<b>Demystification of the methaphor “the church as bride”</b> Because of the important role language, imagery and metaphors plays in the lives of human beings, it is necessary to explore the origins and implications of metaphors that could be potentially harmful to the quality of women’s lives. The metaphor that is the focus of this article, is that of “the church as bride”. This metaphor is an example of how metaphors and language have an impact on women’s self-understanding and subject quality of their lives. It is an example of how patriarchal structures, culture and language affect the lives of women. In a follow-up article the way in which this metaphor is used in the marriage formulary of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church of Africa is investigated. This formulary is specifically based on Ephesians 5:21-33 in which the metaphor of “the church as bride” is found
A feminist narrative pastoral perspective on the marriage formularies of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church This article is the second which focuses on the metaphor “the church as bride”. Its aim is to demystify this metaphor’s use in the marriage formulary of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church of Africa from the perspective of an ideological-critical analysis of the formulary. This formulary is specifically based on Ephesians 5:21-33 and Hosea 1 and 2 as “intertext”. In light of a narrative pastoral model within the context of feminist hermeneutics the article argues that the patriarchal ideology behind the metaphor constitutes the wording of the formulary and that this ideology contributes to negative experiences of women in marriage relationships.
Marriage and marital roles in the Afrikaans cultural and religious context. The article investigates women’s socialization in terms of their position in society and the church, and their roles in the marriage relationship. A brief historical overview is given of how the understanding of marriage has developed, with specific emphasis on marriage and marital roles in Afrikaans cultural and religious contexts. The authors examine the ecclesiastical magazines Die Hervormer and Die Jaarboek van die Nederduitsch Hervormde Sustersvereniging (Yearbook of the Netherdutch Reformed Women’s Association). The article shows that the message communicated to women who are members of the Netherdutch Reformed Church with regard to marital roles is that they must be submissive. Centuries of conditioning has created submissiveness and inferiority in these women and this has affected them negatively not to be equal to men in society and marriage relationship
Veranderende perspektiewe op seksualiteit en die huwelik in 'n postmoderne kerkShifting ecclesial perspectives on sexuality and marriage in a postmodern world. The aim of the article is to critically question whether the church is still able to guide people to make meaningful choices with regard to marriage and sexuality when values keep shifting. This question is especially relevant where the church still tends to uphold premodern values (heteronormative, patriarchal, monogamous) with regard to sexuality and marriage as the only (prescriptive) model for marriage in a postmodern world. The article consists of the following sections: changing values versus traditional values; marriage and sexuality from biblical times to the present; church in crisis; and eco-feminist family ethics. Veranderde teenoor 'tradisionele' waardes? Alhoewel die hedendaagse wêreld vinniger verander as ooit tevore in die geskiedenis, vind verandering nie ewe vinnig op alle terreine plaas nie. Die terreine waarop verandering vinnig plaasvind en terreine waarop dit stadig gebeur, kom dikwels in spanning met mekaar. Wanneer hierdie soort spanning ontstaan op die terrein van waardes wat gemeenskappe besonder na aan die hart lê, word dit 'n toutrekverhouding tussen 'vorentoe ter wille van vooruitgang' en 'terug na die tradisie ter wille van die behoud van die goeie'. Tradisies is sosiale konstrukte wat gemeenskappe in balans hou. Wanneer tradisies verander, word die sosiale balans versteur. Sommige tradisies verander vinnig, soos kleredrag en eetgewoontes, ander verander stadigso stadig dat dit lyk asof dit onveranderlik is. Dit is in die besonder die geval wat tradisies ten opsigte van identiteit, seksualiteit, taal en etnisiteit betref (kyk Dreyer, Y. 2008:499-527). 'Vaste tradisies' word dikwels as onveranderlik beskou, omdat dit deel van 'n vaste skeppingsorde is. Dit word as God-gegewe eerder as sosiale konstrukte gesien. Hierdie 'vaste tradisies' dra by tot die vorming van identiteit en sosiale rolle. Die huwelik is só 'n tradisie. Die huwelik, seksualiteit en godsdiens funksioneer in noue verbintenis met mekaar (Dreyer, Y. 2011:3). Alhoewel seksualiteit en die huwelik deel vorm van 'vaste tradisies' wat stadig verander, het dit wel van die Bybelse tyd tot vandag verander. Die sosiale omgewing van die Bybelse wêreld kan in die Oos-Mediterreense (Semitiese) en die Wes-Mediterreense (Grieks-Romeinse) kontekste onderskei word. Hierdie kontekste het aanvanklik afsonderlik van mekaar gefunksioneer, maar het later as gevolg van Hellenisering versmelt. In beide hierdie Mediterreense kontekste was die huwelik, seksualiteit en godsdiens nou met mekaar verbonde. Die waardes wat in die onderskeie kontekste aan hierdie drie entiteite toegeken is, het egter verskil. Dit beteken dat die Bybel nie één duidelike beeld van die huwelik en seksualiteit, en één stel waardes het nie. Die proses van verandering is dus reeds in die Bybel aanduibaar.Die doel van die artikel is om krities te vra of die kerk nog in staat is om mense sinvol te begelei wanneer waard...
Life stories of married woman: A possibility to transformation. Feminist scholarship in various disciplines has shown that women tend to internalise dominant social and religious discourse with regard to their lesser worth and value as human beings and members of society. The focal point of this article is to demonstrate how the place and role allocated to women, specifically in marital relationships, can be experienced as harmful. This article makes use of the life history research method in combination with the emancipatory analysis model of Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza in order to demonstrate this. Interviews were done with five women of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa, a fairly conservative and traditional Afrikaans speaking South African faith community. In spite of having lived with this mindset all of their lives, the women were able to express in which ways they experienced the dominant discourse as harmful. If social and religious views devalue a certain group of people, transformation is required. In the case of women, respectfully listening to their life stories and experiences can contribute to their own healing as well as to the transformation of their social and religious environment and the practice of the church.
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