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Sample records for Economics theological reflection constructionism culture

  1. Psychological constructionism and cultural neuroscience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hechtman, Lisa A; Pornpattananangkul, Narun; Chiao, Joan Y

    2012-06-01

    Lindquist et al. argue that emotional categories do not map onto distinct regions within the brain, but rather, arise from basic psychological processes, including conceptualization, executive attention, and core affect. Here, we use examples from cultural neuroscience to argue that psychological constructionism, not locationism, captures the essential role of emotion in the social and cultural brain.

  2. Narrative theology: An adequate paradigm for theological reflection ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    As reflection on the religious claims embedded in stories, narrative theology touches the nerve of theology: what is the epistemological status of theological theories if they are based on discourse which is fundamentally narrative and metaphorical? This paper analyzes this question, along with the important differences ...

  3. Detecting God in practices: Theology in an empirical–theological research project

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    Rein Brouwer

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available What is the nature of reality in theological research and how can this ‘theological’ reality be known? Can we empirically research God’s performance in reality? This article tries to find some common ground on this contested issue by presenting a debate between three Dutch practical theologians: Van der Ven, Immink, and Ganzevoort. Their positions on the theological dimension of empirical reality are traced, followed by some thoughts on critical realism and on a ‘cataphysic’ approach to empirical theological research, inspired by the theologian Alister McGrath and the philosopher of science Roy Bhaskar. This results in three concluding remarks. Firstly, realisme and social constructionism are not excluding options. Social constructions presuppose the existence of reality. Secondly, a stratified model of reality, perceiving the nature of reality as emergent, layered, and complex, points in the direction of multidisciplinary discourses and helps to avoid forms of reductionism. Thirdly, prioritizing the ontology of a stratified reality that reflects revelation, creates a common ground for the debate on the nature of theological reality.

  4. SHARIA AS LOCAL THEOLOGY: REFLECTION ON ACEHNESE CULTURE AND IDENTITY

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    Saifuddin Dhuhri

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This article elucidates local theology, which encapsulates in the work of shari’a in Acehnese contexts. The argument of this article is grounded in the Acehnese historical epochs in which Acehnese cultural identity were formulated. I argue that Acehnese shari’a is the set of local rituals, beliefs and ideas as the production of local interpretation of Islam, which responds to local cultural identity. That version of Islam works as local theology, which embodies sacred and divine values and is perceived as local identity and ideology. Building on Tibi’s, Salim’s and Nuim’s argument on shari’a and Hall’s perspective on identity and ideology, I examine the work of shari’a in Acehnese historical times, and its relation to Acehnese culture and ideology. There are four indications that shari’a holds central role in formulating the Acehnese theology, where local cultural identity and ideology are seen as part of Islamic religiosity, namely the process of Islamization of Southeast Asia, the function of local Islamic traditional boarding education (dayah, the distribution of local power, and the work of local arts.

  5. Theological reflections on empire

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    Allan A. Boesak

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Since the meeting of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in Accra, Ghana (2004, and the adoption of the Accra Declaration, a debate has been raging in the churches about globalisation, socio-economic justice, ecological responsibility, political and cultural domination and globalised war. Central to this debate is the concept of empire and the way the United States is increasingly becoming its embodiment. Is the United States a global empire? This article argues that the United States has indeed become the expression of a modern empire and that this reality has considerable consequences, not just for global economics and politics but for theological refl ection as well.

  6. A postfoundationalist research paradigm of practical theology

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    Sung Kyu Park

    2010-10-01

    This article examines and argues for postfoundationalism – transversal reason, interdisciplinarity and interpreted experience – as a viable theological option against rigid foundationalism and relativistic nonfoundationalism. Also discussed are the process and the interdisciplinary nature of practical theology. It is suggested that narrative research and social constructionism should be part of the research paradigm of postfoundational practical theology.

  7. From Antagonism to Cooperation: Pop-Culture as Reflected in Protestant Theology

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    Olga Mikhelson

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available The author examines how theologians, especially Protestants, have changed their attitude to pop-culture. A veritable evolution has taken place. At one time, Protestant theologians refused to even acknowledge the existence of the phenomenon, while today some of these theologians employ examples drawn from pop-culture even in their lessons of theology. The author studies this contemporary development and offers some reasons for why it has come about. One ofthese theologians, a certain Gordon Lynch, has become a convinced apologist for pop-culture and analyses it on the basis of his threefold theory of the levels of the functionality of religion: sociological, existential (hermeneutic, and transcendental. In Lynch’s opinion, pop-culture has taken over the role of religion in many cases. He cites the popular cartoon The Simpsons as one prominent example. Religion plays an important part in this cartoon series and Protestant theologians have begun to take notice an opposite change of attitude towards religion in pop-culture, viewing the development in a positive way. Though pop-cultural products may be used in pastoral ministry and are also being evaluated by theologians, this analysis cannot be called scientific in the strictest sense, since generally it remains within the scope of only theological approach.

  8. From Antagonism to Cooperation: Pop-Culture as Reflected in Protestant Theology

    OpenAIRE

    Olga Mikhelson

    2014-01-01

    The author examines how theologians, especially Protestants, have changed their attitude to pop-culture. A veritable evolution has taken place. At one time, Protestant theologians refused to even acknowledge the existence of the phenomenon, while today some of these theologians employ examples drawn from pop-culture even in their lessons of theology. The author studies this contemporary development and offers some reasons for why it has come about. One ofthese theologians, a certain Gordon Ly...

  9. A Latina Theological Reflection on Education, Faith, Love, and Beauty

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Andrieu, Cecilia

    2016-01-01

    In this article, Cecilia González-Andrieu presents what she defines as a theological reflection. She writes that it is theological in that she engages jointly faith and reason, the religious tradition of the Catholic Church and the contemporary situation. What makes it theological "reflection" is that it arises out of a community of…

  10. Postmodernism and the hermeneutical challenge: some theological reflections

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    G.J. Pillay

    1999-08-01

    Full Text Available How can one achieve the critical tension between contextual relevance in a post-modem world and "responsibility before history"? What is the justification for theological method as critical reflection within a tradition? What is the relation between ground texts that have historical authority (Scripture, the infonning tradition of interpretation of these texts (Church History, and the interpretive communities that read them (context? Raising these questions, the article argues that for all its useful insights, postmodemism fundamentally challenges theological (and historical reflection. Theology has always contextualised itself ever since its origins. What is different in this encounter is that we are dealing with an intractable ideology that not only undercuts the fundamentals but disallows the "long view" (the infonning and continually renewing tradition and the communicativeness of theology (proclamation.

  11. English for Bible and Theology: Understanding and Communicating Theology across Cultural and Linguistic Barriers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierson, Cheri; Bankston, Will

    2013-01-01

    This article introduces English for Bible and Theology (EBT), an inherently interdisciplinary field that merges English language learning with the content of biblical and theological studies in a context that is, by nature, cross-cultural. Within this collaboration there exists the possibility not only to enable theological study, but also to…

  12. What hope is there for South Africa? A public theological reflection ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A public theological reflection on the role of the church as a bearer of hope for the future. ... HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ... Next, a nuanced understanding of hope is presented by adopting a public theological methodology that brings dominant theological perspectives on eschatological hope into dialogue ...

  13. Essentialism, social constructionism, and the history of homosexuality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halwani, R

    1998-01-01

    Social constructionism is the view that homosexuality is not an atemporal and acultural phenomenon. Rather, homosexuality exists only within certain cultures and within certain time periods, most obviously Europe and North America after the nineteenth century. Essentialism is the view that homosexuality is an essential feature of human beings and that it could be found, in principle at least, in any culture and in any time. In this paper, I argue that the historical evidence available to us does not show that social constructionism is the correct view, and that essentialism is fully compatible with such evidence. Furthermore, I argue that the historical evidence does not even render social constructionism more probable than essentialism, i.e., both views are equally probable in the face of this evidence.

  14. Thinking Through Post-constructionism: Reflections on (Reproductive Disembodiment and Misfits

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    Carla Lam

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In this article, I draw together feminist research on the distinct areas of assisted human reproduction (or new reproductive technology and post-constructionist theory to examine some common methodological and epistemological issues fundamental for reproductive justice. I revisit the notion of technologically-assisted (reproductive disembodiment (e.g., in vitro fertilization, surrogacy and egg donation in light of theoretical developments in feminism, in particular post-constructionism. Specifically, I ask what light is shed on the paradox of reproduction (in particular disembodied reproduction by feminist post-constructionism?

  15. When culture clashes with individual human rights: A practical theological reflection on the dignity of widows

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    Gift T. Baloyi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This article discusses the nature of human beings (men and women as an egalitarian one even beyond cultural expectations. It argues against some cultural practices on women, especially widows, which claim supremacy and bind the widows to its ritual processes among the Tsonga people. It stresses the importance of human individual that overtakes everything from God�s creation, including cultural rituals which are created by human beings. It claims that the existence of culture depends solely on the existence or presence of human beings and their communities. Therefore, culture cannot use humans to shape itself and to transform the community. It is humans themselves who use culture to identify themselves and ultimately change their communities. Although the paper is theological in its approach, it argues for individual human rights to be respected and weighed above all cultural practices. It further concludes that such cultural practices are not static and that they can be removed from the rest of culture.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article, from a practical theological view, challenges the African cultural rituals that claim authority over women�s rights and dignity. The interdisciplinary nature of this article indicates the sanctity of human individuals especially widows and thereby calls for paradigm shift to deconstruct certain oppressive teachings and practices against widows among African women. This article concludes thus, cultural deconstruction is possible.

  16. Locating nature and culture: Pan-Homo culture and theological primatology

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    Nancy R. Howell

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Studies of chimpanzee and bonobo social and learning behaviours, as well as diverse explorations of language abilities in primates, suggest that the attribution of �culture� to primates other than humans is appropriate. The underestimation of primate cultural and cognitive characteristics leads to minimising the evolutionary relationship of humans and other primates. Consequently my claim in this reflection is about the importance of primate studies for the enhancement of Christian thought, with the specific observation that the bifurcation of nature and culture may be an unsustainable feature of any world view, which includes extraordinary status for humans (at least, some humans as a key presupposition.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The scientific literature concerning primate studies is typically ignored by Christian theology. Reaping the benefits of dialogue between science and religion, Christian thought must engage and respond to the depth of primate language, social, and cultural skills in order to better interpret the relationship of nature and culture.

  17. Theological Reflection on Tourism and Leisure

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    Maciej Ostrowski

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Tourism is one of the most popular leisure activities. In this article we intend to point out a few elements that may constitute the founding blocks of a theology of leisure and a theology of tourism: a theology of time, a theology of freedom, a theology of creation, a theology of leisure, a theology of joy, a theology of the journey ( homo viator , homo peregrinus . There are many points both in the Bible and in the teachings of the Church that leave room for the development of this notion. According to the Second Vatican Council, tourism is classified as one of the contemporary phenomena which can be described as one of the signs of time. The Council recommends individuals and groups to study them carefully and incorporate them in the general context of pastoral work.

  18. BioPower and economic theology. Critical review of the Giorgio Agamben’s proposals

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    Adán Salinas Araya

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The article make a critical review of the Giorgio Agamben’s proposals, showing the tensions between Homo sacer I and The Kingdom and the Glory. In this review is taken in particular consideration how a possible economic theology would constitute a projection of the Foucault’s biopolitical analysis; or rather, continuity of schmittians political theology. For this, the main arguments of the Agamben’s proposal and some of the Schmitt debates with Benjamin and Peterson are reconstructed. In the first case, regarding messianism, and the second, regarding the impossibility of political theology. The economic theology of Agamben and the political theology of Schmitt would share a same status, both necessarily express the conviction that theology is able to justify a speech and a political order.

  19. Practical theology as ‘healing of memories’: Critical reflections on a specific methodology

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    Ian A. Nell

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available When developing new perspectives and paradigms for practical theology in South Africa, we obviously have to take our South African context seriously. We live in a post-conflict society in which gigantic sociocultural shifts have taken place since 1994. Many institutions and groups endeavour to address the conflict, injustices and pain of the past, including the Institute for the Healing of Memories (IHOM. The Institute makes use of a specific methodology in their workshops. Having participated in these workshops in congregational contexts as well as in the training of theological students, in this article I investigated the methodology of the Institute as a framework for new perspectives on practical theology in South Africa. Making use of Victor Turner’s theoretical construct of ‘social drama’ as one way of looking at the methodology of the IHOM, I reflected critically on the challenges that it poses to practical theology by making use of a ‘rhetorical frame’ and trying to delineate some constructive proposals for further reflections on practical theological paradigms and perspectives.

  20. An interdisciplinary investigation into the narratives of three co-researchers: A postfoundational notion of practical theology

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    Juanita Meyer

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This article elaborates on the sixth movement of a postfoundational notion of practical theology and is concerned with giving a description of experiences, which are thickened through interdisciplinary investigation. The experiences of interest are those of the co-researchers who formed part of the larger research study, conducted in 2010, and who were at the time adolescent male orphans, affected by HIV and AIDS, poverty and father abandonment. The research was conducted within the theoretical frameworks of a postfoundational notion of practical theology, narrative therapy and research, and social constructionism. A qualitative research strategy was employed, with the case study design as point of departure in collecting and analysing research data. Various key aspects were investigated with the use of the model of narrative and the seven movements of a postfoundational notion of practical theology. The aim of this article is to provide an illustration of the application of the principles of a postfoundational notion of practical theology, and its sixth movement – an interdisciplinary investigation – as it is applied within this specific research context. Four interdisciplinary conversationalists, each from a different academic field, were invited to reflect on the three narrated stories of the co-researchers. This article, then, gives a report on their feedback and the value of interdisciplinary investigation in aiding, with the understanding of the meaningmaking process behind collected narratives.

  1. Political Theology as critical theology

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    Tanya van Wyk

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available This article attempts to draw the scope and content of contemporary Political Theology, based on a review of the 2013 publication titled, Political Theology: Contemporary challenges and future directions, edited by Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, Klaus Tanner and Michael Welker. The book is a collection of contributions which explore the contemporary content and potential future of the subject discipline. ‘Political Theology’ as critical theology and as a ‘theology with its face towards the world’ is committed to ‘justice, peace and the integrity of creation’ and is multifaceted. It represents a discipline with which theologians reflect on political-theological objectives across continents and paradigms. The article concludes with a brief investigation of the implications of insights offered in the book for the South African context (as part of the African continent.

  2. What is Social Constructionism?

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    Tom Andrews

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Social Constructionism has been instrumental in remodeling grounded theory. In attempting to make sense of the social world, social constructionists view knowledge as constructed as opposed to created. This paper discusses how social constructionists construct knowledge and argues that social constructionism is concerned with the nature of knowledge and how it is created and as such, it is unconcerned with ontological issues. Society is viewed as existing both as a subjective and an objective reality. Meaning is shared, thereby constituting a taken-for-granted reality. Grounded theorists understand knowledge as beliefs in which people can have reasonable confidence; a common sense understanding and consensual notion as to what constitutes knowledge. If it is accepted that social constructionism is not based on a relativist perspective, then it is compatible with Grounded Theory methodology.

  3. Theology and Literature

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    A collection of essays published in the journal Literature and Theology based on selected papers from the 2012 international conference of the International Society of Religion, Literature and Culture: Cultures of Transition: Presence, Absence, Memory, held at the Faculty of Theology in Copenhagen...

  4. Theological reflections on nuclear energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pollard, W.G.

    1979-01-01

    It is for a long time that, in this journal also, nuclear energy has been discussed in great detail with respect to its scientific, technical and engineering aspects. In connection with the public controversy about electricity generation being performed on an nuclear basis, the political, sociological and ethical aspects of nuclear energy have been discussed, too. As a third category, also theology plays an important role in this controversy. A theological discussion must include an explicit presentation of the relationship between mankind, nature and God, and must cover the insights and necessities of this relationship. On the basis of assumed rules, the referency system for this is not subject to scientific debate since the points of view as well as the methodology and the presuppositions forming part of theology generally appear strange to ordinary science. The controversy about nuclear energy has become a matter about which also the World Council of Churches as well as the National Council of Churches, and many other religious groups are concerned. For this reason, the editorial department of this journal would like to inform its scientific readers about how this controversy appears from theological standpoints. The author's considerations are based on the understanding of nature, mankind and God as it has been handed down in the Hebrew bible an in the Septuagint; it is confined to categories which are derived from our religious heritage. (orig.) 891 HP/orig. 892 KSCH [de

  5. Black theology in South Africa – A theology of human dignity and black identity

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    Timothy van Aarde

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Black theology in South Africa is still relevant 20 years after the apartheid regime ended. It is a theology that gave to Black South Africans human dignity and a black identity. Black theology in South Africa confronted the imbalances of power and abusive power structures through an affirmation of human dignity and the uniqueness of the identity of black people. The biblical narrative of the Exodus is a definitive narrative in American black theology and liberation theology in overcoming oppression understood as political victimisation. Black theology in South Africa is not primarily about power and economics but also about the rediscovery of human dignity and black identity and to a lesser extent about victimisation. A third generation of black theology in South Africa will gain impetus through a rediscovery of human dignity and identity as its core values instead of a Black American liberation theology of victimisation or a Marxist liberation theology of the eradication of all power or economic imbalances.

  6. Tweeting dignity: A practical theological reflection on Twitter’s normative function

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    Jan Albert Van den Berg

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Social media makes an important contribution to a rapidly changing world in which various domains of meaning are described anew. The evolving nature and dynamic character of social media therefore provides for a rich praxis terrain with which to interact from a practical theological orientation. More specifically associated with the theme of this contribution, the social media sphere also provides an excellent space not only to rethink but also to reenact expressions of dignity in society. The research is facilitated from a practical theological orientation, with particular focus on a normative dimension as embodied in aspects of dignity. Through the use of an interdisciplinary approach and methodology, some contours of dignity specifically associated with South African politics as well as the so-called Charlie Hebdo attacks in 2015 in Paris expressed on the social media platform, Twitter, are described and discussed. From this empirical analysis, description and discussion, a practical theological reflection is offered in which aspects of dignity associated with a normativity function are described. Some practical theological perspectives contributing to future relevant tweeting on dignity are also formulated and provided in conclusion.

  7. Some considerations on the intersubjectivity of Merleau-Ponty and social constructionism

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    Marcelo Naputano

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The central objective of our text is to understand the construction of Merleau-Ponty’s intersubjectivity, and also the subject in relation to the other in their existential constructions. It’s also important to do the same reflection on the concept of the intersubjectivity establishment in the Social Constructionism theory, on the possibility of a dialogue, without assuming a moral conclusion on the assumption of a higher valued theory over another. To do so, we begin with some brief remarks about the affections and historical enemies of philosophy and psychology, to later introduce Merleau-Ponty’s central point of view and Social Constructionism, thus developing possible intersubjectivity meanings. It is interesting to note that, despite the distance in time and in the theoretical construction between Merleau-Ponty and Social Constructionism, we can see a similarity in finding a solution to the subject-object problem by transcending the intersubjectivity considerations polarization, even with divergent proposals.

  8. Discourse analysis and social constructionism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Robert

    2004-01-01

    Discourse analysis (DA) is underpinned by a social constructionist orientation to knowledge. Social constructionism rests on the philosophical assumptions that multiple versions of the world are legitimate; that texts are open to multiple readings; and that language is non-representational. As social constructionism is relativistic, the status of 'evidence' generated by DA is questionable from more traditional research perspectives. On a common-sense level, people obviously construct meaning in relation to their lives. Thus, DA can help us to examine constructions of meaning in relation to nursing care. Equally the discourse analyst constructs one possible meaning in relation to a phenomenon that may compete with other versions. Multiplicity does not necessarily entail anarchy and competing versions prevent authoritarianism and loss of freedom. However, judgements have to be made about competing versions, for example, by assessing the level of 'facticity', or referring to the ethics embedded in the cultural context. In this paper, Bob White discusses DA as a form of qualitative research that offers promise for nursing research. Subsequent papers will examine the methodology and methods of DA and its application to nursing research.

  9. Discourse analysis and social constructionism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Robert

    2004-10-01

    Discourse analysis (DA) is underpinned by a social constructionist orientation to knowledge. Social constructionism rests on the philosophical assumptions that multiple versions of the world are legitimate; that texts are open to multiple readings; and that language is non-representational. As social constructionism is relativistic, the status of 'evidence' generated by DA is questionable from more traditional research perspectives. On a common-sense level, people obviously construct meaning in relation to their lives. Thus, DA can help us to examine constructions of meaning in relation to nursing care. Equally, the discourse analyst constructs one possible meaning in relation to a phenomenon that may compete with other versions. Multiplicity does not necessarily entail anarchy, and competing versions prevent authoritarianism and loss of freedom. However, judgements have to be made about competing versions, for example, by assessing the level of 'facticity', or referring to the ethics embedded in the cultural context. In this paper, Bob White discusses DA as a form of qualitative research that offers promise for nursing research. Subsequent papers will examine the methodology and methods of DA and its application to nursing research.

  10. Transformative remedies towards managing diversity in South African theological education

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    Marilyn Naidoo

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available South Africa is a complex society filled with diversity of many kinds. Because of the enormous and profound changes of the last 20 years of democracy, this can be perceived as a society in social identity crisis which is increasingly spilling over into many areas of life. Churches have also gone through a process of reformulating their identity and have restructured theological education for all its members resulting in growing multicultural student bodies. These new student constituencies reflect a wide spectrum of cultural backgrounds, personal histories and theological commitments, and represent diversity in race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, age, language and sexual orientation. These issues of diversity are theologically complicated and contested as they are attached to religious dogma. Diversity exists as a threat and promise, problem and possibility. Using current conceptualisations of diversity in South African Higher Education this article will seek to understand the notion of diversity and difference and the possibility of developing transformative remedies within the theological education curriculum.

  11. Mission as liberation in socio-economic and political contexts: towards contextual and liberating theology of mission in the context of migration and human dislocation

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    Buffel, Olehile A.

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The article argues that for mission to be contextual and liberating it has to take seriously the plight of those who for various socio-economic and political factors have been forced to migrate from their countries of birth. Furthermore it critically analyses those factors that have led to the uprooting and the dislocation of Africans who are further impoverished, if not enslaved in the new countries where they are domiciled, particularly in the South African context. The paper argues that it is time, just like at Melbourne (1980 with regard to the poor, for those people who are dislocated to be put in the very centre of missiological reflection. In addition they also have to be put in the centre of theological reflection, and in particular theological education. Only if the plight of foreigners (migrants who have been dislocated is placed at the centre of theological education can the churches through their main functionaries who benefit directly from theological education play a liberating and humanising role in welcoming and humanising the foreigners who have been dislocated. Clergy, theologians and laity have significant roles to play in view of uprooting and dispelling the myths, stereotypes and resentment that often fuel xenophobia, in view making Africa hospitable to Africans.

  12. What is "theology" in "public theology" and what is "public" about "public theology"?

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    Andries van Aarde

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available This article sets out to argue that institutional Christianity does not have the exclusive rights to “doing theology”. Since Plato theology has assumed systematization of ideas on the transcendent divine. The practice of theology is to be found in both the professional academy and in the public square. Spirituality is not to be reserved for people longing for God within the context of today’s mass consumerist populist culture. Spirituality and religion overlap and, therefore, today’s postmodern spirituality need not result in the end of religion. However, institutional religion is indeed dying and ”public theology” is not about theologians or pastors “doing theology” in the public square. Public theologicans are the film directors, artists, novelists, poets, and philosophers. The article argues that “public theology” could facilitate a dialogue between the theological discourse of academics and the public theological discourse. The article shows that “public theology” does to an extent overlap with ecclesial and contextual theology. In its core “public theology” is seen as the inarticulate longing of believers who do not want to belong.

  13. Theological Hermeneutics: Interpreting “The Lost Garden of Immediacy”

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    Mindaugas Briedis

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Contemporary hermeneutics has turned from the art of textual interpretation to the world – constitutive functions of language and symbolic representation. It is stressed that all understanding takes place within horizons constituted by history and language. Building on the ultimate religious foundations of divinely revealed truth, theological hermeneutics reflects upon theology as the site of a circular mediation of Scripture, tradition, and culture. The guiding question of this article is: can a theological hermeneutics retranslate philosophical sources into the language of theology? For these purposes we must at first situate the theological phenomenon of Verbum at the center of philosophical hermeneutics. Secondly, it is necessary to give a brief account of how symbols (all in general and some in particular function in religious language. Also, we can see that in the face of the dawn of some traditional religious symbols, we can find new ones emerging from new strategies of theological hermeneutics in the face of new ontology. The analysis of symbolic nature of theological hermeneutics directs us to the question of analogy. Eventually the subject of investigations turns to be “validity” of analogical language in theological hermeneutics, which have some paradoxical consequences. On the other hand, it is clear that these paradoxes are not simply about formal matters. It is amazing that the basic symbol functioning in analogical language for expressing the proper language of God-talk (theology is the language itself. 

  14. "Doing Theology" in Conversation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrensperger, Kathy

    2011-01-01

    This article presents the author's review of "Revisiting Christianity: theological reflections," by Marius C. Felderhof. This volume by a dedicated teacher and theologian is rooted in, and emerged from, the context of teaching Christian theology to young students of very diverse backgrounds and contexts of life. The commitment to engage in…

  15. HIV/AIDS, narrative practical theology, and postfoundationalism: The emergence of a new story

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    Julian Müller

    2004-10-01

    Full Text Available The practical theology that emerges from this article is one that develops out of a very specific context – in this case, HIV/AIDS. The philosophical framework is found in an integration of two paradigms, namely social-constructionism and postfoundation-alism. The article concludes with a research case study from the HIV/AIDS context. Practical theological research is not only about description and interpretation of experiences, but it is also about deconstruction and emancipation. The bold move should be made to allow all the different stories of the research to develop into a new story of understanding that transcends the local community. According to the narrative approach, this will not happen on the basis of structured and rigid methods, through which stories are analysed and interpreted. It rather happens on the basis of a holistic understanding and as a social-constructionist process to which all the co-researchers are invited and in which they are engaged in the creation of new meaning.

  16. Teaching Environmental Ethics from a Theological Perspective.

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    Bratton, Susan P.

    1990-01-01

    Proposes teaching students skills for integrating theological inquiry with scientific, economic, and political issues concerning the environment. Suggests classroom exercises designed to bridge the gap between theology and environmental science. Discusses classroom texts drawn from theological, philosophical, and biological sources. Elucidates…

  17. A Defence of Constructionism: Philosophy as Conceptual Engineering

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    Luciano Floridi

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The article offers a broad account and a defence of constructionism, both as a metaphilosophical approach and as a philosophical methodology, with some references to the philosophical tradition that has inspired it, the so-called «maker’s knowledge» tradition. The main thesis defended is that Plato’s «user’s knowledge tradition» should be complemented, if not replaced, by a constructionist approach to philosophical problems in general and to knowledge in particular. To put it simply, an epistemic agent knows something when that agent is able to build (reproduce, simulate, model, construct etc. that something and plug the obtained information in the correct network of relations that account for it. Or in even more intuitive terms, an agent qualifies as an epistemic agent not when she is a passive user of some information, but when she is a critical producer of it. Her epistemic expertise increases in relation to the scope and depth of the questions that is able to ask and answer on a particular topic. The maker’s knowledge is knowledge of the ontology of the semantic artefact and this is a fundamental epistemological lesson we can learn from poietic disciplines such as computer science and economics. So constructionism shifts the focus away from the mimetic, passive and declarative knowledge that something is the case, in order to concentrate more on the poietic, interactive and practical knowledge of something being the case, that is, of semantic artefacts. Once applied to the interpretation of philosophy itself, constructionism suggests adding conceptual engineering to conceptual analysis as a fundamental method.

  18. Culture and Career Psychology: A Social Constructionist Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stead, Graham B.

    2004-01-01

    This paper reflects on the need to re-examine cultural and cross-cultural psychology with a view to re-invigorating them and placing them at the center of discourse in career psychology. One perspective that can be employed to achieve these goals is social constructionism in that it questions the centrality of post-positivism in cultural and…

  19. The causes and nature of the June 2016 protests in the city of Tshwane: A practical theological reflection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mookgo S. Kgatle

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available South Africa has recently experienced a series of public protests. The common element is that violence is becoming evident in these protests. This article uses the June 2016 protests in the city of Tshwane as an example to address the root causes of such protests. On 20 June 2016, the African National Congress (ANC announced that the city of Tshwane mayoral candidate for the 3 August 2016 municipal elections in South Africa is the former public works minister and ANC National Executive Committee member, Thoko Didiza. Consequently, public protests in the city of Tshwane emerged immediately after this announcement. These public protests were very violent, such as protesters killed one another, burned buses, looted shops and barricaded roads. The root causes of these violent protests are identified as factionalism, tribalism, sexism, economic exclusion and patronage politics. The purpose of this article is a practical theological reflection on the root causes of June 2016 protests in the city of Tshwane. The main aim of this article is a practical theological solution to the general problem of violent protests.

  20. (Un)Making Violence through Media Literacy and Theological Reflection: Manichaeism, Redemptive Violence, and Hollywood Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalton, Russell W.

    2015-01-01

    This article models an exercise in media literacy and theological reflection by identifying the Manichean worldview and redemptive violence prevalent in many Hollywood studio films and exploring some of the reasons these stories are told so often. Filmmaker interviews and commentaries reveal ways in which many filmmakers feel compelled by film's…

  1. Analytic Theology as Systematic Theology

    OpenAIRE

    Crisp Oliver D.

    2017-01-01

    It is often said that analytic theology is not really systematic theology; it is something else entirely. However, specifying what this “something else” amounts to has proven a little more difficult. In this article I argue that analytic theology may be a species of systematic theology. I show that there is no agreed view on the nature of systematic theology amongst several leading practitioners of systematic theology by comparing the work of John Webster, Brian Gerrish, and Gordon Kaufman. I...

  2. Social Constructionism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Korsgaard, Steffen T.

    In this paper a case is made for using social constructionist approaches in entrepreneurship studies. It is argued that this may result in some very important new insights that might not have been generated using traditional analytic and functionalistic approaches. Firstly, summaries of some...... of the different social constructionisms are given with a view to how they might be suitable for entrepreneurship studies. Special attention will be given to discourse analysis and deconstruction. Secondly, two preliminary studies using discourse analysis and deconstruction are presented....

  3. 'Public theology' from within the church? A reflection on aspects of the theology of W.D. Jonker (1929-2006)

    OpenAIRE

    Naudé, Piet J.

    2014-01-01

    In this essay, aspects of the work of theologian W.D. (Willie) Jonker are reframed to complement current debates about �public theology� in South Africa. The introduction points out that Jonker worked during a crucial period in South Africa�s history and that his theology is intrinsically linked to the church struggle between 1955 and 1994. The second part reframes Jonker�s theology as a public theology from within the church by referring to his understanding of preaching, confessions and pub...

  4. Consequence-based communication about adolescent romantic experience between parents and adolescents: A qualitative study underpinned by social constructionism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ting; Fuller, Jeffrey; Hutton, Alison; Grant, Julian

    2017-06-01

    Chinese adolescents are increasingly engaging in romantic experiences and high-risk sexual behaviors within a rapidly-changing cultural and socio-economic context. Parental communication about sexuality has been recognized as protective for adolescents to make informed decisions about sexual practice. In this study, we explored what was discussed about adolescent romantic experience between parents and adolescents in China. Twenty-seven parents and 38 adolescents from a northern-eastern city of China were interviewed. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using a social constructionism framework. Four themes were identified: (i) detriments of romantic experience to education and future prospect; (ii) health and sociocultural risks of romantic and sexual engagement; (iii) ways of handling romantic experience; and (iv) marriage and family building. The messages were mainly prohibitive and consequence oriented in nature, and lacked specific romantic and sexual information. These messages reflected sociocultural beliefs in education, sexuality, marriage, and family in China, but did not meet the needs of current adolescents. External support from health professionals, such as nurses, is important for parents and adolescents to improve their sexual knowledge and communication skills. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  5. A theological reflection on the stories of police officers working under a new constitution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brian Burger

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Fighting crime in the new South Africa has taken on new challenges under a new constitution. Using a narrative approach to research, the stories of police officers were listened to and reflected upon theologically. This process was carried out within a postfoundationalist and social constructionist paradigm that enabled further dialogue with other disciplines, seeking common ground as well as points of difference.

  6. As below, so above: A perspective on African Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arno Meiring

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available African theology can be understood as a theology from below – or rather, “as below, so above”. This phrase not only reflects the concept of ubuntu and the African partiality towards horizontal relationships, but may help explain African perspectives on shame and guilt, sin and reconciliation, liberation, the ancestors and eschatology. Subsequently, there seems to be some concurrence between African theology and Western postmodern theology. Although these theologies challenge traditional theology, and should in turn be scrutinized, they may offer useful and valid ways of thinking and speaking about God.

  7. Theological discourse and the postmodern condition: the case of bioethics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dell'Oro, Roberto

    2002-01-01

    Bioethics reflects--like many other disciplines--the cultural fragmentation and the complexity of what has come to be known as the postmodern condition. The case of bioethics is particularly acute because of its epistemological indeterminacy and the moral pluralism characterizing postliberal societies. A provisional solution to this situation is the retrieval of a neo-Kantian version of ethical formalism in which concern for a consensus on rules replaces universal dialogue on moral content. The article analyzes the possible consequences of this solution with reference to theological ethics. In particular, the reduction of ethical rationality to a function of political regulation on the one hand, and the implicit legitimization of ethical relativism on the other, push any theological contribution to bioethics to the margins. The central methodological issue for the articulation of theological discourse in bioethics is how to avoid the pitfall of privatism while creating the conditions for ethical dialogue across different traditions.

  8. The theological responses to the socio-economic activities that undermine water as a resource

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Resane

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available This article focuses, from a theological perspective, on both the ecological crisis and the politico-economic dealings in relation to water – especially with regard to the unsound ways in which governments deal with this resource. Texts are read from an anthropogenic perspective, as opposed to an anthropocentric one. Such a reading scenario calls for responses from theology with regard to the human position in creation. Humans are not a grand master plan of creation, but the completion and fulfilment of it, given an enormous sense of responsibility for the earth. The article argues that the human–earth relation should be understood from the point of responsibility based on solidarity, interdependency and stewardship. Theologians are challenged to embrace eco-ethics.

  9. Comparative Theology as Liberal and Confessional Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klaus von Stosch

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available For most European scholars, the scope of Comparative Theology is not very clear. They see big differences between the notion of Comparative Theology among its protagonists, e.g., between Keith Ward or Robert Neville and Francis Clooney or James Fredericks. That is why I will try to define a certain understanding of Comparative Theology which can be defended in accordance with strong European theological traditions. I want to show that Comparative Theology can be understood as one of the best fruits of liberal theology and of a Wittgensteinian interpretation of transcendental philosophy—and that it opens new perspectives for confessional theology. The current development of Islamic theology in Germany is especially challenging for Comparative Theology and the best opportunity to develop it into a project undertaken by scholars of different religions and different intellectual traditions. I will argue that Comparative Theology is not a new discipline within the old disciplines of theology, but that it can give new perspectives to all theological disciplines and thoroughly change their character.

  10. God in de economie

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toine van den Hoogen

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available God in economics? During the 20th century, in Christian churches and amongst Christian theologians a new interest was found in economics as an object of theological reflection. This article researches the nature of such theological reflection, amongst others from the critical question of how a connection can be made between a constructivist approach of theology and the analysis by today’s economic sciences of the market as an important horizon of human culture and of human communities.

  11. Constructionism and the space of reasons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackrell, Kate; Pratt, Dave

    2017-12-01

    Constructionism, best known as the framework for action underpinning Seymour Papert's work with Logo, has stressed the importance of engaging students in creating their own products. Noss and Hoyles have argued that such activity enables students to participate increasingly in a web of connections to further their activity. Ainley and Pratt have elaborated that learning is best facilitated when the student is engaged in a purposeful activity that leads to appreciation of the power of mathematical ideas. Constructionism gives prominence to how the learner's logical reasoning and emotion-driven reasons for engagement are inseparable. We argue that the dependence of constructionism upon the orienting framework of constructivism fails to provide sufficient theoretical underpinning for these ideas. We therefore propose an alternative orienting framework, in which learning takes place through initiation into the space of reasons, such that a person's thoughts, actions and feelings are increasingly open to critique and justification. We argue that knowing as responsiveness to reasons encompasses not only the powerful ideas of mathematics and disciplinary knowledge of modes of enquiry but also the extralogical, such as in feelings of the aesthetic, control, excitement, elegance and efficiency. We discuss the implication that mathematics educators deeply consider the learner's reasons for purposeful activity and design settings in which these reasons can be made public and open to critique.

  12. The lived theology of the Harry Potter series

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anastasia Apostolides

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available This article will argue that the recent turn towards lived theology or religion in practical theology can offer a useful hermeneutic to interpret the impact of the Harry Potter series on the spiritual formation and identity creation of adolescents. In practical theology there has been a turn towards lived theology or religion as lived religion has moved out of institutions into social–cultural phenomena as people seek to find meaning and purpose for their lives in alternative places to institutionalised religion.

  13. Demonstrating Social Constructionism in Psychology Course: The "Who Am I?" Exercise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moradi, Bonnie; Yoder, Janice D.

    2001-01-01

    Describes a class exercise where students in three different courses wrote ten responses to the question "Who am I?", in order to increase their understanding of social constructionism. Reveals that students accurately identified the gender of most respondents and saw this as a useful exercise to help them understand social constructionism. (CMK)

  14. Comparative Theology and Religious Studies in a Non-religious Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacques Scheuer

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The intellectual landscape of Europe bears the marks of a long history of cultural perceptions of, and scientific approaches to, religions. The sciences of religions had to establish their autonomy from churches and theologies. However, the cultural context and the institutional set-up of ‘laïcité’ did not foster the development of comparative religion, much less comparative theology. However, this situation may have an advantage: it should discourage the exercise of comparative theology as a sectarian endeavour apart from broader anthropological perspectives and concerns. Comparative theology should not become the last refuge for religious nostalgia. In Europe, interreligious relationships (and hence comparative theologies should not be isolated from simple or more sophisticated forms of indifference, agnosticism, or atheism. The active presence of a non-religious environment as well as the growing interest in Buddhism, are challenges to comparative theology: its contents, its approach, its intended audience.

  15. Teaching Historical Theology at the University of Pretoria – Some introductory remarks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wim A. Dreyer

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria went through a process of restructuring, resulting in the amalgamation of Dogmatics, Christian Ethics, Church History and Church Polity into one department under the name ‘Systematic and Historical Theology’. This contribution reflects only on the one aspect, namely Historical Theology. The point is made that a name change could not mean ‘business as usual’, but should be regarded as an opportunity to re-imagine the content and structure of Historical Theology. This is not an easy task. This contribution reflects on Historical Theology as theological discipline, the teaching content and how it could be relevant in Africa in the 21st century. It also has implications for restructuring the curriculum.

  16. Normative Virtue Theory in Theological Ethics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicholas Austin

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available What place is there for virtue theory in theological ethics? Many question the normative significance of virtue theory in theological ethics today, leaving it to rule-based ethics to provide action-guidance. There are three key objections to the normativity of virtue theory: that virtue theory is about agents rather than actions, that virtue theory has nothing to say directly about the morality of actions, and that the virtues are too vague to be of normative or action-guiding significance. This essay, drawing on Thomas Aquinas’s account of virtue, challenges these perceptions and argues for a genuinely normative, action-guiding virtue theory within theological ethics. Theological ethics, in turn, can contribute to virtue theory, especially by its emphasis on the ecstatic nature of mature moral virtue, and through its reflection on the virtue of spiritual discernment.

  17. Theological Underpinnings of the Modern Philosophy of Mathematics.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shaposhnikov Vladislav

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The study is focused on the relation between theology and mathematics in the situation of increasing secularization. My main concern is nineteenth-century mathematics. Theology was present in modern mathematics not through its objects or methods, but mainly through popular philosophy, which absolutized mathematics. Moreover, modern pure mathematics was treated as a sort of quasi-theology; a long-standing alliance between theology and mathematics made it habitual to view mathematics as a divine knowledge, so when theology was discarded, mathematics naturally took its place at the top of the system of knowledge. It was that cultural expectation aimed at mathematics that was substantially responsible for a great resonance made by set-theoretic paradoxes, and, finally, the whole picture of modern mathematics.

  18. What Is Constructionism in Psychiatry? From Social Causes to Psychiatric Classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Riel, Raphael

    2016-01-01

    It is common to note that social environment and cultural formation shape mental disorders. The details of this claim are, however, not well understood. The paper takes a look at the claim that culture has an impact on psychiatry from the perspective of metaphysics and the philosophy of science. Its aim is to offer, in a general fashion, partial explications of some significant versions of the thesis that culture and social environment shape mental disorders and to highlight some of the consequences social constructionism about psychiatry has for psychiatric explanation. In particular, it will be argued that the alleged dependence of facts about particular mental disorders and about the second order property of being a mental disorder on social facts amounts to a robust form of constructivism, whereas the view that clinician–patient interaction is influenced by cultural facts is perfectly compatible with an anti-constructivist stance. PMID:27148086

  19. What Is Constructionism in Psychiatry? From Social Causes to Psychiatric Classification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Riel, Raphael

    2016-01-01

    It is common to note that social environment and cultural formation shape mental disorders. The details of this claim are, however, not well understood. The paper takes a look at the claim that culture has an impact on psychiatry from the perspective of metaphysics and the philosophy of science. Its aim is to offer, in a general fashion, partial explications of some significant versions of the thesis that culture and social environment shape mental disorders and to highlight some of the consequences social constructionism about psychiatry has for psychiatric explanation. In particular, it will be argued that the alleged dependence of facts about particular mental disorders and about the second order property of being a mental disorder on social facts amounts to a robust form of constructivism, whereas the view that clinician-patient interaction is influenced by cultural facts is perfectly compatible with an anti-constructivist stance.

  20. Missional theology and social development

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    p1243322

    The Western world is experiencing a paradigm change. ... having an enormous global influence on the church and its ministry (Bosch ... viewpoints are relative to our context, that theology always has a limited .... agenda is culturally induced; and the cross-cultural diffusion of Christian faith ..... Growing spiritual redwoods.

  1. Tweeting dignity: A practical theological reflection on Twitter's ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Social media makes an important contribution to a rapidly changing world in which various domains of meaning are described anew. The evolving nature and dynamic character of social media therefore provides for a rich praxis terrain with which to interact from a practical theological orientation. More specifically ...

  2. Towards relevant theological education in Africa: Comparing the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It is therefore crucial to critically reflect on how effective theological education is to produce competent church leaders, especially in Africa. This article aims to give an overview of the challenges theological education in Africa is currently facing, and then to provide a macro vision of the major moments in the development of ...

