• Happiness and being human: The tension between immanence and transcendence in religion/spirituality 

  Bentley, Wessel (MDPI, 2023)

  What is the happiness that we strive for and what does it mean for our understanding of being human? As we pursue happiness, we find that happiness is complex, in many ways subjective to the experiences and contexts of ...
• Suffering in evolutionary biology and Christian theology: Mutually exclusive notions? 

  Bentley, Wessel (AOSIS, 2023)

  The question of suffering, specifically that experienced by human beings, has been contentious in the discourses of biology and religion. The dilemma, especially in the Christian faith tradition has been to reconcile ...
• God-talk and the question of being human 

  Bentley, Wessel (AOSIS, 2023)

  The doctrine of the Trinity has, for centuries, dominated God-talk and the view of humanity within the framework of sin and salvation. This article investigated how God-talk, specifically the doctrine of the Trinity in ...
• Can we live a good life? Engaging Kretzschmar’s social ethics 

  Bentley, Wessel (AOSIS, 2022)

  Louise Kretzschmar has served society, the church and academia as a person who has shaped minds in the fields of Christian spirituality, leadership and ethics. This article seeks to celebrate Kretzschmar’s work as she ...
• The implications of the usages and theology of clerical dress in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa 

  Bentley, Wessel; Williams, Donald (AOSIS, 2022)

  Using a theological literary study, this article argues that, while there have been significant shifts in the dress code of the ordained clergy of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, these changes are often driven by ...
• ‘Same storm – Different boats’ : a Southern African Methodist response to socio-economic inequalities exposed by the COVID-19 storm 

  Bentley, Wessel; Vilakati, Vusi (Theologia Viatorum, 2021)

  This article critiques the theological basis for the Methodist Church of Southern Africa’s response to the socio-economic impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In light of the fact that there are ...
• The Pale Blue Dot and the knowledge systems of science and religion 

  Bentley, Wessel (Verbum et Ecclesia, 2021)

  Images, symbols and metaphors are synonymous with the human attempt to makes sense of truths that exceed the limitations of our rigid contextual delineations. In order to comprehend the deeper meanings gained through ...
• If God is everywhere, is God in a black hole? : a Theology-Science discussion on omnipresence 

  Bentley, Wessel (Acta Theologica, 2020)

  This article explores the question of divine omnipresence in light of the recent visual representations of a black hole. It explores the notion of God's omnipresence by considering world views, scientific theory, and the ...
• Celebrating the sacrament of Holy Communion during COVID-19 : a Methodist perspective 

  Bentley, Wessel (HTS Theological Studies, 2021)

  This article forms part of the change agents special collection. It investigates the way the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) has engaged the question of practicing Holy Communion in the context of the coronavirus ...
• Reflections on the characters of Dr Rieux and Fr Paneloux in Camus’ The Plague in a consideration of human suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic 

  Bentley, Wessel (2020)

  During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, one is drawn to engage with texts that deal with the topic of human suffering. Two texts will be considered in this article. The first is the novel The Plague by Albert Camus, and the ...
• The need for continued decolonisation and Africanisation of ordination in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa 

  Williams, Donald M.; Bentley, Wessel (Theologia Viatorum, 2020)

  Being the church in Africa requires a continuous self-assessment by Christian denominations, asking whether it is sufficiently contextualised both in its doctrines and practices. This selfcritique is essential so as to ...
• Historic Shifts towards the Decolonisation and Africanisation of Ordination in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa 

  Bentley, Wessel; Williams, Donald M. (Studia Historiae Ecclesisaticae, 2020)

  The doctrine and practices of ordination in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) trace their origins from the Wesleyan Methodist Church. These initially adopted ordination practices proved to be culturally ...
• Living a good life? : considering technology and pro-social behaviour 

  Bentley, Wessel (HTS Theological Studies, 2019)

  This article explores the notions of a good life as understood in religion and psychology. The markers of altruism and empathy are identified. The effect the use of social media has on brain chemistry is then explored and ...
• A 'strange' theology : engaging with Richard Kearney 

  Bentley, Wessel (AOSIS, 2018)

  The year 2017 celebrates the 500-year anniversary of the Reformation. In its time and context, the Reformation aimed to redress a God-talk that tended to show favour to those who adhered to the theology of the then Roman ...
• Balancing the transcendence and immanence of God in Nürnberger’s theology 

  Bentley, Wessel (Verbum et Ecclesia, 2018)

  Klaus Nürnberger has provided an invaluable contribution to theology over the course of his career, and he continues to do so. His recent writings focus on a model of theology that takes seriously the truth claims made ...
• Is there a wall to peek over? : exploring approaches in the science and religion conversation 

  Bentley, Wessel (HTS Theological Studies, 2018)

  Is there a metaphorical wall that separates science and religion? In the continued interaction between science and religion, the questions of ontology (what is there?) and epistemology (how do we know what is there?) ...
• How postmetaphysical can God-talk be? 

  Bentley, Wessel (HTS Theological Studies, 2017)

  A stalemate often ensues when science, philosophy and theology deliberate over the notion of metaphysics. It is apparent that these three disciplines approach metaphysics from different vantage points. By delineating the ...
• Schema adjustment and Holy Communion : a transdisciplinary approach 

  Bentley, Wessel (In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi, 2017)

  In his sermon entitled ‘The means of grace’, John Wesley proclaimed that Christians should consider the Sacrament of Holy Communion as an event through which a person is exposed to God’s life-transforming grace. The research ...
• Are we special? : a critique of imago Dei 

  Bentley, Wessel (HTS Theological Studies, 2017)

  ‘Are we special?’ In response to this question, Christian theology has traditionally sought comfort in the notion that humanity is created in the image of God. In light of modern scientific knowledge, is this self-understanding ...
• The covenantal relationship between the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and her presbyters : an ethical appraisal 

  Bentley, Wessel; Williams, Donald M. (Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, 2016)

  the term ‘covenantal relationship’ is used by the Methodist Church of Southern Africa to describe the nature of the vocational agreement between this denomination and her ministers (Presbyters). this relationship differs ...

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