Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae Volume 35 Number 2, October 2009
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Item Oral history interviewing and its value in practical theological hermeneutics : an example from a study on a Pentecostal congregation(Church History Society of Southern Africa, 2009) Thomas, Andrew J.Prior experience has been recognised as an important element of hermeneutics in both secular and theological studies. A problem for practical theologians who are investigating Pentecostal situations is the quality of the historical record that is available for analysis. This is an issue that is also relevant to this research and it was therefore decided to use the social scientific approach of oral history interviewing to provide a more detailed documentary record. The resulting interaction between contextual perception and the historical record revealed three central themes for further analysis: (1) autonomy, (2) authority and (3) the role of the Spirit. The lack of community was identified as a key issue in these areas, especially concerning participation. The importance of participation through ministry in the Spirit was identified as a possible means whereby an attractive community with a strong identity in Christ can be developed in the future.Item The influence of conflicting medieval church and social discourses on individual consciousness : dissociation in the visions of Hadewijch of Brabant(Church History Society of Southern Africa, 2009) Kruger, ChristaThis article examines the influence of the conflicting discourses in the medieval church and its social context on the subconscious experiences of Hadewijch of Brabant, a 13th century Flemish visionary, mystical author, vernacular theologian and Beguine leader. Her 14 visions of becoming one with God are analysed for evidence of dissociative states. Her dissociative experiences are interpreted in the light of a contextual model of dissociation, according to which dissociation is an information-processing tool that fosters a sense of self-insociety in the face of conflicting discourses. Hadewijch’s visions and dissociation, which she used to teach her fellow Beguines, reveal her growth towards an integrated God-consciousness and her inner psychological integration of consciousness and the unconscious. The contextual model of dissociation provides a useful conceptual framework and hermeneutical tool for evaluating the consciousness of a person in a remote historical-cultural epoch.Item The dual story line of Calvin's sense making approach(Church History Society of Southern Africa, 2009) Van Niekerk, ErasmusCalvin’s sense-making approach, which is embedded in his Institutes of the Christian Religion (1559), can be construed as a story embodying two reflexive realms, one of creation and the other of redemption. In each of these realms, two trajectories operate closely together. The first is a “vertical” mirroring trajectory with God and human beings facing each other. The second is a “horizontal” trajectory consisting in a process that begins with God approaching human beings and the natural cosmic world. Calvin, who was at times very eclectic but could be very consistent too sometimes, contradicted what usually made sense to him (e.g. his instrumentality in the death of Servetus).Item Towards a postcolonial Pentecostal historiography : ramblings from the South(Church History Society of Southern Africa, 2009) Chetty, Irvin G.This article focuses on contestations around the birth of Pentecostalism. Azusa Street Pentecostalism is very well documented therefore the bias was tilted in its favour. While this expression of Pentecostalism opened up new frontiers it also displayed some regrettable retreats around the issue of race relations. In stark contrast, both in South Africa and in Brazil, inter alia, societal concerns, inclusive of racial issues have been taken up by a new breed of Pentecostals. The current state of Pentecostalism reveals that the majority of Pentecostals live outside of the USA and Canada and that the rapidly emerging churches in the southern world are Pentecostal and indigenous, and function autonomously from Western Pentecostalism. Starting from the eighties, large independent Pentecostal churches have emerged in Africa. African Pentecostalism in South Africa is a relevant, flexible and rapidly increasing Christian formation. Unlike the dualistic tendencies of Western Christian approaches, the African Pentecostal worldview does not separate the physical from the spiritual or the individual from the social. Los Angeles cannot be viewed as the “Jerusalem” from which the “full gospel” imperialistically emanated centrifugally to the world. Other equally significant and simultaneous Pentecostal outpourings have been overlooked. Pentecostalism historiography may have to engage in perhaps one of the most important postcolonial ecclesiastical reconstructions yet.Item War zeal, nationalism and unity in Christ: evangelical missions in Germany during World War I(Church History Society of Southern Africa, 2009) Spohn, Elmar, 1967-; Sauer, Christof, 1963-World War I brought unspeakable destitution to humankind. The question arises: Which ideals drove people to march so enthusiastically toward battle and death? Church history research has called attention to the role of theology and the church. World War I was not merely welcomed; rather, it was understood to be God’s word and was vigorously glorified theologically. To date, however, the role played by the evangelical missions has not been addressed by church history research. The historical evaluation of mission journals of important evangelical mission societies of that era demonstrated that the evangelical missions also welcomed the war and justified it, as did the other Protestants. They shared in the over-glorification of their own nation and the propounding of negative platitudes about the wartime enemy. They professed to uphold the unity of all evangelical Christians; nevertheless, irritations arose between German missionaries and their international partners.