  3. ‘Love Does Not Delight in Evil, but Rejoices With the Truth.’ A Theological and Pastoral Reflection On My Journey Away From A Homosexual Identity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Doherty Sean

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This article offers theological reflection on the author’s experience, initially as a celibate gay person and subsequently as someone who has chosen not to be defined as gay and who has married. It argues that faithfulness to the classic Christian teaching about sex and marriage is liberating rather than homophobic, and that the contemporary cultural tendency to conflate sexual desire with identity bears at least some of the blame for the gay experience of marginalisation. This conflation must be questioned. The article concludes by relating this to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s critique of anthropocentric construals of ‘love’.

  4. Theology and the (post-apartheid university: Mapping discourses, interrogating transformation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rian Venter

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This article examines the specific position of Theology at South African universities, following the recent developments on campuses that catapulted the urgency for greater commitment to radical transformation in higher education to public attention. A large corpus of material is generated on theological education as such, but the major question is rarely thematised as the transformation of Theology at public universities in (post-apartheid South Africa. This article addresses the nature of the challenge by following a distinct approach. Ten major discourses in the wider reflection on theological education are identified and interpreted as avenues to achieve three aims: to convey the unique challenge for Theology, to give historical texture to issues conventionally addressed a-politically in Theology and to forward an interpretation of ‘transformation’ for Theology that emphasises its multi-layered nature

  5. Applying theological developments to bioethical issues such as genetic screening.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mallia, P.; Have, H.A.M.J. ten

    2005-01-01

    Catholic movements within the centre of Roman Catholic doctrine recently have discussed Trinitarian theology as applied to sciences, arts, economics, health and other social areas. We explore the possibilities Trinitarian theology offers to bioethical debate, concentrating particularly on genetic

  6. The Value of Social Constructionism for the Counseling Profession: A Reply to Hansen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudes, James; Guterman, Jeffrey T.

    2007-01-01

    The authors reply to J. T. Hansen's (2005) call for the profession to revalue the inner subjective experiences (ISE) of clients. Hansen argued that social constructionism has influenced the decline of the counseling profession by obscuring its unique focus on ISE. The authors maintain that social constructionism is a useful framework for…

  7. Theology and bioethics in the film: Mar adentro, Spain, 2004

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo Franco Taitson

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The article reflects on euthanasia and its consequences for which seeks to shorten the life of a patient known to be incurable. Film and Literature are equivalent here, being arts narratives that convey a story, and it is natural that the first has appropriated the second to boost its development. Through its own strategy, the two arts narratives met, making a discussion of the privilege of one over the other, which yields fruit until today. This practice can be seen in the Spanish film The Sea Inside, with theological reflections front the valuation of life issues, death, suffering and moral action. In the days of the time today is very rich, due to infinite horizons data by science and technology, which enable the creation and implementation of projects related to the protection and care of the reading of the death. But we know, at the same time that the pathway for degradation and even the establishment of a culture of death is also set. This is exactly why we cannot do without when we talk about death, to make a bioethical exercise and dialogue. Thus, theology, film and literature converge the light of the bioethical studies.

  8. Theological reflections on empire | Boesak | HTS Teologiese ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2004), and the adoption of the Accra Declaration, a debate has been raging in the churches about globalisation, socio-economic justice, ecological responsibility, political and cultural domination and globalised war. Central to this debate is the ...

  9. Book Review: Ecology and economics: Partners in theological ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. Journal Home · ABOUT · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 67, No 3 (2011) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  10. Bioethics, theology, and social change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cahill, Lisa Sowle

    2003-01-01

    Recent years have witnessed a concern among theological bioethicists that secular debate has grown increasingly "thin," and that "thick" religious traditions and their spokespersons have been correspondingly excluded. This essay disputes that analysis. First, religious and theological voices compete for public attention and effectiveness with the equally "thick" cultural traditions of modern science and market capitalism. The distinctive contribution of religion should be to emphasize social justice in access to the benefits of health care, challenging the for-profit global marketing of research and biotechnology to wealthy consumers. Second, religion and theology have been and are still socially effective in sponsoring activism for practical change, both locally and globally. This claim will be supported with specific examples; with familiar concepts like subsidiarity and "middle axioms"; and with recent analyses of "participatory democracy" and of emerging, decentralized forms of global governance.

  11. The theological anthropology of Simon Maimela : Democratisation of power and being human in relationship

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Wyngaard, George J.Cobus

    2017-01-01

    The lacuna around race in (white) Christian theological anthropology has often been pointed out. The canon of academic systematic theology seldom reflects on the implication of modern race and racism for our theological anthropologies and, therefore, fails to provide adequate resources for dealing

  12. Xenotransplantation from the perspective of moral theology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sautermeister, Jochen

    2015-01-01

    Current medical research in the area of xenotransplantation is driven by the aim to save human lives and to improve the quality of life of those suffering from organ insufficiencies. This study reflects the therapeutic intent of xenotransplantation from a theological-ethical perspective. Regarding statements of Christian communities, the analysis focuses mainly on catholic documents. This study takes into account the document on Prospects for Xenotransplantation by the Pontifical Academy for Life as well as a position paper on xenotransplantation released as a collaboration between the German Bishops Conference (Catholic) and the Evangelical Church in Germany (Protestant). Documents of other Christian denominations will be discussed in a separate paper. Aspects concerning the areas of medicine, social ethics and animal ethics are considered as well as biographical, psychosocial, culture-bound and ideological preconditions of acceptability. These aspects also include consequences for the construction of personal identity. With regard to an anthropocentrism that is based theologically and relationally, xenotransplantation--in general--can be viewed as a permissible form of therapy, given that the principles of biomedical ethics will be observed and that animals are treated with respect. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Xenotransplantation-theological-ethical considerations in an interdisciplinary symposium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sautermeister, Jochen; Mathieu, Richard; Bogner, Veronika

    2015-01-01

    Unlike allotransplantation, reflections on xenotransplantation are infrequent in theological literature. However, xenotransplantation poses questions specifically concerning ethical and theological aspects that are imperative to address, such as personal identity between the poles of body, soul, and mind, the relationship between humans and animals, as well as challenges regarding specific issues of medical and social ethics. This study summarizes the lectures of the symposium on "Xenotransplantation-a challenge to theological ethics," which took place in Munich from September 30 until October 2, 2013, and analyses the implications of xenotransplantation from the perspectives of Christian theological ethics, biblical theology, and systematic theology. Furthermore, the issue of xenotransplantation is addressed from the perspectives of Judaism and Islam. Beyond these theological deliberations, the metaphorical and religious meaning of the human heart, which may have an impact on the societal acceptability of xenotransplantation, as well as the Christian notion of compassion regarding animals, is analyzed from the perspective of historical sciences. According to the perspectives of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, there are no specifically religious fundamental and generally binding reasons to prohibit xenotransplantation as a means of treating grave and life-threatening organ insufficiencies. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. TOWARDS RELEVANT THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION IN AFRICA ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    political and social-economic problems in Africa; a challenge theological education needs to ... current scholarship but are actively contributing to it through books, journals and higher ...... Cambridge: Harvard University. BAnks, r. 1999.

  15. detecting god in practices : theology in an empirical theological ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2010-04-14

    Apr 14, 2010 ... and social constructionism are not excluding options. Social constructions ..... community is dislocated and disconnected from its geographical context. He refers to such .... Reality is a network, consisting of a web of life, and ...

  16. Comparative Theology: An Alternative to Religious Studies or Theology of Religions?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Betül AVCI

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the relationship between Comparative Theology, Religious Studies and Theology of Religions and questions whether Comparative Theology is an alternative to the last two. Comparative Theology, a faith seeking understanding practice, may be viewed as an alternative to the Enlightenment ideal of Religious Studies, which seeks “impartiality” and “scientific objectivity” in contrast to Comparative Theology’s enquiry into “truth” and “meaning.” I suggest, however, that the comparative method employed by both Religious Studies and Comparative Theology is not a neutral space. Hence, the new comparativism in Religious Studies reinstates its search for understanding and its political stand, which blurs the boundaries between Comparative Theology and Religious Studies. Likewise, while Comparative Theology is distinct from the Theology of Religions, it does not pose an alternative to it because Comparative Theology, too, often embodies either a pluralist or an inclusivist approach.

  17. Social Constructionism and Ethics: Implications for Counseling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guterman, Jeffrey T.; Rudes, James

    2008-01-01

    Social constructionism is set forth as an epistemological framework from which to establish an ethical base for the field of counseling. The development of the social constructionist movement in counseling is described. Implications of a social constructionist position are considered in relation to ethics. A case example is provided to illustrate…

  18. HTS Theological Studies and Verbum et Ecclesia – the journals of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria: Historical overview and strategic planning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dirk Human

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available This article celebrates the centenary of the University of Pretoria (UP in 2008. The editors of Verbum et Ecclesia and HTS Theological Studies, the two theological journals associated with the Faculty of Theology at UP, reflect on the journals’ historical roots, editorial focuses, distinctive features, subscription and language statistics and on their’ contribution to support the academic study of theology and related disciplines. The Faculty of Theology was founded in 1917 and celebrated its ninetieth birthday in 2007. The origin of its journals dates back to 1943. This article discusses the challenges that academic journals face in South Africa and undertakes strategic planning for the future. A concluding addendum, consisting of statistical diagrams with regard to the journals’ profile during the last five years, illustrates the argument.

  19. A PRACTICAL-THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON CORRUPTION ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    of practical theology in an attempt to address the issue of corruption. Finally, one ... and ethical behavior is becoming a relative, intellectualised concept, the question .... business and politics, and a closed culture within government. However,.

  20. Gifted Education's Reflection of Country-Specific Cultural, Political, and Economic Features

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frantz, Roger S.; McClarty, Katie Larsen

    2016-01-01

    Educational policies and practices are influenced by cultural, political, and economic factors, and this is also true of specialized educational approaches such as gifted education. Factors such as a country's cultural tendency toward egalitarianism or meritocracy, whether the political system is centralized or decentralized, and the degree to…

  1. Pentecostal Theology of Mission in the Making

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karkkainen, Veli-Matti

    2004-01-01

    While Pentecostals are known for productive and widespread mission work, theological reflection has not kept up with praxis. In recent years, however, a number of leading Pentecostal theologians have started to reflect on key issues such as what are the underlying motifs and distinguishing features as well as urgent challenges facing Pentecostal…

  2. In the Beginning Was the Word: Theological Reflections on Language and Technical Media in the Context of the Gospel of John

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gábor Ambrus

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A proper theological perspective on technical media is not possible without a thorough consideration of the role of language in Christianity. Christian theology can gain this perspective in view of the fact that the sphere of language and that of technical media have a large cultural space in common and that language occupies a central position in the theological tradition. A representative example of the theology of language is the Gospel of John, which portrays Jesus Christ as the eternal Word of God, who was sent into the world to proclaim God’s incarnate words. The “Word-in-flesh”, that is in the flesh of human language, is fully normative to the “Word-in-the-beginning”. The term “flesh” may be normative in the full scale of its relevant application, as it may denote and cover all kinds of technical media such as the human body, the printed book and the digital computer. As possible carriers of the incarnate words of the Word, these material media may, to some extent, share the glory of the risen Christ. A theory of God’s Medium and media as inspired by the Gospel of John, is necessarily at variance with secular media theory, whose assistance, at the same time, it certainly also requires.

  3. Prejudice, homophobia and the Christian faith community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y Dreyer

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the article is to illustrate that prejudice differs fundamentally from legitimate presuppositions that come into play when people interpret the Bible or reflect theologically on contemporary issues such as homosexuality. It is argued that prejudice leads to the theologically untenable phenomenon of homophobia. Though the rejection of prejudicial attitudes does not mean that �anything goes�, it is a theological necessity to expose harmful attitudes and behaviours regarding sexuality. To this end the article investigates the labels �homosexual�, �gay� and �queer� that, on the one hand, express and perpetuate homophobia and on the other hand represent a search for authentic identity on the part of sexual minorities. The� article reflects on the effect of underlying social identity theories on homophobia. Such theories include nominialism with its focus on �sameness� and essentialism that focuses on �difference�, as well as primordialism with its emphasis on the immutability of social identity formation and constructionism that highlights change.

  4. An overview of liberation theology in orthodox Russia

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    Alexander I. Negrov

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this article is to demonstrate the presence of a theological system of socio-critical and socio-pragmatic strands within Russian Christianity at the beginning of the twentieth century. The political and social situation in Russia at that time was reflected in a reading of the New Testament that went far beyond the more customary ecclesiastic, dogmatic and ethical issues that had traditionally concerned Russian Orthodox theology. Among the Orthodox thinkers there were two camps that focused on anti-oppression issues. Some combined these issues with the liberationist ideology of the Russian Marxists and Socialists; while the other regarded these liberation movements as an anti-Christian way of interpreting Christianity. This article further claims that certain modern developments in Liberation Theology can be found in the period during which the Russian religious thinkers attempted to develop a theological perspective which paid attention to the social and political dimensions inherent in social democracy (Marxism.

  5. Positioning positivism, critical realism and social constructionism in the health sciences: a philosophical orientation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruickshank, Justin

    2012-03-01

    Positioning positivism, critical realism and social constructionism in the health sciences: a philosophical orientation This article starts by considering the differences within the positivist tradition and then it moves on to compare two of the most prominent schools of postpositivism, namely critical realism and social constructionism. Critical realists hold, with positivism, that knowledge should be positively applied, but reject the positivist method for doing this, arguing that causal explanations have to be based not on empirical regularities but on references to unobservable structures. Social constructionists take a different approach to postpositivism and endorse a relativist rejection of truth and hold that the task of research is to foster a scepticism that undermines any positive truth claim made. It is argued that social constructionism is a contradictory position. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  6. Theological Science Theology is the discipline wh

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It is on this basis that theology understands itself to be an objective science. ... courses in history, philology, ethics and philosophy, each with its own proper method. .... of theological study depends on its openness to current discussions in art, ...

  7. Integrating Suum-ngi Theology of Peace in Gindiri Theological Seminary Curriculum in Nigeria. An African Theological Perspective

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    Pokol, Benjamin J

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available This article argues that Gindiri theological seminary in Nigeria has done little or nothing to include issues of peace in theological education for the pastors in Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN of Nigeria. Consequently the Church of Christ in Nations seems to have failed to engage adequately in promoting peace among their members in the national search for peace and religious tolerance in Nigeria. The article further argues that the theological seminary which produces pastors and lay church leaders for pastoral ministry has a responsibility to equip pastors with necessary tools for responding to peace challenges facing the country. Therefore, the article advocates for the mainstreaming of Suum-ngi theology of peace in the curriculum of Gindiri Theological Seminary.

  8. Theology as an Ethnographic Object: An Anthropology of Eastern Christian Rupture

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    Timothy Carroll

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper draws upon over three years’ research among Eastern Orthodox (principally Antiochian and Greek communities in London and Mount Athos, Greece. This research came to engage theology quite heavily as part of the ethnographic facts of the fieldsites. This paper reviews some of the existing ways that theology (as both discipline and practice relate to ethnographic enquiry, particularly as it has arisen in the dialogue with the Anthropology of Christianity and frames this in light of the historical development of Anthropology and its relationship to theology and Christianity. The paper then advances a methodological argument, in favour of further means of relation, specifically in terms of theology as a cultural artefact. Drawing on local practices of liturgical theology and Eastern Orthodox forms of allegorical interpretation, I argue for the inclusion of theological insight and practice within the social scientific study of religion. Working in an Orthodox setting requires the investigation of liturgical theology and brings to light important aspects of the relationship between temporal and sempiternal domains of action. Particularly as it relates to liturgical theology and the practices of interpretation, ethnographic enquiry into Orthodox theology asks for a reconsideration of social scientific methods of analysis and representation.

  9. Between tradition and renewal: Some considerations about the use of tradition in reformed theology

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    Willem van Vlastuin

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available In the theology and practice of the Christian church a tension between tradition and renewal exists. This essay focuses on this tension to provide a first step of methodological reflection to deal with it. Firstly, this tension is illustrated from the reformed perspective of sola scripturathat led to criticism of the tradition on the one hand, whilst understanding the reformed movement as part of the tradition on the other hand. A danger of unqualified sola scriptura is subjectivity. Subsequently, the importance of tradition is elaborated from the perspective of the church as the body of Christ across all ages. This implies that Christians should study and love the traditional theology because of the fundamental unity of the church that transcends cultural diversity. Rejecting tradition will cut the church from its historical and spiritual roots. Thirdly, this raises the question whether the church is imprisoned by tradition, as well as the problem of the relation between tradition and renewal. In response, it is argued that the doctrine of incarnation guarantees openness to history. With the help of the philosophical and Christian view on structural contingency, the belief that tradition is principally open to renewal is defended. Some examples are given as illustrations of how classic theological concepts can be reframed in our postmodern context. The last part of this essay concludes with the insight of Cyprian that only the conveyed tradition can be renewed, implying that renewal is in essence not a new theology, but a new application of apostolic theology.

  10. For coming out of the closets: HIV and AIDS and Theology in Brazil

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    Musskopf, André

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The HIV and AIDS epidemic arrived in Brazil as a gay cancer, a narrative created mostly through the media before actual cases were diagnosed. This narrative has remained strong and powerful maintaining the stigma and discrimination against people with HIV and AIDS. Any truthful and honest theological or church response to the epidemic will have to deal with this ghost even when the focus is moved from the LGBT community to speak of other vulnerable subjects and groups. The first part of this article shows how the gay cancer narrative was constructed in the context of an emerging homosexual movement and major political changes in the country. The second part of the article presents some of the responses in the field of religion in the Brazilian context, how they reinforced the gay cancer narrative, but also how more positive answers were given, especially in the early years of the epidemic. It also makes explicit the virtual absence of a systematic theological reflection, even in the context of Latin American Liberation Theology, mostly because of the difficulty in dealing with structural issues that deepen and make more complex class and economic poverty. The third part of the article reports the creation and reactions to the HIV and AIDS prevention campaign Not even the Saint protects you Use condom in the context of the 15th S Paulo GLBT Pride Parade in 2011. The fourth and final part makes some theological remarks emerging from the narrative of the advertising campaign in the search for an out of the closet theology in the context of the HIV and AIDS epidemic.

  11. Global Health after Pentecost: Toward Theological Reflection as a Religious Health Asset

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    Matthew T Bersagel Braley

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This article examines the recent turn on the part of global health leaders to Christian communities as allies in the response to the HIV pandemic. A cursory survey of this turn highlights how global health leaders have used the language of religious health assets to revalue the activities of faith-based organizations, including Christian churches. In this way, religious health assets — tangible and intangible — become valuable if they can be rendered intelligible and appreciated using the existing lexicon and logic of global health. As a result, the primary activity of religious entities in partnerships with global health institutions is limited to conforming their practices to the best practices of HIV programs. But a closer examination of this revaluation reveals how it obscures a distinctive dimension of Christian participation, namely, critical theological reflection. The current turn to religion as a global health ally presents an opportunity to reimagine the spaces in which complex social phenomena are described, interpreted, and responded to. Christians live into the role of co-participants in these spaces when they seek to develop a greater competence for engaging the complex arena of global health policy and programming. This competence emerges from demonstrating understanding of the empirical context in which global health is carried out as well as showing in an imaginative and compelling manner how the theological resources from their own tradition illumine the patterns and processes of human suffering. We have a unique presence and reach within communities. We have unique structures and programmes that are already in place. We are available. We are reliable. And we are sustainable. We were there long before AIDS came and we will still be there when AIDS goes away. Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha1

  12. Analytic Theology as Sapiential Theology: A Response to Jordan Wessling

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    Vanhoozer Kevin J.

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This article responds to Jordan Wessling’s paper that engages a concern I expressed about analytic theology not doing justice to the sapiential requirements of theology. I examine Wessling’s summary of my paper, conclude that his description is accurate and fair, appreciate his proposed solution, then go on to restate why I think he may not have fully allayed my concern. I suggest that analytic theology is a vital tool in the theologian’s toolkit, but that ultimately more is needed in order to interpret Scripture theologically.

  13. Knowing, believing, living in Africa: A practical theology perspective of the past, present and future

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    Gordon E. Dames

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available The new democratic era in South Africa brought Western cultural influences forcefully into public and private living domains. This dichotomy deformed African cultures in many ways (Bujo & Muya. Local communities were previously ‘public people’ living and worshipping in transformative hermeneutical communities. This scenario has changed and local communities are steadily being driven into private spaces. The task of practical theology is to question what the undergirding epistemology and beliefs for this shift are and to reinterpret it in the light of the gospel. The impact of Western culture on African traditional villages is telling in so far as traditional African values and practices are being lost at the expense of Western ideology, technology, media, et cetera (Bujo & Muya. We argue that the former dominant monodisciplinary approach of practical theology contributed to a growing private individualist worldview. Practical theology has since developed into an interdisciplinary approach. This newfound reciprocity in the social sciences led to constructive change in church and society (Dingemans. Practical theology in Africa has to deal with an individualised, pluralistic world and tendencies of discontinuity, uncertainty, violence and destruction. In South Africa, practical theology is called upon to redress the dichotomies and defaults of Western and African cultures, respectively.

  14. Incarnation theology versus the sacralisation of authority

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2015-03-11

    Mar 11, 2015 ... Incarnational theology as constructed on the model of the ... In terms of methodology, this style aims to reflect and prioritise the personal narratives perceived ..... then they end up having nothing, so they return to TLF and the ...

  15. Comparative Theology: An Alternative to Religious Studies or Theology of Religions?

    OpenAIRE

    Betül AVCI

    2018-01-01

    This paper examines the relationship between Comparative Theology, Religious Studies and Theology of Religions and questions whether Comparative Theology is an alternative to the last two. Comparative Theology, a faith seeking understanding practice, may be viewed as an alternative to the Enlightenment ideal of Religious Studies, which seeks “impartiality” and “scientific objectivity” in contrast to Comparative Theology’s enquiry into “truth” and “meaning.” I suggest, however, that the compar...

  16. The Reformed tradition as public theology

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    Vuyani S. Vellem

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available This article is a South African perspective of a Black African reflection on the publicity of Reformed faith. Whilst the notion of public theology is fairly new, the article argues, it is important to define the ‘public’ of the type of public theology to which Reformed faith and tradition could be linked. As a confessional tradition, Reformed faith is intrinsically public, the article demonstrates. The publicity of this tradition is however ambivalent and tainted. I attempt to show this by discussing two important tenets of the Reformed Tradition: sola scriptura and sola fide, within the festering wounds of Black African colonialism, apartheid and the hegemony of the neoliberal paradigm in the 21st century.

  17. What hope is there for South Africa? A public theological reflection ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 71, No 3 (2015) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  18. Repositioning the use of the Bible towards a mission-oriented theological education

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    Adekunle O. Dada

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available It is an undeniable fact that mission remains the cardinal essence of the Church. However, in Africa and in Nigeria, the Church seems to have lost focus regarding the main reason for its existence, namely mission. One of the factors responsible for this may be the form of theological education in vogue. In view of this anomaly, this paper reflects on how the study of the Bible, which serves as the primary basis for theological education in some institutions, can be repositioned to enhance a mission-oriented theological education. The importance of proper interpretation of the Bible in enhancing missions can be premised on the fact that a sound biblical hermeneutics is prerequisite to the formulation of an effective and functional theology of missions. If our theology of mission is faulty, the practice cannot be anything but flawed. In view of this, the paper explores ways in which the Bible can be meaningfully studied in order to promote a mission-oriented theological education.

  19. Social constructionism and relational practices as a paradigm for organisational psychology in the South African context

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    Dirk J. Geldenhuys

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Orientation: This article is about introducing social constructionism and relational practices as a paradigm perspective to organisational psychology, especially as these are applied in organisation development. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relevance of social constructionism and relational practices as a paradigm perspective for studying and practising organisational psychology in the South African context. Motivation for the study: The relevance of the paradigm perspective that is currently used in studying and practising organisational psychology in South Africa seems to be biased towards an individual perspective of human behaviour that is incongruent with the African context, which asks for an Afro-centric approach with the emphasis on human relationships. It was argued that social constructionism and relational practices could provide a relevant perspective that can help to transform workplace relationships in the South African context. Research approach, design and method: This study was based on a non-empirical, theoretical research design. Articles written in English and published between 2002 and 2013 using specific keywords relating to social constructionism and organisational psychology were retrieved. This was supplemented by other relevant electronic and hardcopy resources. The main findings are reported and discussed and recommendations made. Main findings: Although the literature on social constructionism and relational practices is limited in organisational psychology, it does provide an additional perspective, not only on the mainstream theory, but also as a practice in organisation development for transforming workplace relationships in the South African context. Practical/managerial implications: Organisational psychology should be cautious about the possibility of constructing a monologue at the expense of introducing new perspectives on behaviour in the workplace. Organisational

  20. The Qumran Visualization Project: Prospects for Digital Humanities in Theological Libraries

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    Benjamin P. Murphy

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Digital Humanities are a hot topic in disciplines as varied as literature, history and cultural studies, but at present theology and religious studies departments seem to be lagging behind. This essay will offer a critical review of one Digital Humanities project that is relevant to theological libraries and Biblical Studies: the Qumran Visualization Project. The essay will discuss why theological libraries should start considering the Digital Humanities, and then offer some strategies for how libraries can support, promote or otherwise engage with this type of project.

  1. CONNECTION BETWEEN ECONOMICS, CULTURE AND CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

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    Agil Valiyev

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Today, culture is one of the main feeble factors of economic development.  The leading role of culture in economic development should be argued as multiplied: so, on firstly, as domestic value, on secondly, as a main factor of regional economic development advanced to raised gravity of different regions for residents, tourists and investors, on thirdly, as major parameters of social development based on tolerance, creativity and knowledge. To the different international experiences, culture is main part of economic development in our life. Cultural diversities are combined into a main reason economic development model. The article consist of explainations about the understanding of culture, cultural diplomacy and economics, approach on conflicts between culture and economics, to find how affecting of culture to economic development, the role of culture in economic development of Azerbaijan. The article can be considered as a useful resource  for experts and researchers conducting research in this field.

  2. Comparative theology: an alternative to religious studies or theology of religions?

    OpenAIRE

    Avcı, Betül

    2018-01-01

    Avcı, Betül (IHU Author) This paper examines the relationship between Comparative Theology, Religious Studies and Theology of Religions and questions whether Comparative Theology is an alternative to the last two. Comparative Theology, a faith seeking understanding practice, may be viewed as an alternative to the Enlightenment ideal of Religious Studies, which seeks “impartiality” and “scientific objectivity” in contrast to Comparative Theology’s enquiry into “truth” and “meaning.” I sugge...

  3. Theology and Organization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meier Sørensen, Bent; Spoelstra, Sverre; Höpfl, Heather

    2012-01-01

    of religious practices in organizations. Instead, theology of organization recognizes that the way we think about and act in organizations is profoundly structured by theological concepts. In this editorial to the special issue we have three aims: to outline what theology of organization is, to show how...

  4. Prophetic Theology in Black Theology, with special reference to the Kairos document

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    Vuyani S. Vellem

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available The ‘Protest’ and ‘Confessing’ Models in the streams of Black Theology of liberation provide a creative link between the Prophetic Theology in the Kairos document (KD and the Black Theology of liberation. Launched in a distinct moment of history – an ‘opportune moment’ – the KD propagated the best responses among some and the worst among others as a rapturous critique of State and Church theologies. In this article, I argued that the KD, which remains a version of liberation theology par excellence, offers a methodology that is still appropriate to our democratisation processes in South Africa. The KD is the product of a theology that did not only expand the contours of traditional theology, but also understood confession as a political praxis. Thus, the interest of the poor should still mitigate forth-telling in our democratic vision in dialogue inspired by the alluring prophetic vision of an alternative community based on the principles of the reign of God.

  5. Decolonising the commercialisation and commodification of the university and theological education in South Africa

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    Dumisane W. Methula

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This article problematises the critical subject of the decolonisation of the university and theological education in South Africa from the neo-colonisation of commercialisation and commodification. The article, written from a decolonial perspective, serves as an epistemic critique of the cultures of corporatisation, rationalisation and entrepreneurship in higher education driven by the marketisation of society by the neoliberal institutions of globalisation. The article engages the role of decolonising theological education by drawing insights from African/Black theologies, the discourse on Africanisation and liberation to counter the strangulation and dominance of the commodification and commercialisation of theological education and prosperity theology in Africa, particularly in South Africa.

  6. A/theology: Emphasizing on Inevitability of Theology

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    Hassan Fathzade

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The age of the sign is essentially theological. The system that is based on a basic concept, a concept that shapes the circulation of signs, is essentially theological. This central concept has named in each thought differently: the reality, essence, existence, truth, God, Logos, Nous, End etc. In This logocentric system(s, there is a transcendental signified that means and proves the chain of signification. Deconstructive reading of Derrida showed that there is no signified outside of the chain of signification that makes language to have bound. This revolutionary idea collapses hierarchical significative oppositions, and thus makes signifiers to be rank and homologous. By erasing the oppositions of signifiers, it is nonsense to talk about death of God; there is no death, and no life. We're always in the middle of an eternal play. Word (Logos, yet constantly erased and written and rewritten. A/theology is the absurdity of this claims that theology has terminated; a new a/system for those who lives in borders.

  7. Introduction: Constructivism and Social Constructionism in the Career Field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Richard A.; Collin, Audrey

    2004-01-01

    The impact of constructivism and social constructionism upon vocational psychology has often been through the use of the more generic ''constructivism.'' In this article constructivism is distinguished by its focus on how the individual cognitively engages in the construction of knowledge from social construction which claims that knowledge and…

  8. Ecotheology and the theology of eating: controversies and convergencies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Panu Pihkala

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Environmental theology (or, ecotheology developed slowly during the first half of the twentieth century and has become a major field of study since the late 1960s. While many of the issues discussed in ecotheological works have included consequences for food production and eating habits, these themes were often not explicitly discussed. The reasons for this are interesting and complex. Issues related to food have been culturally very sensitive and have manifold connections to religiosity. In regard to the discussion about the rights and value of animals, controversies have been seen to arise between ecotheology and ‘animal theology’. Recently, a new interest has arisen in the themes of food, eating, and Christian theology, which has resulted in a new field of literature which could be called the ‘theology of eating’. This article gives an overview of the relations between these fields, with an emphasis on both early ecotheology and new literature about the theology of eating.

  9. Science, Theology and New Civilization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theodossiou, E.; Manimanis, V. N.; Danezis, E.

    2010-07-01

    This work explores the relation and interdependence among theology, science and social structure within the framework of a new “Cultural Current”, which will probably prevail in the Western societies, through the study of the development of the cultural currents in the ages. The now prevailing in these societies Positivist Cultural Current suffers from the weakness that it is no longer supported by the modern scientific theories of physics and other natural sciences. The new reality will include a more philosophical view of science, and a re-harmonization of its relations with the other two “cultural pillars” on which human societies are based: the sociopolitical (social philosophy) and the metaphysical (inner philosophy).

  10. The Death of God in Theology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Saghaug, Kristin Falck; Rasmussen, Ole Horn; Lindgren, Peter

    in the new liberal economy as e.g. market laws. A theological focus on innovation and BMI is still nascent and this paper contributes to develop an area we find is of vital importance due to questions on how economics and BMI practices affect the living conditions of all beings at a global scale, where...

  11. Theology and psychology – the interdisciplinary work of Fraser Watts

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    Willem J. Smith

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available In the preface to his book, Theology and Psychology, Fraser Watts, a lecturer in Theology and Natural Science at the University of Cambridge, states that he approaches “… the interface between theology and psychology by looking at each discipline from the perspective of the other. This includes a religious perspective on several current hot topics in psychology, such as evolution, neuroscience, and computer intelligence. I also consider theological topics like divine action, salvation history and eschatology, in each case using the psychological perspective in a different way”. By taking an interdisciplinary approach, Watts aims at proposing a psychology of religious experience. He considers theology to be the rational reflection on the Christian tradition. When exponents of this tradition are in dialogue with exponents of psychology, the focus falls on human nature. Watts admits that a certain lack of competence in one of the two disciplines can be a problem when working in an interdisciplinary way. However, he is willing to take the risk. Watts worked in psychology for 25 years and was also involved with a medical research council, before taking up a position at the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge.

  12. Psychological peculiarities of icon perception during prayer through the lens of theological and literary texts in cultural-historical and christian context.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helena DANILOV

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Psychological peculiarities of icon perception during prayer through the lens of theological and literary texts in cultural-historical and christian context. This research is dedicated to the psychotherapeutic effect of prayer in front of a Christian icon and icon mediated perception, namely the perception through the spectrum period of theological and modern literature (in Christian space, a registered historical decline known as "separation from church" time. In was identified and defined the concepts, as well as the functional pictogram and Christian prayer. For this purpose, it was investigated the theological texts and artistic works of local authors. In these texts the human being according to Christian conception, represent the symbol of a "living icon". These identify the main aim of pictogram as a mediator between human being and Higher Spirituality. The icon perception are "speculation in paints", which helps the person in building a dialogue between him and God, as the higher absolute spiritual and moral value. This research generates a main conclusion, where icon social perception of is an indicator of spiritual potential of human light.

  13. [Social constructionism in primary health care: an integrative review].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cadoná, Eliane; Scarparo, Helena

    2015-09-01

    This study sets out to analyze scientific articles in order to investigate how researchers in the area of Social Constructionism define "health" in Primary Health Care. An integrative review of the literature was conducted along with a decision to concentrate on those works with narrative experiences and research studies. The database researched was the Brazilian Virtual Health Library, with experiences in the scope of Primary Health Care. The effectiveness of this step resulted in 12 articles. Data were analyzed and discussed based on the perspectives of social constructionism, which generated two central themes. They were: citizenship exercises - promoting health in collective spaces; health practices - overcoming the dichotomies and absolute truths. This study revealed the relevance of the notion of shared responsibility on meanings of health contained in the texts analyzed. The researchers claim that it is possible to expand health practices into collective action to facilitate ongoing dialogue between health users and workers. However, the dominance of biomedical discourse is criticized by the researchers, because that paradigm still promotes practices of care focused on illness.

  14. the call for spiritual formation in protestant theological institutions in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ously have been formed by other personal, cultural and spiritual forces. Stu dents enter theological institutions deeply rooted in family traditions and local, regional subcultures. They have been influenced by values of advertising and popular culture and have internalised prevailing views on race, gender, social.

  15. Reflections on Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fox, Lisette

    1999-01-01

    Examines aspects of cross-cultural studies, delineates a concept of culture, explores the interplay of culture and ethics, and analyzes the shifting cultural and economic values as issues that either the economists or the humanists will deal with under the banner of the future global village. (Author/VWL)

  16. Theology for Life: Doing Public Theology in Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Corneliu Constantineanu

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper builds on my previous work, “God in Public: A Prolegomena to Public Theology in the Romanian Context,” where I made an argument for the need of public theology in the Romanian context and offered a brief introduction to the nature of this new field. Now I present several issues that would need attention in a public theology in our context. One such issue, to begin with, is the atrophy of the capacity for dreaming, for envisioning a better world, of the capacity for imagination and hope. Most of people living through the difficult period of a long transition period, with such a high rate of corruption, poverty and uncertainty, have lost any hope for a positive social change. There are no solid institutions and structures in these young democracies and people are really struggling to live a normal life. Similarly, other crucial dimensions of life have been downplayed and so in need to be recovered, such as work, family, civil society, justice, to name just a few. It is argued that a public theology for Romania and for the entire region of Central and Eastern Europe would need to address exactly these kinds of issues: a vision for a better world, Christianity and nation-building, faith and work, faith and society. The paper concludes by pointing to several example of platforms that are very promising for public theology.

  17. Man and Cosmos from the Christian Theology perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marin BUGIULESCU

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to analyse the theological reflection on the relationship between man and cosmos. The origin of the world and man is connected to God; God is the Creator and consequently the Author of them both. Unlike dualistic materialistic thinking, according to the Christian conception the whole cosmos is created by God. In search for the cosmos an important chapter was granted for man, considered to be a synthesis of the world. Man, from the theological perspective, is the personal, rational, free, and speaking being that has – through the image of God according to which he has been created –, the tension after perfection. But it pertains exclusively to the relationship with Christ in the light of Whom he really knows himself, and by knowing himself he recognizes the infinite beauty of the Archetype. This is the existential-theological truth, which the content of this paper emphasizes, according to the Bible and patristic teaching.

  18. Theological reflections on the ethics of pain control among the terminally ill.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purdy, W

    1992-01-01

    Explores the reality of pain thru explications of the theological notions of "justification by pain," "justification by death," and "justification by faith." Notes particularly the facilitating role of the hospital chaplain in the understanding of pain and its possible Christian meanings.

  19. Behavior analysis and social constructionism: some points of contact and departure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roche, Bryan; Barnes-Holmes, Dermot

    2003-01-01

    Social constructionists occasionally single out behavior analysis as the field of psychology that most closely resembles the natural sciences in its commitment to empiricism, and accuses it of suffering from many of the limitations to science identified by the postmodernist movement (e.g., K. J. Gergen, 1985a; Soyland, 1994). Indeed, behavior analysis is a natural science in many respects. However, it also shares with social constructionism important epistemological features such as a rejection of mentalism, a functional-analytic approach to language, the use of interpretive methodologies, and a reflexive stance on analysis. The current paper outlines briefly the key tenets of the behavior-analytic and social constructionist perspectives before examining a number of commonalties between these approaches. The paper aims to show that far from being a nemesis to social constructionism, behavior analysis may in fact be its close ally.

  20. Political theology: Possibility of comparison of the usage of death in theology and politics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuljić Todor

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper considers the epistemological value of the concept of political theology in thanatopolitics. The concept can be useful if one wants to interpret political usage of death. In addition to blurred boundaries between politics and theology, there is a more general and deeper socially integrative affinity between the two. In addition, there have been various politicizations of salvation in the past and in the present. Every political theology accentuates obedience as an immanent condition of salvation, although interpretation of death in political theology has a different function than in secular ideologies. In the centre of politically theological ideas one can find crosscutting of the divisions between public friend and public enemy from political world with similar divisions from religious world. Finally, beside the theological influence on politics, this paper considers some analogies between theology and the secular judiciary. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 149005: Društveni akteri i društvene promene u Srbiji 1990-2010

  1. Social Constructionism and Ludology: Implications for the Study of Games

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montola, Markus

    2012-01-01

    This article combines the paradigm of social constructionism with the developing field of ludology. As games are intersubjective meaning-making activities, their study requires understanding of the nature of social constructions, and how such constructions are produced and interpreted: The formalist nature of ludological core concepts such as game…

  2. Between the Scylla and the Charybdis: Theological education in the 21st century in Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johan Buitendag

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The article reflects on the challenges of theological education in the 21st century and in Africa. Reputation, impact, success and funding have become the driving forces of the modern university. However, we are living in the 21st century and in Africa with a subsequent frame of reference that is holistic and faith-based. The article therefore argues for a multi- and transdisciplinary approach towards the nature of a university and recognition of the unique contribution theological education can contribute. Due to the inherently cooperative nature of theological scholarship, theological education could be able to avoid the extremes of the Scylla and the Charybdis, that is, fideism and secularisation, and therefore be able to survive at an academic institution. Both sectarianism and scientism should be avoided. Theological education in Africa needed to travel the same difficult road of theological faculties in Europe in the previous century.

  3. Theology in the flesh – a model for theological anthropology as embodied sensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacob Meiring

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The author proposes a model for theological anthropology as embodied sensing that is based on an interdisciplinary exploration of the corporeal turn from a southern African perspective. The work of James B. Nelson is acknowledged, stating that body theology starts with the concrete, the bodily expressions of life and not with doctrines about God and humanity. The theological anthropology of David H. Kelsey is evaluated as a theological anthropology with a sentiment of the flesh. Based on clearings in the work of David Kelsey and an interdisciplinary research, the author proposes a model for theological anthropology as embodied sensing which functions within the intricate and complex connection of the living body, language and experiencing in a concrete lifeworld with an openness to the ‘more than’. The author considers the use of bodymapping within narrative therapy as a way in which to uncover the intimate and intricate connection between the living body, experience and language, and implementing insights from theological anthropology as embodied sensing.

  4. A challenge to change developments in feminist theology and feminist Christology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Riet Bons-Storm

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available Contextual theologies have made it clear that context, and the particular experiences a context gives, shapes thinking about the Divine and the world into a particular, contextual theology. Feminist theologians stress the point that the life-experience of women in general – and every woman of flesh and blood in particular – works as a context, seeing the world, thinking about the Divine from a particular perspective. The critique of feminist theologies is aimed in the first place to the presumptions and assumptions underlying texts, customs and politics. Feminist theologians ask basic questions about the acquisition of theological knowledge that exposes the cultural conditioning of Christian belief. This review article on the work of Lisa Isherwood and Dorothea McEwan demonstrates how many feminist theologians find in “Process Thought” a way of thinking that avoids the suppositions these presumptions and assumptions make.

  5. Information Needs and Behaviours of Theology Students at the International Baptist Theological Seminary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katharina Penner

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available The study analyses information needs and behaviours of master’s and doctoral theology students currently studying at the International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS in Prague, Czech Republic. The aim is two-fold: first, to extend understanding of the information behaviour of theologians working as distance learners in a cross cultural setting; and secondly, to provide guidance for the development of library information services for this group. The study follows a quantitative research approach with a survey design and attempts to replicate in a modified way studies by Gorman (1990 and Stieg Dalton and Charnigo (2004. The findings suggest that theology students at IBTS use many and varied types of materials in their interdisciplinary studies while giving clear preference to books, periodicals and theses. Most of the participants have, partly successfully, embraced information technology as a tool and use it extensively. To satisfy their research needs they employ a variety of methods to find relevant information and fall back on “typical” humanists’ research behaviours when “usual” channels do not work: engage their networks, expand their personal library, and browse. While the humanist profile is evident throughout the diverse group, there are also notable differences. Theologians increasingly work interdisciplinary and integrate approaches considered typical for other disciplines. Partly differences are caused by the fact that the group under consideration are students who still experiment with research approaches. Many differences are caused by technological developments and contextual aspects.

  6. Teaching Historical Theology at the University of Pretoria - Some introductory remarks

    OpenAIRE

    Dreyer, Wim A.

    2017-01-01

    The Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria went through a process of restructuring, resulting in the amalgamation of Dogmatics, Christian Ethics, Church History and Church Polity into one department under the name ‘Systematic and Historical Theology’. This contribution reflects only on the one aspect, namely Historical Theology. The point is made that a name change could not mean ‘business as usual’, but should be regarded as an opportunity to re-imagine the content and structure o...

