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Item Open Access Silent no more: sexual violence in conflict as a challenge to the worldwide church(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Tombs, D.The Tearfund report Silent No More (2011) challenges the worldwide church to respond to sexual violence in conflicts. This article argues that a church response should have pastoral, biblical and theological dimensions. Starting with the Silent No More report it examines the prevalence of sexual violence in conflict and the silence of the churches on this subject. Building on feminist readings of sexual violence in biblical narratives it then explores sexual violence referenced in the death of Saul (1 Samuel 31) alongside news reports of the death of Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011. It also suggests that sexual violence is a key to understanding the scandal of the cross and the death of Jesus of Nazareth. It concludes that if biblical scholars and theologians give more attention to sexual violence within the bible they can offer positive help towards a more constructive response to sexual violence by the churches.Item Open Access Die kerk, maatskappy en vrye verenigings: 'n studie van die kerkorde van die NG Kerk(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Strauss, P. J.The church, society and free societies: a study of the church order of the DRC In its stipulantions for the church in its actions against or with the other institutions and societies in society, the order of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) is unique among reformed churches. Two main principles guide these stipulations of the DRC-CO. The first one is that such a society or organization should be based on Christian principles and be able to show it convincingly in practice. The second one is that the well-known principle used in Neo-Calvinistic thought namely that of "sovereignty in its own sphere" should be used to normalize such relations. Nearly the same articles in the same words with regard to the church, society and free societies have remained now for over 50 years in an ever changing church order.Item Open Access Utilising forgiveness to help sexually abused adolescents break free from guilt and shame: a pastoral Gestalt theory(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Denton, R. A.Guilt and shame can be traumatic, self-conscious experiences which have an impact on sexually abused adolescents' physical, psychological, social, emotional, moral and religious development. It can determine the adolescents' behaviour, their views of themselves and their interpersonal relationships. Guilt and shame arouse feelings of helplessness, anger, blame, bitterness and the need for retaliation, while forgiveness can relieve these impulses effectively and be utilised as a source for a recovering experience. Through the use of forgiveness as a coping mechanism, abused adolescents can be guided to handle unresolved emotional experiences (unfinished business) and break free from guilt and shame. A pastoral Gestalt theory can assist abused adolescents with the necessary awareness to focus on their foreground in order to reach self-regulation of their emotional experience.Item Open Access The cultural and historical significance of Malopo ritual: a Pedi perspective(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Lebaka, M. E. K.Indeed, the implicit hypothesis that "there is little possibility, if any, for the Pedi traditional healers to experience the supernatural form of healing without performing music and dancing to it" raises the issue of "What makes the dance potent as a healing therapy?" or "What is the role of music in such healing processes?". This article is a result of a guided investigation carried out in order to answer these questions. The primary sources for data collection were literature reviews, informal interviews, observations and recordings. During the study, informal discussions with traditional healers and their trainees revealed that participation in malopo rituals enables community members to inherit their music tradition. The impression created during interviews and observations was that Pedi traditional healers perform malopo songs to communicate with the ancestors. The results suggest that malopo rituals are aimed at enriching the personal and social life of the Pedi community.Item Open Access Imitatio Christi and the holy folly of divine violence: the church as ultimate criminal(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Meylahn, J. A.The calling of the church is to follow Christ (imitatio Christi). What does this calling entail? Following Žižek's and Derrida's interpretation of Benjamin's interpretation of law and violence, the paper will argue that the call to follow Christ is not to subvert the law, but as Paul argues - Christ came to destroy the law. In this article, Christ will be interpreted as one who did not counter this violence of the law (state-maintaining violence) with a counter violence of state-forming violence, but completely undermined the justification of both forms of violence (state-forming and state-maintaining) with a divine violence. If the Christ event is read as an exemplary narrative of the post-metaphysics in the linguistic turn in the work of Derrida, this opens up new possibilities for both theology as well as the role of the church within the context of a postmodern world, and these possibilities will be explored.Item Open Access Jesus Christ, a compassionate companion: Christological reflections in the time of the HIV/AIDS pandemic(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Mligo, E. S.Who do people living with HIV/AIDS say Jesus Christ is in their context of stigmatisation? This is an ancient Christological question that helps us understand and deal with this issue in a new way. This article presents the views of people living with HIV/AIDS about the role of Jesus to them in a context of HIV/AIDS-related stigmatisation. Through their reading of biblical texts from the Gospel according to John, people living with HIV/AIDS argue that Jesus Christ is a compassionate companion who not only sympathises with them, but also cares for them and seeks to improve their situation. In this instance, the article critiques the "cult of normalcy" ever embraced by the church that excludes those it considers to be abnormal and includes those it considers to be normal. This "cult of normalcy" is contrary to the compassionate way in which Jesus treated those who were suffering.Item Open Access The Seventh Ecumenical Council