2024-03-28T17:13:29Zhttps://uir.unisa.ac.za/oai/requestoai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/153962022-06-21T11:37:35Zcom_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
Between war and peace: The Dutch Reformed Church as agent for peace 1990-1994
Van der Merwe, Johan
Dutch Reformed Church
War
Peace
Church leaders
The years between 1990 and 1994 can be described as some of the most violent years in the history of South Africa. Political turmoil en route to the first democratic election in 1994 brought the country to the brink of civil war. During these volatile times important role players emerged who helped to bring calmness and sanity to society. One of these important role players was the moderature of the Dutch Reformed Church. By engaging with the different role players and calling their members to calmness, the leadership of the church which was known for its biblical support of apartheid became an important agent of peace. This article gives an overview of the volatile 1990’s with special focus on the role of General Constand Viljoen, a member of the Dutch Reformed Church and leader of the right-wing Afrikaners. It then describes the role of the moderature of the Dutch Reformed Church in mediating peace en route to the election of 27 April 1994. Interviews with leading role players as well as non-published church documents serve as important sources for this article.
2015-01-20T08:39:04Z
2015-01-20T08:39:04Z
2015-01-20T08:39:04Z
2015-01
Article
Van der Merwe, Johan, 2015, Between war and peace: The Dutch Reformed Church as agent for peace 1990-1994, Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 85-103.
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15396
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/154052022-06-21T11:17:16Zcom_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
The nature and character of the African Independent Churches (AICS) in the twenty first century: The theological and social agenda
Kealotswe, Obed
African Independent Churches
Theological and social agenda
21st century
African Christianity
The middle of the 1960s to the end of the 1990s saw great interest in the lives of the African Independent Churches (AICs) as a world phenomenon. However, the advent of HIV and AIDs shifted academic research and interest from the AICs to the HIV and AIDS pandemic, especially in African scholarship. As a result, the study of the AICs remained the interest of a few African scholars. This article attempts to find the place of the AICs in the 21st century and the new areas of interest in the study of the AICs. The article gives an overall view of the African situation of the AICs and then focuses on southern Africa with examples from Botswana. The article critically examines the theological and social agendas of the AICs in Africa and particularly southern Africa. The theore-tical framework of the article is that of selected classical sociologists who maintained that religion binds people to¬gether. The functionalist theories of Redcliffe-Brown and Malinowsky are applied.
2015-01-20T09:13:56Z
2015-01-20T09:13:56Z
2015-01-20T09:13:56Z
2015-01
Article
Kealotswe, Obed, 2015, The nature and character of the African Independent Churches (AICS) in the twenty first century: The theological and social agenda, Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 40, no.2, pp. 227-242
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15405
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/153932022-06-30T12:45:43Zcom_10500_4206com_10500_4090com_10500_1col_10500_15381
Pius XII: War, peace and the Jewish question
Henriques, Alan C
War
Peace
Pius xii
Jews
This article deals with the response of Catholics to the Nazi threat in Germany in the years 1939 to 1945. In it I argue that Catholics, and in particular Pope Pius XII (1876–1958), did in fact respond to the Nazi racial policy that led to the extermina-tion of Jews during the Holocaust (1939–1943). Documents such as the Reichskonkordat (Reich Concordat, signed on 20 July 1933) and Mit brennender Sorge (With Burning Concern, published on 10 March 1937) expressly criticised the Germans for their policy of racial superiority. Pius XII, who became pope in the year in which World War II began and died 13 years after it ended, his pontificate having continued into the Cold War period, played a significant role.
Aspects explored in this article include Vatican diplo-macy and its impact on the Jews, a radio message read by Pius XII and the encyclical Meminisse Juvat, the defamation of Pius XII, and world peace in relation to Church freedom. It is hoped that a consideration of these aspects will illustrate the short¬comings of statements alone in effecting change within society. The question remains: Did Pius XII, as pontiff, do enough to stop the Holocaust? In this article I concentrate mainly on the World War II period, but in light of Pius XII’s mistrust of communism in both Russia and Italy, I will also pay some attention to the Cold War period. Although I concentrate on Pius XII, I will also mention the initiatives of the Catholic Church in the period 1939 to 1958.
2015-01-20T08:27:00Z
2015-01-20T08:27:00Z
2015-01-20T08:27:00Z
2015-01
Article
Henriques, Alan C 2015, "Pius XII: War, peace and the Jewish question", Studia, Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 40, no. 2, pp.43-56.