  7. The Influence of Mutazilah Theology upon Karaite Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr ghorban Elmi

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Excessive sanctity of the oral tradition (Talmud among Rabbinic Judaism, sometimes, which marginalized the Holy Scriptures among Jews, caused appearance of a sect that rejected the oral tradition. It was the Karaites sect that appeared in 8th century; the century of Messiah movements of the eastern Jewish society. Among the causes of these Messiah movements are the appearance of Islam, and reestablishment of the traditional style of leadership of the Jewish society; and the appearance of social-economical riots as consequences of this kind of leadership. Responding to these crises some Jews found some reforms necessary in their religion. Among these was Anan Ben David. The general rule of Anan was rejection of oral tradition, and returning to the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament. He believed every individual is required to take responsibility for interpreting the Scriptures, which resulted nothing but a lot of divisions in his newly appeared sect. But Karaite scholars prevented the sect from experiencing more split, by approving a series of interpretation rules. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Karaite literary men like Kirkisāni, David b. Boaz, Japhet b. Ali, Joseph Al-Basir and Jeshua b. Judah appeared; and laid the foundation of Karaite's theological philosophy by getting help from Mutazilah theology. And after this period, Karaite scholars just engaged in translation, explanation and interpretation of the rich works of this period and created the most useful Jewish philosophy in Middle Ages.

  8. Religion, theology and cosmology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John T. Fitzgerald

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Cosmology is one of the predominant research areas of the contemporary world. Advances in modern cosmology have prompted renewed interest in the intersections between religion, theology and cosmology. This article, which is intended as a brief introduction to the series of studies on theological cosmology in this journal, identifies three general areas of theological interest stemming from the modern scientific study of cosmology: contemporary theology and ethics; cosmology and world religions; and ancient cosmologies. These intersections raise important questions about the relationship of religion and cosmology, which has recently been addressed by William Scott Green and is the focus of the final portion of the article.

  9. ECONOMIC IMPACT OF CULTURAL TOURISM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zrinka Zadel

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The subject of analysis in the paper is economic impact of cultural tourism and identification of the main factors which directly affect cultural tourism revenues. Most countries do not have a statistical system of monitoring and analysing individual factors of cultural tourism such as the number of arrivals of cultural tourists and consumption of cultural tourists. Therefore, it is hard to assess the economic impact of cultural tourism. In cultural tourism, cultural assets are prepared and placed on the tourist market, i.e. cultural resources are transformed into cultural tourism products. The main objective is fulfilling tourists' needs, and achieving positive effects which includes economic effects. Identification of the economic impact of cultural tourism is important because cultural resources have an inestimable value for the local community. Tourism valorisation should be used in order to achieve the necessary maximum effects with minimum negative impacts which tourism may leave on cultural resources. The objective of the paper is to identify the economic contribution of cultural tourism in the Republic of Croatia and to propose a model of identification of economic impact of cultural tourism.

  10. Public pastoral leaders: The purpose of theological training

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Malan Nel

    2005-07-01

    Full Text Available This article is a follow-up of an article in which I attempted to gain insight into the corporate nature of being called to ministry. The mentioned article was also aimed at discerning the specifics of the ministry of the “public pastoral leader”. While the question is even asked whether theological training is necessary at all, I accept, as point of departure, the critical need for such training. What is of more importance is the discernment of what I call in this article the “teleological core” of theological education. I purposefully chose to explore the contributions of a number of well-known scholars who devoted much of their research to this field: Schner, Farley, Wood, Hough and Cobb, Heitink, Van der Ven and a few others. The ultimate finding is that some consensus about the telos of theological education does exist. The nature of the telos is phrased differently, but the different dimensions identified are indeed complementary. Concepts like “vision and discernment”, “critical reflection” “reflective practitioner”, “hermeneutical-communicative com- petence” and others are discussed as they relate to the core research problem. Attention is also given to the necessity of training a “basic pastor” as well as to the importance of “limited specialisation” in theological training.

  11. Theology that Emerges from Cognitive Science: Applied to African Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harries Jim

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Recent developments in cognitive science are here interpreted as an apologetic for Christian theology. Naturalistic faiths are suggested to be dependent on the invention of ‘religion’, and domestication of the foreign through translation. A refusal to accept that a relationship with God is something that develops in the course of reflection, has added to his apparent invisibility. Advocates of embodied thinking who effectively undermine Descartes’ philosophy, open the door to theological reflection. A gender-based exploration reveals that means of predicting the embodied nature of thinking also point to the significance of God. Because human thinking is embodied, God also is perceived by people through his embodied impact - much as is the wind. That correct understanding of God brings human wellbeing, is here suggested to be as true for Africa as for Europe.

  12. Inclusion in Physical Education: From the Medical Model to Social Constructionism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grenier, Michelle

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this discussion is to explore assumptions that have informed constructions of disability and to challenge these as socially constituted judgments that influence the way teachers think and act in general physical education. A secondary purpose is to introduce social constructionism as a discourse that potentially reshapes…

  13. The theology of creation in Vito Mancuso's radical theology | Simut ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Thus, matter is the mother of all existing realities which include the universe, nature and even the soul. In other words, Mancuso proposes a theology from below which seeks to re-interpret the basic teachings of Christianity in a way which sheds light on the experience of today's world. This theological program includes the ...

  14. Knowing, believing, living in Africa: A practical theology perspective ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2013-02-12

    Feb 12, 2013 ... concrete dialogue between the cultural perspectives of particular ... multicultural contexts, interact within the framework of practical theology .... a self-regulating social context that can change itself. ... especially for the complex relationship between gospel and ..... contemporary church more harm than good.

  15. Transformations in Luther's Theology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    New research on Luther focuses on his exciting potential to be a dialogue partner for religion and theology today. This edited collection considers how Luther’s most important reformation-theological insights have been interpreted and understood throughout the past century and how his key theolog...... Rolf), in Francia-Recensio 2013/1 | Frühe Neuzeit - Revolution - Empire (1500-1815), May 08, 2013 (Marc Lienhard), and in Lutheran Forum 49 (2015), 27-32 (Stephen Pietsch)....

  16. In defence of partisan justice - an ethical reflection on �the preferential option for the poor�

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PJ Naude

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available Can one defend a form of partisan justice? This question is answered in the affirmative in the light of two broad arguments:� The theological argument arises from the preferential option for the poor from Latin America, and the philosophical argument is derived from John Rawls�� notion of the least� advantaged representative person and assistance due to burdened societies in a global context. In closing, a number of important implications of such a partisan notion of both distributive and cultural justice are explicated. This article is developed in three sections. The first section briefly sketches a profile of the different theological arguments underlying a preferential option for the poor as particularly developed by Latin American liberation theologians, and later accepted in wider ecumenical circles.� In the second section, philosophical arguments for a position of �prioritarianism� which seems to support such �preferential option� are outlined.� This is attempted via a discussion of two influential books by well-known� American political philosopher , John Rawls, namely his A theory of justice (1973, and The law of peoples (1999.� Section three concludes the article by demonstrating the synergy between these theological and philosophical views, and by pointing out � in a provisional manner - the important consequences of such a �preferential� or �partisan� view for guiding ethical reflection on local and global socio-economic relations.

  17. The Influence of Mutazilah Theology upon Karaite Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ghorban Elmi

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract:   Excessive sanctity of the oral tradition (Talmud among Rabbinic Judaism, sometimes, which marginalized the Holy Scriptures among Jews, caused appearance of a sect that rejected the oral tradition. It was the Karaites sect that appeared in 8th century the century of Messiah movements of the eastern Jewish society. Among the causes of these Messiah movements are the appearance of Islam, and reestablishment of the traditional style of leadership of the Jewish society and the appearance of social-economical riots as consequences of this kind of leadership.   Responding to these crises some Jews found some reforms necessary in their religion. Among these was Anan Ben David. The general rule of Anan was rejection of oral tradition, and returning to the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament. He believed every individual is required to take responsibility for interpreting the Scriptures, which resulted nothing but a lot of divisions in his newly appeared sect. But Karaite scholars prevented the sect from experiencing more split, by approving a series of interpretation rules.   In the 10th and 11th centuries, Karaite literary men like Kirkisāni, David b. Boaz, Japhet b. Ali, Joseph Al-Basir and Jeshua b. Judah appeared and laid the foundation of Karaite's theological philosophy by getting help from Mutazilah theology. And after this period, Karaite scholars just engaged in translation, explanation and interpretation of the rich works of this period and created the most useful Jewish philosophy in Middle Ages.

  18. The Culture of Economics

    OpenAIRE

    Stephen Marglin

    2009-01-01

    Stephen Marglin examines how the culture of economics has impacted on Third World cultures. He argues that economics is possessed by its own theory of culture based on the market as the organizing principle of life, one that we need to go beyond.

  19. Apartheid in the Holy Land: Theological reflections on the Israel and/or Palestine situation from a South African perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jerry Pillay

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available I first attempt to draw a comparison between the Israel-Palestine conflict and the South African experience of apartheid. Drawing on other established sources and personal experience, I conclude that, while there may be some differences between the two contexts, in essence, the similar experiences of colonialisation and racialisation makes the apartheid comparison compellingly relevant. I then proceed to theologically explore the themes of justice and reconciliation and what it may mean in the context of Israel-Palestine whilst extracting from the South African experience. The article also offers some reflections on the role of the Church in addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict.

  20. From Quantum theory to Quantum theology: A leap of faith

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. M.J. Basson

    1997-12-01

    Full Text Available This article is aimed at introducing multi valued logic as an epistemic model for theological thought within the  reformational-dialectic paradigm. Nowadays, reformational-dialectic theology is challenged by postmodem culture, interreligious exposure and scientific discoveries, which subsequently lead to new and unaccounted world-views. As a result, an epistemological shift based on an expanded rationality is called for. It is in this regard that multivalued-logic emerges as an epistemic model specifically developed to accommodate diversity, uncertainty and probability as well as, to restore hope and faith in the hearts of millions.

  1. An Initial Framework for Enhancing Cultural Competency: The Science of Cultural Readiness

    Science.gov (United States)

    2007-01-01

    Social constructionism : a theoretical approach that has much in common with relativism. It challenges the notion of fixed and universal truths in the...1.2: Basic triadic representation of human culture. It is easy to try to identify these latter divisions as physical and social culture...formation is necessary. Harris (1979) describes culture as existing at three levels known as infrastructure, social structure, and superstructure. As

  2. God as burden: A theological reflection on art, death and God in the work of Joost Zwagerman

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rein Brouwer

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In one of his essays on art, Dutch author and essayist Joost Zwagerman (1963–2015 reflects onthe work of (Dutch South African artist Marlene Dumas (1953. Zwagerman addresses inparticular Dumas’ My Mother Before She Became My Mother (2010, painted 3 years after hermother died. In his reflections, Zwagerman proposes an interpretation of Dumas’ work. Hesuggests that Dumas, in her art, does not accept the omnipotence of death. Maybe againstbetter judgement, but Dumas keeps creating images that not only illustrate the desire formeaning but also embody this desire. The image and the desire for meaning merge in Dumas’paintings. The painting itself becomes an autonomous ‘desire machine’, according toZwagerman. In this article, a (practical theological reading of Zwagerman’s own posthumouslypublished volume of poetry, ‘Wakend over God’ (2016, is presented, with a specific interest inart, death and God. The sacramental hermeneutics of Richard Kearney and the theopoetics ofJohn Caputo are brought into the conversation to elicit the dimensions of faith and religion inZwagerman’s own ‘desire machine’.

  3. ["Pharmaco-theology"].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krafft, F

    1996-06-01

    Physico-theology is a way of thinking and argumentation, especially of the protestantism during enlightenment, which, facing the new, namely causal-mechanical natural science, emphasizes the anthropocentrical expediency of creation (of the "liber naturae'), traces it in nature and therefrom derives God's omnipotence, grace and wisdom. Although physico-theological writings of the 18th century are treating all kinds of natural objects under this aspect, the herbs and natural remedies never have been mentioned in the historical research of physico-theology until now. Here, this gap is closed. The relevant writings by Friedrich Hoffmann, Johann Julius Hecker und Julius Bernhard von Rohr are briefly presented and thereby attention is drawn to an important zeitströmung which added substantially to a broad acceptance of medicaments which then formed the practical basis as one of the preconditions for the developing of pharmacy into science in the late 18th century.

  4. Political theology: Possibility of comparison of the usage of death in theology and politics

    OpenAIRE

    Kuljić Todor

    2014-01-01

    This paper considers the epistemological value of the concept of political theology in thanatopolitics. The concept can be useful if one wants to interpret political usage of death. In addition to blurred boundaries between politics and theology, there is a more general and deeper socially integrative affinity between the two. In addition, there have been various politicizations of salvation in the past and in the present. Every political theology accentuat...

  5. Revisiting of The negative and positive theologies in the Gradation of existence theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamed Naji

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The negative and positive theologies are two intellectually compaction positions that have attracted most Islamic thinkers since the early Islamic period. Tashbih and tanzih means likening and cleansing or purifying respectively. These two technical words in theology describe human encounter with God.  Accordingly Asharites tends towards Positive theology and Mutazale and Shiite tend towards Negative Theology.  There are some Shiete thinkers, however, to compromise this situation. Based on different assumptions and presuppositions we can discern the following compromised versions: 1.       Mild Anthrophomorphism: based on the communality of God and human attributes and reflections on Human contingency and God's necessity 2.       Prevalence of existence and its unity: based on Ibn Arabi's mystical philosophy 3.       Gradation of existence: based on Sadra's transcendental philosophy By looking at the most over-looked fundamental principles of Transcendental Philosophy, I will take a look the possible reconciliations of Negative and Positive theology in this paper. At the end, I will argue for its most plausible version

  6. Building missional leadership and spiritual formation: Practical theological perspectives on a Masters Programme

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nell, Ian A

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available A MTh programme with the focus on building missional leadership capacity has recently been developed at the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University. The programme is a joint effort of the discipline groups of practical theology and missiology and Ekklesia, an ecumenical centre linked to the Faculty of Theology. The focus of the programme is to serve as a learning community for pastors and congregational leaders who want to build their missional and ministerial leadership capacity. Research done in congregations of the Partnership for South African Missional Churches (SAPMC shapes the focus and content of the different modules in this programme. The purpose of the paper is to do a practical theological analysisinto the background and development of the programme. After giving some insight into the rationale and motivation for starting the programme, the hermeneutical-rhetorical framework of the programme is explained. The paper goes on to give a brief exposition of the content covered in each of the modules, probes into three frames of interpretation (pedagogical, theological and strategic and ends by reflecting on feedback from some of the first students that recently finished the programme.

  7. Historical Theology at public universities matter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jerry Pillay

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available South African universities are in the process of serious transformation and restructuring. The place of faculties of theology at universities has come under the spotlight resulting in the closure of several theological faculties or in the moving of theology to other faculties, mainly humanities or arts. Theology is under pressure and in the current academic environment, Church History, in its traditional form, has all but disappeared from South African universities.  This article is an attempt to address the current situation. Whilst this article looks at the issue of theology at public universities, its main focus is to explore the future study of church history in the context of universities and, in particular, a Faculty of Theology. Understanding church history in the broad framework as Historical Theology, this article asserts the significance of church history at public universities, but points out the need to restructure the Department giving due consideration to community engagement, internationalisation, transformation, africanisation and interreligious collaboration. All of these would have a serious impact on teaching, learning and research.

  8. Social constructionism, discourse analysis and mental health nursing: a natural synergy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leishman, June L

    2003-09-01

    This paper has been developed to identify the natural synergy between social constructionism, discourse analysis and mental health research. It is based on research undertaken to explore mental health nurses' identity. The proposal is that nurses' identities are rhetorically constructed in the language they use to account for and justify their work in the practice context.

  9. Descartes, Cartesianism, and Theology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goudriaan, A.; Lehner, Ulrich; Muller, Richard A.; Roeber, Gregory

    2015-01-01

    While insisting on the need to separate theology from philosophy, Descartes developed a philosophical theology that was intensely debated in the early modern period. This article asks the question how the receptions of Cartesian philosophy were related to different confessional profiles.

  10. European dimensions in Romanian Theological Discourse | Chirila ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article underlines particularly those aspects of Romanian theology that distinguish it from other theological refl ections. By making use of liturgical discourse, Romanian theology refl ects the ecumenical dimension of the prayers of the Divine Liturgy. It is this specifi city that provides Romanian theology's missionary ...

  11. Theological Metaphors in Mathematics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krajewski Stanisław

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Examples of possible theological influences upon the development of mathematics are indicated. The best known connection can be found in the realm of infinite sets treated by us as known or graspable, which constitutes a divine-like approach. Also the move to treat infinite processes as if they were one finished object that can be identified with its limits is routine in mathematicians, but refers to seemingly super-human power. For centuries this was seen as wrong and even today some philosophers, for example Brian Rotman, talk critically about “theological mathematics”. Theological metaphors, like “God’s view”, are used even by contemporary mathematicians. While rarely appearing in official texts they are rather easily invoked in “the kitchen of mathematics”. There exist theories developing without the assumption of actual infinity the tools of classical mathematics needed for applications (For instance, Mycielski’s approach. Conclusion: mathematics could have developed in another way. Finally, several specific examples of historical situations are mentioned where, according to some authors, direct theological input into mathematics appeared: the possibility of the ritual genesis of arithmetic and geometry, the importance of the Indian religious background for the emergence of zero, the genesis of the theories of Cantor and Brouwer, the role of Name-worshipping for the research of the Moscow school of topology. Neither these examples nor the previous illustrations of theological metaphors provide a certain proof that religion or theology was directly influencing the development of mathematical ideas. They do suggest, however, common points and connections that merit further exploration.

  12. Running with Perseverance: the Theological Library’s Challenge of Keeping Pace With Changing Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nancy K. Falciani-White

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available In the last thirty years, the study habits and learning styles of students have changed, influenced by parenting styles, pop culture, and the influx of technology into their lives. Those students studying theology in seminaries and universities across the United States have likewise changed dramatically. Their ages, ethnicity, gender, technological ability, and goals have all changed, as have their expectations for their education and their library. This paper will examine the characteristics of those students considered to be part of the “Millennial” generation, examine how these characteristics apply to students of theology, and explore the impact that these characteristics are having, and will continue to have, on theological libraries.

  13. Running with Perseverance: The Theological Library’s Challenge of Keeping Pace With Changing Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nancy K. Falciani-White

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available In the last thirty years, the study habits and learning styles of students have changed, influenced by parenting styles, pop culture, and the influx of technology into their lives. Those students studying theology in seminaries and universities across the United States have likewise changed dramatically. Their ages, ethnicity, gender, technological ability, and goals have all changed, as have their expectations for their education and their library. This paper will examine the characteristics of those students considered to be part of the “Millennial” generation, examine how these characteristics apply to students of theology, and explore the impact that these characteristics are having, and will continue to have, on theological libraries.

  14. De Anima: Or, Ulysses and the Theological Turn in Modernist Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Ayers

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Focusing on Joyce’s use of Aristotle’s De Anima, and on Aquinas’s response to Aristotle, this essay takes, as its starting point, the recourse to two areas of enquiry in recent work on modernism: animal studies and phenomenology. In this essay we examine the intersection within Ulysses of the concept of the soul in Aristotle and Aquinas, show how this relates to questions of animality, and open the way to asking what implication the theological reflection on the soul at the centre of Ulysses might have for a process of uncovering theological contents in the concept of “life” in modernist studies more generally.

  15. Doing public theology in the anthropocene towards life-creating theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johann-Albrecht Meylahn

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available If one presumes that we are today living in the anthropocene, how does this challenge the doing of public theology? What is the calling of a public theologian in the anthropocene? To be able to answer these questions, this article shortly described the anthropocene and then sought to unpack a possible doing of theology in a particular local context, within the time of the anthropocene, creating (poiesis a deconstructive space for possible resurrection life to emerge.

  16. Economic impact of cultural tourism

    OpenAIRE

    Zadel, Zrinka; Bogdan, Sinisa

    2013-01-01

    The subject of analysis in the paper is economic impact of cultural tourism and identification of the main factors which directly affect cultural tourism revenues. Most countries do not have a statistical system of monitoring and analysing individual factors of cultural tourism such as the number of arrivals of cultural tourists and consumption of cultural tourists. Therefore, it is hard to assess the economic impact of cultural tourism. In cultural tourism, cultural assets are prepared and p...

  17. The theological-Christian dimension of the human person

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renato Alves de Oliveira

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this article is to demonstrate that the human person is an ontological greatness that has a divine foundation. The essence of the person is built in the being of God. The concept of the origin of person took place in theological-Christian ground, in the context of the Christological and Trinitarian discussions in the fourth century. In the West, its historical trajectory has a philosophical-theological bias, wavering between substantialism unrelated to rationalism without substantiality. The theological dimension of the person is in its image condition of God and creature called into existence by God, according to Jewish and Christian tradition. Like creature receiving his existence as a gift, the person is oriented toward God. Between God and the person there is an interpersonal relationship, one “tu-a-tu”. Because of their transcendent foundation, the person has an onto-axiological primacy over other creatures. The person holds an absolute value and cannot be manipulated by the state, the market and nor religion. This person is an indefinable and a mystery magnitude, just as God its Creator. The person is a reflection of the mystery of God. All love, respect and veneration rendered to God must also be devoted to his image, the human person.

  18. The founding of the University of Belgrade and the controversy over the Faculty of Theology 1905-1920

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lolić Marinko

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents and sheds light on a 1919 controversy unfolding in the periodical Demokratija. Its main protagonists were the notable Serbian philosopher Branislav Petronijević, theologist Radovan Kazimirović and physiologist Ivan Đaja, and it concerned the proposal to establish a Faculty of Theology in Belgrade. The debate reflects in fact the conflict among Serbian intellectuals over fundamental principles of the university. We believe this is a most important intellectual dispute taking place in our academic public in the early 20th century. Although historical records indicate that the position of the Faculty of Theology within the future University was discussed as early as the 19th century, when the first ideas of founding a University in Serbia had been put forward, with discussions culminating on the occasion of the establishment of the first Serbian University in 1905, the questions raised then remained mainly unsolved and marked the one-century of the Belgrade University, the most prestigious Serbian institution of higher learning. Turbulent changes in our society in the 1990s announced new searches and radical reevaluation of the condition of our higher education. The problem of the Faculty of Theology thus resurfaced within not just academic but also broader political and cultural public. Unfortunately, some participants in this debate, disregarding the complexity of the issue, have focused their attention on the communist period alone, when the Faculty of Theology was separated from the University. In this way they avoid facing the crucial problem of the contemporary Serbian society - the problem of building modern secular educational and political institutions. .

  19. Theology of religions: Models for interreligious dialogue in South ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Test

    be segregated in terms of their traditions, places of worship and cultures, they .... Theology of Religions that by its very nature the concept of interreligious dialogue is .... religions lead to salvation, one is faced with the issue of relativism, meaning that if all .... 'Towards a Global Ethic articulated several of the moral and ethical ...

  20. The construction of 'social constructionism': A case study in the rhetoric of debate

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Katzko, M.W.

    2002-01-01

    There is a dimension to the ongoing debate on `constructionism' that deserves closer scrutiny. In this paper I wish to draw attention to some features of the debate as movements in opposition, illustrated with examples comparing the articles in Theory & Psychology, 11(3), with literature outside

  1. The Functions of Theology to Christian Tradition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghasem Kakaie

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The term Theology has various definitions and meanings in the Christian tradition. In this article, after discussing these definitions and meanings we have tried to illuminate the extended functions of theology in Christianity and we have also explained the meaning of this term which has been entered to our literature by means of translation from European languages into Persian. In this connection, the history of the term, "theology", is discussed rapidly and then some main branches of theology explained according to its functions. Finally, we have concentrated on some equivalents of "theology" in Persian language.

  2. Ministerial formation of theological students through distance education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marilyn Naidoo

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Ministerial formation is a multifaceted activity involving critical thinking, the acquisition of knowledge, skills development, religious identity formation and the development of ministerial and spiritual maturity expected of church ministers. Education is not merely the accumulation of a prescribed set of academic credits but includes the holistic formation of all aspects of the individual. However, theological educators are concerned about the capacity to foster such values and skills in the distance and electronic environment. Some see distance education as ‘distancing’ the students in more significant ways than simply geographic distance. These issues are of fundamental importance for they reflect the deeper convictions of theologians that distance education may not be a suitable medium for ministerial formation. This article creates a conceptual map of the theological and pedagogical challenges for ministerial formation and highlights how the possibility of formation is being carried out in the distance-learning environment.

  3. Confusion in the Field! Providing Clarity on Constructivism and Constructionism in Religious Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hyde, Brendan

    2015-01-01

    Constructivism and constructionism are two distinct epistemologies. Yet, within religious education many have tended to use these terms interchangeably or as being complementary to one another. This article provides conceptual clarity in relation to both epistemologies by comparing each in terms of their origins and epistemological premises, their…

  4. Sociological, Postmodern, and New Realism Perspectives in Social Constructionism: Implications for Literacy Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hruby, George G.

    2001-01-01

    Offers an historical definition of social constructionism, a review of its conceptual bases, and an exploration of its epistemological implications. Describes a history comprised of three paradigmatically distinct waves: a sociological, a postmodern, and an emerging third wave grounded in new realism or neonaturalism. Suggests potential uses of…

  5. New directions for feminist therapy based on social constructionism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finfgeld, D L

    2001-06-01

    Feminist therapy has made significant contributions in the area of women's mental health care. Of late, however, critics have argued that feminist therapists are neglecting the needs of many women. The unique perspectives of women of color, lower and upper class women, lesbians, and other persons have been ignored. As such, it is proposed that social constructionism offers a metaframework for reinterpreting feminist therapy tenets to better address the needs of a broad range of individuals. Clinical implications are offered along with future directions for research and education. Copyright 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company

  6. The ‘good city’ or ‘post-colonial catch-basins of violent empire’? A contextual theological appraisal of South Africa’s Integrated Urban Development Framework

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephan de Beer

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The Integrated Urban Development Framework (IUDF was constructed as a ‘new deal’ for South African cities and towns. It outlines a vision with four overarching goals and eight priorities or policy levers meant to overcome the apartheid legacy through comprehensive spatial restructuring and strategic urban–rural linkages. This article is a contextual theological reflection ‘from below’, reading the IUDF through the lenses of five distinct contours. It asks whether the IUDF has the potential to mediate good cities in which the urban poor and disenfranchised can experience integral liberation as equal citizens, or whether it will perpetuate the city as post-colonial satellite of violent empire. It concludes by proposing five areas for theological and political action: consciousness from below, a new economics, a different kind of politics, socio-spatial transformation, and collaborative knowledge generation.

  7. Eco-theological Responses to Climate Change in Oceania

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rubow, Cecilie; Bird, Cliff

    2016-01-01

    to reform classical theologies and church practices. Secondly, we identify challenges facing the contextual theologies, among them recent claims about climate-change-denying responses by Biblicist Christians in the Pacific region. These challenges apart, we suggest, thirdly, that the churches are important......This paper explores eco-theological responses to climate change in Oceania. First, we review central texts in the contextual theological tradition in Oceania, focusing on recent responses to climate change. This points to a body of theological texts integrating climate change into a broader effort...

  8. Two criticisms of natural theology

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    Błażej Gębura

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The article aims at considering two general criticisms often formulated against the natural theology. First criticism is based on the thesis that the conclusions of the natural theology are not adequate with the religious beliefs of non-philosophers. It is widely known as opposition between God of Religion and God of Philosophers. One can find that argument in the writings of Blaise Pascal. I’m arguing for the thesis, that the natural theologian cannot fulfill the criteria given by the proponents of this argument. This is because the argument of the natural theology cannot contains the premises taken from the Revelation. If the argument of the natural theology would contain the premises taken from the Revelation, then it would be the argument of religion. But philosopher of religion (natural theologian can’t do this, if he wants to formulate an philosophical argument. The second criticism is based on the notion of a rational person. In the light of this argument, the natural theology is successful only, if every rational person will accept the conclusion “God exist”. I’m trying to show that there is no philosophical argument that can guarantee it’s acceptance by some rational persons. The acceptance of the conclusion of the argument of the natural theology is a matter of personal decision. There is no logical argument, which can “force” rational persons (rational subjects to accept it’s conclusion. But if this is true, the arguments for the existence of God are no worse than other philosophical arguments.

  9. National cultural values: reflections on the formation process of future leaders in international economic cooperation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MARIJA NIKOLIC

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The trend towards foreign investments in Serbia has been in rapid progress in recent years. The biggest and most valuable numbers of investments are coming from Italy. The authors’ expectation is that the trend of Italian investments in future will continue; therefore it is of high importance for the representatives of both countries’ business sectors to understand and accept differences and similarities to the other country’s business culture. Research of cultural differences between two nations , which are considered like a frame of business culture, helps avoiding possible misunderstandings and improving business cooperation between two countries. Having in mind students of economics and management, on one hand like future leaders of Italian and Serbian business and on other like representatives of the current education value system in the field of economics and management, this study consists of an application of the 7-D Hofstede Model. The application of the model takes place through the administration of two surveys done by students of Serbian Megatrend University, in Belgrade, and Italian Università degli Studi Gabriele d’Annunzio, in Pescara.

  10. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies is an acclaimed Open Access journal with broad coverage that promotes multidisciplinary, religious, and biblical aspects of studies in the international theological arena. The journal's publication criteria are based on high ethical standards and the rigor of the methodology and ...

  11. Post-Foundational Practical Theology as Correlational Hermeneutic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The article argues that Practical Theology has moved from the uncertainty of simply being applied theology to a point where its methodology, described as the pastoral cycle in this instance, has gained such confidence that it is viewed as the natural way of doing theology. This shift in confidence occurred because the ...

  12. transformation, theology and the public university in south africa

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    theological task of theology at a public university – the articulation of transcendence ..... position of theology at the university and its relationship to the humanities; ..... preference; energy foci; international networking, and spatial arrangement. ... geographic location, denominational involvement, personality and theology of ...

  13. Applying theological developments to bioethical issues such as genetic screening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallia, Pierre; ten Have, Henk

    2005-01-01

    Catholic movements within the centre of Roman Catholic doctrine recently have discussed Trinitarian theology as applied to sciences, arts, economics, health and other social areas. We explore the possibilities Trinitarian theology offers to bioethical debate, concentrating particularly on genetic screening and testing. It is important therefore to analyse the philosophical implications of this approach onto the bioethical world, where much disagreement occurs on fundamental issues. It is Catholic basic teaching to recognize and see God's hand in plurality, not merely as a cliche and then doing what we feel is right, but to recognize how to live in a pluralistic world. We recognize, in agreement with these theologians, that in order for a Trinitarian mode of understanding to be used by those doing bioethical debate, there is a need to depart from fundamentalism.

  14. Theological Higher Education in Liberia: A Case Study of the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manyango, Wilfred M.

    2012-01-01

    The Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary (LBTS), opened on March 4, 1976, exists to train men and women for Christian ministry. It offers four-year degree programs leading to bachelor of arts in theology, bachelor of arts in religious education, and bachelor of divinity. Three major periods characterized its growth and development. The first, from…

  15. Forum-ing: Signature practice for public theological discourse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edward P. Wimberly

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available This article introduces a unique model for public theological conversation and discourse, which was developed by the Concerned Black Clergy of Atlanta (CBC. It was a model developed in response to the problems of poverty, homelessness, and the ‘missing and murdered children’ victimised in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States of America in the early 1980s. It was originally organised to respond to the economic, financial, spiritual, emotional, employment, housing and resource needs of the underserved poor. This unique practice is called forum-ing. The forum meets every Monday morning, except when there is a national holiday. It has operated 30 consecutive years. The forum has a series of presentations, including the opening prayer, self-introductions of each person, a report of the executive director, special presentations from selected community groups, reports, and then questions and answers. The end result is that those attending engage in a process of discourse that enables them to internalise new ideas, approaches, and activities for addressing poverty and injustice in the community. Key to forum-ing for the 21st century is that it is a form of public practical theology rooted and grounded in non-violence growing out of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s in the United States. The overall purpose of this article is to contribute to the effort of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria (South Africa to identify those variables that will assist religious leaders in South Africa to develop public conversational spaces to enhance democratic participation. This article presents one model from the African American community in Atlanta, Georgia. The hope is to lift up key variables that might assist in the practical and pastoral theological conversation taking place in South Africa at present.

  16. Reflection group on 'Expert Culture'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eggermont, G.

    2000-01-01

    As part of SCK-CEN's social sciences and humanities programme, a reflection group on 'Expert Culture' was established. The objectives of the reflection group are: (1) to clarify the role of SCK-CEN experts; (2) to clarify the new role of expertise in the evolving context of risk society; (3) to confront external views and internal SCK-CEN experiences on expert culture; (4) to improve trust building of experts and credibility of SCK-CEN as a nuclear actor in society; (5) to develop a draft for a deontological code; (6) to integrate the approach in training on assertivity and communication; (7) to create an output for a topical day on the subject of expert culture. The programme, achievements and perspectives of the refection group are summarised

  17. Mardin Süryanilerinde Belleğin Teolojik-Kültürel Çerçevesi / Theological - Cultural Framework of Memory in Mardin Syriacs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tahir Pekasil

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Theological - Cultural Framework of Memory in Mardin Syriacs Abstract In this article, “theological/ritual-cultural framework of memory”, "memory participation tools" "recall figures" will be examined in the case of Mardin Syriac Orthodox Church. "Ritual participation" and "rhythmic repetition" which enables "theological-social inclusion" and "integration", also mobilizes remembering instruments and guarantees protection, revival and transfer of cultural memory. This also ensures continuation of sense of belonging. Priests who are accepted as "vicarious memory" enable participation to memory in church which is a "memory space" mediating to the "transmission of blessing and grace by ritual representation". Priests also by institutionalizing ceremonies and rituals which integrated with music, makes cultural meanings functional. The theme is discussed from the perspective of cultural memory and supported by face to face interviews. Mardin Süryanilerinde Belleğin Teolojik-Kültürel Çerçevesi Öz Bu yazıda, Mardin Süryani Ortodoks Kilisesi örneğinden hareketle “belleğin teolojik/ritüel- kültürel çerçevesi”, “belleğe katılım araçları”, “hatırlama figürleri” ele alınacaktır. “Teolojik ve toplumsal katılımı”, “bütünleşmeyi” sağlayan “ritüel katılım” ve “ritmik tekrar”, hatırlama araçlarını harekete geçirerek kültürel belleğin korunmasını, canlandırılmasını ve aktarılmasını garanti etmekte, aidiyetin devamını sağlamaktadır. Belleğe katılımı sağlayan “vekil hafıza” olarak kabul edilen papazlar, bir “hafıza mekânı” olan kilisede, “inayetin ritüel temsille aktarımına” aracılık yapmakta; “ritüel tasarım” yoluyla müzikle bütünleştirdikleri ayin ve ritüelleri kurumsallaştırarak kültürel anlamlara işlerlik kazandırmaktadırlar. Çalışma konusu, kültürel bellek perspektifinden ele alınmış ve mülakat örnekleri ile desteklenmiştir.

  18. 'Doing theology as though nothing had happened' – reading Karl ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    'Doing theology as though nothing had happened' – reading Karl Barth's confessional theology in Zimbabwe today? ... This article will attempt to argue that this theology can contribute to the Reformed theology in present day Zimbabwe. It will therefore attempt to introduce the confessional theology of Karl Barth to ...

  19. Christian ethics: on the difficult dialectics between faith and ethics. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/research/theology/ejournal/aejt_2/Jan_Jans.htm

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jans, J.M.N.E.

    2004-01-01

    The thesis of this paper is that Christian theological ethics or moral theology is only possible for those who conceive such a conflict as an opportunity for a fruitful dialectics between faith and ethics. Furthermore, it would be my thesis that experience and practical reflection in the area of

  20. Anglican Moral Theology and Ecumenical Dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Sedgwick

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This article argues that there has been conflict in Roman Catholic moral theology since the 1960s. This has overshadowed, but not prevented, ecumenical dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Communions, especially in ethics. Theologians from the Anglican tradition can help both the debate in Roman Catholic moral theology and the ecumenical impasse. The article examines the contributions of Richard Hooker, Jeremy Taylor, and Kenneth Kirk from 1600–1920, in the area of fundamental moral theology.

  1. Practical-theological facilitation as skilled helping

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elmo Pienaar

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The article discussed the idea of skilled helping in relation to what has been put forward as practical theological facilitation. It has been argued that various helping relationships, amongst which the author refers to coaching, facilitation, and therapy has more in common than what differentiates them if epistemology is viewed as a unifying concept. As such the scope of practical theology in terms of the contexts and themes in which it might be involved is said to widen. The public dimension of the organisational context, more so than the congregational context, has been put forward as an important habitus of practical-theological facilitation. The organisational involvement of the practical-theological facilitator in terms of professional-vocational skilled helping takes on an actual role through facilitation and other helping modalities.

  2. Using Student Consultants to Re-Envision Teaching Christian History and Theology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunner, Daniel L.

    2005-01-01

    When it came time to reevaluate and restructure the introductory year in Christian history and theology, I decided to use a roundtable of student consultants to help me in that work. Our research and reflection focused on the impact of postmodern thinking and learning, feedback from pastors in ministry, a desire to bring appropriate praxis into…

  3. Culture, agency and power: Theoretical reflections on informal economic networks and political process

    OpenAIRE

    Meagher, Kate

    2009-01-01

    Do network theory really offer a suitable concept for the theorization of informal processes of economic regulation and institutional change? This working paper challenges both essentialist and skeptical attitudes to networks through an examination of the positive and negative effects of network governance in contemporary societies in a range of regional contexts. The analysis focuses on three broad principles of non-state organization - culture, agency and power - and their role in shaping p...

  4. Overcoming alienation in Africanising theological education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2016-02-22

    Feb 22, 2016 ... indigenous knowledge of value that can be utilised in theological education, where the English ... location of theology, secular philosophy and scientific .... the post-1994 era is to open the space for 'diverse ontological.

  5. natural theology

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    p1243322

    known example was Barth's confrontation with Brunner (his “No! .... immunise God, revelation and theology against any rational criticism or ..... quotes Heinrich Scholtz's six postulates: (1) the proposition postulate (freedom from ... and emotion?

  6. White theology in dialogue with Black Theology: Exploring the contribution of Klippies Kritzinger

    OpenAIRE

    George J. (Cobus) van Wyngaard

    2016-01-01

    This article explores the contribution of South African missiologist and theologian Klippies Kritzinger to a critical and anti-racist white theology. It analyses his academic work in response to Black Consciousness and Black Theology from publications during his doctoral studies, throughout the transition to democracy and into the present, where this theme remains a constant presence in his work. The article explores his use of liberation, conversation and re-evangelisation in constructing a ...

  7. Revisiting Mary Daly: Towards a quadripartite theological and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Against this background I will evaluate Daly's post-Christian feminist theological and philosophical paradigm. I propose that Daly has a quadripartite theological and philosophical paradigm wherein there are four main players. The 'Who is who' in Daly's quadripartite patriarchal theological and philosophical paradigm are ...

  8. Developing theology for evolution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chris Wiltsher

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available This speculative paper explores one idea for approaching some of the problems which arise when the doctrines of Christian theology meet the current scientific understanding of evolution through natural selection. The main suggestion is that Christian theology should relax the requirement that God controls everything. Some implications of this move are explored, with a brief look at how similar ideas might be of use for non-Christian religions entering into dialogue with the theory of evolution

  9. POLISH AND EUROPEAN ECONOMIC CULTURE – A COMPARISON

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Izabela Ścibiorska-Kowalczyk

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The term "economic culture" describes historically shaped elements in the general culture of population, concerning values recognized and desired by a particular community, relating to the management and to the economic system of the states. The most important economic cultural behaviors include: awareness of economic choices, attitudes and behaviors of economic choices, the rules of the economic game. There is a theory which assumes that the globalization of the economy will lead to the emergence of a single, common to the whole world culture through enculturation, which is defined as a gradual process of growing of the individual (or group into the culture or cultures through assimilation of cultural heritage of the surrounding community. More inculturation can be understood as a process of movement between different cultures come into contact and the transmission of cultural patterns. The article is an attempt at presenting the Polish economic culture against the European background and identifying the differences. It discusses the impact of national history and religion on the present shape of economic life, with particular regard to its negative aspects, i.e. the relatively high level of bribery and unemployment or the negative personal attitudes.

  10. Theological education with the help of technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erna Oliver

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Theology seemingly does not have a major impact on society anymore. However, Christianity did not only change and form the western world over the past 2000 thousand years, it still has a substantial role to play in society. This could be done through the development of theologies, the recognition that religious topics are still major segments in the publishing industry and the transforming potential of the Christian message on people. Although theological training finds itself in a difficult position, technology offers support to teaching and learning, cuts costs and offers solutions to a number of current problems concerning the effective formation of ministers. It is no longer necessary to provide theological training through a one-size-fits-all approach – a style that kept the pre-network society boxed. The aim is to motivate educators in theology to embrace the opportunities provided by the network society in aiding with the training of ministers by utilising current and future trends of development in technology.

  11. Mentoring as a supportive pedagogy in theological training ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article contends that theological training supported by effective mentoring can contribute to the shaping of theology students in terms of their spiritual growth, character development and ministry formation. It is further argued that mentoring as a supportive pedagogy needs to be an essential element of theological ...

  12. Pengaruh Skeptisisme terhadap Konsep World Theology dan Global Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Saifulloh

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Scepticism, in a socio-historical study of philosophy in the West, appeared to have large considerable portion compared with the theories. Scepticism, here means is making a the point of view caution, suspicion, and not directly justify the theory of truth. With all sorts of implementations it generates in the philosophy discourse, Scepticism has become one of the methods to reach the truth. But in terms of theology, it gives a different effect. Scepticism has made the standard of truth of the religions is not based on the ‘truth claim’ that is essentially owned by each religion anymore. Truth is human subjectivity. ‘World Theology’ concept presented by Wilfred Cantwell Smith, the concept of Global Theology presented by John Hick is two discourses of religious pluralism doctrine which affected by scepticism.

