas. After the South African War, a number of Boer prisoners of war were recruited for the DRC missionary campaigns, including Mashonaland. A contextualising feature to this narrative of Afrikaner mission in British Colonial Africa is the fact that two of the foremost recruiting agents were direct family members of A. A. Louw.
Ordination of Women to the Ministry of Word and Sacraments: A turning point in the history of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa
Authors: Dlamini Ntobeko
Published: May 2019

In 2016, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) celebrated 40 years since the first woman was ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacraments (1976â€“2016). The MCSA Conference of 1976 ordained the first woman to the ministry of Word and Sacraments, a verdict that was long overdue. This became a turning point in the history of the MCSA. This document seeks to highlight the role of women in the MCSA prior to and after the 1976 Conference resolution. Included herein are key controversies, statements and events in the ministry of women within the MCSA.
Drawing a Connection between Coptic Christianity, their St Mark Tradition, and Contemporary AICs: A Conversation with Coptic Bishop Markos
Authors: Molobi Victor Masilo S
Published: May 2019

This article raises a question from the assertions that Markâ€™s memories of his martyrdom can provide an alternative theology for the African Independent Churches (AICs). Can there be a link with the Gospel of Mark from the African perspective? The AICs have been contending with matters of faith and culture, which bear a strong presence in their theology. Much has happened in attempting to answer the questions relating to their faith. This article tries to create an alternative narrative for the makeup of such theology. An interview with Bishop Markos has been a key factor in the founding of such a possibility. To Markos, St Mark, the Egyptian Coptic Church and the ancient Christian experience with their popes and bishops will inform such a theology. They were proud of their linear and orthodox connection to the times of Jesus Christâ€™s earthly ministry two thousand years ago. Egypt and Alexandriaâ€”as situated in Africaâ€”have compelled me to test such an allegation. Markos is the author of several books, and he has travelled extensively on the African continent in an attempt to understand the AICs. He introduced and discussed the relationship between Pope Shenouda III and the AICs for the formation of the Organisation of African Independent Churches (OAIC). This essay is an exploration of oral tradition. The Africansâ€™ claiming a connection with early Christianity through the Coptic Church has triggered a curiosity to perform more research.
Church Involvement in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade: Its Biblical Antecedent vis-Ã -vis the Societyâ€™s Attitude to Wealth
Authors: Antwi Emmanuel Kojo Ennin
Published: May 2019

Slavery existed in most ancient cultures and continues to exist indirectly in some societies in its various forms. Though slavery was used openly in the past by ancient cultures to create wealth, it is today regarded as an act of injustice against humanity. The trans-Atlantic slave trade between the fifteenth and nineteenth century is no exception. Christians who claimed to have the love of God and humanity at the centre of their religion were involved in such atrocious trade practices to create wealth. The churchâ€™s involvement in this economic venture seems paradoxical and contrary to its mission of love for all humanity. This paper assesses the churchâ€™s involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade to unravel the motives of such a paradox. It traces the biblical antecedent to the slave trade vis-Ã -vis the societyâ€™s attitude to wealth. It explores how the Judaeo-Christian scriptures and the Greco-Roman world shaped the churchâ€™s understanding of slavery to see how the church perceived its practice and the motives for its involvement.
Mission and State Health Institutions: “Invisible” Public-Private Partnerships in Zimbabwe, 1980–1999
Authors: Mhike Ivo , Makombe Eric K
Published: May 2019

This article argues that Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980 marked not the end of the missionary era, but its high point. Government’s poor rural health infrastructure forced it to partner missionary health institutions in order to run preventive health programmes and improve access to health services for the majority of the population. Mission health institutions formed the mainstay of rural African health care needs in the colonial period and continued to do so in the post-colonial period; with 97 clinics and 70 hospitals, and 13 of the country’s 42 designated district hospitals compared to 1 032—largely small and urban based—government, council and private health facilities. Mission health institutions were regulated by the Ministry of Health and were partly funded by the government. However, the significance of the mission health endeavour was overshadowed by an overarching government development agenda and narrative. This study establishes the nature and forms of public-private health partnerships in the development of Zimbabwe’s public health system and highlights the importance of the church’s healing mandate. It also refracts on church-state relations and the broader development and policy issues during the 1980s and 1990s.
Towards a Visionary and Historical Consciousness: Rowan Williamsâ€™s Four Quartets Lectures (1974â€“1975)
Authors: Delport Khegan
Published: May 2019

