AT 2012 Supplementum 16

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http://hdl.handle.net/11660/2518

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Browsing AT 2012 Supplementum 16 by Subject "Church"

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    A church with the poor – lessons from scripture and from congregations in informal settlements
    (Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2012) Verster, P.
    The church has an essential role to play in communities riddled with poverty, disease, and despair. Communities in informal-settlement areas suffer a great deal. Churches in these communities are often small and have few means for alleviating poverty. In the Bible, the community of God is a community of love. Although there are instances of retribution in the Old Testament, there are clear instances where the community of God experiences the implications of love for one’s neighbour. In the New Testament, the essence of the church is to be the community of love. Congregations in Mangaung’s informal settlements bring a message of hope by being the community of love in their area. The church can become the true messenger of God’s hope in informal areas.
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    The church's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India
    (Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2012) Arles, Nalini
    I gratefully remember working with Reverend Charles in a rehabilitation centre in the US and later with my HIV-positive friends in India. Their laughter, courage and resilience reminded me that it is not they who are HIV-positive but it is we who are all HIV-positive. In this article I would like to reflect on the cultural context of HIV/AIDS in India, its prevalence and the Church’s response to this epidemic.
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    God's missional people: reflecting God's love in the midst of suffering and affliction
    (Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2012) Hancke, Frans. J. van H.
    The title of this article reflects a deep and personal conviction founded on the belief that a major solution to lessen the suffering of people living in poverty and in the midst of pandemics such as AIDS, lies within the body of Christ. The focus therefore is on God’s people being called to participate in God’s mission in God’s world. Reflecting on those people, his church, in which he is incarnating himself through his Holy Spirit in an extraordinary and empowering way in order for them to reflect his love on the highways and byways of life – to transform the lives and circumstances of people in order for him to receive glory and honour. The title of this article clearly indicates a fundamental characteristic of God’s people – they are being sent to participate in his mission (missio Dei).