  13. Teologia em revisão crítica (Theology in critical review - DOI: 0.5752/P.2175-5841.2013v11n32p1328.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Batista Libanio

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Dois aspectos básicos orientam a reflexão sobre a Teologia da Libertação: o primeiro aborda o passado e discute seu surgimento e desenvolvimento; o segundo é direcionado ao futuro e aponta desafios. No processo de formação da Teologia da Libertação três questões são analisadas ​​: a libertação, a práxis e os pobres. Em cada uma, destaca-se o aspecto da própria Teologia da Libertação. A libertação surge dentro do contexto econômico e político e é compreendida nos campos da antropologia e da teologia, numa leitura dialética da realidade. A práxis mudou a ênfase doutrinária da teologia, passando a indagar sobre questões levantadas pela fé à prática dos cristãos, à Igreja e às pessoas, e como a teologia reflete sobre essas questões. A compreensão da noção de pobre e da pobreza deixa de estar ligada à carência de bens materiais e passa a ser entendida no contexto da exploração dos seres humanos pelo sistema dominante. As perspectivas futuras da teologia apontam para a ampliação do conceito de libertação para os campos do diálogo inter-religioso, para a questão das mulheres, da etnia e da ecologia. Palavras-chave: Libertação. Práxis. Pobre. Método. Igreja Católica.   Abstract Two main aspects guide the reflection on liberation theology: one addresses the past and discusses the emergence and development of such theology, and the other points out the future and the possible challenges to be faced. In the process of formation of liberation theology three main issues are analyzed: liberation, praxis, and the poor. On each of these issues, we emphasize the aspect of liberation theology itself. Liberation emerges within the economic and political context and is then understood in the field of anthropology and theology, from a dialectical reading of reality. Praxis shifted the emphasis from doctrinal theology to ask what issues are raised by the faith and practice of Christians, the church and the

  14. Faith Seeking Effectiveness: The Missionary Theology of José Bonino

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Davies, P.J.

    2006-01-01

    This dissertation argues that the theology of José Bonino is a praxis driven missionary theology. It is, as with every other theology, contextual—written from the perspective of the context, and is deeply affected by its context. Míguez Bonino’s theological methodology begins with missionary praxis

  15. Archives: HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 1 - 50 of 120 ... Archives: HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. Journal Home > Archives: HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search ...

  16. The unusual practices within some Neo-Pentecostal churches in South Africa: Reflections and recommendations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mookgo S. Kgatle

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This article reflects and makes recommendations on the recent unusual practices within some Neo-Pentecostal churches in South Africa. Neo-Pentecostal churches in South Africa refer to churches that have crossed denominational boundaries. These churches idolise the miraculous, healing, deliverance and enactment of bizarre church performances often performed by charismatic and highly influential spiritual leaders. There have been unusual practices within some Neo-Pentecostal churches that include, among others, the eating of grass, eating of snakes, drinking of petrol, spraying of Doom on the congregants and other experiences. There are many possible theological, psychological and socio-economic explanations for these unusual practices. Given the facts that many South Africans experience various socio-economic challenges, it is argued here that the socio-economic factor is the main explanation for the support of these unusual practices. The unusual practices within some Neo-Pentecostal churches in South Africa are critically unpacked by looking at various churches where the incidents happened. The possible theological, psychological and socio-economic explanations for such practices are outlined in detail. Recommendations are made based on the scientific findings on the unusual practices.

  17. Reflective journaling and development of cultural humility in students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuessler, Jenny B; Wilder, Barbara; Byrd, Linda W

    2012-01-01

    Cultural humility requires self-evaluation and the awareness that one's own culture is not the only or best one. Teaching health care providers to become culturally humble includes the development of critical thinking skills and the ability to reflect on practice. Journaling as a teaching strategy helps students develop these skills. This article describes the use of reflective journaling as students progressed through four semesters of a community clinical experience. This qualitative, descriptive study was based on the principles of naturalistic inquiry with person-centered written reflections.Two hundred journal entries from 50 students were reviewed, and II themes were identified. Cultural humility cannot be learned merely in the classroom with traditional teaching methods. Reflection on experiences over time leads to the development of cultural humility.

  18. How Theologizing with Children Can Work

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buttner, Gerhard

    2007-01-01

    "Theologizing with children" has arisen from influences of philosophizing with children, from research in the Piagetian tradition and also from the interest of the Evangelical Church in Germany to "change to the child's perspective". It searches for the theological quality of children's remarks which are considered to be a…

  19. A QUEST FOR A UNIQUE AFRICAN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY AND ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HP

    2017-07-01

    Jul 1, 2017 ... Theology, and then, Nyamiti‟s ideas on the nature and method in African Theology and his ability to unite it ... Nyamiti‟s (1969) precise definition of African Theology is the very self-same. Christian ..... Central Africa. Malawi: ...

  20. The impact of culture on adaptive versus maladaptive self-reflection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grossmann, Igor; Kross, Ethan

    2010-08-01

    Although recent findings indicate that people can reflect either adaptively or maladaptively over negative experiences, extant research has not examined how culture influences this process. We compared the self-reflective practices of Russians (members of an interdependent culture characterized by a tendency to brood) and Americans (members of an independent culture in which self-reflection has been studied extensively). We predicted that self-reflection would be associated with less-detrimental outcomes among Russians because they self-distance more when analyzing their feelings than Americans do. Findings from two studies supported these predictions. In Study 1, self-reflection was associated with fewer depressive symptoms among Russians than among Americans. In Study 2, Russians displayed less distress and a more adaptive pattern of construals than Americans after reflecting over a recent negative event. In addition, they self-distanced more than Americans while analyzing their feelings, and self-distancing mediated the cultural differences in self-reflection. These findings demonstrate how culture shapes the way people reflect over negative experiences.

  1. The Structure of Communication as a Challenge for Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul A Soukup

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Even more than any content of communication, its structures influence theology by forming the framework for thinking about and sharing reflections on religious experience. This essay examines three characteristic, but often overlooked, communication structures: oral vs. written and printed communication and the contemporary move to "secondary oral" styles; communication technology's sense of place; and the uses of visual space as guides to the interpretation of experience. Since each of these structures shapes theology, a more conscious awareness of them challenges theology to take the role of communication more seriously.Aun más que cualquier contenido de la comunicación, sus estructuras influyen en la teología puesto que proporcionan el marco para el pensamiento y la reflexión de la experiencia religiosa. Este ensayo examina tres estructuras características de la comunicacion, que son a menudo pasadas por alto: la comunicación oral v/s la escrita e impresa y la tendencia contemporánea hacia los estilos "orales secundarios"; el sentido del lugar en la comunicación tecnológica; y los usos de espacio visual como guías de la interpretación de la experiencia. Puesto que cada una de estas estructuras moldean la teología, esta debiera asumir el desafío de tomar mayor conciencia de ellas y asumir el rol de la comunicación más seriamente.

  2. Social Constructionism in the Context of Organization Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celiane Camargo-Borges

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The world faces rapid changes that call for new epistemologies and methodologies that can generate innovative forms of “being” and “doing” within organizations. This article investigates conceptual and practical resources from the social constructionist perspective that can be useful in realizing the transformation of organizations. Initially, a global context of the world in change is described, explaining the consequences for organizations; then social constructionism is introduced as a postmodern epistemology and offered as a potential approach to the organizational development field in supporting research and intervention. Some perspectives for action and knowledge production are offered in the context of an organization. Finally, some resources with examples will be articulated; these new frameworks for action can be effective for organizations coping in times of change.

  3. Karl Rahner, Walter Kasper and Hans Kung on the Current State, Problems and Dimensions of Contemporary theology

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    Pilipenko Evgenii

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Political history, philosophy, culture and science of the 19th century came to be very important factors in the development of Christian theology, primarily in Western Europe. Major issues of correlation between modern science, philosophical concepts of the modern period, secular ethics and Christianity led to a revision of many traditional theological concepts. There were suggested new methods of solving urgent theological, pastoral and missionary problems. The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council of Roman Catholic Church represented a vivid and constructive response to contemporary challenges. German theologians were among those who contributed significantly to the dialogue between the Church and modern world. The central fi gure among them was Karl Rahner. Using achievements of modern European thought, especially transcendental and existential philosophy, Rahner made Christian theology tenable for modern historical criticism and placed the person and the experience of faith as a crucial object of theological investigation. It may seem a paradox, but the unity of Catholic dogma in the 20th century came to be established not on the unity of the formal scholastic doctrine, proclaimed straightforwardly by Church magisterium, but on theological pluralism and historical dynamism, as well as on hermeneutical analysis of the dogma and inexpressible mystical experience of Revelation proclaimed by Rahner. Walter Kasper used Rahner’s ideas when he pointed to scientific rigour, ecclesiasticism and willingness to be opened to the world as main features of modern theology. At the same time, he considers it impossible to reject metaphysics and to reduce theology to a number of disparate academic studies. He sees the Holy Scriptures and church tradition as the essential foundation for systematic theology and argues that it is necessary to restore the balance between the freedom of theological investigation and the hierarchical control of Church magisterium

  4. Elements of the universe in Philo's De Vita Mosis: Cosmological theology or theological cosmology?

    OpenAIRE

    Steyn, Gert J.

    2013-01-01

    It is the intention of this article to investigate how Philo's understanding of the universe, and particularly its four basic elements as taught by the Greek philosophers, influenced his description of the God of Israel's world in which the Moses narrative unfolds. Given the fact that Philo was a theologian par excellence, the question can be asked whether Philo's approach is closer to what one might call 'theological cosmology' or rather closer to 'cosmological theology'? After a brief surve...

  5. 23 NATURAL THEOLOGY AND MODERN SCIENCE: AN ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HP

    reality and the key criterion is agreement of theory with data to assess the emerging scientific ... Natural Theology, Science and Theology, Scientific Proofs, God's ..... The Second Law of Thermodynamics: This law states basically that certain.

  6. Cognitive Educational Approaches as Means of Envisioning and Effecting Worldview Transformation via Theological Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mittwede, Steven K.

    2013-01-01

    Although much done in the name of discipleship and theological education pronounces lofty goals, such as movement from orthodoxy to orthopraxy, in many cases mere doctrinal assent is assumed to reflect deep change. An analysis of discipleship, worldview theory, and certain cognitive approaches to education suggests that worldview-level…

  7. Cultural Tourism – a Model for Economic Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihaela-Carmen MUNTEAN

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Tourism is a complex activity whose development is manifested in a fast pace, which in the last period determined it to become one of the most spectacular phenomena of recent decades, with important economic effects and particularly, social and human effects. This form of cultural tourism is identified as an engine for development and promotion of local cultural identities, offering neighboring communities an opportunity to preservation of cultural heritage as a resource for socio-economic local development. Thus, cultural tourism is the boundary between culture and tourism industry, its development influencing each other. Cultural tourism is a form of economic development based on cultural resources, contributing to national economic development.

  8. THEOLOGY AS CREATIVE LANGUAGE. THE CASE OF THOMAS BROOKS

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    Ciprian SIMUȚ

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The problem of theological language has been a hindrance in coming closer to God, ever since complex patterns of thought have combined with the theological inquiry. The conclusion that helped Protestantism gain ground was bringing the theological message of the Bible to the understanding of every-day believer. An effort was made to explain how God works in history, and how to become more like Christ in one’s every-day life. However, mere copying was not the foundation of Christianity. Inner conviction born out of understanding the explanation from the Biblical message was crucial. Thomas Brooks was one of the protestant theologians who aimed to explain how the Devil and evil work against the believer, in order to create chaos, disorder, sorrow, hatred, deception, and ignorance. He did this by transforming the theological message into creative language, using every-day images in order to create a relation between theology and praxis. This paper will analyze some of the aspects found in Brooks’ theological presentation, in order to show how theology could be used for the benefit of the individual believer, as well as for the benefit of society.

  9. Faithful obligations: Merold Westphal’s middle class liberation theology

    OpenAIRE

    Justin Sands

    2016-01-01

    Often, liberation theology’s preferential option for the poor is pushed aside within theological discourses as being too specific, too focused on social problems, to function as a viable theology for the Church as a whole. Through this line of reasoning, many often see liberation theology as something that can remind Christians of their need to help others, but it cannot become the foundation for a sustainable belief system. In response to this, I claim that a liberation theology can be viabl...

  10. White theology in dialogue with Black Theology: Exploring the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2016-05-30

    May 30, 2016 ... later work, as a particular white response to Black Theology. To put it in ... things that actually control the lives of people, in other words, the real “gods” ...... Ethics that matters: African, Caribbean, and African American sources ...

  11. Building Cultural Competence for Work with Diverse Families: Strategies from the Privileged Side.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewees, Marty

    2001-01-01

    A model of social work education for undergraduates from primarily privileged backgrounds links postmodern perspectives of cultural competence, diversity, social constructionism, and a generalist strengths-based orientation for work with families. Four steps for helping students recognize the role of culture in generating a worldview and develop a…

  12. Enhancing Reflective Practice in Multicultural Counseling through Cultural Auditing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Sandra; Arthur, Nancy; Wong-Wylie, Gina

    2010-01-01

    Counselors work in an increasingly complex cultural milieu where every encounter with a client must be considered multicultural in nature. Reflective practice is a central component of professional competence and necessarily involves attention to culture. The cultural auditing model provides an effective and flexible reflective process for…

  13. Theological Implications of Markan Interpretative Intercalations

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    Mateusz Kusio

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims at evidencing the thesis that Markan interpretative intercalations are a narrative structure that manifests profound theological engagement of the evangelist. This device is defined as an entanglement of two storylines in the A1–B–A2 pattern which by using the notions of simultaneity, contrast, irony, similarity, etc. offers a wholly novel meaning of the stories. Six intercalations of the St Mark’s gospel – 3 : 20–35; 5 : 21–43; 6 : 7–31; 11 : 12–23; 14 : 1–11, 53–72 – merge different episodes with distinct theological purposes and as such cannot be reduced to the rank of a literary or redactional device. All of them are concerned with the most essential topics of the Markan theology, such as Christology, especially in relation to suffering, requirements of true discipleship, vision of the future ecclesiastical community. St Mark in his intercalations reveals his elaborated, clear-cut theology, as well as narrative ingenuity and mastery.

  14. A Conception of Hellenisation of Christianity in the History of Theology

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    Mikhailov Petr

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This article offers an analytical outline of historical and theological conception of “Hellenisation of Christianity”. It covers the period from the 16th to the 21st centuries and discusses the following: 1 establishment of the conception during confessional controversy between Catholics and Protestants (from the beginning of the Reformation till the beginning of the 19th century; 2 conceptualisation of the problem in German Protestant theology of the 19th century; 3 attempts of its solution in confessional studies of the 20th century. The paper proposes some generalisations as to the division into periods, which are polemical, critical and apologetical; it also proposes the typology of the main versions of the conception in question, namely the “theory of convergence”, “theory of dеsintegration”, “theory of accommodation”, “theory of succession”. The main figures in the history of the conception are J. L. Moscheim, F. Baur, A. Harnack, R. Seeberg, G. Florovsky. The Hellenisation of Christianity as a historical phenomenon is considered from different points of view. These are: 1 the language and formation of the basic corpus of Christian texts; 2 ancient metaphysics and use of its philosophical tools for theological work; 3 classical culture, i. e. Paideia. The main question is the following: has the Christian tradition of late Antiquity, of Byzantine and Medieval periods as well as that of Modernity saved the identity with the fi rst Christian community, or has it been lost as a result of the all-pervading synthesis with the Greek culture and civilisation that took place during late Antiquity? The paper attempts to suggest an answer to these questions.

  15. Can Music “Mirror” God? A Theological-Hermeneutical Exploration of Music in the Light of Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maeve Louise Heaney

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available A theological exploration of the potential of non-liturgical instrumental music for the transmission of religious Christian faith experience, based on a hermeneutical tool drawn from Jean-Jacques Nattiez as applied to Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel. The article explores musical composition, reception, as well as the piece of music in itself, to discover common traits and keys to understanding its “meaning”, and relate it to current thought and development in theology; in particular to themes of creativity, theological aesthetics, the Ascension, the artistic vocation and meaning-making in contemporary culture, through music and films.

  16. Situated learning - beyond apprenticeship and social constructionism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Gerd

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to discuss the theoretical and philosophical fundament of Jean Lave & Etienne Wenger’s theory of ’situated learning’. In Denmark, the theory has been categorized under as different paradigms as a theory of learning as ‘apprenticeship’ and as ‘social constructionism......’. This may seem as a theoretical discussion without any implications for an actual practice. But, as it will be argued in the paper, the perception of the theory has fundamental consequences for how it is considered to contribute to the understanding of learning and to analyses of learning in an actual...... context. The paper can, thus, be considered as not only a contribution to a narrow discussion of ‘situated learning’, but also to the wider discussion of how to conceptualize ‘learning’ as such. In addition, the paper discusses some of the analytical perspectives, which are at stake in some of the other...

  17. Learning theological ethics through the Heidelberg Catechism ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HC) in order to examine a disposing pattern of sensibility and affection as well as four lessons for a contemporary Protestant theological ethic. It also suggests a revision of the catechism's basic theology in light of the current ecological crisis ...

  18. Umfazi akangeni ebuhlanti emzini … A womanist dialogue with Black Theology of Liberation in the 21st century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fundiswa Kobo

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available As reflected in the title, this article is premised by pervasive attitudes arising from a complex interplay of cultural practices, which have succeeded in dislocating black women from what is perceived to be black men’s sites, ebuhlanti (kraal, esuthwini (initiation school; locating them in culturally designated womanised sites eziko/egoqweni (kitchen and household, ekuzaleni nasekukhuliseni abantwana (child birth and rearing in a patriarchal society. The crux of the article lies in its attempt to re-locate both men and women by its adoption of ‘a hard-line pro-black position’. Womanists acknowledge the interlocution of black men and thus suggest firstly, a shift in mind-set for both to view these sites as life giving and therefore to look for convergences. The article is thus a dialogue between a womanist and Black Theology of Liberation in the 21st century for the purpose of understanding liberation of black people for the liberation of humanity.

  19. The Theological Foundation of Democracy According to Ratzinger

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas Gonçalves Lind

    2018-04-01

    perspective, the concerns of Fukuyama. The German theologian, who became the Pope during a time of political and economic crises, experienced the dictatorship of Nazism and was a protagonist of the Second Vatican Council, in which the Catholic Church accepted positively the principles of democratic society. While, in the past, the relationship between the Church and the “so-called” democrats was characterized especially by confrontation, it seems to me that today, Christianity encourages and is best able to preserve democratic principles. Furthermore, the originality of Ratzinger’s theology consists not only in reconciling the main liberal democratic values with Catholic thought but especially in showing that the condition of the possibility of democracy resides in such Christian theology: democratic values are intelligible and grounded within such theology.

  20. THE IMPACT OF CULTURE ON THE ECONOMIC CRISIS

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    CARINA-ELENA STEGĂROIU

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This premise of this paper is based on the concept of hedonistic culture, which contributes to financial fragility, damages assessment of future capacity (generating investment myopia and short-termism and enhances current opportunism. The paper aims to analyze economic culture as a factor of influence on the global economic crisis, considering the culture of modern capitalism that should be defined as a hedonistic culture, and this culture can contribute to global economic crises. According to the hypothesis of this article, the economic culture and not the individuals underlie economic decisions. Accordingly, the decisions that are taken in the economy, influenced by the dominant culture can have both a positive impact on the economy or a destructive one by generating or maintaining economic crises. The current economic culture authorizes extensive use of loans, including those for consumption, thus generating financial fragility and consequently economic crisis. Hedonistic culture leads operators to focus almost entirely on short-term consequences of his actions to the detriment of long-term outcomes. It is this connection plays an important role in explaining current global crisis resistance. Opportunism emphasized as part of the hedonistic culture also affects the generation and maintenance of the global crisis and unethical behavior by refusing to invest in strategic areas for the economy. This is particularly the widespread use of credit, including the consumer, in preference to short-term investments at the expense of long-term, low appreciation of the future and also a high and growing opportunism. The global crisis is the result of interdependence agents, burdened by debt, especially short-term constantly growing which is a high financial fragility, directed almost exclusively at short-term gains and tend to cheat in their mutual relations.

  1. CULTURAL ISSUES IN ECONOMICS

    OpenAIRE

    Maciej Meyer

    2012-01-01

    This article has been written with the purpose of attracting attention to the cultural issues, or rather lack of them, in economics. This topic has not been taken frequently into theoretical considerations due to some difficulties, although its practical implications are of great importance. The meaning of institutions which are a part of cultures has been given more coverage in the literature. The following hypothesis is proposed: culture is an important but underestimated component of the e...

  2. Ecological economics - a special perspective? Preliminary reflections

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Røpke, Inge

    2002-01-01

    This paper reports on some preliminary reflections from a research project concerning ecological economics as a special perspective. As Clive Spash noted in a presentation at the ESEE conference in Cambridge, July 2001, ecological economics has reached the age of puberty, looks into the glass...... and searches its own identity. The identity seeking processes are visible in the large number of publications discussing the characteristics of ecological economics as well as the similarities to and differences from environmental economics. The present paper is a part of this stream. The paper is work...

  3. Argument from Design in Richard Baxter's Natural Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Igor Koshelev

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the teleological argument, or argument from design, as expounded by a famous English Protestant theologian Richard Baxter, one of the leading 17-th century English Puritans, in his work “The Reasons of the Christian Religion”. Natural theology, providing arguments for the existence of God based on reason and without appeal to the Revelation, has always played a vital role throughout the entire history of theological thought. The most popular was the so called teleological argument, or the argument from design, which stands out among all rational arguments for the existence of the Creator. It is mostly known from the “Fifth Way” of the medieval Scholastic philosopher Thomas Aquinas and a famous work “Natural Theology” by an English 19-th century theologian William Paley. The foundation for the modern research in the area was laid during the age of the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century English nature philosophers and theologians, especially Robert Boyle, who believed the teleological argument to be the key element of Natural Theology. His friend and confessor, Richard Baxter, a prominent representative of the Puritan Natural Theology, mostly known by his theological works, paved the way for Natural Theology both in his own time and the following centuries. His work was thought to be the best collection of the evidences for Christianity.

  4. Theological Education and Character Formation in Nigerian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper presents theological education and character formation in Nigerian Christianity. Some theologians and religious scholars do not offer any practical recipes in dealing with the major pressing problems of theological training for Christian ministry today in the 21st century Nigerian society. Some priests, lay workers ...

  5. Scripture, Sin and Salvation: Theological Conservatism Reconsidered

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hempel, Lynn M.; Bartkowski, John P.

    2008-01-01

    Using insights from ethnographic studies of conservative Protestant congregations, the authors propose and test a refined conceptual model of theological conservatism that accounts for three key components of a theologically conservative worldview: (1. epistemology, a belief in the Bible as the inspired word of God, (2. ontology, assumptions about…

  6. The Theological Disposition of Lay Catholic Headteachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richardson, Christopher

    2014-01-01

    The differing theological perspectives evident in the literature on Catholic schools and education suggest those who appoint headteachers in Catholic schools may need to know more about candidates than that they are practising Catholics. This paper summarises a doctoral research project aimed at identifying the dominant theological motifs that…

  7. Euthanasia in South Africa: Philosophical and theological considerations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojalefa L.J. Koenane

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Debates on euthanasia (or �mercy killing� have been a concern in moral, philosophical, legal, theological, cultural and sociological discourse for centuries. The topic of euthanasia inspires a variety of strong views of which the �slippery slope� argument is one. The latter warns that the principle(s underlying any ethical issue (including euthanasia may be distorted. Scholars� views on euthanasia are influenced mainly by cultural, personal, political and religious convictions. In South Africa, the issue of euthanasia has arisen from time to time, but the question of whether it should be legalised was not seriously considered until it recently attracted attention because of a particular case, that of Cape Town advocate Robin StranshamFord. Although euthanasia is still illegal (this is because the Stransham-Ford ruling is confined to this particular case only, as stated in the ratio decidendi by Judge Hans Fabricius of the High Court in Pretoria, the Court granted leave to appeal its April 2015 judgement regarding euthanasia in the application lodged by Stransham-Ford. In considering the contentious nature of the issue of euthanasia, this article adopts a multidisciplinary approach which includes historical, legal, theological, philosophical, theoretical and analytic frameworks, discussing euthanasia from philosophical and theological perspectives, in particular. We conclude by recommending that the subject of applied ethics, which helps to educate citizens about contemporary moral problems such as euthanasia, be introduced at school level. Exposing young people to the debates around thorny issues such as this would familiarise them with the discourse, encourage them to engage with it and empower them as mature citizens to make informed, reasonable decisions, obviating confusion and conflict which might otherwise arise. The problems surrounding the issue of euthanasia are multidimensional and have the capacity to polarise the nation and

  8. Psicologia, ciência e construcionismos: dando sentido ao self Psychology, science and constructionisms: making sense of self

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emerson F. Rasera

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available O construcionismo social tem sido proposto como um conjunto de elaborações da crise paradigmática que tem sofrido as ciências nas últimas décadas. A complexidade e riqueza de tais elaborações dificultam uma descrição única e consensualmente aceita sobre o construcionismo social. Neste artigo temos como objetivo explorar as propostas de Kenneth J. Gergen e Rom Harré acerca do construcionismo social, seus pressupostos, a visão de ciência promovida por cada uma delas, buscando compreender as implicações para a construção de suas descrições de self. Se é possível identificarmos diversas semelhanças nas propostas destes autores, algumas diferenças significativas marcam a distinção de suas posturas, e servem para mapear o campo de tensões no qual outros autores construcionistas buscam ativamente se posicionar.Social constructionism has been proposed as a set of answers for the scientific paradigmatic crisis of last decades. The complexity and richness of its statements make difficult a unitary and consensual description of what is social constructionism among its proponents. Our objective in this article is to explore in more details Kenneth J. Gergen and Rom Harré's view of social constructionism, its assumptions and view of science, thus favoring an understanding about the way these authors describe and understand the self. Although it is possible to identify many similarities in their proposals, some differences clearly separate their positions, and help to map this field of tensions in which other constructionist authors try to position themselves.

  9. Philosophy and Theology in Karl Barth’s Neo-Orthodoxy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pylaev Maksim

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In the proposed article the author explores the concept of God’s Word in theocentric theology of K. Barth and theology of early K. Barth in times of the second edition of 'Romans’, in terms of their philosophy founding. The author compares the block of philosophical and theological topics such as the theory of temporality, dialectic concept of the beginning (Ursprung and other types in philosophical discourses used by K. Barth (platonism, neo-Kantianism, existentialism, scholasticism, phenomenological philosophy and others with theology of K. Barth. The article gives a brief reconstruction of the theology of God’s Word by K. Barth in its two complementary projections as presented in the ‘Sketch of Christian Doctrine’ and ‘Dogma of the Church’. During the presentation the reader is well acquainted with the third projection of the concept of God’s Word by K. Barth at the time of the genesis of the book ‘Fides quaerens intellectum’. The article tests the hypothesis that the second edition of the ‘Romans’, ‘Fides quaerens intellectum’ and ‘Sketch of the Christian Dogma’ with ‘Church Dogma’ explicate the form of Christian theology, which, absorbing primarily the important philosophic achievements of 19–20th centuries, yet tries to stay free of them. Using various forms of philosophical discourses Karl Barth implements his own task of building a Christian theology beyond metaphysics, history and human existence.

  10. Cultural Economy. The economic impact of the cultural sector from a European perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alba Colombo

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available Culture is playing an increasingly important role in the economic development of industrialised countries. Thus, the management of large cultural events and the relationship between cultural management and cultural policies will be key elements in the development of the so-called cultural economy. This article looks at the concept of cultural economy, in terms of the appearance of the idea and the different European methodological positions. The case of the Berlin International Film Festival is taken as an example to show the importance of cultural management with regard to economic development of the sector. This case study also allows for the analysis of the increasingly complex forms of cultural management adopted, as well as their effects on the regulation of the cultural market and their links to other basic economic sectors in urban development.

  11. Developing theological tools for a strategic engagement with Human Enhancement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomkins, Justin

    2014-01-01

    The literature on Human Enhancement may indeed have reached a critical mass yet theological engagement with the subject is still thin. Human Enhancement has already been established as a key topic within research and captivating visions of the future have been allied with a depth of philosophical analysis. Some Transhumanists have pointed to a theological dimension to their position and some who have warned against enhancement might be seen as having done so from a perspective shaped by a Judeo-Christian worldview. Nonetheless, in neither of these cases has theology been central to engagement with the enhancement quest.Christian theologians who have begun to open up such an engagement with Human Enhancement include Brent Waters, Robert Song and Celia Deane-Drummond. The work they have already carried out is insightful and important yet due to the scale of the possible engagement, the wealth of Christian theology which might be applied to Human Enhancement remains largely untapped. This paper explores how three key aspects of Christian theology, eschatology, love of God and love of neighbour, provide valuable tools for a theological engagement with Human Enhancement. It is proposed that such theological tools need to be applied to Human Enhancement if the debate is to be resourced with the Christian theological perspective of what it means to be human in our contemporary technological context and if society is to have the choice of maintaining its Christian foundations.

  12. Ta splanchna: A theopaschitic approach to a hermeneutics of God’s praxis. From zombie categories to passion categories in theory formation for a practical theology of the intestines

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    Daniel J. Louw

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available It is argued that both the traditional clerical paradigm of an ecclesial approach and the phenomenological paradigm of an empirical approach are not sufficient enough to describe and maintain a theological methodology in practical theology. This has led to the introduction of a theopaschitic paradigm in theory formation. It is argued that the normative task of practical theology implies a philosophical-hermeneutical dimension, that is, to interpret under girding paradigms as related to meaning and being. It also implies a theological dimension; to reflect theologically on the praxis of God as an influential factor within human actions (inhabitational theology. With reference to ‘the pneumatological praxis of God’, a practical theology of the intestines is proposed. Bowel categories reveal a divine intentionality (teleology and describe a modus of God’s praxis, the how of God within the vulnerability and suffering of human beings. This divine ontological mode should operate as a practical theological paradigm determining being qualities (ontic status within human actions and processes of communication. The under girding theological presupposition is that ta splanchna [strong feeling of mercy and compassion expressed by the intestines] denotes a compassionate praxis of co-suffering (the passio Dei. Passion in practical theology emanates in parrhesia and instills a vivid hope: fides quaerens spem [faith in search of hope].

  13. Human dignity and biomedical ethics from a Christian theological perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulrich H.J. Körtner

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The argument of human dignity plays an important role in current debates on human rights and their relevance in modern biomedicine. When discussing the contribution of Christian theology to current debates on human dignity and human rights the thesis is not that the modern idea of human dignity depends on a theological grounding. Also, it is not the task of theology to legitimate rights as Christian a posteriori. We do not need to deduce modern human rights from theological doctrines. The theological challenge is to find an access for Christians from their belief to the modern idea of human rights and human dignity and to discuss the contribution which theology and the churches can make to further development of human rights. The Christian image of man, which serves as the foundation for the church position on bioethical topics in the German-speaking context, is a mix of biblical motives, a Kantian interpretation of the concept of human dignity and an interpretation of the German constitutional law inspired by the Catholic tradition of natural law. The following presented theological understanding of human dignity, in contrast, was inspired by the insights of the Pauline doctrine of justification and its Protestant reinterpretation.

  14. Immortality in the Christian Physicalistic Theology: A Critical Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hasan Ahmadizade

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Physicalistic Theology is a term that has no exact definition in theologian views. In the 20th century some of Christian thinkers on theology, like Nancy Murphy and Peter van Inwagen, by accepting a Physicalistic approach on human being, tried to analyze the Christian beliefs about human identity and his immortality. This approach today is called Physicalistic Theology. According to this approach, human is not but this physical body itself and so we can simply analyze the immortality problem. In this article we try to by an analytic and descriptive method, analyze the immortality of human according to the view of Physicalistic Theology. We will analyze the most important reasoning of Physicalistic Theology that is: no-interaction between the material and the immaterial, interaction between the person and the body, and the physicalism in Christian beliefs. One of the conclusions of this article is that according to Physicalistic view, the person that at some time has not been in the world, must exists any time to destroyed forever because the Christians believe to things that cannot justify rationally. The problem of immortality is one of these matters. Physicalistic Theology try to prove the immortality based on the miracles and the absolute power of God.

  15. Doing classical theology in context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gerrit Neven

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available This article is about doing classical theology in context. The weight of my argument is that classical text of Karl Barth’s theology is great intellectual text means: being addressed by this text in the context in which one lives. The basic keywords that constitute a rule for reading those texts are “equality”, “event” and “re-contextualisation”. The article contains two sections: The first section elaborates statements about the challenge of the event and the project of rereading classics by way of recontextualisation. The word “event” refers to true and innovating moments in history which one can share, or which one can betray. Classical texts always share in those liberative moments. The question then is in what sense do they present a challenge to the contemporary reader. The second section elaborates the position of man as central and all decisive for doing theology in context now. In this section, the author appeals for a renewal of the classical anthropology as an anthropology of hope. This anthropology contradicts postmodern concepts of otherness.

  16. The visual theology of Victorian popularizers of science. From reverent eye to chemical retina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lightman, B

    2000-12-01

    This essay examines the use of visual images during the latter half of the nineteenth century in the work of three important popularizers of science. J. G. Wood, Richard Proctor, and Agnes Clerke skillfully used illustrations and photographs to establish their credibility as trustworthy guides to scientific, moral, and religious truths. All three worked within the natural theology tradition, despite the powerful critique of William Paley's argument from design set forth in Charles Darwin's Origin of Species (1859). Wood, Proctor, and Clerke recognized that in order to reach a popular audience with their message of divine wonder in nature, they would have to take advantage of the developing mass visual culture embodied in the new pictorial magazines, spectacles, and entertaining toys based on scientific gadgets emblematic of the reorganization of vision. But in drawing on different facets of the emerging visual culture and in looking to the images produced by the new visual technologies to find the hand of God in nature, these popularizers subtly transformed the natural theology tradition.

  17. An assessment of the Theology of Religions

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Test

    sure, or how. That would be going beyond the Bible. But they hope. (p. 45). There are a .... therefore we cannot base exclusivism on texts such as John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 ...... practices, '[w]e do not need a theology of religions, but multiple theologies in engagement ..... the execution of Jesus, Harper Collins, New York.

  18. Pastoral ministry in a missional age: Towards a practical theological understanding of missional pastoral care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guillaume H. Smit

    2015-03-01

    adequately mentored in their roles as coaches of nonequipped people. In taking the research to a further level of normative reflection, attention should be turned to developing specific areas of pastoral care:� formal clinical education and subsequent accreditation of pastors (in the South African context pastoral care is not legally recognised as a valid area of psychological therapy � specifically pertaining to Narrative Therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy� basic counselling skills for non-theologically trained congregational leaders� qualitative and quantitative research methods� organisational theory for congregational ministry� crisis counselling skills for congregation members serving in a community context� marriage and family therapy� emotional intelligence as outcome of a spiritual growth cycle� leadership development and personality assessment� personal growth by confronting and crossing emotional and cultural boundaries.

  19. Navigating treatment impasses at the disclosure of incest: combining ideas from feminism and social constructionism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheinberg, M

    1992-09-01

    This article describes an approach to the social and emotional schisms that characterize the disclosure of intrafamilial sexual abuse (incest). It argues that ideas from social constructionism and feminism can be combined in such a way that what appear as either/or choices become both--and possibilities. These include: social control versus therapy, shame versus pride, attachment to one's abusive partner versus attachment to one's injured child, and "justice" versus "care."

  20. Theology and practice of Christ Apostolic Church on Bible inspiration and its authority in the context of Evangelical theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    George O. Folarin

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The motivation for this study originated from a review of literature which led the current researcher to the realisation that not much critical study has been performed on the theology and practice of Bible inspiration and its authority in Christ Apostolic Church (CAC. This article set out to identify the tenet of faith of the church on inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, locate this tenet in the context of Evangelical theology and compare the initial understanding of the concept of Bible inspiration in CAC with the way it is perceived by the church members today. Primary sources of data for the work comprised the Bible, editions of CAC constitution and structured interviews. Secondary sources of data comprised Bible commentaries, books, journal articles and the Internet. Data collected were analysed using Conservative Evangelical theological framework. The study discovered that CAC held to word-for-word inerrancy of the Scriptures, even of its vernacular translations, and its binding authority on Christians in all areas of their lives. The study revealed that the belief of CAC on Bible inspiration and its authority located CAC at the centre of Evangelical theology which researchers have identified as inerrancy. Finally, the study discovered that the initial position of CAC on the inspiration and authority of the Bible remained the same as held by contemporary members of the church. The work provides theological relevance for the study of one of the doctrines of Pentecostalism in Nigeria.

  1. Politics, Economics, and Testing: Some Reflections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feuer, Michael J.

    2011-01-01

    In this keynote address, the author shares his reflections on politics, economics, and testing. He focuses on assessment and accountability and begins with some data from large scale written educational testing, "circa 1840". The author argues that people's penchant for accountability and their appetite for standardized testing are, in…

  2. Reflection group on 'Expert Culture'

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eggermont, G

    2000-07-01

    As part of SCK-CEN's social sciences and humanities programme, a reflection group on 'Expert Culture' was established. The objectives of the reflection group are: (1) to clarify the role of SCK-CEN experts; (2) to clarify the new role of expertise in the evolving context of risk society; (3) to confront external views and internal SCK-CEN experiences on expert culture; (4) to improve trust building of experts and credibility of SCK-CEN as a nuclear actor in society; (5) to develop a draft for a deontological code; (6) to integrate the approach in training on assertivity and communication; (7) to create an output for a topical day on the subject of expert culture. The programme, achievements and perspectives of the refection group are summarised.

  3. Breaking the Stained Glass Ceiling: Women's Collaborative Leadership Style as a Model for Theological Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowe, Mary E.

    2011-01-01

    One of the prevailing notions within American culture is the idea that women are prevalent in leadership positions. The reality, however, is that while women are slightly more than 50% of the population, they are underrepresented in leadership. Fewer than 10% of chief executive officers in theological education are women. Traditional roles in…

  4. Incarnation theology versus the sacralisation of authority | Muller ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article juxtaposed the theological theme of incarnation with quasi-religious invasions of public power structures and institutions in southern Africa, which has been described by the term sacralisation of authority. Incarnational theology as constructed on the model of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ concerns a ...

  5. Theological education, considered from South Africa: Current issues ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2016-02-04

    Feb 4, 2016 ... professional experience in theological education, which enables engagement with the new publications and newly ... 2013, Asian handbook for theological education .... of secularism as a non-religious orientation to life, most explicitly to ... Western/ised societies, a more natural kind of balance is now.

  6. Theological education, considered from South Africa: Current issues ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Taking into review the newly published series of substantial multi-authored volumes on ecumenical theological education internationally, this article identifies, from the author's own experience in ecumenical theological education and from his publications in this field, the central issue of specificity, locality and context in ...

  7. Latinos’ Informational Needs in Attaining Accredited Theological Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filomena Saxton

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores published articles that report on theological education in the Hispanic/Latino community. It looks at U.S. demographic changes and the needs of the Latino community to provide civic and church leadership within their communities. The article reports on past efforts, and challenges, to increase Latino enrollment in graduate theological education. It looks at current strategies by Asociación para la Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH to collaborate with American Theological Schools (ATS and the American Theological Library Association (ATLA to certify unaccredited Bible Institutes so that the educational standards will be strengthened and create a clearer pathway for Latinas/os to enter ATS accredited member schools. The purpose of the paper is to present the AETH commission report and discuss ways to help strengthen ways to meet the informational needs of students in Bible Institutes as well as provide more resources that will meet the needs of the Latino community.

  8. The unrealised ethical potential of the Methodist theology of prevenient grace

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David N. Field

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This article examines the unrealised ethical potential of the theology of prevenient grace. It begins with a brief analysis of John Wesley’s rejection of slavery as rooted in his theology of prevenient grace. This is demonstrated in the next section which analyses Wesley’s notion of prevenient grace. This is followed by a constructive proposal for a contemporary theology of prevenient grace and some ethical implications of this theology, for contemporary social and political ethics, are developed.

  9. Corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa: A practical-theological response

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petria M. Theron

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available On the 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index of Transparency International, 89.6%of Sub-Saharan African countries received scores below 50, where a score of zero signifies that the country is highly corrupt and a score of 100 declares a country free of corruption. From these results, it seems as if Sub-Saharan African countries are quite vulnerable to corruption. In this article, the question whether certain traits in the Sub-Saharan African culture such as communalism, gift giving and a shame culture could in some situations influence people’s perception of, and their possible openness towards, certain forms of corruption was investigated. The research showed that cultural traits do influence people’s behaviour and that there are certain traits in the Sub-Saharan African culture that might sanction corruption. In response to these findings, some preliminary suggestions were proposed as to how Christians living in Africa could evaluate their cultural practices in the light of God’s Word and from a reformed theological paradigm. Instead of succumbing to the pressure posed by their culture to participate in immoral or corrupt activities, they could contribute to a moral regeneration on the African continent.

  10. Student reflections on learning cross-cultural skills through a 'cultural competence' OSCE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Elizabeth; Green, Alexander R

    2007-05-01

    Medical schools use OSCEs (objective structured clinical examinations) to assess students' clinical knowledge and skills, but the use of OSCEs in the teaching and assessment of cross-cultural care has not been well described. To examine medical students' reflections on a cultural competence OSCE station as an educational experience. Students at Harvard Medical School in Boston completed a 'cultural competence' OSCE station (about a patient with uncontrolled hypertension and medication non-adherence). Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of twenty-two second year medical students, which were recorded, transcribed, and analysed. Students' reflections on what they learned as the essence of the case encompassed three categories: (1) eliciting the patient's perspective on their illness; (2) examining how and why patients take their medications and inquiring about alternative therapies; and (3) exploring the range of social and cultural factors associated with medication non-adherence. A cultural competence OSCE station that focuses on eliciting patients' perspectives and exploring medication non-adherence can serve as a unique and valuable teaching tool. The cultural competence OSCE station may be one pedagogic method for incorporating cross-cultural care into medical school curricula.

  11. Discussing the theological grounds of moral principles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heller, Jan C

    2005-01-01

    Discussing the theological beliefs that ground Catholic moral principles can make some people uncomfortable, even while others will appreciate it. But these reactions will sometimes be revealed not as the emotions they are, but as objections to the relative independence or dependence of morality on foundational beliefs. In the end, context should dictate whether one displays the theological beliefs that ground Catholic moral principles.

  12. As below, so above: A perspective on African Theology

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    p1243322

    of thinking and speaking about God. 1. ... indispensable contribution in Christian thinking about God. ..... because of the support of a community, one can grow. ..... Initiation into theology: The rich variety of theology and hermeneutics, 159-.