and the veneration of icons in Orthodoxy(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Nicolaides, A.In the Orthodox Christian tradition, icons are not regarded as works of art; they are rather a visual gospel and windows into the spiritual realm. They are intended to assist believers to be more contemplative and prayerful. They guide believers into a life of prayer. There are, however, those who consider them to be idolatrous. Such a belief is erroneous, since the honouring of created beings does not detract from being totally devoted to the Creator in whose image they were created. Icons portraying God's grace are sanctifying and help affirm the faith of Orthodox believers. Icons are a concrete theology that instructs and leads believers to a spiritual reality and ultimately sanctify them as they transform them. They ultimately serve as conduits to the healing of body and soul through the grace of God and are essentially a prelude to the final transfiguration of the world.Item Open Access Klaagliedere 3:42: vergifnis of nie-vergifnis?(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) O’Kennedy, D. F.English: Lamentations 3:42: forgiveness or non-forgiveness? This article investigates the short prayer of Lamentations 3:42, the only text in the prayer literature that uses the particle לא (no) together with the term סלח (forgive). The exegetical study focuses on the literal, historical and theological dimensions of the short prayer. The questions posed by this article is: Does this text portray God's unwillingness to forgive? Does Lamentations 3 only speak about punishment and judgement or do we find references to divine forgiveness? Lamentations 3 speaks about punishment, but not rejection or unwillingness to forgive. The worshipper in verse 42 confronts God with his real self: He is supposed to forgive. In the rest of chapter 3 we find reminders of God's forgiving heart: mercy and compassion (vv. 22, 32); faithfulness (v. 23); kindness (vv. 25, 26, 27); salvation (v. 26); and steadfast love (v. 32).Item Open Access Baat as bio-etiek sonder grense: 'n Gereformeerd-etiese beoordeling van Artikel 4 van die Universele Deklarasie vir Bio-etiek en Menseregte van Unesco(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Rheeder, R.Article 4 of the UNESCO Declaration of Bioethics and Human Rights (2005) is explained as being an ethical principle and right aimed at the health environment. Benefit is defined as good deeds towards people within the medical environment and is accepted as part of universal ethics. This principle means that the person on the one hand has a right to benefit, while on the other hand has the duty to show benefit. To display benefit to mankind is to confirm the dignity of man. From a Christian perspective, the right and ethical principle of benefit is grounded in the creation, re-creation and eschatology. Man as the image of God - as a changed man in Christ - is led by the Spirit to show benefit as love to all people within the health environment.Item Open Access "Bond of love": the action of the spirit(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Williams, D. T.The emergence of the various forms of Pentecostal and Charismatic theology has led to a welcome interest in the third Person of the Trinity, who has been largely neglected for centuries. However, while there has been a concentration on the experience of the Spirit, this has not been matched by an understanding of his work. The ancient idea, seen especially in Augustine, is that the main activity of the Spirit is that of providing relationship, as the "bond of love"; this provides a key concept which undergirds the work of the Spirit in creation, redemption, sanctification and empowering. It is hoped that increased understanding of the work of the Spirit will contribute to the healing of divisions in Christianity which emerged out of conflicting attitudes to the modern experiences.Item Open Access Interview with Prof. John de Gruchy(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) van Tonder, HelenéAbstract not availableItem Open Access Der erste brief des Paulus an die Korinther. Historisch-theologische auslegung, Schnabel, Eckhard J.: book review(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Stenschke, ChristophGerman: Nach mehreren Monographien und Aufsä tzen und seiner umfangreichen, enorm gelehrten Abhandlung über die Urchristliche Mission (Wuppertal: R. Brockhaus, 2002; Englisch als Early Christian Mission; Downers Grove: IVP, 2004) hat Eckhard Schnabel mit dem vorliegenden Band seinen ersten Kommentar zu einem ntl. Buch vorgelegt. Schnabel lehrt seit 1998 an der Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield/Chicago.Item Open Access Hebräer von hebräer: Paulus auf dem hintergrund frühjüdischer argumentation und biblischer interpretation. Herders biblische studien 52, Tiwald, Markus: book review(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Stenschke, ChristophItem Open Access Die Binnewerk van Antieke Grieks. Die semantiek van grammatiese konstruksies. Handleiding vir eksegete en ander studente van Klassieke en Nuwe-Testamentiese Grieks, Jordaan, G.J.C.: boekresensie(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Machin, AnnéliAfrikaans: Die outeur som self die inhoud (en waarde) van die boek op wanneer hy in sy voorwoord skryf dat die boek "meer as net nóg 'n Griekse grammatikaboek is. Dit is bedoel as naslaanwerk vir studente, filoloë en eksegete, as hulpmiddel om betekenis-skakerings wat dikwels in die grammatikale konstruksies van 'n Griekse teks 'versteek' is, te ondersoek" (Jordaan 2014:viii). In Die Binnewerk van Antieke Grieks word aandag aan die gebruik van werkwoord- en naamwoordkonstruksies geskenk. In hierdie aanbieding val die klem egter op sinsbou (sintaksis) eerder as op morfologie.Item Open Access The art of creating futures - practical theology and a strategic research sensitivity for the future(Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, 2014) Van den Berg, J. A.; Ganzevoort, R. R.This paper explores a futures perspective for practical theology. Although there are some examples of a future orientation, a systematic futures perspective has not been developed. Building on futures studies (including predictive studies on foresight and design and architecture studies), the authors propose a methodological model for future-sensitive practical theology, accounting for the probable, possible, and preferable. The model results in three modes in which practical theology can employ a future orientation: utopian, prognostic-adaptive, and designing-creative.