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An examination of theological-ethical issues relating to 'sacred curses' with reference to church discipline and social challenges

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dc.contributor.advisor Tshaka, Rothney Stok
dc.contributor.author Johnston, Mark Raeburn
dc.date.accessioned 2012-02-27T12:56:08Z
dc.date.available 2012-02-27T12:56:08Z
dc.date.issued 2012-02
dc.identifier.citation Johnston, Mark Raeburn (2012) An examination of theological and ethical-issues relating to 'sacred curses' with reference to church discipline and social challenges, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/5478> en
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10500/5478
dc.description.abstract This thesis examines the role of praying sacred curses as a means of exercising ecclesiastical discipline within the Christian church. Through a brief analysis of selected social issues challenging the church in the United States, Chapter One addresses the question concerning the appropriateness of punitive praying as a means of furthering the Gospel of Christ. The question, “Is it ever right to pray for the failure, destruction or harm of another person, especially when such prayer is made by Christians in the name of God?” guides the subject of this thesis from both theological and ethical perspectives. A word study on seven key Hebrew words used to designate a “curse” in the Old Testament is made in Chapter Two in an effort to provide the necessary background for the New Testament’s concepts and practices undergirding early Church discipline. The utilization of punitive prayers and the utterances of anathemas throughout the New Testament comprise Chapter Three and points to a significant dimension for church theology inside the community of faith. There is also evidence that such ‘killing prayers’ were used to check secular authorities hostile to the witness of the church. Perhaps the most interesting use of the sacred curse comes from the record of Jesus “cursing” a fig tree, which dies as a result. This tree seems to represent both the religious dimension of Israel and the authoritative rule of the state, each characterized by unbelief and a rejection of the message of Jesus. Chapter Four furthers the discussion concerning the ethical basis for a sacred curse, especially as reflected by the Ten Commandments, and more specifically, in the keeping of the Fourth Commandment, the Sabbath. In conjunction with this sense of discipline, the argument is made that the love of God is often exemplified through the exercise of the curse because persons so affected may be drawn to repentance and seek after God as a result. Chapter Five concludes this study with an indictment on modern theology’s seeming failure to address matters of truth in social issues presently impacting both iv church and state in the USA. This chapter calls for the use of the sacred curse on the basis of local church unity and cohesiveness, while recognizing that such unity may be impossible to achieve. Because there may be no consensus inside the church regarding the exercise of a sacred curse, there is most probably no possibility of realizing the power of such prayers as a means of correcting social issues at odds with perceived truths. en
dc.format.extent 1 online resource (ix, 236 leaves)
dc.language.iso en en
dc.subject Sacred curses en
dc.subject Church en
dc.subject Social challenges en
dc.subject Theological-ethical issues en
dc.subject.ddc 277.308
dc.subject.lcsh Blessing and cursing in the Bible
dc.subject.lcsh Blessing and cursing -- Biblical teaching
dc.subject.lcsh Blessing and cursing -- United States
dc.subject.lcsh Prayer -- Christianity
dc.subject.lcsh Church -- Authority
dc.subject.lcsh Church discipline
dc.subject.lcsh Church and state -- United States
dc.subject.lcsh United States -- Religion
dc.title An examination of theological-ethical issues relating to 'sacred curses' with reference to church discipline and social challenges en
dc.type Thesis en
dc.description.department Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
dc.description.degree D.Th. (Theological Ethics)


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