  13. Political theology and eschatological war

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Griško Miroslav

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The intent of this paper is to describe the antagonism that constitutes the eschatological position, i.e., the inseparability of eschatology from a concept of eschatological war, through 1 the political theology of Carl Schmitt, 2 Orthodox Christological anthropology and 3 the nomadology of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. Schmitt's political theology can be understood as a theory of eschatological war. The theological character of Schimtt's work entails that 'the secularisation of theological concepts' is constitutive of the eschatological concept of cosmological finitude. Moreover, Schmitt's distinction between friend and enemy, which informs his concept of politics as the 'political', aims to identify the primary antagonism of eschatological history. For Schmitt, the liberal end of history is the absolutisation of the enemy, as liberalism denies the fundamental distinction of the political, namely, liberalism maintains that war is over on the basis of its claim to immanent historical truth. From the position of Orthodox Christological anthropology, liberalism also contains a clear eschatological element. The anthropology of liberalism is consistent with the gnomic will, which, according to St. Maximus the Confessor, is the fallen definition of human freedom, i.e., freedom as choice. Freedom as the natural will, in contrast, determines the ethical mission of man as the soteriological deification of cosmos. The lines of eschatological war can be further illustrated through the work of Deleuze and Guattari as well as Heinz Von Foerster, whose concepts of diagram/ abstract machine and trivial/non-trivial machine may contribute to an understanding of how a concept of war informs the transformative cosmology which belongs to the eschatological logic of cosmic finitude and deification, theosis.

  14. THE SACRED IN THE EVERY-DAY WORLD: DISCOVERING THE POSSIBILITIES OF NATURAL THEOLOGY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. MIKHAYLOV

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available The present article attempts to defi ne the parameters of competency of natural theology and the ways this theological information may be applied. The author demonstrates the fact that the natural knowledge of God, the prototype of this branch of theology, is the invariable basis and starting point of religious consciousness. In order to better understand this fact, the antithesis of this principle is examined in the work of Kant and Barth both of whom sought to destroy the basis of natural theology proceeding respectively from a philosophical and a theological standpoint. Finally, the author reviews the methods explored by Orthodox theology of the patristic period which defi ned more clearly the concept of natural theology and sought to discover the limits of its use

  15. The need of discoursing social theology in Muslim Southeast Asia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azhar Ibrahim

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper highlights and evaluates the significance of an emerging social theologicaldiscourse in contemporary Muslim Southeast Asia. It emerged partlyas a response to the traditional Islamic theology inasmuch as the revivalistdakwah activism that became prominent since the 1970s. This emerging discourseis part of the continuity and extension of the reformist voices whichhave evolved since the late 19th century. As a theology, it puts discourse aboutGod as its premium but extend its focus on the social dimension of faith inGod, of the social message of the religion, and the social responsibility of theman and community of faith in God, and to their fellow human beings. Todaythere are several books and articles written which can be classified as belongingto this genre of social theology. In Indonesia this discursive theologycan be found in rational, humanistic, transformative cultural, and the oppressedtheologies. It opens a wider realm of participation and engagement,where theology is no longer the exclusive affairs of experts, but inclusive of thelay intellectuals who are not necessarily from a strictly religious background.It also enables the Muslim public to comprehend critically and to cope creativelywith rapid social change, and its attendant problems. Theology is, afterall, a human enterprise, albeit it’s strong religious commitment. To harnessthe potentiality of the social theology, calls for its recognition. Herein lies the need to start studying and engaging them discerningly, or to advance its criticaldimensions for the benefits of the larger Muslim public.Paper ini menyoroti dan mengevaluasi pentingnya wacana teologi sosial yangmuncul dalam periode kontemporer Muslim Asia Tenggara. Teologi sosialmuncul sebagian sebagai tanggapan terhadap teologi Islam tradisional karenaaktivisme dakwah revivalis yang semakin menonjol sejak tahun 1970-an. Wacanayang muncul di sini merupakan bagian dari kontinuitas dan perluasan suarareformis yang

  16. Modern Technology within the Western Theological Imaginary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neil Turnbull

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, I claim that modern technology possesses certain general ‘onto-formative’ characteristics that indicate that our contemporary technological condition now defies orthodox theoretical forms of comprehension. In the light of this claim, I will propose that any adequate conceptual understanding of modern technics requires a decisive shift of disciplinary register: specifically, towards theology and to the formation of new philosophical paradigms founded upon metaphysically-inspired interpretations of the ‘total significance’ of modern technics. Such theological conceptions, I will argue, emerge from a startling recognition of modern technics’ incipient association with the infinite, the transcendent as well as with its capacity to “bring new worlds into existence”. I attempt this, in the first instance, by drawing upon the work of two major thinkers who I believe paved the way towards just such a theological conception: Martin Heidegger and Ernst Jünger. In a non-standard interpretation of their respective philosophies of technology, I will go on to claim that these two thinkers should be viewed as attempting to find a way towards a “radically conservative” revalorisation of ancient theological truths that they believed could provide 20th century modernity with the philosophical groundwork for a new techno-political order that they posited in contrast to a dying Platonic-Christian civilisation. For both of these thinkers a theological understanding of modern technics created the possibility of a new spiritual condition/zeitgeist where the very idea of modern technology is rearticulated as the focal point of a post-Platonic-Christian social imaginary that they believed to be revolutionary in its necessarily destructive relationship to extant historical worlds and their corresponding traditions. By these lights, I suggest, that modern social imaginary can only be con conceived within a new theological synthesis that

  17. Scientific-theoretical research approach to practical theology in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    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 ...

  18. Theological Construction in the Offices in Honour of St Knud Lavard

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Nils Holger

    2014-01-01

    A discussion of the theology of the late twelfth-century offices in honour of the Danish patron saint Knud Lavard, asking to what extent this theology can be seen to have been underlined in musical representations. The theological tenor is on suffering as a consequence of evil and unprovoked aggr...

  19. All things weird and scary: Nanotechnology, theology and cultural resources

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Davies, Sarah Rachael; Kearnes, Matthew B.; Macnaghten, Phil M.

    2009-01-01

    's reflections on the ethics of nanotechnologies to focus on the talk of one group of participants, from a UK church. While we identify key themes which are common across all participants, including nanotechnology as a threat to the human, the importance of individual autonomy, and distrust of the large......-scale drivers behind the technology, we argue that the church-going group have a specific set of cultural resources with which to articulate responses to these. Using a language of spirituality and relationality these participants are able to express shared notions of what nanotechnology threatens (and promises...

  20. Color of Cultures of Staphylococcus epidermidis Determined by Spectral Reflectance Colorimetry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Richard W.

    1966-01-01

    Brown, Richard W. (National Animal Disease Laboratory, Ames, Iowa). Color of cultures of Staphylococcus epidermidis determined by spectral reflectance colorimetry. J. Bacteriol. 91:911–918. 1966.—A colorimeter with a reflectance attachment was used to study pigment production by Staphylococcus epidermidis strains grown on a medium containing Trypticase Soy Agar (BBL) and cream. The color of each culture was first characterized by reflectance colorimetry for dominant wavelength, purity, and luminous reflectance (Y) and was then classified visually into 1 of 10 color grades. There was not complete agreement in grading colors by the two methods, inasmuch as cultures that were considered more pigmented in relation to other cultures by the reflectance method were sometimes graded visually as less pigmented, and vice versa. Nevertheless, when the cultures were visually graded as being more pigmented, there was a concomitant increase in the average values of dominant wavelength and purity with a decrease in Y for the cultures in each higher grade. Thus, the nonpigmented cultures had the lowest dominant wavelength and purity values but the highest Y (brightness) values, whereas the most pigmented cultures had the highest dominant wavelength and purity values, but the lowest Y values. These results indicated that the cultures did not produce pigments of different hues (greenish-yellow, yellow, yellowish-orange) each with high, medium, and low degrees of purity and brightness. The value (1 − z), where the chromaticity coordinate z = Z/(X + Y + Z), was found to be proportional to the purity value. An inverse relationship between the tristimulus Z and purity values was also demonstrated. All cultures tested by the reflectance method were also classified according to the type of spectral absorption curve obtained with pigments extracted from the cultures with methanol. A comparison of these methods indicated that determining the type of spectral absorption curve would be

  1. Teologické základy lidských práv

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Konrad Hilpert

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The paper focuses on the question of the importance of the theological justification of human rights. Firstly, it reflects in which way the philosophical and theological rationale of human rights is present in the current discourse on human rights and in the most important documents on human rights. Secondly, the author reflects on theological rationalisation of human rights as present in Church documents, starting with the encyclical Pacem in Terris, and the models of theological justification of human rights in contemporary German theology (Huber/Tödt, Saberschinsky, Sander is presented. Thirdly, the basic theological-anthropological rationale of human rights is formulated. In the conclusion, the paper notices a tension among theological rationalisation on human rights and the reality of cultural and religion plurality.

  2. The Political Theology of Consumer Sovereignty

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schwarzkopf, Stefan

    2011-01-01

    The article analyses the common notion that the consumer society is a reflection of those principles in the market that also provide the ideas of democracy and liberal constitutionalism with legitimacy in the political realm. The inalienable right to self-development and self-determination makes...... the individual the starting and ending point of life, rendering all spheres of market and society a ‘republic of choice’. But if consumer society shares the essentials of liberal constitutionalism and the rational, processual nature of democratic representation, then its ontology needs to be investigated...... to understanding the ontology of consumer society. But rather than simply placing sovereignty into the hands of the independent, self-determined consumer, the earliest ontologists of the consumer society took recourse to medieval political theology and presented the consumer market as a new corpus mysticum. Thus...

  3. Poetically Africa dwells: A dialogue between Heidegger�s understanding of language as the house of Being and African Being-with (ubuntu as a possible paradigm for postfoundational practical theology in Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johann-Albrecht Meylahn

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The search for new paradigms and perspectives for practical theology in South Africa begins with the context, South Africa. What perspectives are given and what perspectives respond to the call of this context when this African context is brought into dialogue with the thoughts of a thinker who has to a large extent determined the paradigm of postmodern Western thought? This article was inspired by the hope that such a dialogue will reveal unique outcomes that could offer perspectives and possible paradigms for doing postfoundational practical theology in South Africa. I specifically brought into dialogue Heidegger�s understanding of language and the poetics of Being, with ubuntu, interpreted as Being-with [mit-Sein] and how African ubuntu can be interpreted as being of language � poetically Africa dwells-with-others. This dialogue in Africa with Africa, on and of the house of Being, can only but �gift� practical theology with new perspectives and paradigms, because practical theology can be understood as a critical theological reflection on the word event (language event in the various sub-disciplines of practical theology (homiletics, pastorate, liturgics and diaconical ministry, responding to the Word event of Scripture as the written said in answer to the Divine saying.I have reflected on this dialogue, not as an outsider objectifying Africa or postmodernism, but as one born in Africa (as-one-in-Africa whose mother tongue (house of Being is that of middle Europe. Theology has always been most creative at the intersection or intercessions of paradigms of thought, that is, Jerusalem�Athens, Jerusalem�Athens�Alexandria, Jerusalem�Athens�Alexandria�Rome, et cetera. The time has come for southern Africa to be part of this intersection and these intercessions, to offer perspectives and paradigms for practical theology.

  4. Children as theological hermeneutic: Is there a new epistemological break emerging?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nico Botha

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Children are the great omission in theology. The objective of the article is to show that there is a growing realisation of this reality. More than that, there are attempts afoot to salvage the situation by factoring children more and more into theological writing, not in an objectified manner, but as serious agents of theology and, in the case of this article, as agents of mission. A few examples to this effect are shown in the article. The main thrust of the study, however, is to raise the hypothetical question of whether children have not become an important and indispensable theological hermeneutic themselves. The serious question is raised of whether children if, taken seriously in church and theology are not forcing a new epistemological break or a new way of believing and of theologising on the world of mission. A somewhat tentative and hypothetical conclusion is arrived at, which suggests that indeed there is a new rupture occurring in terms of how we know what we know in church and theology.

  5. A working theology of prison ministry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Stephen T

    2004-01-01

    Drawing upon experiences as a prison chaplain and a state director of prison chaplaincy services, the author proposes a working theology of prison ministry. Such a theology begins with an understanding of the inherent worth of humankind as created by God in God's own image, addresses the question of hope, embodies the incarnate presence of God by being present with people in their alienation, enables the giving and receiving of forgiveness, deals with issues of power and control, and respects the diverse paths that humans take in their walk toward and with God.

  6. Theology and Pedagogy: A Response to Sean Whittle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooling, Trevor; Smith, David I.

    2014-01-01

    In this rebuttal to Sean Whittle), Cooling and Smith opine that: 1) Whittle's key concern is with discerning the appropriate relationship between theology and education in the context of a Christian school, 2) Whittle's criticism of our work, is that it fails to achieve a proper relationship between theology and education, and 3) Whittle…

  7. Malcolm X’s the ballot or the bullet speech? Its implications for Black Liberation Theology in present-day South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rothney S. Tshaka

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available This article attempts to bring one of the greatest speeches of Malcolm X back to life in the current South Africa – the year 2015. It is a year of growing frustration and extreme dissatisfaction with basic living conditions amongst the greater part of black people in the country. Recounting the influences that Malcolm X had on Black Liberation Theology in South Africa, the article proposes that Black Liberation Theology in South Africa moves away from being an inward-looking critical theology to one that identifies with the basic concerns of the most vulnerable in society. It criticises both the political and the economic hegemonies that are currently perceived to perpetuate much of apartheid’s grave social ills in democratic South Africa. It calls attention to party politics that floods society with propaganda but in reality seems to have little real interest in the social well-being of the masses. In the article, the question as to what Malcolm X would have said about the current South African socio-economic context is asked. It is clear that both structural apartheid residues as well as the pure selfish interests of the current political rulers gang up against the chances of black people ever experiencing social justice in the near future.

  8. Cultural Challenges of Social-Economic Innovation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bajde, Domen; Ottlewski, Lydia

    2016-01-01

    Purpose We introduce the concept of social-economic innovation (SEI) and point to cultural challenges involved in instituting SEI. In the second part of the paper, we delve into the alternative exchange system of “Housing for help” (HFH) to explore the challenging negotiation of roles and relations...... of the cultural processes and challenges involved in instituting unconventional social-economic systems. The paucity of existent research and the preliminary nature of our study call for further investigation. Practical implications The study informs individual and institutional efforts to negotiate...

  9. Human, Social, Cultural Behavior (HSCB) Modeling Workshop I: Characterizing the Capability Needs for HSCB Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-07-01

    The expectations correspond to different roles individuals perform SocialConstructionis Social constructionism is a school of thought Peter L...HUMAN, SOCIAL , CULTURAL BEHAVIOR (HSCB) MODELING WORKSHOP I: CHARACTERIZING THE CAPABILITY NEEDS FOR HSCB MODELING FINAL REPORT... Social , Cultural Behavior (HSCB) Modeling Workshop I: Characterizing the Capability Needs for HSCB Modeling 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c

  10. Making Economic Principles Personal: Student Journals and Reflection Papers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewer, Stephanie M.; Jozefowicz, James J.

    2006-01-01

    The authors address two informal writing assignments implemented in introductory economics classes. One assignment involves students writing short reflection papers, and the other assignment involves students writing short journal entries for a designated period of time. Both assignments are designed to help students realize that economics is…

  11. Theological Media Literacy Education and Hermeneutic Analysis of Soviet Audiovisual Anti-Religious Media Texts in Students' Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fedorov, Alexander

    2015-01-01

    This article realized the Russian way of theological media education literacy and hermeneutic analysis of specific examples of Soviet anti-religious audiovisual media texts: a study of the process of interpretation of these media texts, cultural and historical factors influencing the views of the media agency/authors. The hermeneutic analysis…

  12. Unpacking the downside of sustentasie on African theology and theologians: a need for contextual black theology as a liberative ingredient for the black Reformed churches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elijah Baloyi

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The practice of the black church being a follower of the leading white church is a continuous process in the Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid Afrika (or Reformed Churches in South Africa in English. This makes it difficult to contextualise Reformed Theology to address African challenges and problems. There are many reasons for the subordination of the black theologians, but for the sake of this article, I identified the issue of sustentasie1 as one of the causes. The lack of financial independence implies that the black church2 cannot determine their destiny by revising, transforming and even Africanising their theology to fit into their context and challenges, since that would mean they are biting the hand that feeds them. This article will argue that it is time that Africans stop being a theological duplication of the Western theologies and that they take responsibility to ensure that their theology addresses the immediate situation of the Black Reformed people (contextualised with or without the support from the white church.

  13. Forced removals and migration: a theology of resistance and liberation in South Africa

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    Kgatla, Selaelo T.

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the intensification of the scope of migrant theology by forced removals in the 1960s and 1970s in South Africa. Forced removals in South Africa were carried out by the white government, especially in the late 1950s and 1960s, with the support of the white churches (particularly white Afrikaans churches underpinned by a series of laws which entrenched racial segregation and inequality and which led to millions of black peoples being forced to leave their ancestral land and white cities to live in barren and overcrowded places. The policy of forced removals accompanied by its resultant reprisals led to a mass exodus of many black people going to settle in the neighbouring countries either to join the arms struggle or further their studies abroad. Those who remained in the country were forced to resist the policy either through violent protest or peaceful resistance. The policy led to black people developing theologies of survival in the country of their birth since they were exposed to a condition of poverty, exploitation and alienation from their cultural heritage, while ensuring exclusive privileges to whites in the country. The paper seeks to investigate how the migrants developed a theology of resistance amidst their dislocation and the heavy-handedness of the government.

  14. The interplay between theology and development: How theology can be related to development in post-modern society

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    Klaasen, John

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available This article attempts to make a contribution to the discourse of missiology by engaging critically with the much debated studies of theology and development. The two widely used definitions of development are analysed to point out commonalities and weaknesses. A theology of relationality is then introduced with reference to the Trinity, relationships and personhood. Some pointers then emerged to form a more integral understanding of development. I then make some connections between human and social development and the Trinity and perichoresis and to point out the missiological and ecclesiological implications for the mission of the church.

  15. Children as theological hermeneutic: Is there a new epistemological ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The main thrust of the study, however, is to raise the hypothetical question of whether children have not become an important and indispensable theological hermeneutic themselves. The serious question is raised of whether children if, taken seriously in church and theology are not forcing a new epistemological break or a ...

  16. Cultural safety, diversity and the servicer user and carer movement in mental health research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cox, Leonie G; Simpson, Alan

    2015-12-01

    This study will be of interest to anyone concerned with a critical appraisal of mental health service users' and carers' participation in research collaboration and with the potential of the postcolonial paradigm of cultural safety to contribute to the service user research (SUR) movement. The history and nature of the mental health field and its relationship to colonial processes provokes a consideration of whether cultural safety could focus attention on diversity, power imbalance, cultural dominance and structural inequality, identified as barriers and tensions in SUR. We consider these issues in the context of state-driven approaches towards SUR in planning and evaluation and the concurrent rise of the SUR movement in the UK and Australia, societies with an intimate involvement in processes of colonisation. We consider the principles and motivations underlying cultural safety and SUR in the context of the policy agenda informing SUR. We conclude that while both cultural safety and SUR are underpinned by social constructionism constituting similarities in principles and intent, cultural safety has additional dimensions. Hence, we call on researchers to use the explicitly political and self-reflective process of cultural safety to think about and address issues of diversity, power and social justice in research collaboration. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Ecology: Its relative importance and absolute irrelevance for a Christian: A Kierkegaardian transversal space for the controversy on eco-theology

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    Hermen Kroesbergen

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The controversy about the importance of eco-theology or creation spirituality seems to be in a deadlock. Those who support it and those who oppose it do not even seem to be able to communicate with one another. On the one hand, Celia Deane-Drummond, for example, writes in her Eco-theology (2008:x: ‘I find it astonishing that courses on eco-theology do not exist in many university departments of theology and religious studies.’ Matthew Fox desperately asks in his Creation spirituality (1991:xii: ‘Need I list the [environmental] issues of our day that go virtually unattended to in our culture?’ On the other hand, evangelical Christians are known for their ecological ‘blind spot’ (Davis 2000, until recently at least. Pentecostal proponents of the prosperity gospel preach a consumer-lifestyle for all Christians, which is not very eco-friendly (cf. Kroesbergen 2013. Even in more mainline Christianity we find, for example, the well-known theologian Robert Jenson who writes in his Systematic theology: Volume 2 (1999:113, n. 2: ‘Recent waves of “creation spirituality” are simply apostasy to paganism. And it is such unguarded, even unargued judgement that is required of the church.’ We find eco-theologians, who do not understand that not everyone agrees with them on the one hand, and opposing theologians, who do not even feel the need to argue against them on the other hand. What would be needed to re-open communication between those in favour of eco-theology or creation spirituality, and those opposed to it?

  18. #MisconstruedIdentitiesMustFall collective: Identity formation in the current South African context: A practical theological perspective

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    Alfred R. Brunsdon

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available In South Africa, 2015 was violently ushered out by several ‘must fall’ campaigns, of which the most prominent were the ‘fees’ and ‘Zuma must fall’ campaigns. These ‘must fall’ campaigns conveyed a new sense of urgency by the disgruntled masses towards certain institutions and individuals. Aligning with the ‘must fall’ analogy, the focus of this article is on combatting the notion of misconstrued identities in post-apartheid South Africa. Based on negative generalisation and perceptions of the ‘others’, misconstrued identities prohibit the formation of a collective identity that allows for peaceful co-existence. Consequently, the dynamics of collective identity formation and some of the possibilities for identity formation that reside within the Christian faith are investigated from a practical theological perspective. Given that a practical theological investigation takes both the context and theological reflection as points of departure, it is argued that it can contribute towards the dismantling of misconstrued identities to provide clues for the formation of a positive collective identity for South Africans.

  19. THEOLOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL THEORIES OF TRUTH

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    Hans-Peter Grosshans

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Examining some theological and philosophical theories of truth, the author concentrates his attention on the experience of giving concrete reality to the Christian discourse about truth and at the same time contrasting this search with the attempts of philosophy to define truth. He draws the reader’s attention to the understanding of truth in language and communication. In his article he discusses the essential theories of truth which are characteristic of western philosophy: classical, correspondent, coherent, pragmatic, communicative and ontic. The author notes the specific traits of a theological understanding of truth and contends that it is based on an ontologically higher level than that of the classic definition of truth viewed simply in relation to reality and the understanding. The knowledge of God given to the Christian faith by the activity of the triune God, is in itself perfect and therefore in no need of further development. It is on this basis that theology develops its knowledge of faith, sweeping aside everything which is not in accord with this fundamental affirmation of faith or with the witness of revealed truth

  20. HISTORICISM AND HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL METHOD IN WOLFHART PANNENBERG’S THEOLOGY

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    Andrey Lavrentyev

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Researched is the problem of awareness of historicism for the christian theology, presented in the works of a german theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg. Discussed are the issue of application of the methods of historical science in theology, the problem of historical anthropocentrism, coexistence «natural» and «supernatural» events in history, teleology and contingency of history. It is come to conclusion of special significance of historical knowledge for Christian theology

  1. Judicial Enforcement of Economic, Social and Cultural Right

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    Aulona Haxhiraj

    2013-07-01

    In every society there is violation which implies its citizen not get proper social right, economical right and cultural right. Proper implementation and adoption of judicial enforcement can reduce this violation rate and established social peace. Step mentioned in the above might not perfect but it might be small starting and ensure social, culture & economical right for the people living in the society.

  2. Economic impact of cultural events

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    M Saayman

    2004-11-01

    Full Text Available The phenomenon of events can hardly be described as a new one.  The aim of this paper is to determine the economic benefits of three major cultural events in South Africa to the host community.  Measuring the economic impact normally entails some estimation of the cash injection into a region by visitors and applying the relevant multiplier to arrive at a monetary estimate of the economic impact.  But few regions or municipal areas have detailed economic data to construct a type of input-output model and derive a multiplier.  The purpose of the methods used in this research were firstly to determine the estimated cash injection, secondly to estimate the size of leakages in the local economy and thirdly to derive an appropriate multiplier to estimate the economic impact of the event.

  3. Culture of socio-economic security of Ukraine: Challenges in XXIst Century

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    Olesya Ihorivna Datsko

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available It is argued, that the culture of social- economic security has impact on the socio-economic development of state. It is formed at several levels of human interaction: with oneself, other people, work, environment, community groups, state, world, God. It is proved that low level of culture of socio-economic security of Ukraine's population, especially state leaders has a destructive effect on the economic development, labour potential, and increasing level of corruption. The necessity to develop a culture of social- economic security in the state economic policy is proved.

  4. Cultural diversity, economic development and societal instability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nettle, D.; Grace, J.B.; Choisy, M.; Cornell, H.V.; Guegan, J.-F.; Hochberg, M.E.

    2007-01-01

    Background. Social scientists have suggested that cultural diversity in a nation leads to societal instability. However, societal instability may be affected not only by within-nation on ?? diversity, but also diversity between a nation and its neighbours or ?? diversity. It is also necessary to distinguish different domains of diversity, namely linguistic, ethnic and religious, and to distinguish between the direct effects of diversity on societal instability, and effects that are mediated by economic conditions. Methodology/Principal Findings. We assembled a large cross-national dataset with information on ?? and ?? cultural diversity, economic conditions, and indices of societal instability. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of cultural diversity on economics and societal stability. Results show that different type and domains of diversity have interacting effects. As previously documented, linguistic ?? diversity has a negative effect on economic performance, and we show that it is largely through this economic mechanism that it affects societal instability. For ?? diversity, the higher the linguistic diversity among nations in a region, the less stable the nation. But, religious ?? diversity has the opposite effect, reducing instability, particularly in the presence of high linguistic diversity. Conclusions. Within-nation linguistic diversity is associated with reduced economic performance, which, in turn, increases societal instability. Nations which differ linguistically from their neighbors are also less stable. However, religious diversity between, neighboring nations has the opposite effect, decreasing societal instability.

  5. Cultural diversity, economic development and societal instability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nettle, Daniel; Grace, James B; Choisy, Marc; Cornell, Howard V; Guégan, Jean-François; Hochberg, Michael E

    2007-09-26

    Social scientists have suggested that cultural diversity in a nation leads to societal instability. However, societal instability may be affected not only by within-nation or alpha diversity, but also diversity between a nation and its neighbours or beta diversity. It is also necessary to distinguish different domains of diversity, namely linguistic, ethnic and religious, and to distinguish between the direct effects of diversity on societal instability, and effects that are mediated by economic conditions. We assembled a large cross-national dataset with information on alpha and beta cultural diversity, economic conditions, and indices of societal instability. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of cultural diversity on economics and societal stability. Results show that different types and domains of diversity have interacting effects. As previously documented, linguistic alpha diversity has a negative effect on economic performance, and we show that it is largely through this economic mechanism that it affects societal instability. For beta diversity, the higher the linguistic diversity among nations in a region, the less stable the nation. But, religious beta diversity has the opposite effect, reducing instability, particularly in the presence of high linguistic diversity. Within-nation linguistic diversity is associated with reduced economic performance, which, in turn, increases societal instability. Nations which differ linguistically from their neighbors are also less stable. However, religious diversity between neighboring nations has the opposite effect, decreasing societal instability.

  6. Together towards Life and Evangelii Gaudium: Implications for African Child Theology today

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    Knoetze, Hannes

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available This article contributes to the development of an African ChildTheology and will attend to the implications of Together towards Life (TTLand Evangelii Gaudium (EGfor an African Child Theology. The article wants to answer the following question: What theological understanding is needed to indicate the distinct contribution of the African childto the understanding of the revelation history of God? The history of Christian mission, especially in Africa, has been characterised by conceptions of geographical expansion from a Christian centre, namely Europe, to the unreached territories (cf TTL 5. In the new understanding and new generation of mission, the church must focus on marginalised children as unreached territories, an essential group through which God conveys his love to the world. In developing an African Child Theology, consideration must be given to applicable and relevant statements in TTL and EG. We live in a world with many spirits (TTL 25, where people are looking for joy, not as a relationship from within, but in the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience (EG 2. Within African Theologies, we concur with TTL (23 on our spiritual connection with creation. These three statements imply some specific African contextual considerations for a child theology. A classic understanding defines theology as a faith seeking understanding. In the African church, Father Augustines understanding takes the form, I believe in order that I may understand (Migliore 2014:2. It is in this regard that the article will look at African Child Theology as seeking a deeper understanding of Gods revelation through the hermeneutical lens of the African child.

  7. Theological Underpinnings of the Modern Philosophy of Mathematics.

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    Shaposhnikov Vladislav

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The study is focused on the relation between theology and mathematics in the situation of increasing secularization. My main concern in the second part of this paper is the early-twentieth-century foundational crisis of mathematics. The hypothesis that pure mathematics partially fulfilled the functions of theology at that time is tested on the views of the leading figures of the three main foundationalist programs: Russell, Hilbert and Brouwer.

  8. Reformed theology and the identity of the Christian congregation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. D. Jonker

    1995-06-01

    Full Text Available Throughout the ages, the role of theology was understood to be that of serving the church to become what it should be, to become true to its own identity. In the theology of the Reformation, the identity of the congregation was sought in its being created and sustained by the Word of God. Consequently, theology was intended to serve the preaching, teaching and pastoral care of the congregation. However, since the Enlightenment, theology as a university discipline has been deeply influenced by the presuppositions of the modern spirit and has mostly lost its close relationship with the church. Because of its resultant critical approach to the Bible it often destroyed the very fabric of the gospel by which the church should live. It often became an impediment on the way of the congregation to remain true to its spiritual identity. The author contends that the time has now come to see the presuppositions of the Enlightenment for what they are: relative and one-sided, the biased assumptions of a positivistic era which is rapidly drawing to its end. He is of the opinion that theology should not aspire to operate within the limits of the modern world view, but accept the challenge to operate on the basis of the faith of the congregation as interpretative community, and to read the Bible as the Book of the church with the presuppositions of the Christian faith.

  9. The Role of Food Selection in Swedish Home Economics: The Educational Visions and Cultural Meaning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Höijer, Karin; Hjälmeskog, Karin; Fjellström, Christina

    2014-01-01

    This article explores foods talked about and chosen in the education of Swedish Home Economics as a relationship between structural processes and agency. Three data sets from observations and focus group interviews with teachers and students were analyzed for food classifications. These were related to a culinary triangle of contradictions, showing factors of identity, convenience and responsibility. Results show that foods talked about and chosen by teachers and students were reflections of dominant cultural values. Results also indicate that teachers had more agency than students, but that the choices they made were framed by educational visions and cultural values.

  10. Practical theology as embodiment of Christopraxis-servant leadership in Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gordon E. Dames

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This article proceeds from the aim to revitalise the value of a service ethic for human well-being and the common good of all. The service delivery crisis in South Africa and Africa forms the context. A contemporary example of an embodied practical theology of service is offered, followed by a theological and social analysis of service delivery in South Africa. A theoretical service ethic framework with special reference to practical theology as a living Christopraxis is discussed. Finally, the value of diaconology as a science of service is presented, followed by the conclusion.

  11. Does education engender cultural values that matter for economic growth?

    OpenAIRE

    Prosper F. Bangwayo-Skeete; Afaf H. Rahim; Precious Zikhali

    2009-01-01

    Empirical research has shown that cultural values matter for economic growth and has specifically identified the achievement motivation as an aspect of culture that engenders economic growth. If specific cultural values engender economic growth, how then can societies promote them? This paper attempts to answer this question using the 2005 wave of the World Values Survey data for 43 countries. We test the contention that education significantly impacts the relative importance an individual pl...

  12. From dependence to interdependence: Towards a practical theology of disability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul Leshota

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Disability has remained on the fringes of research in Africa in general and Southern Africa in particular, especially in the field of theology. Its glaring absence constitutes an indictment against both church and society, revealing in the process both the church’s and society’s penchant for a dependence paradigm which has been the paradigm with respect to issues of disabilities and people with disabilities. Using the participatory method with its proclivity for bringing to the fore the voice of the ‘other’ and the marginalised, both the dependence and independence paradigms within the context of disability are put under scrutiny. In the process and through the voice of people with disabilities, the practical theological paradigm of interdependence emerges as the most appropriate and friendliest one, as it resonates with both the New Testament notion of koinonia through love and the African notion of botho through interconnection. The practical theology of holding each other in arms resonates with the theology of embrace that has been popularised by Volf within the context of much hatred and alienation. All these different dimensions of the theology of interdependence become the bedrock for inclusive and respectful treatment of each other irrespective of race, gender,

  13. Christian Theology at the University: On the threshold or in the margin?

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    Elna Mouton

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The essay discusses challenges regarding the position and role of Christian Theology in twenty-first century university contexts. Questions asked include the following: How will a theology that is oriented to (Reformed Christian Theology develop itself at universities worldwide, within contexts of secularisation and globalisation? What important strategic choices will it have to make? It is argued that answers to such questions inter alia relate to how Christian Theology responds to three crucial choices: (1 Being truthful to its biblical orientation and calling; (2 Accounting critically for its position on the threshold of interdisciplinary and interreligious dialogue; and (3 Being connected to the life stories of people.

  14. Theories of social constructivism in Anglophone historical epistemology in 2000-2015

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    Ageeva Vera

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Social constructionism can be seen as a source of the postmodern movement, and has been influential in the field of cultural studies. The article is devoted to the analysis of the influence of social constructionism in modern Anglophone historiography and historical epistemology (2000-2015. The research results show the meaning and place of social and cultural constructivism in contemporary Anglo-American theoretical historical reflection. Nowadays constructivism is the theoretical framework for many quantitative researches in history. The authors have discussed constructivism and post-constructivism as “umbrella-approaches” and not as “fully-fledged theories” in modern Anglophone historiography. The presence of theoretical foundations of social constructivism in contemporary Anglophone historiography, its role and level of influence can be accurately described as a “critical inoculation constructivism”. To this day the theories of social constructivism perform many reflective and critical functions in cultural history and contemporary Anglo-American historiography. The ideas and postulates of social constructivism continue to play a prominent role in the “democratization” of modern socio-humanitarian knowledge, rethinking ethnicity, gender, socio-cultural identity. The theories of social constructivism are actively used in such historical projects and research directions as gender history, feminism history, sport history, the history of popular culture, media communications, and many others.

  15. Between Theology and Mathematics. Nicholas of Cusa’s Philosophy of Mathematics

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    Murawski Roman

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The paper is devoted to the philosophical and theological as well as mathematical ideas of Nicholas of Cusa (1401–1464. He was a mathematician, but first of all a theologian. Connections between theology and philosophy on the one side and mathematics on the other were, for him, bilateral. In this paper we shall concentrate only on one side and try to show how some theological ideas were used by him to answer fundamental questions in the philosophy of mathematics.

  16. SHAKESPEARE, CULTURE AND ECONOMIC INTANGIBLES IN KNOWLEDGE ECONOMIES

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    A.S. WEBER

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available This contribution investigates the vexed question of economic intangibles in the knowledge economy using Shakespeare as a locus of inquiry. Shakespeare is particularly suited for this analysis since as England’s widelyacknowledged greatest dramatist, the author possesses considerable cultural capital, but also contributes substantially to the tangible, measurable economy of Great Britain through productions of his works, tourism, and fee-generating activity in universities, museums and heritage sites. In addition, a considerable number of knowledge products (Intellectual Property arise directly from Shakespeare including books, films, instructional materials, and research articles. Due to the large number of peer-reviewed books and articles annually produced by scholars of Early Modern history and literature, academics joke about “the Shakespeare industry.” Drawing on cultural economics, cultural theory, and knowledge economy research, this paper attempts to bridge the gap between quantitative statistical based economic theory and qualitative research into culture, value, and artistic transmission.

  17. Autopistia : the self-convincing authority of scripture in reformed theology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Belt, Hendrik van den

    2006-01-01

    Autopistia offers a historical survey and a theological evaluation of the self-convincing character of Scripture in Reformed theology. Calvin adopted the term autopistos from ancient Greek philosophy and used it to express that faith does not rest on the human authority of the church but on

  18. What We Thought We Knew and How We Came to Know It: Four Decades of Cross-Cultural Research from a Piagetian Point of View

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maynard, Ashley E.

    2008-01-01

    The major tenets of Piagetian theory, such as adaptation and constructionism, are compatible with a cross-cultural approach to the study of cognitive development, but there have been significant methodological and theoretical advances over the past 40 years. Piagetian theory directly influenced three phases of cross-cultural research, ranging from…

  19. Theology and bioethics: a marriage not made in heaven.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boone, C Keith

    1986-10-01

    Boone reviews the 20th volume in the Philosophy and medicine series, Theology and Bioethics: Exploring the Foundations and Frontiers, edited by Earl E. Shelp (D. Reidel; 1985). The volume's theme, if and how "theology can make a unique contribution to bioethics in our time," is addressed by L. Walters, B. Mitchell, R. McCormick, M. Farley, P. Lehmann, C. Hartshorne, H.T. Engelhardt, S. Hauerwas, J. Childress, and W. Frankena, with a prologue by J. Nelson and an epilogue by J. Cobb. Boone briefly summarizes and critiques each essay. While he responds favorably to the volume, he also believes the work would have been stronger if more attention had been focused directly on the metaethical issues arising from the "gap between theological belief and moral action."

  20. Applying social constructionism in the treatment of patients who are intractably aggressive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldwell, M F

    1994-06-01

    Interventions based on the philosophy of social constructionism can be used for the treatment of patients who are intractably aggressive. The interventions are aimed at disrupting common interactive patterns between the patient and treaters in the treatment milieu and replacing them with patterns that do not allow the intractable symptoms to disrupt treatment efforts. Two case examples illustrate the use of this approach with extremely violent inpatients with long histories of unsuccessful interventions. In both cases the treatment included discontinuing certain therapeutic or prosocial interventions; one case involved determining the patient's daily privilege level randomly. The author discusses the advantages and difficulties of such approaches, including the need for staff to reframe their own logical structure and to overcome resistance from different levels of the treatment system.

  1. The canon as text for a biblical theology

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    James A. Loader

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available The novelty of the canonical approach is questioned and its fascination at least partly traced to the Reformation, as well as to the post-Reformation’s need for a clear and authoritative canon to perform the function previously performed by the church. This does not minimise the elusiveness and deeply contradictory positions both within the canon and triggered by it. On the one hand, the canon itself is a centripetal phenomenon and does play an important role in exegesis and theology. Even so, on the other hand, it not only contains many difficulties, but also causes various additional problems of a formal as well as a theological nature. The question is mooted whether the canonical approach alleviates or aggravates the dilemma. Since this approach has become a major factor in Christian theology, aspects of the Christian canon are used to gauge whether “canon” is an appropriate category for eliminating difficulties that arise by virtue of its own existence. Problematic uses and appropriations of several Old Testament canons are advanced, as well as evidence in the New Testament of a consciousness that the “old” has been surpassed(“Überbietungsbewußtsein”. It is maintained that at least the Childs version of the canonical approach fails to smooth out these and similar difficulties. As a method it can cater for the New Testament’s (superior role as the hermeneutical standard for evaluating the Old, but flounders on its inability to create the theological unity it claims can solve religious problems exposed by Old Testament historical criticism. It is concluded that canon as a category cannot be dispensed with, but is useful for the opposite of the purpose to which it is conventionally put: far from bringing about theological “unity” or producing a standard for “correct” exegesis, it requires different readings of different canons.

  2. Stigma as 'othering' among Christian theology students in South Africa

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adrian D. Van Breda

    2012-12-14

    Dec 14, 2012 ... He has been teaching HIV to both theology and social work ... profile – male, heterosexual, healthy, and morally conservative. .... However, much of this literature is written from a moral high ... This study was conducted at the Theological Education by Exten- ..... spite of having attended previous courses).

  3. Reconstructing a hopeful theology in the context of evolutionary ethics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Keogh, Gary

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this thesis is to articulate a theological metaethic which accepts the nature of ethics as understood under the rubric of evolutionary theory. It will be argued that such a theological methaethic can be interpreted as hopeful and optimistic given the apparent evolution of the moral

  4. Dimensions of taste qualifying didactic reflections on home economics education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wistoft, Karen; Qvortrup, Lars

    Aim: Traditionally and worldwide home economics education has been concerned with taste and flavorings based training associated with students cooking in the school kitchen. In contrast new educational research on food knowledge in the Danish public school shows that taste is used as a didactic...... review on children, learning, food and taste followed by analyses in a value reflective pedagogy perspective as well as quantitative and qualitative research in home economic education. This has been combined with systems theory developed by the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann providing concepts...... element and "overtakes" more traditional didactic elements like motivation and active participation. The purpose of this proposal is to present a systematic model for qualifying reflections on taste in home economics and food education. The objective is to identify four dimensions of taste that can...

  5. Elements of the universe in Philo’s De Vita Mosis: Cosmological theology or theological cosmology?

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    Gert J. Steyn

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available It is the intention of this article to investigate how Philo’s understanding of the universe, and particularly its four basic elements as taught by the Greek philosophers, influenced his description of the God of Israel’s world in which the Moses narrative unfolds. Given the fact that Philo was a theologian par excellence, the question can be asked whether Philo’s approach is closer to what one might call ‘theological cosmology’ or rather closer to ‘cosmological theology’? After a brief survey of Philo’s inclination to interpret Jewish history in the light of Greek cosmology, the study proceeds with his universe as symbolised in the high priest’s vestments. The τετρακτύςwith its 10 points of harmony is a key to Philo’s symbolism and numerology. The article concludes that Philo is not writing cosmology per se in his De Vita Mosis, but he is rather writing a theology that sketches the cosmic superiority and involvement of Israel’s God against the backdrop of Greek cosmology as it was influenced by Pythagoras’ geometry and numerology as well as by Plato’s philosophy. In this sense his account in the De Vita Mosisis closer to a cosmological theology. He utilises the cosmological picture of the Greco-Hellenistic world in order to introduce and present the powerful nature and qualities of Israel’s God.

  6. ST. AUGUSTINE IN THE RUSSIAN THEOLOGICAL TRADITION OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

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    PAVEL KHONDZINSKY

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available One of the most authoritative theologians of the Western Church, Saint Augustine was little known in Byzantium and still less in Rus’. The fi rst translations of his works into Slavonic appear not earlier than the sixteenth century. During the synodal period, patristic studies of his work were published, but it remains an open question whether he actually exerted any infl uence at all on the Russian theological tradition. Our present article attempts to shed light on possible infl uences of Augustinian theology on the Russian theological tradition of the eighteenth century.

  7. Disentangling Religion and Culture: Americanizing Islam as the Price of Assimilation

    OpenAIRE

    JOHN H. MORGAN

    2013-01-01

    This essay is an exploration into the social inevitabilities of culture shifts within the American Muslim community’s self-understanding of their faith. Rather than a theological explication of the reasons why and why not Islam may or can or will not assimilate in America, our approach will be strictly sociological thereby side-stepping the intricate dialectic of theological niceties in deference to the social realities of culture change. As a social psychologist, my duty is to acknowledge t...