The aim of this essay is to provide a critical exposition of Rowan Williamsâ€™s unpublished lectures on T.S. Eliotâ€™s Four Quartets. A thorough examination of these texts has been lacking in various interpretations of Williamsâ€™s writings, and this essay aims to remedy this paucity, making available the argument and content of the lectures open to scrutiny and historical investigation. As will be seen, Williamsâ€™s interpretation of the poems is robustly theological, and seeks to articulate a radically incarnational reading of the Four Quartets. Such an interpretation seeks to assert creationâ€™s fundamental historicity and often tragic contingency, while at the same time suggesting that it is only when reality is seen for what it is that a vision of redemption may be truly glimpsed.Â
The unsettling Story about Allan Boesak’s Involvement in the Struggle against Apartheid
Authors: Plaatjies-Van Huffel Mary-Anne
Published: May 2019

The poststructuralist assertion is that all meaning and knowledge are discursively construed through language and other signifying practices. In order to decipher the story of Boesak, the author made use of the notions of poststructuralists, namely Foucault, Spivey, Milne, and so forth. The media has been the major authority that delimited, designated, named and established Boesak as an object of the discourse. The media constitutes Allan Boesak and simultaneously constitutes the dominant, prevailing discourse regarding his life and work. The legacy of Boesak is, therefore, portrayed as constituted socially and is consequently inherently unstable. The following subsections are being discussed in the article, namely: the role of the media in construing Boesak; the formation of Boesak as the object of the discourse; Boesak’s early involvement; Boesak’s engagement with church and society during 1982–1990; and Boesak our leader, we are not throwing a friend to the wolves.
Rereading Texts of “Targeted Killings” in the Hebrew Bible: An Indigenous Knowledge Systems Perspective
Authors: Rugwiji Temba T. , Masoga Mogomme A. , Matshidze Pfarelo E.
Published: May 2019

The biblical text is replete with narratives of targeted killings (TKs), although it is not stated as such. For example, David is depicted as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sm 13:14). However, when David was on his deathbed, he summoned his son Solomon to kill his enemies, namely Joab son of Zeruiah (1 Ki 2:5) and Shimei son of Gera (1 Ki 2:8). From an indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) perspective, this essay analyses David’s killings in view of TKs in the following eras: the apartheid era in South Africa; the post-apartheid period in South Africa; colonial Rhodesia; during the liberation struggle for Zimbabwe’s independence; and in the post-independence Zimbabwean era. It is explored that for the majority of African cultures, the spirit of a killed person will always return as ngozi (“avenging spirit”) to afflict the killer or a blood relative of the guilty person with various curses, illnesses or deaths.
Pharaohs on Both Sides of the Blood-Red Waters—Prophetic Critique on Empire: Resistance, Justice and the Power of the Hopeful Sizwe—A Transatlantic Conversation
Authors: Duncan Graham
Published: May 2019

Book Review
A Revisit of the Ministerial Concept of Lay and Full-Time Ministers in Classical Pentecostal Churches in Ghana and its Missional Implications
Authors: White Peter , Ntsiful John
Published: May 2019

In their article â€œPentecostal Mission Approachesâ€ White and Niemandt (2015, 241â€“269) make a case for how some Pentecostal Churches in Ghana have made good use of lay/tent ministry in their missionary agenda. However, among the Classical Pentecostal Churches in Ghana, lay ministers are not recognised as full-time ministers of the church. The understanding of these churches is that the lay/tent ministers by their definition do not operate in the five-fold ministry. In some of the churches, they are not accredited by the church to be part of their General Ministerial Council Meetings and the Annual General Meetings. Unlike the mainline churches, the lay or tent ministers in the Classical Pentecostal Churches in Ghana are also not allowed to vote or to be recommended for Executive Council positions. These issues therefore make it essential to investigate the historical and theological understanding of the concept of the lay and full-time ministers in church history, Ghanaian Pentecostalsâ€™ view of the concept, as well as the missional importance of lay ministries in the church and the missio Dei.
A Quick Look at Christian History. A Chronological Timeline through the Centuries
Authors: Oliver Erna
Published: May 2019

Book Review
Khoisan Identity: A Contribution towards Reconciliation in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Authors: Klaasen John Stephanus
Published: May 2019

This article seeks to explore the identity of the Khoisan as symbolic for reconciliation in South Africa. What contributions can the narrative of a marginalised people such as the Khoisan make to reconciling a divided nation such as South Africa? The Khoisan have been victims of continuous dispossession since the arrival of Bartholomew Diaz at the Cape in 1488. However, it was the taking of land in 1657 from the Khoisan for the free burgers that marked a significant period for the current discourse on land and for identity and reconciliation within post-apartheid South Africa. Notwithstanding the attempts by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to use narratives for healing, restoration, and continuing engagement with the meta-narratives of the past, my own use of narrative is open-ended with space for dialogue through interaction. The past or history does not have fixed boundaries, but rather blurred boundaries that function as spaces of transcendence. The narrative approach has four interactionist variables which are personhood, communication, power as reflected experience, and fluid community. I point out weaknesses of the use of narrative by the TRC as well as the interaction between experience and theory by practical theologians to construct an open-ended narrative of the Khoisan for reconciliation in South Africa. Â