Brown, Janet L.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation aimed to ascertain, in a practical theological way, how to bridge the gulf between the congregation and the AIDS community using home based care as the vehicle of change. The initial hypotheses of the research were based upon a model initially developed by World Vision in Nkhotakota, Malawi.
The research question, which the study address, is as follows:
1. Can the negative attitudes, prejudices and behaviours which are held and demonstrated by many in the church towards those suffering with HIV/AIDS, be changed by using deliberate attempts to alter their perspective of this pandemic by providing accurate information, in juxtaposition with the demonstration of Christ’s love and compassion to this community?
2. In conjunction to this first question comes a second: Can the compassionate outreach of the church, as it follows Christ’s mandate to love change the perspective of those in the HIV/AIDS community so that instead of viewing the church (as a whole) as cold and unloving, their perception will change with the demonstration of such love and compassion by its membership that they begin to see the church as a source of hope and love?
To describe the contextual situation in which this study takes place, the historical background concerning the church’s response to the issue of the HIV/AIDS pandemic was explored in chapter two. The third chapter discusses the cultural paradigmatic focuses, unique to the African situation, with attention to the role in the church as it seeks to comply with its mandated mission. Chapter four then examines the cultural practices found, specifically in the Malawian context, that promote the spread and transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus amongst the Chewa people and the surrounding tribes.
Over and against the identified traditional practices and their interrelationship with the worldviews of the people of Malawi, chapter five focuses on the practical theological implications of the church seeing to find identity in Christ. The ramifications of the praxis process regarding this hermeneutic, in consideration with the response of the Church as it seeks to reflect the character of the God, as represented primarily by the attribute of love towards those who are suffering from being infected or affected by this disease are explored in this chapter. It deals with the theological ramifications concerning the faith community as it represents the body of Christ by providing eschatological hope to this suffering world.
The remaining chapters describe the methodology and praxis process utilizing the research hypothesis developed from the Nkhotakota model. Final conclusions were then drawn in order to provide understanding as to how to obediently participate in God’s witness to the world as the faith community addresses the problem of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in very poor areas in Malawi.
Although the initial optimistic goals of this research were not met as anticipated, essential discoveries that illuminate the faulty paradigms associated with critical issues such as the effects of abject poverty were exposed. Difficulties that were initially considered secondary to the main thrust of this research, whose complexities are generally misunderstood by the western paradigm came to light as the praxis process unfolded. Attempts to sidestep stark issues such as poverty, in order to address the ‘real’ issues under study served to highlight these problems as their magnitude forced their recognition and consideration.
This research has exposed is the necessity for further exploration into the intricate ramifications of issues such poverty by demonstrating the unfortunate fact that for those struggling to survive at the lowest levels of Maslow’s hierarchy, the luxury of benevolent service is simply not possible. For these, there is no other issue but survival. Calling on these sufferers to act as ‘the church’ when their need is so dire is not only unrealistic, it borders on sacrilege. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis beoog om op ‘n prakties-teologiese wyse vas te stel hoe om die kloof tussen ‘n gemeente en ‘n Vigs-gemeenskap te oorbrug met tuisversorging as medium van verandering. Die aanvanklike hipoteses van die navorsing is gebaseer op ‘n model wat oorspronklik deur World Vision by Nkhotakota, Malawi, ontwikkel is.
Die navorsingsvraag waarop dié studie gerig word, is die volgende:
1. Kan die negatiewe houding, vooroordele en optrede van baie kerklidmate teenoor MIV/Viglyers verander word deur die gebruik van doelgerigte pogings om hul siening van hierdie pandemie te wysig deur die verskaffing van die korrekte inligting, tesame met blyke van Christus se liefde en medelye aan hierdie gemeenskap?
2. Tesame met hierdie eerste vraag, volg ‘n tweede. Kan die kerk se deernisvolle uitreik, met die betoning en uitvoer van Christus se opdrag om liefde te gee, die siening van mense in die MIV/Vigs gemeenskap só wysig dat, in plaas dat hulle die kerk (as ‘n geheel) ervaar as koud en liefdeloos, hulle hierdie begrip wysig deur die lidmate se betoning van dié liefde en deernis, dat hulle begin om die kerk te beskou as ‘n bron van hoop en liefde?
Die beskrywing van die kontekstuele situasie waarin hierdie studie plaasvind, sowel as die historiese agtergrond ten opsigte van die kerk se respons tot die vraagstuk van die MIV/Vigs pandemie, is in hoofstuk twee ondersoek. Die derde hoofstuk bespreek die kulturele paradigmatiese fokusse, uniek aan toestande in Afrika. Dit gee aandag aan die rol van die kerk in sy doelwit om sy sendingmandaat uit te voer. Hoofstuk vier ondersoek die kulturele praktyke wat, spesifiek in die Malawiese konteks, die verspreiding en transmissie van die MIV/Vigs virus onder die Chewa bevolking en omliggende stamme bevorder.
Bo en behalwe die geïdentifiseerde tradisionele praktyke en hul betrekking op die Malawiërs se lewens- en wêreldbeskouing, fokus hoofstuk vyf op die prakties-teologiese implikasies van die liefdesgebod. Die uitgangspunt van die hoofstuk is dat die kerk in haar uitreik tot hulle wat ly, iets van die (liefde) karakter van God moet weerspieël. Die praxis proses het dus liefde as hermeneutiese sleutel. Teologies gesproke moet die geloofsgemeenskap, as die liggaam van Christus, eskatologies hoop aan hierdie lydende wêreld verskaf.
Die res van die hoofstukke beskryf die metodologie, proses en navorsingshipotese wat ontwikkel is uit die Nkhotakota model. Die finale gevolgtrekkings spreek die probleem aan van hoe om die MIV/Vigs pandemie onder mense wat in uiters arm stedelike areas in Malawi woon, aan te spreek en ‘n Christelike getuienis te lewer.
Al is die aanvanklike optimistiese doelwitte van hierdie navorsing deels bereik, is wesenlike ontdekkings gemaak wat die foutiewe paradigmas in verband met kritieke vraagstukke, soos die invloed van volslae armoede, blootgelê. Probleme wat aanvanklik sekondêr beskou is tot die hoofmikpunt van die navorsing het aan die lig gekom in die navorsingsproses. Dit was duidelik dat die ingrype in die gemeenskap die vervreemding tussen die kerk en vigslyers positief verander het. Veel meer waardering en aanvaarding het ontwikkel. Maar: die kompleksiteit van die probleem word in die algemeen deur die westerse paradigma oppervlakkig verstaan.
Die navorsing het bepaalde implikasies van armoede en blootgelê. Vir mense wat op die laagste vlakke van Maslow se behoeftes-rangorde ‘n stryd het om te bestaan, is die luukse van vrywillige diens aan ander eenvoudig nie moontlik nie. Vir hulle is een saak oorheersend: oorlewing. Om vanuit ‘n lewe vol sekuriteite hierdie armes op te roep om op te tree as onbetaalde dienswerkers, terwyl hul eie nood so groot is, is nie net onrealisties nie, maar ongevoelig. Description:
Thesis (DTh (Practical Theology and Missiology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2004.