  8. Theological Libraries and “The Next Christendom:” Connecting North American Theological Education to Uses of the Book in the Global South

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John B. Weaver

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available Survey of the past thirty years of librarian literature on the documentation of world Christianity indicates a number of trends in theological librarianship, including a relative inattention to the connection between the documentation of world Christianity in ATLA libraries, and the needs of theological researchers in North America. A trilogy of recent books by Philip Jenkins on the globalization of Christianity argues for the significance of the writings of the “global South” to reading habits in the “global North.” Based on the work of Jenkins and other scholars, this paper identifies ten specific connections between North American theological education and the documentation of world Christianity – connections that are rooted in the uses of the book in the global South. These are reasons for increased promotion and support of the documentation of world Christianity among ATLA libraries.

  9. the vision of divine light in saint gregory palamas's theology

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    in Romania. 2. THE RECEPTION OF SAINT GREGORY PALAMAS'S. THEOLOGY IN THE WEST. In the West, the reception of Saint Gregory Palamas's theology, as it is known, was rather a negative one. His doctrine of divine light was rejected, because it postulated the possibility of seeing God with corporeal eyes. (Lossky ...

  10. Dalit humanization: A Quest based on M.M. Thomas' theology of salvation and humanization

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rajaiah, J.

    2016-01-01

    Chapter one states the central quest of this thesis: to develop a Dalit theology on the basis of the concepts salvation and humanization of M.M. Thomas. Chapter two elucidates the socio- political and religious milieu which influenced his theology. Thomas’ theology has evolved and developed in

  11. Complexity and the culture of economics: a sociological and inter-disciplinary analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hendrik Van den Berg

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper offers a sociological explanation for why the field of economics has so severely restricted the scope of its analysis to the point where it failed to foresee the financial crises, economic recessions, and other large shifts in economic activity that have characterized the global economy in recent decades. This paper’s analysis of the culture of economics draws heavily on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, the French sociologist who developed a useful framework with which to analyze the culture of an intellectual field like economics. Specifically, the paper describes how the neo-liberal doxa supports the restrictive neoclassical (marginalist modeling approach that is a central element of the habitus of mainstream economics. Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic violence shows how the orthodox economics culture perpetuates itself even in the face of the complete failure of the culture’s favored neoclassical and rational expectations models to anticipate recent macroeconomic crises. The paper concludes with some thoughts on how this understanding of the culture of economics can enable economists to free themselves from the oppressive culture of mainstream economics.

  12. Introducing some secular and feminist theological insights of body into theological conversation

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    Raymond Potgieter

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Whether the conversation is casual or professional, words such as body, woman, and heart a repart and parcel of community conversation. However, the understanding of the meaning of a specific word such as body may prove to be elusive, vague or alternately take on a complexity often removed from ordinary conversation. Although the insights from Christian feminists have enriched the traditional theological understanding of the word body their insights are not always associated with the general use of the term. A richer understanding of the word results in recapturing the meaning of body, not only for women but also for society’s theological conversation and ‘body-talk’ as a whole. Ongeag of die gesprek informeel of professioneel is, bly die woorde liggaam, vrou en hart deel van die gemeenskapsgesprek. Die begrip of betekenis van ’n bepaalde woord soos liggaam, kan ontwykend vaag of alternatiewelik ’n kompleksiteit aanneem wat van gewone gesprekvoering verwyderd is. Feministe het onder andere ook van sekere woorde, waaronder besitreg geneem en dit aan kritiese teologiese ondersoek onderwerp. Hulle insig verryk die tradisionele begrip van die woord – nie net vir vroue nie, maar vir gemeenskapsteologie in die geheel.

  13. Economic struggle and the class culture of workers

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    Branko Bembič

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Economic struggles are usually linked to the spontaneous working class ideology of fighting for a mere improvement in wages and working conditions. However, they often transcend their meagre economic results as they are indispensable in the construction of the working class culture of solidarity. Far from being spontaneous, the process of transforming the trade union orientation from class unionism to business unionism in the USA and to social partnership in Europe had to be imposed through social struggles in which capital forced upon workers a pacified form of economic struggle that was required by post-war Keynesianism. The ruling perception of twentieth-century economic struggles was thus shaped by references to the Gramscian concept of hegemony, in which marginal concessions to labour are essential for its successful subordination to capital. However, the intensification of economic struggles in the 1960s and 1970s showed that the hope of integrating labour into capitalist society by marginal concessions underestimated the economic conditions of capitalist discipline. Thus, the neoliberal restoration was primarily concerned with the imposition of capitalist discipline in the “Factory,” which had severe cultural consequences in the sphere of “School and Family.” However, while American neoliberalism orchestrated a frontal attack on organised labour, in Europe the system of industrial relations was preserved, but with disastrous effects on the culture of labour. I grasp these cultural aspects of the neoliberal attack on European labour with the concept of community in resignation, which, unlike the concept of hegemony, explains labour’s subordination in terms of workers’ renouncement of certain rights in the process of forging competitive alliances with capital.

  14. Teaching Race: Pedagogical Challenges in Predominantly White Undergraduate Theology Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheid, Anna Floerke; Vasko, Elisabeth T.

    2014-01-01

    While a number of scholars in the field of Christian theology have argued for the importance of teaching diversity and social justice in theology and religious studies classrooms, little has been done to document and assess formally the implementation of such pedagogy. In this article, the authors discuss the findings of a yearlong Scholarship of…

  15. The Theology of CReaTion in ViTo ManCuSo'S RadiCal Theology

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Christianity, Mancuso postulates the impossibility of an intelligent plan which ... the origin of the human being and it must contain the fundamental awareness ..... the quality of truth delivery in myth is much stronger than the interpretation of a ..... Reduction and emergence in artificial life: a Theological appropriation. in: n.

  16. Rethinking English phyisco-theology: Samuel Parker's Tentamina de Deo (1665).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levitin, Dmitri

    2014-01-01

    Recent historiography has claimed that a radically new, non-dogmatic physico-theology gained prominence with, and simultaneously promoted, the new science. This article challenges this view by focusing on an important physico-theological work by the young Oxford cleric Samuel Parker, published in 1665. It received a glowing review in the first volume of the Philosophical Transactions and gained its author election to the Royal Society, yet has been almost entirely ignored by modern scholars. Parker's work demonstrates both how easily the pious rhetoric of the naturalists could be incorporated into the traditional--largely humanist--knowledge gained by a typical M.A. student in mid-seventeenth-century England. Moreover, far from being non-dogmatic, Parker's physico-theology culminated in a remarkable deployment of the new philosophy (specifically Thomas Willis's neurology) to explain scriptural passages referring to God's passions. Parker believed himself not to be doing something radically new, but to be working in the traditions of scholastic theology. At the same time, his work was one of the most important conduits for the early English reception of both Descartes and Gassendi.

  17. Lecture One: Rediscovering Darwin for theology – Rethinking human personhood

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    J. Wentzel van Huyssteen

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available In a series of three articles, presented at the Goshen Annual Conference on Science and Religion in 2015, with the theme ‘Interdisciplinary Theology and the Archeology of Personhood’, J. Wentzel van Huyssteen considers the problem of human evolution – also referred to as ‘the archaeology of personhood’ – and its broader impact on theological anthropology. These Goshen Lectures explore the potentiality that the history of human evolution provides bridge theories to theological anthropology and thus to a positive and constructive way of appropriating Darwinian thought for a public, interdisciplinary Christian theology. Lecture One tracks a select number of contemporary proposals for the evolution of aspects of human personhood. These aspects were of significance for Darwin: the evolution of cognition; the evolution of imagination, music and language; the evolution of morality; and the evolution of the religious disposition. The article acknowledges the close ties to hominid ancestors and focuses on the emergence of human distinctiveness, consciousness and personhood, and the propensity for religious awareness and experience.

  18. Oburoni outside the Whale: Reflections on an Experience in Ghana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Angene H.

    1998-01-01

    Reflects on a social studies teacher's experiences during a Fulbright professorship in Ghana. Relates how, as an outsider from the United States, she learned about Ghanian perspectives of history, economics, women's issues, and culture, and was reminded of the dominating power of Western cultural and economic imperialism. (DSK)

  19. Process theology's relevance for older survivors of domestic violence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowland, Sharon

    2011-01-01

    Pastoral work with survivors of domestic violence may reveal theological struggles. Understandings of scripture that reinforce a sense of powerlessness and alienation from God may contribute to an impaired relationship and limit resources for healing. One framework for re-imaging a relationship with God is process theology. This framework was applied to a case study for one survivor. The application resulted in a line of inquiry that may assist survivors in their healing process.

  20. Dekonstruksie van tradisionele probleem- realiteite: ’n Narratief-pastorale perspektief

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.J. de Jager

    2002-10-01

    This article serves as an introduction to qualitative narrative research from a postmodern epistemological perspective. The research is directed at four pastoral-therapeutic processes and the stories told as part of those processes. Special focus is placed on the construction and deconstruction of problems in the fields of action: authority; typification; institutionalization. Perspectives regarding narrative, social constructionism, deconstruction and post-modern theology, are explained. The article positions itself in the practical research-processes.

  1. Narratives of difference and sameness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacobus J. (Jakkie Strachan

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available As an Afrikaner man doing research on ubuntu, what are the possibilities for meaningful research? In this article, some aspects of the difficulties and possibilities that may be encountered in such a research programme will be explored. Within a postmodern worldview, and framed within postfoundational practical theology, social-constructionism, a narrative hermeneutic metaphor and autoethnography will be used as tools to explore some difficulties and possibilities of such a research undertaking.

  2. Theology: Still a queen of science in the post-modern era

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erna Oliver

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Theology is just as relevant today as it was in the time of Aquinas who called theology ‘the queen of science’ although the knowledge-driven network society does not seem to be in agreement. By using the tools provided by the fourth revolution in the development of society, theology can, as part of the academic world of higher education that is supposed to lead society, strengthen ties with the past, seek explanations and solutions to current problems and produce guidelines for future investigation through multi- and interdisciplinary discourse. Theology can and should influence people to become positive change agents, re-shape the way in which the message of salvation is brought to the world in order to stay relevant in changing circumstances and be on the forefront of progressive transformation in society. This should be achieved through constant dialogue with other academic disciplines, the Church as institution and with society in general.

  3. Economic Systems: A Modular Approach. Cultural Anthropology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kassebaum, Peter

    Designed for use as supplementary instructional material in a cultural anthropology course, this learning module uses a systems approach to allow students to see the connections and similarities which most cultural groups share on the basis of the type of economic organization that they exhibit. The module begins with a general discussion of…

  4. Economic Constitution, social democracy, innovation and economic culture of Basque Cooperativism

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    Santiago Larrazabal Basañez

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available In the study of Constitutional Law, the author calls for more attention to be paid to the part in which almost all Constitutions set down economic models, the guiding principles of social and economic policy and economic and social rights. He makes this suggestion with a view to going beyond a formal democracy and moving towards a material democracy. For this purpose, he focuses on the values and economic culture of the cooperative movement and advocates inspiration in these values to innovate and search for a fairer economic and social model which will enable us to overcome the present crisis. Lastly, he poses some issues related to innovation in the specific contextof Basque cooperativism.Received: 06.07.2009Accepted: 08.07.2009

  5. The impact of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians: French zone on church and African theology issues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anastasie M. Maponda

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available We can understand that the Circle must work on two dimensions to provide a future for new woman theology in Africa. The first dimension is based on the intuitive fundamental and innovative sense of a woman from Ghana, Mercy Amba Oduyoye, that leads to the creation of the Circle: she impulsed the idea that women should make their own theology from their dailylife experiences and their subjectivity as women, in order to think on faith and Gospel in a different way. It is necessary to question that intuitive sense. The second dimension aims to revisit the great personalities of African woman theologians of the Circle. What are the essential points of their research? How has the research changed African theology? I particularly think of Musimbi Kanyoro, Nyambura Njoroge and Musa Dub� in the Africa English zone and Helene Yinda, Liz Vuadi, Kasa Dovi and Bernadette Mbuyi Beya in Africa French zone. The essence of their thinking is still actual and that is why they are good enough to project in to the future.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article presents the history of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians from creation to now. Issues related to traditional culture, gender and sexual-based violence, gender-based injustice, and HIV and AIDS are discussed under different approaches such as the biblical approach, hermeneutical approach, ethical approach, historical approach and practical approach. The impact of African Women Theologians speaking French will be particularly highlighted.Keywords: theology; women theologians; women empowerment; HIV/AIDS; gender

  6. Economic culture of the Tuvans within the scope of the sociocultural approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuri V. Popkov

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available In this article, the authors argue that for the periods of social turmoil, understanding culture as a set of norms controlling social behavior is limited and insufficient. A more adequate approach would involve interpreting culture as a specific historical version of the society’s existence in its qualitative form. This hearkens back to the sociocultural approach which postulates the culture as an ensemble, and the sociocultural construed as the social in the cultural variety. In this context, economic culture might be seen as a set of qualitative features of a specific economic entity shaped by the local conditions of development. With all its peculiarities, an economic culture appears an element of this sociocultural diversity. Studying the economic culture of Tuvans through the lens of the sociocultural approach and the notion of this diversity allows us to outline several important aspects of this issue, rarely addressed by the existing academic discourse. A focus should be made, for instance, not only on the dominant nomadic culture, but also on subdominant economic cultures which helped shape a number of skills and techniques. While nomadism helped develop unhurried and contemplative attitude to life, hunting demanded dynamic change, and agriculture and crafts called for diligence and meticulousness. A brief glance at the economic history of Tuvans allowed the authors to conclude that economic diversity both provides stability to the economic culture of Tuvan society and expresses its variegation, its capacity to develop through numerous modifications. This polymorphism acts as an important resource which helps launch the alternate routes of ethnic development. These routes rarely appear self-evident under the dominant type of economic culture which had been shaping the traditional life of Tuvan society. Tapping into this alternative potential can prove an important reserve for future development. An overview of ethnographic data helps

  7. Dualism in medicine, Christian theology, and the aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keenan, J F

    1996-03-01

    Distinguishing a person's soul or mind from a person's body describes dualism, the philosophical premise that fails to integrate the person as one, but instead leaves the person as two, usually as souland body or as mindand body. In dualism, one tends to think of the soul or the mind as the person and the body as an appendage. I argue that 1) dualism is rampant in medicine; 2) that Christian theology has fundamentally opposed it, and 3) that cultural dualism today threatens the aging in particular. To deal with this threat, I argue that the moral task of being human is to become one in mind and body. That is, I argue that the unity of the person which is the unity of the mind and body is not really a metaphysical given, but rather the goal or end of being human.

  8. Liberation and dependency: a theological reading of social sciences in Latin America

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teixeira, Helio Aparecido Campos

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: In the early 1970s, social movements directed Latin American theologyto a creative process of deprivatization of the Christian faith, reconfiguring fromthe community practices of liberation and their holistic implications the theoreticalexercise concerning its political and social commitment. Consequently, the notion ofliberation began to be addressed by the opposite equivalent of dependency withinthe methodological framework of the biblical-theological approach. Objective: Tounderstand the meaning of the opposite correlation between liberation and dependencyfrom their specificities in accordance with the vision of liberation intellectuals,and identify the way in which dependency was appropriate to respond to theresponsive and socio-analytical theoretical framework of these intellectuals, linkingthe reading of reality to the Latin American community practice. Methods: Historicaland systematic research, exploratory, under an analytical-descriptive orientation, organized from conceptual schemes. Results: Based on the finding regarding the theoretical refraction of dependency through liberation, the concept emerges as thetheological interpretation of an entire theoretical field taken indistinctly, namely theDependency Theory. Conclusion: The opposite correlation between dependency andliberation as a finding that reveals the similarity between the real that is theorized(dependency and the hypothetical conceptualization of maxims of action (liberation,comprehended within the general theory of anti-imperialism, resulted in aninterdisciplinary theological reflection.

  9. 97 JOSEPH RATZINGER'S THEOLOGICAL HERMENEUTICS FOR ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HP

    1988-01-27

    Jan 27, 1988 ... In other words, the role of modern biblical critical method of ... more, today, about the different literary genres of the Bible; about the ways in ...... Contemporary” in Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible, ed.

  10. Social constructionism and supervision: experiences of AAMFT supervisors and supervised therapists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hair, Heather J; Fine, Marshall

    2012-10-01

    A phenomenological research process was used to investigate the supervision experience for supervisors and therapists when supervisors use a social constructionist perspective. Participants of the one-to-one interviews were six AAMFT Approved Supervisors and six therapists providing counseling to individuals, couples and families. The findings suggest supervisors were committed to their self-identified supervision philosophy and intentionally sought out congruence between epistemology and practice. The shared experience of therapists indicates they associated desirable supervision experiences with their supervisors' social constructionist perspective. Our findings also indicated that supervisors' and therapists' understanding of social constructionism included the more controversial concepts of agency and extra-discursiveness. This research has taken an empirical step in the direction of understanding what the social constructionist supervision experience is like for supervisors and therapists. Our findings suggest a linkage between epistemology and supervision practice and a satisfaction with the supervision process. © 2012 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

  11. Global forces, local identity: the economics of cultural diversity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Prinz, Aloys; Steenge, A.E.; Hospers, Gerrit J.; Langen, Martin

    2011-01-01

    While the economies of the world become more and more integrated, differences in the cultures remain. The economics of cultural diversity and of cultural interactions are the main theme of this volume. The essays originate from presentations at the binational Rothenberge seminar, organized by

  12. Reconsidering the Freedom Charter, the black theology of liberation and the African proverb about the locust’s head in the context of poverty in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ndikho Mtshiselwa

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available While South Africa attained liberation from the apartheid rule in 1994, the legacy of colonialism and apartheid – in the form of poverty and economic inequality – continues to haunt black South Africans. The aim of this article is to make a case for the equitable sharing of South Africa’s mineral wealth amongst all its citizens with the view to alleviate poverty. Firstly, this article provides a reflection on the Freedom Charter and suggests that the values of the Charter, for instance, the sharing of resources and wealth, are relevant in South Africa today. Secondly, it is argued in the present article that the preferential option for the poor which is upheld in the black theology of liberation is equally relevant in post-apartheid South Africa where many black South Africans remain poor. Thirdly, this article argues that the African proverb, Bana ba motho ba ngwathelana hlogo ya tšie [The siblings share the head of a locust], also echoes the idea of equitable sharing of resources with a view to alleviate poverty. Lastly, the author submits that the idea of equitable sharing of resources and wealth that is echoed in the Freedom Charter, the black theology of liberation and the African wise saying support the equitable redistribution of the mineral wealth to the benefit of all South Africans.

  13. A partnership model for a reflective narrative for researcher and participant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Gill; Peters, Kath; Wilkes, Lesley; Jackson, Debra

    2016-09-01

    Background Conceptual frameworks are important to ensure a clear underpinning research philosophy. Further, the use of conceptual frameworks can support structured research processes. Aim To present a partnership model for a reflective narrative for researcher and participant. Discussion This paper positions the underpinning philosophical framework of the model in social constructionism (the idea that jointly constructed understandings form the basis for shared assumptions) and narrative enquiry. The model has five stages - study design, invitation to share a research space and partnership, a metaphorical research space, building a community story, and reading the community story to others. Core principles of the partnership model are continual reflection by the researcher, potential reflections by participants, reciprocal sharing, and partnership in research. Conclusion A 'trajectory of self' for both participants and researchers can be enhanced within reflective partnerships. Implications for practice This model can be applied to studies that use narrative enquiry and are seeking a humanistic approach with participant engagement.

  14. Cultural differences in emotion regulation during self-reflection on negative personal experiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, William; Lau, Anna S

    2013-01-01

    Reflecting on negative personal experiences has implications for mood that may vary as a function of specific domains (e.g., achievement vs. interpersonal) and cultural orientation (e.g., interdependence vs. independence). This study investigated cultural differences in the social-cognitive and affective processes undertaken as Easterners and Westerners reflected on negative interpersonal and performance experiences. One hundred Asian Americans and 92 European-American college students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: interpersonal rejection, achievement failure, or a control condition. Results revealed that Asian Americans experienced greater distress than European Americans after self-reflecting over a failed interpersonal experience, suggesting cultural sensitivity in the relational domain. Consistent with theoretical predictions, analysis of the social cognitive and affective processes that participants engaged in during self-reflection provided some evidence that self-enhancement may buffer distress for European Americans, while emotion suppression may be adaptive for Asian Americans.

  15. Theologia and the Ideologica of Language: The calling of a theology ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The article argues that texts, and theology faculties as texts, are just as any structure or construction haunted by their sacred secret. Haunted by the ghosts in the texts from the past to be inspired for the calling of a theology and religion faculty in a time of populism and the 'renaissance of (neo)nationalism', according to Van ...

  16. Comparative Study of Aquinas and Kant‘s Narration of Ethics and Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Raayat jahromi

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Since Kant is a son of his time, his thought is originally rooted in the Enlightenment. The distinction between theoretical and practical reason, formal and material conscientiousness, authentic and doctrinal theodicy, sincerity and falsehood, and finally, historical and moral faith religion, are implications of the court held by Kant for metaphysics. Meanwhile, Kantian distinction between deism and theism in one hand, and inclination toward Job and Christ as the symbols of moral faith of religion in the other hand, can be explained by the German Protestantism of the age of Fredrick the Great and his successor. The theology based on practical reason criticizes rationalism in faith and suggests perception of religion through morality. But, Aquinas as a Christian catholic emphasizes on historical religion, revealed religion, Divine legislation, faith in Divine worship and ecclesiastical faith. Aquinas is the most distinguished supporter of rational theology. However, he believed to other kind of theology named theologia sacrae scripturae or sacred theology which its main subject is Divine beings. The main bases of Aquinas‘s ethics are revelation and foundations of church. Kant, in the contrary, tries to make room for faith inside the realm of morality and speak of practical reason theology through denial of theoretical reason.

  17. Applying Constructionism and Problem Based Learning for Developing Dynamic Educational Material for Mathematics At Undergraduate University Level

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Triantafyllou, Eva; Timcenko, Olga

    2013-01-01

    As a result of changes in society and education, assumptions about the knowledge of entrants to university have become obsolete. One area in which this seems to be true is mathematics. This paper presents our research aiming at tackling with this problem by developing digital educational material...... for mathematics education, which will be student-driven, dynamic, and multimodal. Our approach will be supported by the theories of Constructionism and PBL. The impact of its use will be evaluated in university settings. It is expected that the evaluation will demonstrate an improvement in student engagement...

  18. Aesthetic reception and semantic-theological displacement of Homer’s work

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alex Villas Boas

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The Homer´s work is a true “bible” of the Greeks, meeting the need for a  search for meaning at the time when society is in crisis and the poet becoming the “educator of the Greeks.” However, the criticism of Levinas, totalitarian regimes are coming for the Being Meditation solipsism, and the Ulysses model, returning to Ithaca, always back to “Even”, different from the Abraham model, which launches a walk a promise, outgoing and invites you to go towards the Other. Although, a closer look at the Homeric work is able to identify two theologies: a theodicy that justifies the Trojan war by divine will, in the Iliad, and one that presents itself as what we call teopatodiceia, this is as search for meaning present in the Odyssey, in that the hero discovers the back to Ithaca, the aid of Athens, indicating the search for wisdom seized a theological vision, like the wisdom of the Jewish and Christian literature. Our work will be identify the theological semantic shift in the Homeric work, while question of the meaning of God in the search for human sense, the metamorphosis of theological images combining language and praxis.

  19. A European (German View on Comparative Theology: Dialogue with My Own Past

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulrich Dehn

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available For the last couple of years, particularly after the publication of the (German book “Comparative Theology” by Bernhold Reinhardt and Klaus von Stosch, there was a significant attentiveness of this subject amongst German scholars. For many, it was the long anticipated antithesis/alternative to the pluralist theology of religions, even if it had not been devised explicitly to serve as such an alternative. For others, it has been an appropriate way to express their desire for a substantial interreligious dialogue in a theologically responsible way. This paper tries to review some of the major German contributions (being read alongside international ones and reactions to Comparative Theology and to search for the motive behind its sudden popularity in some circles. It will also try to reconstruct the possibilities for Comparative Theology within the wider setting of the process and development of religious traditions as they grow and change in never-ending interaction and communication within the history of religions, ideas and society.

  20. Religion in the public sphere: What can public theology learn from Habermas’s latest work?

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    Jaco S. Dreyer

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available The complex and problematic role of religion in the public sphere in modern, democratic societies raises many questions for a public theology. The aim of this article is to contribute to the ongoing debate about the task and methods of public theology by asking what we can learn from the ideas of Jürgen Habermas. Habermas was a leading participant in the thinking process on the secularisation thesis in Western societies. His view was that religion will eventually disappear from the public scene due to the rationalisation of society. In recent years he seems to have changed this view in the light of new developments in the world. He now maintains that religion has something important to offer in the public sphere. Religion could thus participate in this public discussion, provided that it satisfies strict conditions. We argue that public theology can learn from Habermas’s recent ideas regarding religion in the public sphere: attention should be paid to the cognitive potential of religion, especially regarding the importance of the lifeworld and the role of religion in social solidarity with the needy and vulnerable; hermeneutical self-reflection is important; a distinction should be made between the role of religion in faith communities and in public life; we have to accept that we live in a secular state; and we have to learn the possibilities and impossibilities of translating from religious vocabulary into a secular vocabulary in order to be able to participate in the discussions in the public sphere.

  1. Theological ethics, moral philosophy, and public moral discourse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jonsen, Albert R

    1994-03-01

    The advent and growth of bioethics in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s precipitated an era of public moral discourse, that is, the deliberate attempt to analyze and formulate moral argument for use in public policy. The language for rational discussion of moral matters evolved from the parent disciplines of moral philosophy and theological ethics, as well as from the idioms of a secular, pluralistic world that was searching for policy answers to difficult bioethical questions. This article explores the basis and content of the unique contributions of both theological and philosophical ethics to the development of public moral discourse.

  2. Sociology, Protestant Theology, and the Concept of Modern Religion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jung, Dietrich

    2015-01-01

    'scientification' of religion by the emerging disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. In taking the life and work of William Robertson Smith (1846-94) as an example, the article analyzes the transformation of some specific elements of liberal Protestant theology into a set of universal features......This article looks at the intersection between Protestant theology and sociology in the construction of the modern concept of religion. Set against the theoretical background of the functional differentiation of modern society, it identifies the origin of this concept in the discursive...

  3. Broader context for social, economic, and cultural components

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patricia L. Winter; Jonathan W. Long; Frank K. Lake; Susan. Charnley

    2014-01-01

    This chapter sets the context for the following sociocultural sections of the synthesis by providing information on the broader social, cultural, and economic patterns in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range. Demographic influences surrounding population change, including those accounted for through amenity migration, are examined. Social and cultural concerns...

  4. A Diasporic Christian Theology: Towards an Eschatological Understanding of Theological Education in Post-Communist Societies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garrett, Stephen M.

    2018-01-01

    Christian theology amidst post-communist societies finds itself in a precarious situation as it seeks to emerge from the competing social imaginaries of its totalitarian Soviet past and the democratic capitalism of its future. To do so, eschatological hope will need to spring eternal as it seeks understanding by faith in love of the triune God and…

  5. A theological view of nuclear energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pollard, W.G.

    1982-01-01

    The author presents a theological perspective on nuclear power based on Israel's history, as revealed in the Hebrew Bible and the Alexandrian Greek Septuagint. Nuclear energy is described as God's energy choice for the whole of creation, which can be made as safe as traditional sources

  6. Defense of a fragment: The theological pertinence of the advanced symphony of Christian Duquoc

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo Sérgio Carrara

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The article is situated in the area of inter-religious dialogue, one of the great paradigms of actual theology. After Vatican Council II, which treated about the salvation of non Christians and of the members of other religions, theology deepened this theme and appeared several proposals for an inter-religious dialogue. For theologians it imposed the challenge of joining the constructive necessity of Jesus Christ for the salvation of all and the place of other religious traditions in God’s salvation plan. The proposal of the French Catholic theologian, Christian Duquoc, which he called postponed symphony, arouses attention to its singularity in affirming the positive side of the divisions and fragments. His approach is situated within the Catholic Theology that emerged after Vatican II, in which there are several prospects for interreligious dialogue. His theology emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in building the possible unity in diversity of fragments. The present article evaluates the theological importance of the French theologian’s proposal in favor of inter-religious dialogue. 

  7. the theological responses to the socio -economic activities that ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2010-06-02

    Jun 2, 2010 ... The RDP recognizes the economic value of water and the environment, and advocates an economically, environmentally .... other withdrawal uses combined' (Finch 1957:394). ... cause great disruptions in agricultural areas.

  8. Vocation in theology-based nursing theories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lundmark, Mikael

    2007-11-01

    By using the concepts of intrinsicality/extrinsicality as analytic tools, the theology-based nursing theories of Ann Bradshaw and Katie Eriksson are analyzed regarding their explicit and/or implicit understanding of vocation as a motivational factor for nursing. The results show that both theories view intrinsic values as guarantees against reducing nursing practice to mechanistic applications of techniques and as being a way of reinforcing a high ethical standard. The theories explicitly (Bradshaw) or implicitly (Eriksson) advocate a vocational understanding of nursing as being essential for nursing theories. Eriksson's theory has a potential for conceptualizing an understanding of extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors for nursing but one weakness in the theory could be the risk of slipping over to moral judgments where intrinsic factors are valued as being superior to extrinsic. Bradshaw's theory is more complex and explicit in understanding the concept of vocation and is theologically more plausible, although also more confessional.

  9. Student Theological Research as an Invitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William Badke

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Seminary students, despite having graduated from bachelors programs, struggle to make sense of the goals, processes, skills, and resources of research as graduate students. Beyond brief introductions to research, a scattered number of seminaries have developed either a separate theological information literacy course or have taken a through-the-curriculum approach to enhancing the information abilities of students. The former, however, separates information literacy from the curriculum, while the latter is difficult to implement and maintain. Living in a world of information glut, seminary professors are finding that traditional information dissemination models of education are becoming less viable. What is more, such models tend to teach students about a discipline rather than inviting them into it. These problems present a unique opportunity to place the teaching of information literacy at the foundation of theological education. With such an approach, students may be invited into the disciplines of their professors and enabled to practice these disciplines, thus becoming equipped to turn knowledge into praxis.

  10. Joseph de Maistre and Retributionist Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriel Andrade

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Joseph de Maistre is usually portrayed as Edmund Burke’s French counterpart, as they both wrote important treatises against the French Revolution. Although Maistre did share many of Burke’s conservative political views, he was much more than a political thinker. He was above all a religious thinker who interpreted political events through the prism of a particular retributionist theology. According to this theology, God punishes evil deeds, not only in the afterlife, but also in this terrestrial life; and sometimes, he may even use human tyrants as instruments of his wrath. This interpretation especially evident in Maistre’s Considerations sur la France, an early work in his philosophical career. In that book, Maistre interprets the French Revolution as divine punishment, and in that regard, his views bear some similarities to the Deuteronomist historian in the Hebrew Bible, who interpreted the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile, as divine punishment in retribution of Israel’s sins.

  11. Socio-economic factors, cultural values, national personality and antibiotics use: A cross-cultural study among European countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaygısız, Ümmügülsüm; Lajunen, Timo; Gaygısız, Esma

    There are considerable cross-national differences in public attitudes towards antibiotics use, use of prescribed antibiotics, and self-medication with antibiotics even within Europe. This study was aimed at investigating the relationships between socio-economic factors, cultural values, national personality characteristics and the antibiotic use in Europe. Data included scores from 27 European countries (14 countries for personality analysis). Correlations between socio-economic variables (Gross National Income per capita, governance quality, life expectancy, mean years of schooling, number of physicians), Hofstede's cultural value dimensions (power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, indulgence), national personality characteristic (extraversion, neuroticism, social desirability) and antibiotic use were calculated and three regression models were constructed. Governance quality (r=-.51), mean years of schooling (r=-.61), power distance (r=.59), masculinity (r=.53), and neuroticism (r=.73) correlated with antibiotic use. The highest amount of variance in antibiotic use was accounted by the cultural values (65%) followed by socio-economic factors (63%) and personality factors (55%). Results show that socio-economic factors, cultural values and national personality characteristics explain cross-national differences in antibiotic use in Europe. In particular, governance quality, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and neuroticism were important factors explaining antibiotics use. The findings underline the importance of socio-economic and cultural context in health care and in planning public health interventions. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  12. Open Access and Authors’ Rights Management: A Possibility for Theology?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin L. Smith

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Several academic disciplines have begun to understand the benefits of open access to scholarship, both for scholars and for the general public. Scientific disciplines have led the way, partially due to the nature of scholarship in those areas and partially because they have felt the crisis in serials pricing more acutely than others. Theological studies, however, have largely been insulated from the push for open access; considering the reasons for that is the first task of this article. It is also the case, however, that the missionary impulse that stands behind much theological scholarship is a strong incentive to embrace the opportunities afforded by digital, online dissemination of research and writing. After discussing this imperative for global distribution, the bulk of the article focuses on how theological institutions, and especially their libraries, can encourage and support scholars in making their work freely accessible. Copyright issues, including the elements of a successful copyright management program, are discussed, as are some of the technological elements necessary for an efficient and discoverable open access repository. Options for licensing, both at ingestion of content and at dissemination to users are also considered. Finally, it is argued that the role of consortia and professional organizations in supporting these initiatives is especially important because of the relatively small size of so many theological institutions.

  13. Revisiting Mary Daly: Towards a quadripartite theological and philosophical paradigm

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    Hannelie Wood

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available I was a tenderfoot in feminist discourse when I started my research on patriarchy, feminism, and Mary Daly. In my thesis, one aspect I engaged was Daly’s battle with gender issues in Christian theology. From the beginning I was troubled by Mary Daly’s views on God, men, and women in her discourse on Christianity. Daly undoubtedly contributed to the discussion on gender issues in the Christian faith, but her focus on androcentrism and her interpretations of Scripture led her to abandon the Christian faith. Mary Daly has written extensively on patriarchy as it is found in religion – particularly in the Christian faith – and how it filters through society. In her critique of patriarchy she set her course to dismantle the facade of a patriarchal and misogynistic God as the root of patriarchy. Daly did not see any positive qualities of the Christian faith and completely rejected other interpretations of a God whose person embraces both male and female qualities. Against this background I will evaluate Daly’s post-Christian feminist theological and philosophical paradigm. I propose that Daly has a quadripartite theological and philosophical paradigm wherein there are four main players. The ‘Who is who’ in Daly’s quadripartite patriarchal theological and philosophical paradigm are the patriarchal male, the patriarchal female, the patriarchal God and the biophilic woman.

  14. The diakonia of Practical Theology to the alienated in South Africa in the light of 1 Peter

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    Gert Breed

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This article investigates the role that Practical Theology can play in addressing the problem of alienation amongst the people of South Africa. The investigation is conducted from the viewpoint of the biblical concept of diakonia (service work. This concept as well as the content of Practical Theology as it is found in the first letter of Peter is investigated with the purpose of elucidating the diakonia of Practical Theology with regard to alienation. Four questions are answered in the article:� What may some of the reasons why people in South Africa experience alienation be?� What significance do the results of the most recent research into the diakon word group have for the diakonia of Practical Theology?� What insight can be gained from 1 Peter into the diakonia of Practical Theology for people who may be experiencing alienation in South Africa?� What should the diakonia of Practical Theology in the light of 1 Peter be for people who experience alienation? Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article addresses the issue of alienation. This is an issue that also falls within the research field of sociology and psychology. This article wants to make a contribution from a biblical perspective using the exegesis of a New Testament letter (1 Pt with the focus on 1 Peter 4:10 and the use of the diakon word group in the letter. The article thus also operates on the research field of New Testament Theology. The results of the exegesis are used to give guidelines for the diakonia of Practical Theology in South Africa. The article challenges the way some research in Practical Theology is done, not using the Bible as reference point, thus making the distinction between Practical Theology and sciences like sociology and psychology indistinct.

  15. The Relevance of Reformed Scholasticism for Contemporary Systematic Theology

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    te Velde Dolf

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This article examines how Reformed scholasticism can be relevant for systematic theology today. ‘Reformed Scholasticism’ denotes the academic practice in which the doctrines of the Reformation are expounded, explained, and defended. It is primarily a method and attitude in search of the truth, based on a careful reading of Scripture, drawing on patristic and medieval traditions, and interacting with philosophy and other academic disciplines. In addition to these methodological features, important contributions on various doctrinal topics can be discovered. The doctrine of God has a foundational role in the sense that God is the primary subject of the other topics (creation, salvation, etc.. Reformed scholastic theology not only examines God’s inner essence, but also the concrete relation and operation of God toward his world. In a Trinitarian understanding of God’s essence, a distinction is maintained between God’s immanent relatedness as three divine Persons, and his outward relation to created reality. The doctrines of creation and providence gave occasion for Reformed scholastics to engage in debates with the emerging natural sciences, and also articulated important theological insights concerning the involvement of God in creaturely affairs. In Christology, the Reformed orthodox maintained the classic doctrine of the two natures of Jesus Christ, against Socinians and other opponents. These ontological statements are the necessary conditions for a proper understanding of the salvation by Christ. While the doctrinal positions of Reformed scholastic theology cannot be automatically transmitted to contemporary discussions, we can profit from this tradition on several levels of method and content.

  16. Mística e Teologia: do desencontro moderno à busca de um reencontro contemporâneo (Mystique and Theology: from the modern mismatch to the pursuit of a contemporary reunion DOI: 10.5752/P.2175-5841.2012v10n27p854

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ceci Maria Costa Baptista Mariani

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available A condição cultural contemporânea desafia a vivência religiosa. Vivemos um momento de nova demanda: busca-se hoje, uma relação com o dogma e uma vivência religiosa mais livres. Corre-se o risco, todavia, que esse desejo, que é de fato um dos grandes valores de nossa cultura, acabe se satisfazendo com propostas espirituais superficiais. A partir dessa preocupação, e entendendo que a mística, enquanto processo vivido pelo sujeito rumo ao encontro com o Mistério Santo, tem contribuições importantes para essa problemática, procuraremos empreender uma reflexão sobre a relação entre mística e teologia, o desencontro moderno e os sinais de reencontro que já se pode visualizar na atualidade. Refletiremos sobre a marginalização e mística, ocorrida na modernidade, as suspeitas que pairaram sobre os místicos, a divisão entre espiritualidade e teologia que adveio do triunfo do racionalismo e finalmente sobre o novo interesse pela mística que vai se esboçando na teologia contemporânea a partir da afirmação de uma nova concepção de revelação no contexto de renovação conciliar. Palavras-chaves: Mística. Espiritualidade. Teologia.   Abstract Our contemporary cultural condition challenges our religion experience. As a result, we live in a moment of a new spiritual demand: people are seeking a relationship with the dogma and at the same time a less strict religious experience. However, we are taking a risk with this new spiritual desire, which is in fact one of the strongest values in our culture; this might lead to religious satisfaction via superficial spiritual propositions. This concern, along with the mysticism involved in the process of one’s path towards the acceptance of the holy mysticism, has indeed contributed to this issue. We shall reflect upon the relationship between mysticism and theology and its modern mismatch, as well as on the signs of reunion that we can already visualize nowadays. We shall reflect

  17. ABOVE THE TIME. BISHOP MIKHAIL (GRIBANOVSKY: AN ATTEMPT OF HIS THEOLOGICAL PORTRAIT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PRIEST PAVEL KHONDZINSKY

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Many deep processes in the Russian spiritual tradition in the last quarter of the XIX c. — movement for the restoration of the patriarchate, renewal of the parish life, aspiration to attach to the theological truth its direct vital importance, search for a new Christian philosophy — are connected with the name of bishop Mikhail (Gribanovsky. Yet his name and heritage even now are far from being well-known. In the article the author attempts to off er a theological portait of the bishop, in other words, to present to a reader an essay on the formation of his personality and his theological thought in their inner organic interrelation

  18. The elephant in the room: The need to re-discover the intersection between poverty, powerlessness and power in ‘Theology and Development’ praxis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadine Bowers Du Toit

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available South Africa remains a divided community on many levels: socially, racially and socioeconomically. This is no more evident than in the recent protests – most notably waged on university campuses and on the streets in the past year. This, the article argues, is closely related to the need to reclaim the notion of power by those who feel they remain relegated to the social and economic peripheries after over 20 years of democracy. While ‘theology and development’ praxis has been most closely associated in a post-apartheid era with welfare and charity approaches or pragmatic interaction with state and civil society (both of which have been critiqued, what has not been sufficiently addressed is the notion of power which once dominated ecclesiastical discourses. This is the proverbial ‘elephant in the room’, which the article argues must once again be revisited and re-engaged – both within scholarly reflection and within church practice – in order to address these divides.

  19. Cultural competence: reflections on patient autonomy and patient good.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leever, Martin G

    2011-07-01

    Terms such as 'cultural competence' and 'transcultural nursing' have comfortably taken their place in the lexicon of health care. Their high profile is a reflection of the diversity of western societies and health care's commitment to provide care that is responsive to the values and beliefs of all who require treatment. However, the relationship between cultural competence and familiar ethical concepts such as patient autonomy has been an uneasy one. This article explores the moral foundations of cultural competence, ultimately locating them in patient autonomy and patient good. The discussion of patient good raises questions about the moral relevance of a value's rootedness in a particular culture. I argue that the moral justification for honoring cultural values has more to do with the fact that patients are strongly committed to them than it does with their cultural rootedness. Finally, I suggest an organizational approach to cultural competence that emphasizes overall organizational preparedness.

  20. 40 CFR 450.22 - Effluent limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 450.22 Section 450.22 Protection of... limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except as provided in 40... the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). (a) Beginning no later than August 1...

  1. Perspectives on Theological Education in Malawi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matemba, Yonah Hisbon

    2011-01-01

    This article gives an overview of (Christian) Theological Education (CTE) in Malawi. To place the discussion in its appropriate context, information about Malawi is given including the impact of Christianity on the country. The article then describes historical aspects of CTE and highlights some of its inherent shortcomings, before shifting to…

  2. Engaging in the Struggle for Economic Justice in the Streets of the City of Tshwane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Methula, Dumisane W.

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The Meal of Peace Project is a transformative encounter that represents a theoretical break with neo-liberal missiological discourses and seeks to liberate the Bible from ivory tower hegemonic paradigms. This is done through Bible studies with the homeless from the City of Tshwane, engaging in the struggle for economic justice in the hills and valleys of Tshwane. In the past 20 years the major characteristic of the democratic dispensation in South Africa, since the inauguration of majority rule in 1994, has been the intensification of the countrys socio-economic problems of poverty, unemployment and inequality. The struggle for economic justice is the new struggle for the prophetic church and liberation theologies in the current constitutional democratic juncture in post-apartheid South Africa. The need arises for exploring ethical alternatives to achieve economic injustice. This articles critical reflection on the socio-economic situation will be carried out through the Bible study session at TLF, where we looked at the message of Amos 5:22-24.

