An Emerging Grounded Theory in South Africa with Matthew 25:31-46 as Sermon Text

This article proceeded from the assumption that the theme of service delivery in present-day South Africa could well be qualified by the notion of ‘crisis’, to the extent that this qualification, from a theological perspective and on the basis of comparative social analysis, well recalls the statements in such critical and profound theological documents as The Kairos Document and Evangelical Witness in South Africa on the ‘crisis’ in the latter years of apartheid. The further recognition that the theme of service delivery constitutes an essentially new focus for practical-theological scholarship in South Africa led the author, who has a pertinent interest in the field of Christian diaconia, to thereupon go the full circle of practical-theological interpretation in developing such a focus. This was done by, firstly, attempting to develop a deeper contextual understanding of the problem of service delivery in the country on the basis of the prevailing debate on service delivery in South Africa, after which the ideas from conceptualisations of two different modes of diaconal practice within contexts of endemic poverty in the practical-theological literature were explored. The discussion concluded with a more pertinent consideration of the extent to which these two conceptualisations could be taken as providing direction in conceptualising a transformational diaconal response to the current service-delivery problem.

Section: Diaconal Practice As Congregational Projects Of Community Dementioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Diaconal Practice As Congregational Projects Of Community Dementioning

confidence: 99%

South Africa’s service-delivery crisis: From contextual understanding to diaconal response

Swart

2013

“…Marileen Steyn, A student of Wepener, used the grounded theory strategy to analyse the contents of the sermons she researched (Steyn 2016). For this strategy of research in homiletics, see also Pieterse (2013).…”

Section: An Integrative Framework For Practical Theological Hermeneuticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific-theoretical research approach to practical theology in South Africa: A contemporary overview

Pieterse¹

2017

In this article, I present a critical literature study of the theoretical approach of practical theologians in South Africa to our discipline, in honour of Yolanda Dreyer on her 60th birthday. Some of my colleagues’ approaches at the universities of Stellenbosch, Free State, Pretoria, Unisa and NWU (Potchefstroom campus) are discussed. All of them work with practical theological hermeneutics. The basic hermeneutic approach of Daniël Louw is widened with an integrated approach by Richard R. Osmer in which practical theology as a hermeneutic discipline also includes the empirical aspect which the action theory approach has contributed to the discussion. After discussing Louw’s basic hermeneutic approach, all the other colleagues who basically accepted Osmer’s approach in their publications are discussed. Important and new ground is being broken by contemporary colleagues, including research in public practical theology, without neglecting the focus on Christian congregations, and new work is being done at the grass roots level of African issues in our country.

“…One of the main reasons the topic of reconciliation was discovered was because of the fact that, during one of the interviews, the interviewer noticed the repeated mention of the word 'restores' or 'restored' by the co-researchers which was also confirmed in the coding process (cf. Pieterse 2010;2012;2013a;2013b). The word 'restores' and its related forms were mentioned 20 times during this and other interviews.…”

Section: Reconciliationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A process of inductive coding was used in order to identify the core themes recurring in these interviews. In this regard, the work of Pieterse (2010;2012;2013a;2013b) in homiletics and Wepener (2013; cf. also Wepener & Pieterse 2016) in liturgical studies guided the process.…”

Section: Healing As Transformation and Restoration Through Worship: Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healing as transformation and restoration: A ritual-liturgical exploration

Scott

Wepener

2017

Illness is a reality that affects all people, and healing is the main reason why people attend worship services in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the Ritual Studies scholar Ronald Grimes, illness is a social reality; it is socially imagined and constructed. Healing in the church is something that many believers experience, also in the context of worship and liturgy. In order to explore such healing as it occurs in liturgy a research project was undertaken making use of both empirical work and a literature study. The aim of this research was to take the light off of direct pastoral care and investigate how the liturgy affects individuals within the congregation with regard to healing. A praxis-theory cycle was followed in the research, and a preliminary liturgical theory for praxis was developed based on the insight from the empirical study and ritual theory that healing through worship entails either transformation or reconciliation.