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15393
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/154092022-06-30T12:49:01Zcom_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_4220col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
Defining Gnosticism after the publication of the Gospel of Judas
Jonker, Erastus
Heresiological
Gnosticism
Gospel of Judas
With the recent publication of the Gospel of Judas in 2006, Gnostic Christianity was put back onto the agenda of Church History. Since the publication of the Gospel of Judas, the limi-ting of Gnostic studies by some kind of definition or frame-work seems to have become of less importance. In this article, the term “Christian Knowledge” is used to describe movements within Christianity according to the typological definition proposed by Christoph Markschies’ recent monograph. The background and origins of Christian Knowledge are described by reflecting on some ideas from Plato. The Apocryphon of John and the Gospel of Judas are analysed to see whether they fit into this typological definition. The first case corresponding to this typological definition is then looked at.
2015-01-20T09:41:06Z
2015-01-20T09:41:06Z
2015-01-20T09:41:06Z
2015
Article
Jonker, Erastus 2015, "Defining Gnosticism after the publication of the Gospel of Judas", Studia Ecclesiasticae, vol.40, no.(2), pp.301-320.
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15409
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/153942022-06-15T07:21:37Zcom_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
Dealing with division: Some responses to World War II within the Dutch Reformed Church on synodical and congregational level (1936-1944)
Vosloo, Robert
War
Peace
Dutch Reformed Church
This article investigates the way in which the Dutch Reformed Church dealt with the challenge of divisions amongst its members after the outbreak of World War II, and how the responses on synodical and congregational level were arti-culated in theological language. Drawing on some existing studies in this regard, the article seeks to add further texture by looking at certain important official synodical documents from 1936 until 1944, as well as some sermons preached in Dutch Reformed congregations during these years – sermons in which pastors specifically referred to the war and to the conflict and divisions within Afrikaner circles. With regard to the sermons, I draw on some sermons preached by Rev. Beyers Naudé and Rev. CR. Kotzé. These sermons represent different responses to the crisis that the war caused within Afrikaner (church) circles, and as such indicate the way in which the broader viewpoints and emotional debates in society and on synodical level also resonated in congregational life.
2015-01-20T08:31:42Z
2015-01-20T08:31:42Z
2015-01-20T08:31:42Z
2015-01
Article
Vosloo, R. 2015. Dealing with division: Some responses to World War II within the Dutch Reformed Church on synodical and congregational level (1936-1944), Historiae Ecclesiasticae, 40(2), 57-70
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15394
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/154002022-06-21T11:24:22Zcom_10500_23650com_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_23651col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
The gendered God in the Setswana Bible and the captivity of Modimo: Moffat and the translating of the Bible into Setswana
Mothoagae, Itumeleng Daniel
SeTswana Bible
Christianity
Translations
Batswana
The historiography of Christianity among the Batswana is incomplete without the missionary, Robert Moffat. This is because he is regarded as one of the pioneers of missionary activity in South Africa, particularly among the Batswana. He was the first missionary to translate the Bible into Setswana, first the New Testament in 1840, and finally, translating both the Old and New Testaments in 1857. Batswana intellectuals referred to the Bible as the English-Tswana Bible. It is in this translated Bible that I would argue that the Christian gendered God replaces the gender-neutral Modimo wa Batswana. Furthermore, the 1857 Bible forms the basis for later transla-tion of the Bible into other versions, such as the 1908 Setswana Bible by AJ Wookey. The translation process, I would argue, was an attempt by the translators to shackle Tswana Modimo and to demonise Badimo. The attitude, worldview and presuppositions of Moffat cannot be separated from the written translated text, the results of which were the subsequent versions from Wookey and Cole. Such an attitude is illustrated in the following manner:
These missionaries went to the country of the Bechuanas, in South Africa. It was a hot and thirsty country, and the people were dark-looking, and wild, and filthy, and savage.
It is the intention of this article to argue that the early stages of Christianity among the Batswana were based on the assump-tion that they had no idea of God (Modimo). The missionary activity was a total replacement of what they understood Modimo to be. Modimo was perceived to be an un-saving, lacking the characteristics of a Christian (gendered) God. The article will focus on the writings of Robert Moffat and Mahoko a Bechuana . I will further argue that in his attempt of transla-ting the Bible into Setswana Moffat can be elucidated by considering literal translation theory. According to the transla-tion theory the translator(s) should meet three important requirements; namely, the source language, the target language, and the subject matter. The decoloniality theory postulates the dismantling of relations of power and conceptions of knowledge that foment the reproduction of racial, gender, and geo-political hierarchies. Both these theories will be used as the theoretical framework. Conclusions and challenges will be suggested.