  3. The emergence of the confessional theology in Russia (18th – first half of the 19th centuries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eugene Lyutko

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This article looks at a text dealing with theology as a text dealing with the reality that stands behind this text. Based on examples of three Russian church hierarchs who tried to systematise theology in the 18th and 19th centuries — Archbishop Feofan (Prokopovich, St. Philaret (Drozdov, St. Innocent (Borisov — the paper reveals and interprets the following issues: gradual penetration of categories of history, administration and church service into the structure of theology; rejection of the socalled natural theology (theologia naturalis, which takes place at the beginning of the 19th century. Proceeding from Foucauld’s methodology, we come to a conclusion about the emergence of confession in the Russian Empire of the fi rst half of the 19th century. This was an integrated and distinct social body, the key category of which was theology. Theology unites the social space of the confession by means of three key narratives: the identity (a complex of historical disciplines, administration (the canon law, or “theologia rectrix”, and pastoral theology, participation practices (liturgics. At the end of the period in question, the category of “Church” emerges within the theological system. On the one hand, this fact refl ects the completion of the process of constructing the confession; on the other hand, it is a sign of the emergence of ecclesiology, the new practice of theological discourse that came to be dominant in the following period.

  4. Indonesia's cultural economy: an economic geography using two secondary data sources

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chris Gibson

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Economic geographers have become increasingly interested in the importance of the 'cultural economy' to cities and regions, but rarely have results been sought or discussed for Southeast Asia or nations in the developing world. This article responds to this lacuna by charting an economic geography of cultural production in Indonesia, examining two sources ofpublicly available data: the United Nations Statistics Division's COMTRADE database of trade statistics, and DISb2b Indonesia (a commercial database of business location details in Indonesia. Results are discussed for the period 1996- 2002, for which reliable data are available. While both sources are limited (and such limitations are discussed here, they provide enough insight for some conclusions about the character of 1ndonesia's cultural economy to emerge. In contrast to studies of cultural economy in overseas contexts, Indonesia's culture-related exports are dominated by emphasis on hardware and manufacturing output, rather than intellectual property or 'symbolic' content. In keeping with overseas examples though, the geography oflndonesiak cultural economy displays high levels of metropolitan primacy. Results suggest that theories of cultural economies must be re-shaped to include consideration of regional and international flows, in addition to locally-unique class, cultural and economic dynamics in particular cities and regions.

  5. Individualistic Vikings: Culture, Economics and Iceland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Már Wolfgang Mixa

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Icelandic culture has generally been considered to share many similarities to the Nordic cultures. However, the financial crisis in 2008 painted a completely different picture, with the Nordic nations faring much less worse than Iceland, which saw its banking system becoming almost entirely worthless. Looking at traditional cultural yardsticks in the vein of the most commonly used research in the field of business and organizational management, generally linked to Hofstede´s dimensional studies, one would at first glance conclude that Icelanders would have behaved in a similar manner as people in the Nordic nations. By focusing on savings ratio, it is shown that Icelanders were much more risk-seeking during the prelude of the crisis. Many nations badly hit during the 2008 financial crisis have a high level of individualism inherent in their culture. Iceland fits this scenario. Thus while general cultural characteristics may lack explanatory power regarding economic behavior of people between cultures, the individual/collective cultural dimension may provide clues of what dangers (and possible strengths lurk within societies from a financial point of view. Such developments may affect the financial stability of nations, especially those with a high level of individualism where financial liberalization with possible abuses is occurring.

  6. The Compatibility of Feminist Theology and Gestalt Therapy: A Study of "Practical-Values."

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hinksman, Barrie

    2001-01-01

    An on-going theoretical issue for pastoral counseling concerns the integration of psychological and theological concepts. The possibility of exploring the compatibility of Gestalt psychotherapy and feminist theology is considered with reference to the 'practical-values' of each, and it is proposed that there is significant common ground between…

  7. Recognizing Our Cultural Biases as Counsellor Supervisors: A Reflective Learning Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brinson, Jesse A.

    2004-01-01

    This article encourages supervisors, in general, and counsellor supervisors, in particular, to engage in reflective learning as a way to identify their cultural biases. Awareness of counsellor bias has been addressed by ethical standards outlined for professional helpers. This article presents reflective learning as a potentially useful strategy…

  8. Climato-economic roots of survival versus self-expression cultures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van de Vliert, Evert

    The circumstances under which societies adapt their cultural values to cold, temperate, and hot climates include the availability of money to cope with climate. In a country-level study, collective income, household income, and economic growth were conceptualized as moderators of the climate-culture

  9. exploring the practical theological study of congregations

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    and the study of congregations from a practical theological perspective. .... research framework, giving a balance and sense of proportion to the study of ... starts within the congregation, with a commitment to the life and work of Christ, and then ...

  10. Accounting and Theology::An Introduction. Initiating a Dialogue Between Immediacy and Eternity

    OpenAIRE

    McPhail, Ken; Gorringe, T; Gray, R

    2004-01-01

    Presents an introduction to the articles in “Theological perspectives in accounting”, a special issue with the objectives of exploring whether a theological take on accounting is possible and if so, beginning an investigation into the insights that might be gained from a Judeo-Christian reading of accounting in particular. Briefly outlines the initial motivations in undertaking the editorship of this special issue.

  11. Seneca's theology in its philosophical context

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Houte, M.S.A.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304835862

    2010-01-01

    This study aims at a better understanding of the theological views of the Roman Stoic Seneca and the status of these views in relation to those of the earlier Stoics, and in the context of various other factors, such as the views of other philosophical schools and the purpose of Seneca's work.This

  12. Culture, economics, politics and knowledge as meaning-spaces in Social Occupational Therapy: reflections on the experience of “Ponto de Encontro e Cultura”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denise Dias Barros

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This article describes and analyzes the “Ponto de Encontro e Cultura - PEC”, an experience developed by METUIA - University of São Paulo (USP-SP in São Paulo from 2007 to 2011 which linked occupational therapy to areas of cultural production. It was attended by the homeless, occupational therapists and students of occupational therapy. To perform the analysis of the different dimensions of the experience we were guided by the meaning-space notion. We took the space as an organizer to understand a reality in which relationships and actions are being empowered in four different spheres: culture, economics, politics and knowledge. We noted that this practice showed that there was an ongoing collective effort to build what may be called piece. This characterizes a process where the space is a common reference point which brings into play different modes of sociability that are created by the management of common symbols and codes. It was important to recognize and appreciate the plurality of modes of knowledge. Thus, we observed that, from the cultural sphere, it is possible to articulate economics, health, social assistance, politics, and knowledge production.

  13. The story of the hashtag(#: A practical theological tracing of the hashtag(# symbol on Twitter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Albert Van den Berg

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The phenomenon relating to the popularity and impact of social media as an important expression of the new digital world, is already widely known and well-documented. In this research, the main focus will fall on a specific manner of expression associated with social media and, in particular, with the Twitter platform, namely the hashtag (# symbol. This symbol has come to comprise an important expression in popular culture, and is generally associated with various dimensions of activities in the social media environment. Through the use of several examples from the recent past, the development and meaning of the hashtag will be explored and described. As part of this description, a motivation will be put forward as to why it is important, for the purposes of a practical theological involvement as expressed in the dimensions of a lived spirituality, to take cognisance of the hashtag and the world that is associated with it. Arising from this motivation, and in congruence with the strategic character of practical theology, perspectives will be mapped out with a view to the further use and meaning of a dynamic reading of the hashtag.

  14. The pedagogical role of multicultural leadership in post-apartheid South Africa

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    Gordon E. Dames

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Practical theology in the 21st century is faced with increasing diversity that requires a new pedagogy to address multicultural challenges. Multiculturalism serves as a subversive agency for monocultural and ‘silent minority’ landscapes. It might also contribute to the development of an identity pedagogue for the three public spaces of theology, specifically in South Africa, where this new democracy seeks a new culture of humanity and has to deal with the dichotomy of a multicultural society and a resistant monocultural ‘laager’ mentality of minority races. Despite the promising start to its democracy, South Africa has many social challenges and practical theology has a role to play by reflecting on how we understand and embody the relationship between faith, culture and public life. To this end, this article seeks to reflect critically on spirituality, leadership and social transformation praxis in search of meaning-forming multicultural praxes.

  15. A Black Theological Response to Race-Based Medicine: Reconciliation in Minority Communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Kirk A

    2017-06-01

    The harm race-based medicine inflicts on minority bodies through race-based experimentation and the false solutions a race-based drug ensues within minority communities provokes concern. Such areas analyze the minority patient in a physical proxy. Though the mind and body are important entities, we cannot forget about the spirit. Healing is not just a physical practice; it includes spiritual practice. Efficient medicine includes the holistic elements of the mind, body, and spirit. Therefore, the spiritual discipline of black theology can be used as a tool to mend the harms of race-based medicine. It can be an avenue of research to further particular concerns for justice in medical care . Such theology contributes to the discussion of race-based medicine indicating the need for the voice, participation, and interdependence of minorities. Black theology can be used as a tool of healing and empowerment for health equity and awareness by exploring black theology's response to race-based medicine, analyzing race in biblical literature, using biblical literature as a tool for minority patient empowerment, building on past and current black church health advocacy with personal leadership in health advocacy.

  16. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, COGNITION AND SCHOOL EDUCATION: REFLECTIONS BELOW THE HISTORICAL-CULTURAL APPROACH

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    Solange Maria Alves

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available This text is fruit of studies, reflections and dialogues developed with graduate and post-graduate students inteaching and research coordinated by me, allocated in the research group: Human Development, Culture and Education, in rows : Language, Learning and Development and Imaginary Production and Creative Education. Over several years, the task of educational coordinating processes of teaching and research, allowed the construction of synthesis (always provisional, presented here. Having as a foundation the historic-cultural theory of Vygotsky and collaborators, the text reflects about human development, cognition and school education, pursuing the thesis that cognition is human development. To do this, search, in theoretical foundations of historical-cultural conception, the key elements that explain the process by which the biological becomes socio-historical, it takes up more carefully in the explicit about Vygotsky translates as plans or genetic fields of human development, increase the reflection articulating the categories: labor and language.

  17. Transparent Theological Dialogue—“Moseka Phofu Ya Gaabo Ga a Tshabe Go Swa Lentswe” (A Setswana Proverb

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    Kelebogile Thomas Resane

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper looks into the definition of Setswana proverb: Moseka phofu ya gaabo ga a tshabe go swa lentswe (One must fight impatiently for what rightly belongs to him or her. The proverb is used to express the African thought of transparent dialogue that can be applied in theological deliberations; leading to sound theological conclusions adequate to address the corruption in the socio-political landscape. Transparency is explained from the African concept of addressing socio-political struggles. Theology calls for robust dialogue for the alternative society. This calls for understanding of African thought of fighting impatiently for the marginalized and the poor—a mandate that is similar to the church’s calling for liberating the oppressed masses through dialogue with others and communities in context. A special exploration is made through the symbiosis of dogma and kerygma for the incessant intervention of theology on behalf of the silent masses. An appeal is made for liberation theology and mainstream theology to dialogue in order for communities to experience salvation authentically.

  18. Introduction : [artiklikogumikule Ecumenical theological education] / Anne Kull, Pille Valk

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kull, Anne, 1959-

    2009-01-01

    Sissejuhatus kogumikule, mis sisaldab artikleid Tartu Ülikoolis 11.-14. jaan. 2007 toimunud konverentsi "Ecumenical theological education : pedagogical perspectives and practical experiences" ettekannetest

  19. Theology of religions in Martin Luther

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Test

    Luther earnestly translated the Bible so that all people could hear the gospel in their own language ... completed on the grounds of the understanding of Psalm 117 and John 10 (Van der .... With regard to the theology of religions as explained by Paul F. Knitter (2012), ... the execution of Jesus, Harper Collins, New York.

  20. Pupil size in Jewish theological seminary students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shemesh, G; Kesler, A; Lazar, M; Rothkoff, L

    2004-01-01

    To investigate the authors' clinical impression that pupil size among myopic Jewish theological seminary students is different from pupil size of similar secular subjects. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 28 male Jewish theological seminary students and 28 secular students or workers who were matched for age and refraction. All participants were consecutively enrolled. Scotopic and photopic pupil size was measured by means of a Colvard pupillometer. Comparisons of various parameters between the groups were performed using the two-sample t-test, Fisher exact test, a paired-sample t-test, a two-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients as appropriate. The two groups were statistically matched for age, refraction, and visual acuity. The seminary students were undercorrected by an average of 2.35 diopters (D), while the secular subjects were undercorrected by only 0.65 D (pwork or of apparently characteristic undercorrection of the myopia is undetermined.

  1. The Economic Ethics of Arthur Fridolin Utz

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giorgio Baruchello

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The present essay offers a detailed, reasoned synopsis and a brief discussion of the 1994 book Economic Ethics, written by the German-Swiss social philosopher Arthur Fridolin Utz (1908-2001. Utz is known chiefly in German-speaking theological circles and in Catholic ones in particular. He is also known in those of southern Europe where, to date, only a few of his many books have been translated into Spanish, French and Italian. Utz’s research deserves attention, both for its inherent value and in connection with Peter Koslowski’s reflections on economic ethics, about which Jacob Dahl Rendtorff has recently reported to our NSU research group. Thus, this essay is a spin-off of Jacob’s own foray into economic ethics and an integration of the same, for it deals with a different, well-established approach. Equally, it is an attempt at bringing to the attention of Nordic scholars, especially in the human and social sciences, the work of a thinker that is still hardly known in my adoptive country, Iceland, as well as in Scandinavia. Finally, given the absence of English-language translations and comprehensive studies of Utz’s books, it is also a useful reference work for Anglophone academia at large.

  2. The stony road we tread: The challenges and contributions of Black Liberation Theology in post-apartheid South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mothoagae, Itumeleng Daniel

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The Great Trek of 1838 brought about a belief in the supremacy of the Dutch descendants in South Africa. Their 1948 election victory authenticated for them their interpretation of theology and their historical experiences of Gods involvement in their lives. Black Theology challenged the perception of Afrikaner supremacy and their theological hegemony, although Mosala argued against the blindness of black theologians in their criticism of white theology because they were actually using the same tools of analysis that whites had traditionally used to justify their case (Mosala and Tlhagale 1986:175196. Mosala . This article discusses a paper presented at a conference in Cairo by Takatso Mofokeng on the issue of land, and further outlines the challenges and contributions of Black Theology today.

  3. Economic and socio-cultural impacts of Mainland Chinese tourists on Hong Kong residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manisa Piuchan

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate the economic and socio-cultural impacts from the burgeoning mainland Chinese tourists on Hong Kong residents. Ten individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect Hong Kong residents' views. Content analysis was employed to analyze the data. The results showed that the socio-cultural aspects were reported negatively with regard to culture, shopping and dining, and transportation but conversely, it had a positive impact on education and infrastructure. The economic aspect showed that residents accepted and appreciated the economic benefits brought by the inflow of mainland Chinese tourists. The Hong Kong government should consider these impacts, and then provide better solutions for residents' lives and plans to cope with the upcoming scenario which might arise regarding Hong Kong's economic boom and more tourists traveling to Hong Kong. Recommendations are also suggested in this study for further development. Keywords: Chinese tourists, economic impacts, socio-cultural impacts, tourism impacts

  4. Calvin’s election mix in small-scale theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James A. Loader

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper shows how Calvin’s ideas about the Old Testament concept of Israel’s election can be dangerous when they are applied uncritically. The main illustration material is drawn from a context the author was himself part of, notably the South African apartheid theology of Calvinist provenance. The paper begins with documenting Calvin’s views on Israel and Israel’s election in the Old Testament, moving to a consideration of how this motif was connected to the idea of predestination and construed to become an instrument to defend apartheid in what may be called a substandard theology. It is suggested that a glance at the English-speaking world shows surprising similarities that justify further consideration. In this title several dimensions are present that need to be explicated.

  5. 'I am who I am': Deconstructing orphaned boys' references to God: An application of the post-foundational notion of practical theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juanita Meyer

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This article investigates and reflects on the religious and spiritual aspects inherent in the narratives of adolescent male orphans, affected by HIV and AIDS, poverty and fatherlessness, and more specifically on aspects which tell us about how these boys understand and experience the presence of God within their specific situations. In coming to such an understanding, this article focuses specifically on the various names attributed to God by the coresearchers and investigates the prominence through social construction behind these names and how it influences the coresearchers� experience of God amidst their unique circumstances. With the use of the perspectives of a post-foundational notion of practical theology and narrative therapy and research, these names and their accompanied significance are deconstructed. The aim of the deconstruction process is to unveil dominant discourses that both inform the use of specific references to God and assist the coresearchers in finding meaning in the use of these names. The larger study employed research methods from the qualitative and case study research design, and included interdisciplinary work based on the post-foundational notion of transversality. Disciplines included in the dialogue were pastoral therapy, critical psychology and social work. This article�s reflections can be useful in all the above-mentioned disciplines and gives insight into understanding the significance behind the phenomenon of naming a deity in one�s personal and public language, and the influence such spiritual affirmations have in the psychosocial sphere of the holistic persona.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The larger study (from which this article originates is an interdisciplinary study, as to conform to the principles of a postfoundational notion of practical theology and as such supports the assumptions underlying this theoretical framework.Keywords: Names for God; Postfoundationalism

  6. Leadership through theological education: Two case studies in South African history

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. A. Duncan

    2002-08-01

    Full Text Available The quality of visionary leadership requires serious attention in current South Africa, both because of its importance but also sometimes because of the lack of leadership in church and theological contexts. In the first section of this article, focus is placed on leadership in the Faculty of Theology (NG Kerk at the University of Pretoria, and in the second section, on the leadership at the Lovedale Missionary Institution in the Eastern Cape. Finally, some comparisons and conditions are drawn.

  7. Pragmaticism, Science and Theology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brier, Søren

    2016-01-01

    This review assesses Ashley and Deely’s claims regarding the relation of science and religion, taking Einstein’s famous statement that “science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind” as its starting point. It argues that Ashley and Deely’s book How Science Enriches Theology...... demonstrates that the actual problem in the contemporary dialogue between the two seem to be whether the link between science and religion shall be based on an impersonal process spirituality arising from a void or on a personalism with a personal god at the source....

  8. Democratization of Education as Prerequisite for Social Economic and Cultural Progress in a Multi-Cultural Society

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madumere, S. C.; Olisaemeka, B. U.

    2011-01-01

    This paper focuses on democratization of education as a prerequisite for social, economic and cultural progress in a multi-cultural society, such as Nigeria. Attempt was made to define and explain the major concepts in the paper. Education was explained as an instrument of democracy and as function of socialization, culture and economic…

  9. Problems Encountered in Teaching Logic in Faculties of Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hülya ALTUNYA

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available From the past until today logic has always been affiliated with religious education in institutes of higher learning. In the history of Islamic thought, education in logic has at times held an important place in the curriculum, while at other times it has only been represented symbolically. Throughout the history of thought, religious sciences have not only possessed a hierarchical structure based on classification, but have also been institutionalized in order to protect the accumulation of the knowledge that has been attained. As a result, in order to function as a vehicle in the structuring of this knowledge, logic has become what is known as an introductory science. Over time, as a vehicle of religious sciences and an introductory science, logic has become a productive method by which different academic disciplines can attain information. Thus, until today in religious sciences education, logic has been used as a method both in the higher religious education provided in faculties of theology and in the madrasas which continue this education. In this paper, the education of logic that is given in faculties of theology, including how much of the curriculum is devoted to this subject, the quality of instruction, the integration of this subject with other lessons, the interest of students in this subject and whether or not the necessary productivity in logic instruction is being attained will be examined. In addition, to what extent logic can make new contributions to new thought and comprehension techniques for solving the theological problems of today will be investigated. An additional research question asked here is the extent to which students enrolled in theology faculties in formal and informal education, the very people who will later act as instructors in religious sciences, are aware of the importance of being familiar and skilled in “correct reasoning techniques”.

  10. Materialism, Dialectics and Theology in Alain Badiou

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Karlsen, Mads Peter

    2014-01-01

    into an idealist and materialist dialectic, and presents an exposition of the latter. The second section outlines Badiou's critical analysis of the theological model implicit in Hegel's dialectics. The third section investigates the core of this criticism through a discussion of Badiou's reading of the “negation...

  11. The Primacy of Shiite Theology over that of the Mutazilites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Habib Karkon Beiragh

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Shiites' historically tumultuous life has always been exposed to numerous charges. One of these charges is the claim that the Shiites have received their creed from the Mutazilites. Despite the antiquity of the charge and the fact that Shia scholars have tried to answer it, the charge is still in force. The present study seeks to review the historical roots of such allegations and tries to investigate their causes by referring to some old and modern sources. It also attempts to reply the charges by indicating the distinctions between the Shiite and Mutazilite theological systems and as a result the primacy of Shiite theology over the Mutazilite will be proved. To reject the claim saying the Shiites have obtained their creeds from the Mutazilites, we have mentioned numerous proofs, the titles of which are as follow: A The refutations offered by the Shiites against the Mutazilites B The rebukes of the Mutazilites by Shiite Imams and scholars C The debates of Shiite Imams and scholars with the Mutazilites D The conversion of some Mutazilites to the Shiism E Shiism has been charged with "Rafḍ" by the Mutzilites. F  The difference between Shiite and Mutazilite political position. G The Shiite belief in infallible Imam, despite the Mutzilites.  H The fundamental differences of Shiite and Mu'tazilite beliefs. In this research, to answer the question: "why the Shiites are called Mutazilite by some?" four different reasons have been offered which are as follow: A Shiite and Mutazilite common views in some principles such as the idea of freewill, and rational good and evil. B Studentship of Zaid bin Ali with Vasil bin 'Ata C The Mutazilites calling themselves as the Shiite D The practice of Taqiyyeh by some Shiite scholars Based on what was mentioned above, the differentiation of Shiite and Mutazilite theologies are proved. To prove the primacy of Shiite theology over that of Mutazilite, it is sufficient to refer to some of the remarks of Imam Ali (A

  12. Effects of culture systems on growth and economic performance of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The effect of culture system on growth and economics performance of Orechromis niloticus (Nile tilapia) in concrete tanks was investigated. Four outdoor concrete tanks measuring 2.5 x 2 m was used for the study for 24 weeks culture period. The culture systems included the use of algae only at the stocking rates of 4 ...

  13. The effect of grandparents’ economic, cultural, and social capital on grandchildren's educational success

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Stine Møllegaard; Jæger, Mads Meier

    2015-01-01

    This paper analyzes the effects of grandparents’ economic, cultural, and social capital on grandchildren's educational success. We analyze data from Denmark and hypothesize that grandparents’ economic capital should be of little importance in the Scandinavian context, while their cultural...... and social capital should be relatively more important. Our results partly confirm these hypotheses since, after controlling for parents’ capital, we find that grandparents’ cultural capital (but not their economic and social capital) has a positive effect on the likelihood that grandchildren choose...... the academic track in upper secondary education over all other tracks. These results suggest, at least in the Scandinavian context, that the ways in which grandparents affect grandchildren's educational success is via transmission of non-economic resources....

  14. Vocation in Theology and Psychology: Conflicting Approaches?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rotman, Marco

    2017-01-01

    Recent contributions in the fields of psychology, sociology, and theology reveal opposing attitudes about the subject of calling or vocation with regard to one's work. Whereas psychologists have rediscovered the concept, theologians increasingly show reluctance to accept a vocational view of work. In offering an alternative perspective, this…

  15. Theological imagination as hermeneutical device: Exploring the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In the past, biblical scholarship has neglected the hermeneutical contribution that an imaginal engagement with the text may make. The author's aim in this article was to develop theological imagination as a hermeneutical device. This was done by briefly considering the concurrence in the hermeneutic contributions of three ...

  16. John Clark, Billy Graham and Baptist Trends towards Cultural Legitimacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Jimmy Thomas

    By tracing and connecting significant shifts in Baptist political and theological rhetoric to trends within the larger culture, this rhetorical transformation can be seen as establishing and maintaining these groups as significant forces in American culture. Before 1800, Baptists were against infant baptism, regarding baptism as a matter of…

  17. The role of the theology of retribution in the growth of Pentecostal-Charismatic churches in Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan Kangwa

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This article considers the contribution of the theology of retribution to the growth of Pentecostal-charismatic churches in Africa. It argues that the beliefs and practices of African Pentecostal-charismatic churches uphold the theology of retribution. The success of prophecy and healing in these churches is based on their extensive engagement with the theology of retribution. To show this, the article begins with a brief review of the principle of retribution, describing it as resulting from the conception of a perfect and just universe in which every human deed brings with it consequences. Good deeds are followed by good consequences, evil deeds have bad consequences. Based on this understanding of retribution, the article discusses beliefs and practices of Pentecostal-charismatic churches which support the principle of retribution and whose involvement in healing and prophecy is attractive to Africans. The article concludes that the current discourse on Pentecostal-charismatic churches in Africa focuses strongly on the aspects of healing and prophecy while neglecting the contribution made by the theology of retribution to the popularity of these churches.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Located within African theologies and African church history, this article maintains that the current discourse on Pentecostal and charismatic churches in Africa, as it concentrates on healing and prophecy, overlooks the role played by the theology of retribution in the growth of these churches.

  18. Forum-ing: Signature practice for public theological discourse ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 70, No 1 (2014) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  19. Theological training in the black Reformed Churches in South Africa (RCSA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hulisani Ramantswana

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This article presents a historic analysis of theological training in the black Reformed Churches in South Africa (RCSA − Southland Synod (Coloured, Synod Midlands (black and Synod Soutpansberg (black − and highlights the major trends with regard to theological training. Four phases are identified: (1 1910–1951, informal training of evangelists and ministers on a local basis; (2 1952–1960, the beginning of formal training of ministers and evangelists; (3 1961–1989, training under the 1961 Theological Training Policy for the black RCSA; and (4 1990 to today, theological training in the black RCSA in the context of the new South Africa. Teologiese opleiding in die swart Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika (GKSA. Die artikel bied ’n historiese ontleding van teologiese opleiding in die swart Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika − Suidland Sinode (Kleurling, Middellande Sinode (swart en Soutpansberg Sinode (swart − en beklemtoon die belangrikste tendense met betrekking tot teologiese opleiding. Vier fases word in die artikel geïdentifiseer: (1 1910–1951, informele opleiding van evangeliste en leraars op ’n plaaslike basis; (2 1952–1960, die begin van die formele opleiding van predikante en evangeliste; (3 1961–1989, opleiding onder die 1961 Teologiese Opleidingsbeleid in die swart GKSA; en (4 1990 tot vandag, teologiese opleiding in die swart GKSA in die konteks van die nuwe Suid-Afrika.

  20. Theological Discourse in Bioethics: General and Confessional Differencies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Basia Nikiforova

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available This essay is devoted to the problem of theological discourse in bioethics. We focus both on general positions shared across major existing religions and substantial confessional differences among them. Among the major categories determining relationship between bioethics and religion we studied the following: “image of God” (imago Dei, casuistry, primacy of procreation, “playing God”, artificial procreation and others. After analyzing Christian, Jewish and Islamic positions on the theological interpretation of the reproductive technologies and human cloning, we came to a conclusion that differences in views depend rather on orthodox, conservative, traditional or liberal viewpoint within a given church than on differences between particular religions. Despite substantial faith-related differences, occasionally, views on reproductive technologies and other problems of bioethics seem closer between liberal Protestants and liberal Judaists than between orthodox and reformist Judaists. 

  1. Anthropology of St. Theophan the Recluse and the Origin of First Personalistic Concepts in Russian Theology

    OpenAIRE

    Khondzinskii Pavel,

    2017-01-01

    Studying the development of personalistic ideas in Russian theology, we are led to Kiev school as a starting point in this development. It was Kiev Theological Academy that paid serious attention to the study of philosophy and psychology of the modern period earlier than other religious schools did. The initial features of the school of thought that we deal with first manifested themselves in lectures by St. Innocent of Kherson, rector of Kiev Theological Academy, and in his controversy with K...

  2. Tradition, modernity and the future of African theology

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    During my research in the field of African traditional religion and Christianity I .... and their protest against the old is a cry for psychological, social and spiritual ...... B.A.(Theology) Dissertation, University of Malawi, 1996; for the Christian faith,.

  3. ‘For the tyrant shall be no more’: Reflections on and lessons from ‘The Arab Spring’ in North Africa, the Middle East and the Civil Rights and anti-apartheid struggles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Allan A. Boesak

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available The revolutionary events sweeping North Africa and the Middle East, called the ‘Arab Spring’, are of great historic significance. They challenge not only political and social realities in those countries; they confront us, the spectators to these momentous events with serious questions about our own political, cultural and theological perceptions, concepts and prejudices. This article probes, from a Black Liberation theology point of view, these events at several levels: (1 what are the connections between the ‘Arab Spring’ and the two other historic movements for social change, the Civil Rights struggle in the United States of America, and the antiapartheid struggle in South Africa; (2 what lessons are to be learnt from these events?; (3 the article revisits the question of M.M. Thomas, in terms of whether God is at work in events of social upheaval and revolutionary change, and if so, ‘how?’; and (4 what is the meaning and consequences of international, and more importantly, inter-religious solidarity with the people of those regions? The article discusses the meaning, complexity and efficacy of nonviolence and choices for violence or nonviolence in such situations of conflict and the questions these raise for theological reflection, prophetic action and Christian integrity.

  4. Socio-economic and Socio-cultural Reversals in Sembene ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Class Struggle and Social Truth in this novel is investigated through the ... and voiceless women who have now become 'men' who provide nurturance to their ... the mainstream socio-political, economic, cultural and judiciary affairs of their ...

  5. Economic and Cultural Factors Affecting University Excellence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jabnoun, Naceur

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: The ranking of top universities in the world has generated increased interest in the factors that enhance university performance. The purpose of this paper is to identify economic and cultural factors that affect the number of top ranking universities in each country. Design/methodology/approach: This paper first identifies the number of…

  6. Leaders' smiles reflect cultural differences in ideal affect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Jeanne L; Ang, Jen Ying Zhen; Blevins, Elizabeth; Goernandt, Julia; Fung, Helene H; Jiang, Da; Elliott, Julian; Kölzer, Anna; Uchida, Yukiko; Lee, Yi-Chen; Lin, Yicheng; Zhang, Xiulan; Govindama, Yolande; Haddouk, Lise

    2016-03-01

    Cultures differ in the emotions they teach their members to value ("ideal affect"). We conducted 3 studies to examine whether leaders' smiles reflect these cultural differences in ideal affect. In Study 1, we compared the smiles of top-ranked American and Chinese government leaders, chief executive officers, and university presidents in their official photos. Consistent with findings that Americans value excitement and other high-arousal positive states more than Chinese, American top-ranked leaders (N = 98) showed more excited smiles than Chinese top-ranked leaders (N = 91) across occupations. In Study 2, we compared the smiles of winning versus losing political candidates and higher versus lower ranking chief executive officers and university presidents in the United States and Taiwan/China. American leaders (N = 223) showed more excited smiles than Taiwanese/Chinese leaders (N = 266), regardless of election outcome or ranking. In Study 3, we administered self-report measures of ideal affect in college student samples from 10 different nations (N = 1,267) and then 8 years later, coded the smiles that legislators from those nations showed in their official photos (N = 3,372). The more nations valued excitement and other high arousal positive states, the more their leaders showed excited smiles; similarly, the more nations valued calm and other low-arousal positive states, the more their leaders showed calm smiles. These results held after controlling for national differences in democratization, human development, and gross domestic product per capita. Together, these findings suggest that leaders' smiles reflect the affective states valued by their cultures. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Leaders’ Smiles Reflect Cultural Differences in Ideal Affect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Jeanne L.; Ang, Jen Ying Zhen; Blevins, Elizabeth; Goernandt, Julia; Fung, Helene H.; Jiang, Da; Elliott, Julian; Kölzer, Anna; Uchida, Yukiko; Lee, Yi-Chen; Lin, Yicheng; Zhang, Xiulan; Govindama, Yolande; Haddouk, Lise

    2015-01-01

    Cultures differ in the emotions they teach their members to value (“ideal affect”). We conducted three studies to examine whether leaders’ smiles reflect these cultural differences in ideal affect. In Study 1, we compared the smiles of top ranked American and Chinese government leaders, chief-executive-officers (CEOs), and university presidents in their official photos. Consistent with findings that Americans value excitement and other high arousal positive states more than Chinese, American top ranked leaders (N = 98) showed more excited smiles than Chinese top ranked leaders (N = 91) across occupations. In Study 2, we compared the smiles of winning vs. losing political candidates and higher vs. lower ranking CEOs and university presidents in the US and Taiwan/China. American leaders (N = 223) showed more excited smiles than Taiwanese/Chinese leaders (N =266), regardless of election outcome or ranking. In Study 3, we administered self-report measures of ideal affect in college student samples from 10 different nations (N = 1,267) and then eight years later, coded the smiles that legislators from those nations showed in their official photos (N = 3,372). The more nations valued excitement and other high arousal positive states, the more their leaders showed excited smiles; similarly, the more nations valued calm and other low arousal positive states, the more their leaders showed calm smiles. These results held after controlling for national differences in GDP per capita, democratization, and human development. Together, these findings suggest that leaders’ smiles reflect the affective states valued by their cultures. PMID:26751631

  8. The Effect of Grandparents' Economic, Cultural and Social Capital on Grandchildren's Educational Success

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møllegaard Pedersen, Stine; Jæger, Mads Meier

    This paper analyzes the effects of grandparents’ economic, cultural, and social capital on grandchildren’s educational success. We analyze data from Denmark and hypothesize that grandparents’ economic capital should be of little importance in the Scandinavian context, while their cultural...... and social capital should be relatively more important. Our results partly confirm these hypotheses since, after controlling for parents’ capital, we find that grandparents’ cultural capital (but not their economic and social capital) has a positive effect on the likelihood that grandchildren choose...... the academic track in upper secondary education over the vocational track or no education. These results suggest that, at least in the Scandinavian context, the ways in which grandparents affect grandchildren’s educational success is via transmission of non-economic resources....

  9. Stačiatikybės literatūros teologija: idėjos ir problemika | The theology of orthodox literature: ideas and problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gediminas Mikelaitis

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The articles presents an overview of the first post- Soviet attempts by the Russian literature scholars to consider the links between the ideas of the Ortho­doxy and literature. Attempts are put, besides defin­ing the Christian stratum of the Russian culture, to establish the methodology of the research. The ar­ticle highlights the unique character of the theology of the Orthodox literature, mainly anchored to the ideas of the Russian religious philosophy reflected in the works of the Russian thinkers and writers as Vladimir Solovyov, Nikolai Berdyaev, Dmitri Mer­ezhkovski, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Andrei Bely and others. The article discusses the theologemes char­acteristic of the Orthodox literature: the depiction of Sophia, theurgic parameter, the ontological character of creation, performativeness, religious anthropol­ogy of Dostoyevsky. The uniqueness of the relation­ship between the Orthodoxy and literature is defined by demonstrating its link with religious philosophy, the aesthetic parameter of the existence, the role of religious ideas in literature, and the significance of theurgic aesthetics.

  10. Economic and Cultural Drivers of Immigrant Support Worldwide

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Valentino, Nicholas A.; Soroka, Stuart N.; Iyengar, Shanto

    2017-01-01

    Employing a comparative experimental design drawing on over 18,000 interviews across eleven countries on four continents, this article revisits the discussion about the economic and cultural drivers of attitudes towards immigrants in advanced democracies. Experiments manipulate the occupational...

  11. The rhetorical strategy of William Paley's Natural theology (1802): part 1, William Paley's Natural theology in context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Flaherty, Niall

    2010-03-01

    This article reconstructs the historical and philosophical contexts of William Paley's Natural theology (1802). In the wake of the French Revolution, widely believed to be the embodiment of an atheistic political credo, the refutation of the transmutational biological theories of Buffon and Erasmus Darwin was naturally high on Paley's agenda. But he was also responding to challenges arising from his own moral philosophy, principally the psychological quandary of how men were to be kept in mind of the Creator. It is argued here that Natural theology was the culmination of a complex rhetorical scheme for instilling religious impressions that would increase both the virtue and happiness of mankind. Philosophy formed an integral part of this strategy, but it did not comprise the whole of it. Equally vital were those purely rhetorical aspects of the discourse which, according to Paley, were more concerned with creating 'impression'. This facet of his writing is explored in part one of this two-part article. Turning to the argumentative side of the scheme, part two examines Paley's responses to David Hume and Erasmus Darwin in the light of the wider strategy of inculcation at work throughout all his writings.

  12. Economic and cultural correlates of road-traffic accident fatality rates in OECD countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaygisiz, Esma

    2009-10-01

    The relationships between economic conditions, cultural characteristics, personality dimensions, intelligence scores, and road-traffic accident mortality rates were investigated in 30 member and five accession countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Economic indicators included the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, the unemployment rate, and the Gini index. Cultural variables included five Hofstede's cultural dimensions, seven Schwartz cultural value dimensions, NEO-PI-R scales, and the intelligence quotient (IQ). The results showed positive associations between favorable economic conditions (high income per capita, high employment rate, and low income inequality) and high traffic safety. Countries with higher road-traffic accident fatality rates were characterized by higher power distance and uncertainty avoidance as well as embeddedness and emphasis on social hierarchy. Countries with lower road-traffic accident fatality rates were more individualistic, egalitarian, and emphasized autonomy of individuals. Conscientiousness (from NEO-PI-R) and IQ correlated negatively with road-traffic accident fatalities.

  13. Smallholder adoption and economic impacts of tissue culture ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PRECIOUS

    2009-12-01

    Dec 1, 2009 ... ISSN 1684–5315 © 2009 Academic Journals. Full Length ... Key words: Biotechnology, adoption, tissue culture bananas, Kenya. INTRODUCTION ... Recent studies about the agronomic and economic impacts of biotech- ..... accused scientist for 'playing God', others have supported biotechnologies.

  14. Cultural responsiveness in EFL teaching: reflections from native instructors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cinarbas H. Ibrahim

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, many international students from different parts of the world have been studying at Turkish universities, which creates a multicultural educational setting. Due to the multicultural educational setting, English has become the most widely used language for exchanging and sharing knowledge, therefore many international universities in Turkey put a great emphasis on English language education and offer English preparatory courses to students. In order to succeed at better language education, universities employ native English instructors to provide a richer language experience with cultural components embedded in language content. In this qualitative case study, cultural reflections of native English instructors at a Turkish university were investigated. Individual and focus group interviews were data sources for the study. Findings indicated that cultural responsiveness was considered to be constructed through time, and a necessity of orientation process was emphasized. However, the native instructors’ presumptions cause intolerance and underestimation of the host culture. In addition, educational issues and students’ misbehaviors, such as cheating and calling their instructors by their first name, were attributed to cultural background of the students.

  15. Economics, cultural transmission, and the dynamics of the sex ratio at birth in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipatov, Mikhail; Li, Shuzhuo; Feldman, Marcus W

    2008-12-09

    In rural China, the ratio of newborn boys to newborn girls [sex ratio at birth (SRB)] has been rising for several decades, to values significantly above its biological norm. This trend has a number of alarming societal consequences, and has attracted the attention of scholars and politicians. The root of the problem lies in a 2,500-year-old culture of son preference. This culture is intricately linked with the economic reality of each couple's life, so that there are financial and psychological repercussions to parents who have no sons. To bring greater clarity and understanding to this issue, we present a quantitative framework that describes the interaction between economics and cultural transmission. We start with an explicit mechanism by which economic incentives can change cultural beliefs of a given individual, and go on to include a mechanism of cultural inheritance from generation to generation. We then show how economic conditions can affect the dynamics of cultural change in an entire society, and may lead to a decrease in the country's sex ratio at birth.

  16. Listening to Africa’s children in the process of practical theological interpretation: A South African application

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    Ignatius Swart

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available As part of the theological task of developing a publicly oriented ministry that will do justice to the social plight of children in Africa, this article adopted as its point of departure an appreciation of the new ‘hermeneutics of listening’ that is advanced today by an interdisciplinary movement of scholars from the disciplines of practical theology, theological ethics and religion studies. Emphasising the fact that this new hermeneutics is by and large the result of this scholarly movement’s newly-found engagement with, and exposure to, the social science field of childhood studies, the article moved from a more general appreciation of the new hermeneutical line of thinking to a more pertinent evaluation of the unfolding of this line of thinking in the scholarly context of Africa. In a further development that narrows the African focus to South Africa, the results from a recent empirical investigation amongst members of the South African practical theological academy were discussed in particular to determine the extent of this group’s shift to the new line of thinking. This led the article to make a concluding statement, in the light of its overt practical theological interest, about the way in which the new ‘hermeneutics of listening’ to children could still be seen as an important ongoing challenge, not only for practical theological scholarship in South Africa but also within the larger context of Africa.

  17. The Influence of Economic Literacyon Consumption Behaviour Mediated by Local Cultural Values and Promotion

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    Aldila Septiana

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to know the influence of economics literacy on the students’ consumption behavior through local cultural values and promotions. The mediation used is based on the theories, the empirical studies and the previous studies.Quantitative approach was used in this study. The population was the Pamekasan Senior High Schools students (Class XI IPS, academic year 2012/2013. Proportional random sampling was conducted to take the samples in the population. The data was collected by using the questionnaire and test. Path analysis was used to analyze the data.The findings showe that the economic literacy level influences directly and significantly on the local cultural values, while affected negatively significant on the promotion. Also the economic literacy level influences directly and negatively significant on the consumption behavior. Contrary, the local cultural values influence directly, positively and significantly on the consumption behavior similar to the promotion. Moreover, the economic literacy level influences indirectly and significantly on the consumption behavior through the local cultural values. Similar to the local cultural values, the promotion aspect had the same influence direction. Therefore, this research provided evidence that the economic literacy affected consumption behaviour which are moderated through the value of local culture and promotion aspects

  18. Culturally and economically important nontimber forest products of northern Maine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michelle J. Baumflek; Marla R. Emery; Clare. Ginger

    2010-01-01

    Nontimber forest products (NTFPs) gathered for food, medicine, craft, spiritual, aesthetic, and utilitarian purposes make substantial contributions to the economic viability and cultural vitality of communities. In the St. John River watershed of northern Maine, people identifying with cultural groups including Acadian, Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Scotch-Irish, and Swedish...

  19. JEAN DANIÉLOU (1905–1974: CARDINAL, SCHOLAR, THEOLOGI AND EDICATED TO THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. MIKHAYLOV

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Author overviews life and activities of well-known Catholic theologian of the XXthcentury — Jean Daniélou, and also analyses his main works in patristics, early Christian theology, theology of Christian mission etc. This article may be useful to everyone who is interested in the destinies of Christian theology nowaday

  20. Governance in International Theological Education: A Study in Asia, the Caribbean, Eurasia, and Latin America

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferenczi, Jason E.

