Author:
Publisher: Brill Archive
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Author: Dirk J. Smit
Publisher: African Sun Media
ISBN: 1991260482
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 675

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The spirit of the Reformation is often expressed in the well-known slogan that Reformed churches are always being reformed according to God’s Word, ecclesia reformata semper reformanda secundum verbum Dei. Over the last century, the spirit of this slogan motivated someone like Dietrich Bonhoeffer to argue that the visible form and life of the church should reflect the truth and message of the church. Already in his doctoral dissertation called Sanctorum Communio, the communion of the saints, the young Bonhoeffer combined theological claims and traditions with social theory and analysis, in this spirit, in an innovative way, to study the nature and integrity and witness of the church. At the time, this was a radical claim, with major consequences and challenges for Protestant churches. Their life – which meant their order, structure, actions, statements, convictions, public presence and role – was to be measured by their gospel – which meant their message, proclamation, convictions, claims. They could no longer proclaim one truth yet live a different life. It was this spirit which led to the well-known Theological Declaration of Barmen in 1934 and to the formation of the Confessing Church in Nazi Germany. Many called this a moment of truth, a status confessionis. It was this same spirit which later inspired the struggle in South Africa for the integrity and faithfulness of the church and for the credibility of its message, proclamation and witness. The contributions in this volume – 52 papers, essays, sermons, studies – were all produced in this spirit. Most of them have not been published before. They were all occasional pieces, written over several decades, in different contexts and for different purposes and audiences, yet they all breathe this self-critical spirit of the Reformation, considering whether the real church – the concrete, every day, actual, living church that people know and experience and perhaps belong to – truly strives to embody the gospel itself, the message which it claims and proclaims. They all inquire, under different circumstances and in diverse ways, about different social forms of the real church – from worship to congregation, from denomination to ecumenical church, from individual believers to movements and organisations – whether and how they embody the truth of the church, or not. Together, these contributions tell a story – the story of this spirit, in South African circles, over several decades, but also in the ecumenical church in our globalizing world. They offer one small glimpse into different concrete moments in the story of this spirit in the life of this tradition and community of faith. Hopefully, some of these accounts may resonate with others who also shared the same spirit – and still share it today, in new and ongoing ways.

Author: Christian Reformed Church. Synod
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004527656
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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In many societies all over the world, an increasing polarization between contrasting groups can be observed. Polarization arises when a fear born of difference turns into ‘us-versus-them’ thinking and rules out any form of compromise. This volume addresses polarizations within societies as well as within churches, and asks the question: given these dynamics, what may be the calling of the church? The authors offer new approaches to polarizing debates on topics such as racism, social justice, sexuality and gender, euthanasia, and ecology and agriculture in various contexts. They engage in profound theological and ecclesiological reflection, in particular from the Reformed tradition. Contributors to this volume are: Najib George Awad, Henk van den Belt, Nadine Bowers Du Toit, Jaeseung Cha, David Daniels, David Fergusson, Jan Jorrit Hasselaar, Jozef Hehanussa, Allan Janssen, Klaas-Willem de Jong, Viktória Kóczián, Philipp Pattberg, Louise Prideaux, Emanuel Gerrit Singgih, Peter-Ben Smit, Thandi Soko-de Jong, Wim van Vlastuin, Jan Dirk Wassenaar, Elizabeth Welch, Annemarieke van der Woude, and Heleen Zorgdrager.

Author: Laurie Gaum
Publisher: African Sun Media
ISBN: 062095373X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 594

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At the beginning of 2017, the “backlash cycle” was in full swing in church denominations in South Africa as far as embracing sexual diversity was concerned. In 2015 a momentous decision by the General Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) embracing inclusivity in allowing LGBTIQA+ ministers to not be celibate and its ministers to officiate same-sex marriages, surprised friend and foe. But this was reversed a year later in an Extraordinary General Synod of the church. The disappointing outcome of the De Lange v Methodist Church of Southern Africa case had just been handed down by the Constitutional Court, and the Anglican Church’s stalling on fully affirming sexual diversity, continued.

Author: Martinus Nijhoff
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401529175
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 34

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Author: Mary-Anne Plaatjies-Van Huffel
Publisher: AFRICAN SUN MeDIA
ISBN: 1928357598
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 503

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"e;The subject of the Belhar Confession is an academic one which has enjoyed international attention, with congregations in the West having adopted it as one of their confessions for use. The content of this book is aimed chiefly at a scholarly community with ample knowledge of confessional documents and is a contribution on the subject of the Belhar Confession. The current challenges to the church and theology are discussed. Racism is one issue that poses an increasingly huge challenge to South Africa today. The book demonstrates what needs to be done extra to deal with the scourge of racism that seems to have percolated through virtually all aspects of our existence and particularly the church today in South Africa."e; - Prof. Rothney Tshaka (University of South Africa)

Author: D. Chantepie de la Saussaye
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : nl
Pages : 232

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Author: A. T. B. McGowan
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666728594
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 367

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“At the inaugural General Assembly of the World Reformed Fellowship (WRF) in 2000 . . . I proposed that the . . . WRF could serve the church by writing a new confession of faith for the twenty-first century . . . The first reason was that the members of the WRF were drawn from many nations and from many denominations and were using a whole range of confessional statements . . . At the same time, there was general agreement that we were all ‘Reformed’ in theology . . . The second reason was the need for a confessional statement to address the issues the church is facing today . . . The third reason was that all of our confessions were written in Western Europe, whereas the leadership in the global church has now moved to the southern hemisphere . . . [S]cholars from Africa, Asia, Australasia and South America joined with theologians from Europe and North America to engage in [the] task . . . [The Statement] was presented to the WRF General Assembly . . . in April 2010. An invitation was then issued to all members of the WRF to suggest any changes or additions to the text . . . [The Statement presented here was approved by the WRF Bord of Directors in 2011. It] . . . is not intended to replace [other] . . . confessional statements . . . [but] may be of use to individuals and churches as they reflect on the nature of Reformed Theology and its application to the theological and moral issues which confront the church in the twenty-first century.”

Author: Dirkie Smit
Publisher: AFRICAN SUN MeDIA
ISBN: 1920338209
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 550

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What does it mean to be Reformed Christians in the world today ? and in Africa and South Africa? What does it mean to commemorate the legacy of John Calvin (1509-1564) after 500 years ? in a modern world characterised by democracy, by popular notions of human dignity and human rights, by worldwide struggles for individual freedoms and for social justice, by a global economy in crisis ? when social historians argue about the lasting contribution of Calvin and his followers precisely with respect to all these modern phenomena? The 28 essays by Dirkie Smit selected for this volume deal with such questions.