2015-01-20T08:57:34Z
2015-01-20T08:57:34Z
2015-01-20T08:57:34Z
2015-01
Article
Mothoagae, Itumeleng Daniel, 2015, The gendered God in the Setswana Bible and the captivity of Modimo: Moffat and the translating of the Bible into Setswana, Ecclesiasticae, vol.40, no. 2, pp. 149-168.
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15400
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/154032022-06-21T11:18:51Zcom_10500_23650com_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_23651col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
Interpreting the Bible in the context of apartheid and beyond: An African perspective
Farisani, Elelwani B.
Apartheid
Apartheid ideology
Dutch Reformed Churches
Bible interpretation
During the apartheid era in South Africa, the Bible was used both as a tool to legitimise the apartheid ideology and as a site of struggle against it. Today, in the post-apartheid context, the Bible still plays a significant role in addressing the current challenges. Accordingly, in this article my aim is twofold: first, to chronicle how the biblical text has been used to support the apartheid ideology and second, to spell out the role of the biblical text in the post-apartheid context. I begin by discussing how uncritical and literal interpretations of Scripture have been used by the white minority to exclude, oppress and sideline the black majority in South Africa. I then present a biblical inter-pretation which may serve as a safeguard against our tenden-cies to exclude, oppress, marginalise and sideline any minority or powerless group in our society. I conclude by suggesting ways to interpret the Bible that are less likely to lend them-selves to abuse by the powerful in the post-apartheid context.
2015-01-20T09:10:01Z
2015-01-20T09:10:01Z
2015-01-20T09:10:01Z
2015-01
Article
Farisani, Elelwani B., 2015, Interpreting the Bible in the context of apartheid and beyond: An African perspective, Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 207-225.
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15403
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/154022022-06-21T11:20:48Zcom_10500_23650com_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_23651col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
The growth model for managing changes in African Christianity: The case of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in a Cape Town township
Masondo, Sibusiso
Managing change
Africa christianity
The article defines conversion as a process of change manage-ment. The Reformed Presbyterian Church exhibits a growth model which is about organic growth and development where-by new members are mostly recruited among the children of members. Children are groomed from baptism through Sunday school and confirmation classes to membership in full commu-nion. For them conversion is a process of growth and develop-ment in which they keep on learning all the time about their faith and who they are.
2015-01-20T09:06:22Z
2015-01-20T09:06:22Z
2015-01-20T09:06:22Z
2015-01
Article
Masondo, Sibusiso, 2015, The growth model for managing changes in African Christianity: The case of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in a Cape Town township, Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 189-206
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15402
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/153912022-06-30T12:41:37Zcom_10500_4206com_10500_4090com_10500_1col_10500_15381
Violence in early Christian writings: Lessons for Christians in independent Zimbabwe
Matikiti, Robert
Violence
Zimbabwe
Christian
Pacifism
This work seeks to uncover the way in which the Church fathers have wrestled theologically with the ambivalent pers-pectives on violence. The early Christians, who took very seriously the injunction that they were not to take up the sword, refused to serve in the Roman armies for centuries. In essence, this work entails an historical enquiry as a basis for analysing the attitude of contemporary Christians to political violence in Zimbabwe. In the first two centuries, the problem of violence for Christians was treated as an appendage in the writings of the Church Fathers. Consequently, information about what Christians actually thought about the matter is derived from general comments on war and indirect references, which tell us little about the way in which the use of force can be reconciled in an individual’s conscience with the Gospel. The article seeks to trace early Church perspectives on violence in order to find out whether the Christian attitude to politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe has its roots in church history.
2015-01-20T08:15:06Z
2015-01-20T08:15:06Z
2015-01-20T08:15:06Z
2015-01
Article
Matikiti, Robert 2015, "Violence in early Christian writings: Lessons for Christians in independent Zimbabwe", Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 40, no 2, pp.1-18.
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15391
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/154062022-06-21T11:14:59Zcom_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
The challenge of theological education in the Assemblies of God, Nogeria: A critical analysis
Mbamalu, Williams O.
Theological education
Decade of Harvest
The establishment of Bible institutions by the Assemblies of God, Nigeria (AGN) is based on the immediately felt needs of its clerics. This Pentecostal denomination still struggles with the perception of theological education as the seedbed for the renewal of churches and the intellectual development of its clerics. Evidently, the three tiers of the theological programmes of the AGN, that is, the diploma and the bachelors and master’s degrees in theology, lack cohesive curriculum articulation. This article argues that the AGN’s style of theological education is ontologically based on old knowledge organisation, largely in¬fluenced by centuries of ingrown and inbred Pentecostal acade¬mic tradition that discourages the heuristic intercourse of charisma with academic institutions. The article argues that the problem of curriculum articulation in the AGN’s theological education is responsible for the educational crisis currently besieging the church. The article suggests that the AGN needs a critical rethinking of its theological education programme to compel a redefinition of its twenty-year-old vision and mission in theological education.
2015-01-20T09:17:28Z
2015-01-20T09:17:28Z
2015-01-20T09:17:28Z
2015-01
Article
Mbamalu, Williams O., 2015, The challenge of theological education in the Assemblies of God, Nogeria: A critical analysis, Studia Ecclesiasticae, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 243-262
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15406
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/154072022-06-15T08:04:39Zcom_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206com_10500_18562col_10500_4091col_10500_15381col_10500_18564
Doing theology at the margins: PACSA's accompaniment of communities in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, 1979-2012
Manda, Charles
Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action (PACSA )
Healing journeys
Social transformation
The Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action (PACSA) is a faith-based organisation (FBO) situated in Pieter-maritzburg, in the uMgungundlovu region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It works in 27 of the most marginalised communities in the region. Established in 1979, PACSA began as a Christian agency to raise awareness among the white Chris¬tian churches about the unjust and oppresive realities of the apartheid government. Over the years, it has continued to accompany partner communities as they seek their own libe-ration from forces that undermine their freedom and dignity. Using textual analysis of PACSA’s documents and archives, this article explores the history of PACSA from 1979 to 2012. This period is significant because PACSA worked as a Christian social awareness FBO until 2012, when it changed its name to the Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action. The article further explores its role during and after the political violence of the 1980s and 1990s; and its praxis of the theology of accompaniment and the preferential option for the poor and the marginalised.
2015-01-20T09:24:49Z
2015-01-20T09:24:49Z
2015-01-20T09:24:49Z
2015-01
Article
Manda, C. 2015. Doing theology at the margins: PACSA's accompaniment of communities in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, 1979-2012, Historiae Ecclesiasticae, 40(2), 263-280
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15407
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/153992022-06-21T11:27:27Zcom_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
"Tracing the ecological footprints of our foremothers": Towards an African feminist approach to women's connectedness with nature
Siwila, Lilian Cheelo
Religion
Ecofeminism
African
Throughout church history, the subject of ecology has assumed prominence in church circles with resolutions constantly being reached on how the church can and has responded to the ecological crisis. For example, the early church fathers’ expe¬riences of connectedness to nature created another approach to the Christian concept of ecology of that time. A feminist approach to ecology shows that there has been a good amount of research on the subject matter, especially from an inter¬ventional perspective. Despite this positive response, this article argues that if ecofeminism is to be effective in responding to issues of ecology, discourses around African women’s embedded ecological spiritualties need to be retrieved and transformed for the liberation of both women and nature. The article uses ecomaternalistic theory to argue for a need to promote the conceptualisation of the interconnectedness between women and nature. The article concludes by showing that discussions on ecofeminism can take different forms in different contexts. Thus in some African contexts this dualistic approach between women and nature also carries positive aspects that need to be identified as a tool for dialogue on African ecofeminism.
2015-01-20T08:52:55Z
2015-01-20T08:52:55Z
2015-01-20T08:52:55Z
2015-01
Article
Siwila, Lilian Cheelo, 2015, "Tracing the ecological footprints of our foremothers": Towards an African feminist approach to women's connectedness with nature, Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 40, no. 2, pp.131-147
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15399
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/153982022-06-15T07:41:18Zcom_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
The piety of German women in South Africa
Landman, Christina
Piety
German women
Religious identity
The article analyses the piety prevalent in the four volumes of Unsere Frauen Erzählen which contain the stories of German women residing at Kroondal, a Hermannsburg mission near present day Rustenburg in the Northwest Province of South Africa. The focus is on the period between 1930 and 1990 when Nazism and apartheid reigned in Germany and South Africa. Firstly, the women’s piety showed signs of being pre-scribed by nationalism. The women, most of whom were first generation German women born on South African soil, supported Hitler and his ideas, aiding his war efforts and siding with racially conservative Afrikaans- speaking people by whom they were surrounded. Secondly, the women’s piety was family-based, living the ideals of the perfect religious woman who supported her family, her church and her nation with her domestic skills. Thirdly, the piety of the women was theolo-gically uninformed as women of the time were not exposed to theological training. However, as Lutherans who believed in the free will of believers, they expressed their piety differently from that of the Afrikaans-speaking women who accepted their fate as predestined.
2015-01-20T08:48:49Z
2015-01-20T08:48:49Z
2015-01-20T08:48:49Z
2015-01
Article
Landman, C. 2015. The piety of German women in South Africa, Historiae Ecclesiasticae,40(2), 119-129
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15398
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/153922022-06-30T12:46:52Zcom_10500_4206com_10500_4090com_10500_1col_10500_15381
Mau-Mau War and the Church in Kirinyaga, Kenya: Accounting for the tension and conflict (1952-1960)
Gathogo, Julius
Church
War
Conflict
Mau Mau
The Kenya Land and Freedom Army, otherwise called Mau-Mau, began their freedom war against British colonialism in the late 1940s by first administering a binding oath to its recruits. In turn, the guerrilla war, which was mainly waged by the people of Central and Eastern Kenya, reached its climax in the mid-fifties. The injustices that its leadership cited as justification for their military activities can be explained in various ways: Firstly, the five million Africans who lived in the British colony of Kenya failed to gain any meaningful form of political representation. Secondly, the war was caused by other issues that dominated African politics since 1903 to 1952, such as land alienation, racial discrimination and the low level of African wages, among others. Thirdly, the heavy taxation was used by the European settlers as a weapon to execute their plan. Fourthly, the forced carrying of the Kipande – an identity card. During the war, three types of oaths were administered: umemba oath for recruitment, the batuni-oath for those who were sent to the forest and the atongoria oath that was administered to the leaders of the movement at all levels. The tension and conflict between the Anglican Church and the Mau-Mau rebellion were clear in the Kirinyaga County, particularly when the revolutionary rebels began to burn churches, schools and killed church leaders in early 1950s. In view of this, this article sets out to unveil the problem that caused the conflict between the church and Mau-Mau rebels and the way in which it was addressed. The article is based on the premise that the Anglican Church was a “British church” automatically means that mistrust was bound to set in. Hence, it is critical to address the nature of mistrust between the revolutionary rebels and the church. The materials in this presentation are largely gathered through interviews and archival sources.
2015-01-20T08:22:16Z
2015-01-20T08:22:16Z
2015-01-20T08:22:16Z
2015-01
Article
Gathogo, Julius 2015, "Mau-Mau War and the Church in Kirinyaga, Kenya: Accounting for the tension and conflict (1952-1960)", Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 40, no. 2, pp.19-41.
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15392
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/154082022-07-04T09:32:01Zcom_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_2979com_10500_44com_10500_4206col_10500_4091col_10500_5526col_10500_15381
The Minister of the Word in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) and party politics: A theoretical and practical perspective
Modise, Leepo Johannes
Faith and politics
Word political elections
United Reformed Church
Party politics
This article will consist of five parts: First, definitions of faith and politics will be provided. Second, Regulation 4(3.2) regarding the status of a Minister of URCSA will be discussed in brief. Third, decisions of different synods on the forfeiture of the status of Ministers of the Word in URCSA due to participation in the governing body of the party politics will be discussed. Fourth, the author will look into different well-known reformed ministers and theologians who have influenced the thinking of the URCSA in terms of its confession, the likes of John Calvin, Abraham Kuyper and Karl Barth, in order to make an argument for the relevancy of such regulation’s point. Fifth, the motive behind Regulation 4(3.2) regarding the status of a Minister of the Word and party politics and its relevancy will be discussed.
2015-01-20T09:37:03Z
2015-01-20T09:37:03Z
2015-01-20T09:37:03Z
2015-01
Article
Modise, Leepo Johannes, 2015, The Minister of the Word in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) and party politics: a theoretical and practical perspective, Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 40, no.2, pp. 283-297.
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15408
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/153952022-06-15T07:27:38Zcom_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
War and "racial feeling" in the writings of an Afrikaner missionary
Muller, Retief
Racial feeling
Afrikaner missionary
War
This article considers the themes of war, Christian missionary work, and nationalism and the ways in which they could be demonstrated to interact in the life of an Afrikaner Dutch Reformed missionary, the Rev. JA Retief. Retief lived through and actively participated in the Anglo-Boer War, the First World War, and experienced the rise of Afrikaner Nationalism which led to the National Party’s apartheid victory in 1948. Retief is a somewhat anomalous case-study due to the fact that he spent most of this period as a missionary in Nyasaland (Malawi). However, he wrote extensively on the above themes, especially missionary work and nationalism, and this article indicates that he came to champion a rather open-ended conception of nationalism, a notion that was most certainly inspired by his experiences on the mission field where he was intimately involved in the founding of an ecumenical indige-nous church, the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian.
2015-01-20T08:35:19Z
2015-01-20T08:35:19Z
2015-01-20T08:35:19Z
2015-01
Article
Muller, R. 2015. War and "racial feeling" in the writings of an Afrikaner missionary, Historiae Ecclesiasticae, 40 (2), 71-84
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15395
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/154012022-06-21T11:22:23Zcom_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
Songs of the harp from an African xylophone: Cries of deliverance
Kgatla, Thias
Songs
Harp
African xylophone
African music
In this article I examine aspects of the Hebrew Psalms and relate them to African musical genres focusing on lamentation, protest, and resistance against evil and injustice suffered by the poor and weak at the hands of the powerful. The model of the Hebrew psalms and the instruments of the psalmists provide the basis for drawing parallels between Ancient Hebrew and African cultures. Suffering inflicted by the powerful on the lowly in society is universal, so resistance and the struggle for emancipation often take similar forms. I argue that although African Traditional Religion does not have a single founder and does not proselytise, its quest for justice where atrocities are committed is similar to that of established religions with a missionary nature. Lamentation and protest against evil com¬mitted by those in authority are part of a universal conscious¬ness. In the article I investigate African music and constructs that energise people in their collective endeavour to attain authentic freedom. I also compare the roles of the Hebrew shofar and African horn in the struggle for justice. Musical constructs that satirise gender inequalities and attendant prejudices are also discussed.
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2015-01-20T09:01:15Z
2015-01-20T09:01:15Z
2015-01
Article
Kgatla, Thias, 2015, Songs of the harp from an African xylophone: Cries of deliverance, Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol 40, no. 2, pp. 171-188
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15401
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa
oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/153972022-06-15T07:33:04Zcom_10500_23650com_10500_4090com_10500_1com_10500_4206col_10500_23651col_10500_4091col_10500_15381
Singing from beyond the grave: Nokuthela Linderely Dube returned to memory
Gabaitse, Rosina
Kumalo, Simangaliso Raymond
Theology
Women's struggle
Patriarchal cultures
Empowerment
Nokuthela Linderely Dube, one of the first black women to qualify as a teacher, author of the first Zulu songbook and wife to John Langalibalele, the first president of the African National Congress, is a significant figure whose memory has been buried in history. She represents the first generation of African women who pioneered women’s struggle against cul-tural, racial and political oppression. She regarded her oppose-tion to forms of oppression as a result of being raised in the church and growing up at a mission station. In spite of her outstanding contribution to the education of Africans and her support to the work of the ANC and the church, she remains unknown by many South Africans. This article seeks to exa-mine and contribute to her legacy. The aim is to bring forth lessons gleaned from her legacy that can be used in a democratic South Africa, where women continue to struggle for a culture of gender equality to be fully inculcated at all levels of society.
Woman has from time immemorial been looked upon as inferior to man, and in order to destroy this mischievous idea we desire to have girls as regular boarders and to give them work with the young Zulu men and boys. The latter will then get an idea of the intellectual strength of womankind and lose his erroneous ideas of his own mental superiority. We cannot hope to raise the Zulu men to any very high standard unless we show them that they are not superior to the women – J. L. Dube.
2015-01-20T08:46:07Z
2015-01-20T08:46:07Z
2015-01-20T08:46:07Z
2015-01
Article
Gabaitse, R. 2015. Singing from beyond the grave: Nokuthela Linderely Dube returned to memory, Historiae Ecclesiasticae, 40 (2), 107-118
1017-0499
http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15397
en
Church History Society of Southern Africa