    2012-01-01

    Recent literature on theological education calls for renewal and increased responsiveness to the needs of churches and broader society. A theological school's ability to achieve responsiveness in a changing environment is based on many factors. This study explores the role of governance in assuring responsiveness in various contexts, including…

  1. FAMILY’S ECONOMIC LEVEL AND CULTURE CORRELATE WITH NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF CHILDREN UNDER FIVE YEARS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Muhith

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Nutrition is an important thing for human life. Variety in family’s economic level and culture have effect on family’s eating habit. Family with higher economic status have big opportunity to met under fi ve year’s nutrition. Cultural diversity on each family has an impact on the difference of raw food selection, processing methods, and presentation of food. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between family’s economic level and culture with nutritional status of children under fi ve year. Method: Research design was observational analytic with cross sectional approach. The population were mother and their children under fi ve years at Desa Jatigono Kunir, Kabupaten Lumajang. Sampel were 184 respondents, taken by using cluster sampling. Independent variables were family’s economic level and culture. Dependent variable was nutritional status of children under fi ve years. Data were collected by using questionnaire and observational sheet. Then, data were analyzed by using Spearman Rho Test with α<0.05. Result: The results showed that 140 (76.1% respondents have low economic level, 105 (57.1% respondents have negative culture in children’s nutrition, and 89 (48% respondents have good nutritional status. The result of Spearman-rho test showed that family’s economic level (p=0.000 and culture (0.019 have correlated with nutritional status of children under five years. Discussion: It can be concluded that family’s economic level and culture have correlated with nutritional status of children under fi ve years. Nurses should develop health education and counseling to improve family’s knowledge about nutrition, so children will have good nutritional status. Keywords: economic level, family’s culture, nutritional status, children under five years

  2. Orthodox Theology and Empirical Science: Kant as a Bridge to the Apophatic Revelation of the Orthodox East

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David K. GOODIN

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The Orthodox theological worldview often finds itself confronted by the unspoken nihilism of empiricism, with little common ground for dialogue. This article establishes that common ground for discursive exchange through exploring the apophatic aspects of Kantian transcendental theology, which in turn can become a bridge to the Orthodox negative theology. Kant drew continental thought along certain foundational lines with his critique of pure reason and transcendental idealism; it was his way to locate empirical science with respect to the perceptual foundations of thought, which are properly understood philosophically. In this project, Kant would seek to secure the Christian faith in the transcendental—i.e., that which underlies all empirical experience. Even so, certain openings to traditional religious mysticism are also to be found in his project, particularly with respect to transcendental theology. This article explores these Kantian foundations for an apophatic transcendental theology in relation to the hesychastic writings of Gregory of Sinai, Gregory Palamas, and Nikitas Stithatos. This in turn becomes a new inroad for dialogue with empirical science.

  3. The Black Atlantic as reversal: A reappraisal of African and black theology

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    Hans Engdahl

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available In this article, I will try to do three things. Firstly, pay attention to the notion of Black Atlantic as coined by Paul Gilroy, which in effect could signify a reversal of colonialism and slavery. Secondly, revisit the 1970s and the debate about the relevance of Black theology vis-à-vis African theology, using John Mbiti’s article ‘An African Views American Black Theology’ as entry point. Here, I will discuss contributions also made by Desmond Tutu and James Cone. Thirdly, starting with the premise that both theologies are relevant and soul mates today, which would (probably be confirmed by all the above mentioned at this point in time, an assessment of current voices will be made, that is, Tinyiko Maluleke and Vuyani Vellem on black and African ecclesiologies from a South African perspective, and Lawrence Burnley on the fate of the Black Church in the United States.

  4. Women’s spirituality and feminist theology: A hermeneutic of suspicion applied to ‘patriarchal marriage’

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yolanda Dreyer

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available This article focused on feminist theory, feminist theology, the origins of the patriarchal marriage, and hermeneutics of suspicion. It aimed to provide language for articulating past and present experiences of women from a theological and hermeneutical perspective. The article discussed women’s spirituality and the failure of the patriarchal marriage to nurture self-perception (how I see myself, life orientation (where I am in the world and identity (who am I in the world, with regard to women’s spirituality. The article also gave details about the variety of feminisms that exist in theology both in the past and in the present.

  5. Science, Values and Loves : Theologies as Expressive Constructions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Drees, W.B.

    2017-01-01

    Invited to write “a manifesto for [my] own theological position”, I begin with science and human rights as excellent examples of universalist aspirations of modernity. Modern individualism is important too, as particular existential loves shape each life. Science, morality, and personal loves are

  6. Theology amongst the sciences: A personal view from the University of Oxford

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susan E. Gillingham

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The paper focuses on two individuals who have each made a seminal contribution to the debates between theology and the sciences in Oxford - Charles Darwin (in the mid�19th century, and Richard Dawkins (from the 1990s to the present day. It introduces Darwin by way of a more personal and visual view from Worcester College Chapel. The restoration of the chapel took place at about the same time as the debates between Huxley and Wilberforce in the Oxford University Museum over Charles Darwin�s On the Origin of the Species. The first part of the paper then traces these debates back: first to an earlier period of disputation represented by Galileo Galilei (c. 1564�1642, and then to a period of greater accommodation represented by Isaac Newton (1643�1727. Darwin represents a third, more controversial, stage. The paper then looks at a fourth period, from the mid�20th century onwards, which is marked by more eirenical attempts to demarcate science and theology by seeing the former again as asking the �how� questions and the latter, the �why� questions. It then focuses on a fifth, more disputatious stage, which was initiated by Richard Dawkins, professor in the Public Understanding of Science until 2008. Professor Dawkins challenges the idea that theology cannot be studied, because its focus is a non-existent object, �God�.The second part of the paper looks at various Oxford projects and Oxford theologians who have risen to this contemporary challenge. They include the work of the Ian Ramsey Centre; Justin Barret�s and John Trigg�s joint � 2 million project, supported by the John Templeton foundation, which examines scientific ideas about religion and the mind; Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford from 1987 to 2006, who has conducted a number of media interviews with Richard Dawkins; Keith Ward, who has written several books engaging not only with Dawkins but is also the Cambridge Professor of Mathematics, Stephen Hawking; and

  7. Tradition and Renewal in Contemporary Orthodox Theology

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    Marios Begzos

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available This text presents the challenges that the modern world poses for the Orthodox Church. In every historical period, the Church has struggled with internal and external problems. While preserving its traditions and historical foundations, the theology of the Orthodox Church struggles with contemporary problems by showing the current, contemporary teaching about God, man and the world.

  8. German Muslims and their engagement in participatory culture: reflections on civic and artistic contributions to the public sphere.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soliman, Asmaa

    2017-09-01

    This paper examines publics of young German Muslims. Case studies include the singer Huelya Kandemir, the theatre group Uma Lamo and the social network Zahnräder. By focusing on spiritual music publics, theatrical comedy publics and social publics, it tries a new approach to the way in which we understand minority public engagement. In addition to examining the concept of counterpublics, it utilizes the concept of participatory culture, which offers a relevant complement. The study argues that the publics of young German Muslims display multifaceted artistic and civic engagement, which can best be understood in terms of participation in cultural or civic productions and contribution to the wider German public. Features or effects of counterpublics, such as the countering of mainstream representations of minority identities and the offering of alternative discourses, are occasionally reflected in their activities. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2017.

  9. The problem of theodicy and the theology of the cross

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Vorster

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Theodicy is the attempt to justify God’s righteousness and goodness amidst the experience of evil and suffering in the world. This article discusses Karl Barth’s Christological and Jürgen Moltmann’s eschatological approach to the problem of theodicy. The central theoretical argument is that the problem of theodicy poses a major hermeneutical challenge to Christianity that needs to be addressed, since it has implications for the way in which theology defines itself. Questions that arise are: What are the boundaries of theology? What are the grounds on which the question of theodicy must be asked? Is the Christian understanding of God’s omnipotence truly Scriptural? The modern formulation of theodicy finds its origin in the Enlighten- ment that approaches the problem from a theoretical framework based on human experience. This theoretical approach leads, however, to further logical inconsistencies. Theology must rather approach the problem in the same way as Scripture does, by taking the cross, resurrection and parousia of Christ as point of departure. The cross and resurrection are a sign that suffering is not part of God’s plan and at the same time an affirmation of God’s victory over suffering and evil.

  10. Breaking the Back of Economic and Financial (Il)Literacy in South Africa: A Critical Reflection of the Role of Economic Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maistry, S. M.

    2010-01-01

    South African society is characterized by high levels of poverty and unemployment. South Africa has an embarrassingly uneven distribution of income as reflected by the Gini-coefficient. While much of the country's economic ailments can be attributed to poor and selective application of economic policies during the apartheid era, there is a growing…

  11. the relevance of continental philosophy of religion for theology

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    (and how) they succeed in opening a space for theology and religion in ... fundamental challenge for ontology – the exposition of prephilosophical facts that determine .... knowledge” of God's order to the subjective world of human cognition.

  12. AIDS: A theological and pastoral response

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. G. Miller

    1990-03-01

    Full Text Available The anticipated A.I.D.S. crisis in Southern Africa presents an opportunity for the Christian church to respond positively rather than merely to react negatively. This requires both a theological understanding and a pastoral response. Theologically, A.I.D.S. may be seen as an object lesson in the interrelation of natural, personal and historical evil. Although both the Old Testament and the New Testament warn against a simplistic doctrine of individual retribution, there are also several different ways in which the A.I.D.S. crisis may indeed in some particular cases be seen as a judgement of God while in other cases it is rather a horrifying event. Other relevant issues include matters relating to justification and sanctification and the wider ethical issues of discrimination and human rights, of "public" and "private" morality. The Church's pastoral response should include both "corrective" education to remove irrational and fearful ignorance and also "preventative" education to encourage a monogamous lifestyle. Pastoral ministry must be "redemptive", appropriate to the varying needs of persons with A.I.D.S., of their families and friends and of professional care-providers. The Church cannot ignore the A.I.D.S. crisis, but must respond to it both Biblically and pastorally.

  13. KENOSIS Towards A New Theology Of Science

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    Javier Monserrat

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The «theology of science» which, in our opinion, brings us the image of the universe, life and man in contemporary science has its fundamental axis on the concept of «epistemological kenosis». This means that God, in the event that he is real and exists, has created an autonomous world, whose ultimate truth is enigmatic. The world can be explained without God in «atheism»; but it is also possible to construct a «theist» explanation. In other words, the «possible God» has created a world with an ambivalent, enigmatic structure, which does not «impose» His own divine presence on rational human knowledge. Therefore, God has not «imposed» His presence on human reason, that is to say, He has chosen to conceal Himself in creation, an «emptiness» or «nothingness» (kenosis of His divine presence. The divine kenosis (emptiness, nothingness or divine impotence as regards the world is epistemological. In our opinion, the idea of God from science does not permit us to speak of an «ontological kenosis». The God that science can speak of must be an omnipotent creator and the foundation of being. He is transcendent and always maintains control of the ontology of the universe. This kenosis of God in creation is the basis of human freedom (man must be religious freely, rationally but not necessarily imposed. The drama of freedom also explains the drama of suffering in the plan of salvation of God. The two grand metaphysical questions of human life in this enigmatic world are the question on the «concealed God» (a real God who has not wanted to impose Himself and the question on the «Liberating God» (due to the liberating will of this concealed God in relation to the meta-historical future of humanity. From these two metaphysical and existential questions, man makes his hermeneutics of Christianity. At this point the significance of the Mystery of Christ appears and this responds to the question on divine concealment

  14. Legal, economic and cultural aspects of file sharing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Eijk, N.; Poort, J.P.; Rutten, P.

    2010-01-01

    This contribution seeks to identify the short and long-term economic and cultural effects of file sharing on music, films and games, while taking into account the legal context and policy developments. The short-term implications examined concern direct costs and benefits to society, whereas the

  15. Spiritual culture crisis in modern society

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rusko Nadiya Mykhaylivna

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The article researches the concept of spirituality as a holistic phenomenon, characterises the current state of spirituality in Ukraine and reveal the basic ways of forming spiritual culture with the help of philosophical, cultural, theological, linguistic, pedagogical, and psychological approaches. Moreover, the crisis in the today’s spiritual culture is analysed, and the determinants of the negative processes in the modern society are examined. Therefore, we can state that education remains a priority area in the spiritual and cultural development of the society. In the current phase of state construction, the main educational objective is the development of the spiritual culture of personality.

  16. �Mission and Power� � The relevance of the Edinburgh 2010 discussion in the theological engagement with violence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cornelius J.P. Niemandt

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available The ecumenical conference in Edinburgh in 2010 identified the issue of �Mission and Power� as one of the pressing mission themes for our generation. Christian mission has always been associated with power. The promise of the risen Christ was that his followers would receive power when the Holy Spirit came on them. History, unfortunately, recounts how Christian mission became backed by force and violence, the very opposite of the kind of power and energy associated with the Spirit of God. At the Edinburgh 2010 conference this violence in mission was studied as expressed in churches� relations with indigenous peoples. This article engages violence theologically and ecumenically by inviting the Edinburgh 2010 discussion into the reflection on violence in the democratic South Africa, as it was presented as a contribution to a wider discussion on violence in South Africa. This is done with the following objectives in mind: (1 to better understand the interplay between violence and power against the background of a broader global and ecumenical discussion of this issue; and (2 to suggest clues for the theological reflection on violence that may help to create a powerless, spacecreating discourse that opens up thinking and contributes to healing and justice.The article concludes by building on the Edinburg 2010 foundations of mission as dialogue and proposing prophetic dialogue as a powerless discourse: �Transforming the meaning of mission means that � God�s mission calls all people to work together for healing and justice in partnerships of mutuality and respect.�

  17. Interactions between cultural and economic determinants of divorce in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kalmijn, M.; Graaf, P.M. de; Poortman, A.R.

    2004-01-01

    This study examines the relationship between gendered family roles and divorce in The Netherlands. Cultural and economic aspects of this relationship are distinguished. Economic hypotheses argue that the likelihood of divorce is increased if women work for pay and have attractive labor market

  18. Business ethics founded on christian moral theology: Perspectives for the 21st century

    OpenAIRE

    Mele, Domenec

    2000-01-01

    Religion influences the world of business through its influence on people's moral conscience and motivation, so it would be unrealistic not to take it into account. Theology does not see itself as being opposed to philosophy but, rather, as building on it. Through its rational and systematic justification of faith, theology opens up new horizons for business ethics. Furthermore, if public debate requires the contribution of acknowledged authorities on moral issues, then there is clearly a pla...

  19. Responding to the challenge of Black Theology: Liberating Ministry ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2016-08-05

    Aug 5, 2016 ... smart phone or mobile .... relationship between white liberation and Black Theology. ..... uses this language to call for the church to 'become' a site of struggle, which in his ..... itself does not dismantle a problematic whiteness.

  20. Personal Goals and Academic Achievement among Theology Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Litmanen, Topi; Hirsto, Laura; Lonka, Kirsti

    2010-01-01

    Studying in higher education requires long-term commitment. Previous studies have shown that commitment, perceived competence, intrinsic motivation and work-life orientation are positively related to academic achievement. This study examines the kinds of goals theology students have at the beginning of studies, and whether these goals are related…

  1. Teaching Introductory Upper-Level Religion and Theology Classes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clingerman, Forrest; O'Brien, Kevin J.

    2015-01-01

    The undergraduate study of religion is predominantly undertaken by non-majors who are meeting a general education requirement. This means that, while curricular discussions make important distinctions between the work of lower- and upper-division courses, many religion and theology faculty are teaching hybrid courses that we call…

  2. Pursuing an understanding of animal consciousness: Implications for animal morality and a creaturely theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cornel W. du Toit

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The importance of animals in the evolutionary history of homo sapiens comes to the fore in light of an increasingly trans-human techno-scientific environment. New research on consciousness, and animal consciousness in particular, has prompted questions relating to animal rights, animal morality and the emergence of a creaturely theology and theological primatology. The possibility of understanding nonhuman animals is investigated with reference to notions like consciousness, thinking, awareness, language and communication, including the importance of emotion in communication. Special attention is given to the nature of animal communication as it came to the fore in bonobo and other chimpanzee research. Building on the notion of awareness and communication, the article focuses on the notion of animal morality and comments on some aspects of a creaturely theology.

  3. R.D. Laing and theology: the influence of Christian existentialism on "The Divided Self".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Gavin

    2009-04-01

    The radical psychiatrist R.D. Laing's first book, "The Divided Self" (1960), is informed by the work of Christian thinkers on scriptural interpretation -- an intellectual genealogy apparent in Laing's comparison of Karl Jaspers's symptomatology with the theological tradition of "form criticism." Rudolf Bultmann's theology, which was being enthusiastically promoted in 1950s Scotland, is particularly influential upon Laing. It furnishes him with the notion that schizophrenic speech expresses existential truths as if they were statements about the physical and organic world. It also provides him with a model of the schizoid position as a form of modern-day Stoicism. Such theological recontextualization of "The Divided Self" illuminates continuities in Laing's own work, and also indicates his relationship to a wider British context, such as the work of the "clinical theologian" Frank Lake.

  4. Karl Marx and Liberation Theology: Dialectical Materialism and Christian Spirituality in, against, and beyond Contemporary Capitalism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter McLaren

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores convergences and discrepancies between liberation theology and the works of Karl Marx through the dialogue between one of the key contemporary proponents of liberation theology, Peter McLaren, and the agnostic scholar in critical pedagogy, Petar Jandrić. The paper briefly outlines liberation theology and its main convergences with the works of Karl Marx. Exposing striking similarities between the two traditions in denouncing the false God of money, it explores differences in their views towards individualism and collectivism. It rejects shallow rhetorical homologies between Marx and the Bible often found in liberation theology, and suggests a change of focus from seeking a formal or Cartesian logical consistency between Marxism and Christianity to exploring their dialectical consistency. Looking at Marxist and Christian approaches to morality, it outlines close links between historical materialism and questions of value. It concludes that the shared eschaton of Marxism and the Christianity gives meaning to human history and an opportunity to change it.

  5. Theology and Threshold: Victorian Approaches to Reviving Choir and Rood Screens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayla Lepine

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available In 1851, A. W. N. Pugin published an influential treatise on rood screens, intending in his irrepressible polemical style to create further Gothic Revival momentum for inserting these iconographically complex and liturgically vital elements into Roman Catholic and Anglican churches throughout Britain and its empire. In the decades that followed, debates regarding ritual, aesthetics, materials, and Eucharistic theology surrounded the design, presence, and indeed absence of these screens. This interdisciplinary article on the borderlands between architectural history and theology explores what was at stake in the religious symbolism of a small number of diverse screens designed by George Gilbert Scott, George Frederick Bodley, and Ninian Comper, considering them in light of the key writing produced by Pugin at the mid-point of the nineteenth century, as well as by priest–architect Ernest Geldart in the century’s end. This study, together with its three short films that explore the screens’ meanings and histories in situ, charts shifts in theology and style as each architect offered innovative views through delicate latticework of stone, paint, and wood towards the Christian sacred epicentre of the Incarnation and the sacrifice of the Eucharist.

  6. Advertising execution styles as a reflection of culture : Cross-cultural analysis of messaging app advertising preferences in South Korea and China

    OpenAIRE

    Kivinen, Sofia

    2014-01-01

    Increased globalization and the thought of converging values has lead marketing practitioners and academics to consider more standardized approaches to marketing and advertising strategies. Even though cultures seem to evolve closer to each other, cultural diversity still exists. Advertising reflects and influences our cultural values and therefore it cannot be ignored when building effective advertising. Results show that culture impacts execution more than creative strategy (Wei & Jiang...

  7. Critical reflections on managing cultural diversity in workplaces in Slovenia

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    Sara Brezigar

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper focuses on managing cultural diversity at workplaces in Slovenia. The author critically reflects on some aspects of research and studies that have been carried out both on discrimination as well as managing diversity in Slovenia between 2007 and 2013, and finds the cause of the inability of organisations to adopt policies on managing diversity in the lack of competences and skills associated with cultural sensibility. The author maintains that whereas workplaces are bound to become more and more diverse, the predominant approach towards diversity in workplaces in Slovenia tends to either dismiss (cultural diversity as inconsequential or treat it as a nuisance that needs to be dealt with, thus failing to grasp the advantages which such diversity could bring.

  8. Tthe covenant in Ulrich Huber's enlightened theology, jurisprudence ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... of God's law), and the secular social contract theories stemming from the early Enlightenment. This investigation gains value as a result of its emphasis on the prominence of the covenant in the inextricably linked disciplines of theology, jurisprudence and political theory; as well as its revitalisation of the complicated nature

  9. Catholic Theological Education in a Religiously Pluralistic Age

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lefebure, Leo D.

    2006-01-01

    This article describes the transformation of Catholic theological education over the last fifty years from a highly defensive posture vis-a-vis other religions toward dialogical engagement with members of other religions and all persons of good will. Until Vatican II, most Catholic theologians and officials distrusted exploration of other…

  10. The American Theological Seminary: An Unfamiliar Institutional Autopsy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lumadue, Richard

    2010-01-01

    Christian educators can learn much from institutional autopsies of Christian schools of higher education that have failed. The untold story of the now-defunct American Theological Seminary (ATS) in St. Augustine, Florida, provides an excellent example of critical errors that Christian educators can learn from to avoid the same fate. An…

  11. An Integrative Professional Theory and Practice Paper: Personal Reflections from the Journey through Clinical Pastoral Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLean, Gillian

    2015-12-01

    CPE is an experience-based approach to learning spiritual care which combines clinical care with qualified supervision, in-class education and group reflection (CASC--http://www.spiritualcare.ca/). Through didactic seminars, group presentations and personal reading there is opportunity for the student to acquire, apply and integrate relevant theoretical information into their practice. Written for my CPE Specialist application, this paper describes how, through the course of advanced CPE education, I learn to utilize and integrate theory into my clinical work. Beginning with three strands--authenticity, listening and storytelling--I then discuss how the behavioural sciences and theology inform my practice. Focusing on empathy, I speak of the application of disclosure, the use of counter-transference as a diagnostic tool, and the place of therapeutic termination. Group theory, family systems theory, theological reflection, liturgical ministry, and multi-faith practices are considered. © The Author(s) 2015.

  12. Automating the Detection of Reflection-on-Action

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saucerman, Jenny; Ruis, A. R.; Shaffer, David Williamson

    2017-01-01

    Learning to solve "complex problems"--problems whose solutions require the application of more than basic facts and skills--is critical to meaningful participation in the economic, social, and cultural life of the digital age. In this paper, we use a theoretical understanding of how professionals use reflection-in-action to solve complex…

  13. Felix Adler and Education for Ethical Culture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stallones, Jared R.

    2015-01-01

    This article delves into the various religious influences on Dr. Felix Adler's spiritual development and the resulting theological and philosophical foundations for the Ethical Culture Society that he created in addition to the Society's schools. The discussion focuses on Dr. Adler's personal struggles with traditional Judaism in the face of…

  14. Foundation of theological college in Belgrade and establishment of legal framework for its functioning

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    Novaković Dragan

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The foundation of the Theological College in Belgrade is viewed in the context of complex political circumstances which followed the restoration of the Serbian state and the efforts of the Serbian church to gain autonomy and the right to elect bishops independently from the Universal Patriarchate. Once having achieved these goals, and with a conviction that the achieved must be defended and maintained by knowledge and education, the state authorities founded a seminary for education of priests and teachers capable to carry out national and spiritual reformation. The accord between the state and the Church regarding the strategic aims enabled the very first vocational school in Serbia to develop continuously its curricula and hire better and better teaching staff each year. However, due to the change of circumstances, the state passed the laws by which it enforced its dominance and showed a clear intent to subordinate theological education to its control. Yet, by its continuous activity during two crucial centuries, the Seminary became a part of collective consciousness, and its cadres contributed actively to the creation of original cultural and value patterns and preservation of national identity of the Serbian nation. The brilliant history of this school and its precious experience can be of great encouragement not only to the researchers of our pedagogical inheritance but also to all those who are engaged in reforming and adjusting education in Serbia to the European standards. .

  15. Reflections on Supervision and Culture: What Difference Does Difference Make?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acker, Sandra

    2011-01-01

    For this commentary, the author went back and read most of her own writings on graduate education. Having only just retired but still working with supervisees and doing research, she reflects on supervision and culture. She has four questions for authors and readers: (1) What is supervision?; (2) What are the implications of "sameness" and…

  16. Ubuntu and the body: A perspective from theological anthropology as embodied sensing

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    Jacob J.S. Meiring

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The author asks whether the notion of ubuntu truly exists within contemporary South African society and how the experiencing of South Africans� embodiment can be connected to ubuntu � especially amongst black people. The notion of ubuntu is briefly explored within law and theology. The author has recently proposed a model for a contemporary theological anthropology as �embodied sensing� which functions within the intimate relationship of the lived body, experiencing in a concrete life-world, language, and the �more than�. It is from this perspective that the notion of ubuntu is explored.

  17. A Friendship for Others: Bonhoeffer and Bethge on the Theology and Practice of Friendship

    OpenAIRE

    Parsons, Preston David Sunabacka

    2018-01-01

    A Friendship for Others: Bonhoeffer and Bethge on the Theology and Practice of Friendship Preston Parsons This study considers the theology and practice of friendship in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s academic writing, his pastoral work and thought, his involvement in the Abwehr plot, and his prison letters, taking special interest in the influence of Eberhard Bethge on Bonhoeffer and the influence of Bonhoeffer on Bethge. Friendship, as a locus of interpretation, also provides a fresh per...

  18. Sin, suffering, and the need for the theological virtues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, David Albert

    2006-08-01

    This article examines the account of the relationship between sin and suffering provided by J. L. A. Garcia in "Sin and Suffering in a Catholic Understanding of Medical Ethics," in this issue. Garcia draws on the (Roman) Catholic tradition and particularly on the thought of Thomas Aquinas, who remains an important resource for Catholic theology. Nevertheless, his interpretation of Thomas is open to criticism, both in terms of omissions and in terms of positive claims. Garcia includes those elements of Thomas that are purely philosophical, such as natural law and acquired virtue, but neglects the theological and infused virtues, the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the beatitudes. These omissions distort his account of the Christian life so that he underplays both the radical problem posed by sin (and suffering), and the radical character of the ultimate solution: redemption in Christ through the grace of the Holy Spirit.

  19. Human dignity and the profoundly disabled: a theological perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthews, Pia

    2011-01-01

    One challenge to the concept of human dignity is that it is a rootless notion invoked simply to mask inequalities that inevitably exist between human beings. This privileging of humans is speciesist and its weak point is the profoundly disabled human being. This article argues that far from being a weak point, the profoundly disabled person is a source of strength and witness to the intrinsic dignity that all human beings have by virtue of being human. The disabled represent the reality of human existence that is both strong and fragile. Although human dignity can be understood philosophically its depth is rooted in Christian theological insights. The profoundly disabled occupy a privileged position and share in a theology of mission since they testify to the interdependence of every human being and human dependence on God to a myopic world that only values strength, autonomy and independence.

  20. Theological Responses to the Challenges of European Utopian Tradition: Some Teological Programmes of the First Half of the 20th Century

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    Mikhailov Petr

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Author supposes that the major social-politic events in European history of the fi rst half of the 20th century have as their root an eschatological utopian tradition that subdues the fact of world Redemption to progressive logic of history. The circle of theologians from Dominican and Jesuit’s Orders associated with Saulchoir (Tournai, Belgium and Fourvière (Lyon, France has proposed some theological responses for such kind of opposition to the Christian testimony in the world. They have evident correlation with each other in their general principals and common convictions in the inner structure of theology (cf. M. Blondel and M.-D. Chenu. The theological system has an experience of faith and obedience to the Church as its root, historical research (cf. «théologie de ressourcement», «positive théologie» or historical theology as its foundation. Two great representatives of Catholic theology — Yves Congar and Henri de Lubac — followed that direction in their scientific works. Congar succeeded in his project of theology of unity that had to resolve two great schisms: 1 between faith and life, 2 between the Church and the world. He developed his ideas in two vectors of ecclesiology: historical ecclesiology (nature and theology of the Church and practical ecclesiology (position of the Church in dialogue with the other confessions and external world. Henri de Lubac saw the beginning of the crisis of the world Christianity in the actual condition of contemporary theology as a result of inner opposition between reason and faith. His activity was directed at its overcoming. He edifies the structure of theology from the phenomenon of faith understood as a supernatural gift of God. Further lines were identified as a unity in social, historical and transcendent dimensions.

  1. Understanding China’s Economic Success

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Xing

    2016-01-01

    This study attempts to provide a framework for understanding the role of the “embeddedness” in China’s economic success reflected by a unique embedded integration of state-market-society relations. “Embeddedness with Chinese characteristics” is the central concept of this study for analyzing how...... cultural and political uniqueness influences economic activities and shapes distinctive institutional forms. In order to grasp the factors behind the Chinese economic success, it is important to understand how the disembedded forces of marketization and commodification were balanced by the embedded forces...... context to explain and analyze the “embedded” hegemony in transitional China. The first part of the this paper provides a conceptual framework for understanding socio-cultural and political embeddedness in China and the second part analyzes some characteristics of the state-market-society embedded process...

  2. Economic and social impact of modernization on cultural values

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Andreeva

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Our paper focuses on the relevant theoretical economic approaches that allow us to understand the key elements of cultural values. The paper presents a model envisaged to estimate economic and social impact of modernization on cultural values in modern societies. We employ three indices of social and economic development for each level in Russian Federal districts of Moscow and St. Petersburg in order to reveal their impacts on modernization processes. Our data has been collected via the means of a questionnaire and an opinion poll with the purpose of revealing the value guidelines of society in terms of its modernization. Our results reveal the presence of four relevant levels of value orientations: family orientations, global, work, and personal orientations. Our results demonstrate how modernization is perceived in modern societies, in which spheres it is mostly expressed, and how it influences the society. Moreover, we show the determinants of values within four levels of value orientations. Our findings provide estimations of modern attitudes towards social consciousness in the processes of modernization and reveal basic moral principles that could become a background of new system of values used in modernizing modern societies.

  3. QUANTIFYING THE HETEROGENITY OF PUBLICATION CULTURES IN ECONOMIC, BUSINESS, AND FINANCIAL HISTORY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eline Poelmans

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Researchers working in the interdisciplinary field of ‘economic, business and financial history’ come from at least two different disciplinary backgrounds, namely history and economics. These two backgrounds may lead to differences in research practices, as there are potentially other demands for tenure and promotion requirements. We performed a survey to assess whether there is heterogeneity in the submission and publication culture (i.e. one multi-faceted culture, or simply multiple cultures between respondents working in an economics versus a history department. Among other things, we found differences in their motivation for publishing, the type of publications they aim for, and their journal selection strategies. Our results show that the department the respondents work at—irrespective of their disciplinary focus and background—determines most of their research and publication decisions. Hence working successfully in an interdisciplinary field or working in a department different from the main field of research requires researchers to learn the (informal rules and practices of an unfamiliar field.

  4. Nuclear energy and moral theology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Korff, W.

    1979-01-01

    The investigation was born by a concrete challenge. In the decision conflict regarding the project in Wyhl/Oberrhein, the theologic ethic was asked for his opinion. As the present ethical theory has only few strategies concerning efficiency and performance, the author turned to the traditional models to find some points of view there. Here is the main point of the investigation: in the emphasizing of general criteria which make a reasonable, i.e. controllable decision possible; not really in the concrete individual results to which the application from the preconditions taken into consideration leads. (orig./HP) [de

  5. Liberation Theology and Liberatory Pedagogies: Renewing the Dialogue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stenberg, Shari J.

    2006-01-01

    In this essay, the author argues that the potential for achieving the goals of critical pedagogy would be enriched if teachers had a fuller understanding of the ties between critical pedagogy and Christian liberation theology. While many are familiar with Paulo Freire's roots in Marxism, the fact that his vision of praxis and conscientization…

  6. Judaism in the theology of Sir Isaac Newton

    CERN Document Server

    Goldish, Matt

    1998-01-01

    This book is based on my doctoral dissertation from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1996) of the same title. As a master's student, working on an entirely different project, I was well aware that many of Newton's theological manuscripts were located in our own Jewish National and University Library, but I was under the mistaken assumption that scores of highly qualified scholars must be assiduously scouring them and publishing their results. It never occurred to me to look at them at all until, having fmished my master's, I spoke to Professor David Katz at Tel-Aviv University about an idea I had for doctoral research. Professor Katz informed me that the project I had suggested was one which he himself had just fmished, but that I might be interested in working on the famous Newton manuscripts in the context of a project being organized by him, Richard Popkin, James Force, and the late Betty Jo Teeter Dobbs, to study and publish Newton's theological material. I asked him whether he was not sending me into ...

  7. An epistemology of facilitation: A Julian M�ller story

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Elmo Pienaar

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The article furthered an epistemology of facilitation. It was created through bringing into focus broad movements in Julian M�ller�s theoretical academic development. Rather than explaining at length the epistemological concepts characterising M�ller�s theoretical development � rightly because of the importance of narrative in Julian M�ller�s work � the article sought to link a social psychological dimension of both M�ller and the author to these concepts. Resulting from M�ller�s work, the author regarded a narrative approach, social constructionism and postfoundationalism as important epistemological conversational partners in practical theological facilitation.

  8. The dynamics of theologies: A transdisciplinary description

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gys M. Loubser

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In this article, the author asks why the South African public, especially Afrikaans communities, is largely unaware of the knowledge generated in the field of science and religion. The author describes theologies as complex systems that interact with their environment. To illuminate the environment, the author turns to the theatre system and illustrates how the theatre system can illuminate the modelling choices of theologians.

  9. An ethnographic study on managing diversity in two Protestant theological colleges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marilyn Naidoo

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available For many reasons Christian higher education institutions struggle to embrace diversity. Diversity is a relationship of mutuality, where differences are engaged and respected. This study aimed to understand diversity management via the institutional culture to understand how these interactions of dealing with diversity form and prepare future religious leaders. These issues are highlighted through two case studies conducted in the main-line Protestant tradition. Diversity was represented in issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender and sexual orientation, which have an interlocking nature. Findings suggest a colour-blind theology in one institution, perpetuating surface change, and a lack of structure, alignment and capacity in diversity in the other institution. In both institutions diversity was not linked positively to ministerial identity formation to make a significant difference. This study highlights the lack of consciousness of the way in which institutions are organised, which then holds direct consequences for students, identity and transformation.

  10. THE PROBLEMS AND ECONOMIC REFLECTIONS OF ENTERPRISES IN ROMANIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ileana (BĂDULESCU ANASTASE

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This study shows the problems and reflections of Romania,in the period after the aderation to EU, this being a period when all the economic activities will be tested according to their level of efficiency and productivity of work. Maintining the traditional form of organization of work, of investments of structure of the finite products may transform the country into a colony, into an exporter of raw materials and workforce in the EU. We can notice the same thing, based on our research, in the case of the Moldavian Republic: the exports and investments influence very little the economic growth. This is due to the reduced performances of Moldavian exporters, and, even more, to the uncompetitive structure on groups of products. Half of the Moldavian exports is assured by the agro-alimentary market, without noticing some obvious trends of specialization in other new branches. The cause of this trend is the weak productive potential of national agriculture and industry (Anastase.I 2010.

  11. Developing cultural competence through self-reflection in interprofessional education: Findings from an Australian university.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olson, Rebecca; Bidewell, John; Dune, Tinashe; Lessey, Nkosi

    2016-05-01

    Interprofessional education and cultural competence are both necessary for health professionals working in interprofessional teams serving diverse populations. Using a pre-post-survey case series design, this study evaluates a novel learning activity designed to encourage self-reflection and cultural competence in an Australian interprofessional education context. Undergraduate health professional students in a large subject viewed three 7-15 minute videos featuring interviews with persons of a minority cultural, linguistic, or sexual group who were living with a disability or managing a health condition. Immediately afterwards, students in interprofessional groups completed a structured activity designed to promote interprofessional and cultural reflection. A localised version of a validated scale measured cultural competence before and after the learning activity. Results suggest the value of video-based learning activities based on real-life examples for improving cultural competence. Despite initially rating themselves highly, 64% of students (n = 273) improved their overall cultural competence, though only by M = 0.13, SD = 0.08, of a 5-point rating-scale interval. A nuanced approach to interpreting results is warranted; even slight increases may indicate improved cultural competence. Suggestions for improving the effectiveness of video-based cultural competence learning activities, based on qualitative findings, are provided. Overall the findings attest to the merit of group discussion in cultural competence learning activities in interprofessional education settings. However, the inclusion of group discussions within such learning activities should hinge on group dynamics.

  12. Using Cultural Diversity in Teaching Economics: Global Business Implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitry, Darryl J.

    2008-01-01

    Globalization and increasing cross-cultural interactivity have implications for education in general and may also present valuable pedagogical opportunities in the practice of teaching economics for business students. Therefore, the author investigated this proposition and offers some empirical observations from research and teaching experiments.…

  13. Innovation, entrepreneurship and culture : the interaction between technology, progress and economic growth

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brown, T.E.; Ulijn, J.M.

    2004-01-01

    Any technological advance, innovation or economic growth created by an organization is dependent on how that organization’s culture and environment fosters or inhibits these developments. This process is further complicated by the global nature of economic activity and differences in national

  14. Transformation of Corporate Culture in Conditions of Transition to Knowledge Economics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korsakova, Tatiana V.; Chelnokova, Elena A.; Kaznacheeva, Svetlana N.; Bicheva, Irena B.; Lazutina, Antonina L.; Perova, Tatyana V.

    2016-01-01

    This article is devoted to the problem of corporate culture transformations which are conditioned by changes in social-economic situation. The modern paradigm of knowledge management is assumed to become the main value for forming a new vision of corporate culture. The starting point for transformations can be found in the actual corporate culture…

  15. Riflessioni sull'attuale stato della scienza economica. (Reflections on the present state of economics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. STEINDL

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Il documento è un contributo ad una serie di ricordi e riflessioni sulle esperienze professionali di illustri  economisti con Banca Nazionale del Lavoro Quarterly Review iniziatinel 1979. In esso Josef Steindl ricorda le importanti avventi in materia di economia e il proprio lavoro e la vita per riflettere sullo stato dell'economia di oggi .The paper is a contribution to a series of recollections and reflections on the professional experiences of distinguished economists which the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro Quarterly Review started in 1979. In it Josef Steindl recalls the major advents in the field of economics and his own work and life to reflect on the state of today’s economics.JEL: B31, A11

  16. Bodies in skin: a philosophical and theological approach to genetic skin diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walser, Angelika

    2010-03-01

    This contribution evolved from my work in a European network and is dedicated to the rare genetic skin diseases. To gain a deeper knowledge about the question, what it means to suffer from a genetic skin disease, I have discussed the concepts of skin in philosophical and theological anthropology. Presuming that ancient interpretations of skin diseases (moral and cultical impurity) are still relevant today, feminist Christian theology shows the ways of deconstructing stigmatizing paradigma by using the body as a hermeneutic category. Skin becomes the "open borderline" of the human being, pointing out both the social vulnerability and the transcendent capacity of the human person.

  17. Towards a narrative theological orientation in a global village from a postmodern urban South African perspective

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    Johann-Albrecht Meylahn

    2004-10-01

    Full Text Available This article was motivated by two of the major challenges which I believe congregations are facing within� the context of ministry, namely postmodernity and globalization. After seeking a fuller description of these two challenges I sought� a theological orientation within such a context (postmodern global village as well as an ecclesiological� praxis that could be transformative and redemptive within such a context. I� believe to have found in the narrative orientation an appropriate way for doing theology in the postmodern context. The climax of this journey (story is in the fusion of horizons between the theory-laden questions of descriptive theology and� the historical texts of the Christian faith within the narrative orientation. I discovered that truly transformative and redemptive praxis is only possible within� language communities� narrative communities. These narrative communities cannot exist in isolation, but are continuously confronted and relativised by the stories of other communities in the global village and therefore these language communities need to be open to the fragmentation and pluralism of the global village, otherwise they will not be able to respond to the reality of the globalization and postmodernity. The narrative communities needed a story (sacred story that did not deny the reality� of fragmentation� and pluralism, but could incorporate this reality into its story. I found this story in the story of the cross and� therefore refer to the narrative communities as communities� of� and under the cross� of Christ. These ideas formed the basis for a transformative praxis within a specific congregation, namely Pastoral Redemptive Communities. These narrative communities are not an answer to the postmodern global village, but they do offer a way of proclaiming Christ crucified and allowing the deconstruction of the cross to create a community which is a redemptive alternative to the reality of

  18. The social constructionist movement in modern psychology

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    Kenneth J. Gergen

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Social constructionism views discourse about the world not as a reflection or map of the world but as an artifact of communal interchange. Both as an orientation to knowledge and to the character of psychological constructs, constructionism forms a significant challenge to conventional understandings. Although the roots of constructionist thought may be traced to long-standing debates between empiricist and rationalist schools of thought, constructionism attempts to move beyond the dualism to which both of these traditions are committed and to place knowledge within the process of social interchange. Although the role of psychological explanation is rendered problematic, a fully developed constructionism could furnish a means for understanding the process of science and invites the development of alternative criteria for the evaluation of psychological inquiry.

  19. The Theological Misappropriation of Christianity as a Civilizing Force

    Science.gov (United States)

    MisirHiralall, Sabrina D.

    2017-01-01

    The theological misappropriation of Christianity as a civilizing force occurs when individuals convert to Christianity due to deception that ignores the faith-based aspect of Christianity. The history of Western education in India illustrates the hidden curriculum that Christian missionaries employed to disrupt the Indian educational system. This…

  20. God as burden: A theological reflection on art, death and God in the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2015) reflects on the work of (Dutch) South African artist Marlene Dumas (1953). Zwagerman addresses in particular Dumas' My Mother Before She Became My Mother (2010), painted 3 years after her mother died. In his reflections, Zwagerman ...

  1. THE THEOLOGY OF TOLERANCE IN HINDU AND ISLAM: MAINTAINING SOCIAL INTEGRATION IN LOMBOK - INDONESIA

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    Suprapto Suprapto

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This article seeks to examine the theology of tolerance as the basis for interreligious and harmonious co-existence between Muslims and Hindus in Lombok. Lombok is known as the island of thousand mosques where majestic mosques scatter throughout the island. But Lombok is also a home for Hindus. The interactions between them have been very dynamics, creating integration, acculturation, adaptation, accommodation while sometimes also triggering tension. This article argues that theology occupies important aspects in both Hindu and Muslim daily live and thus can be employed as the solid basis of interreligious relations between them. From the Islamic perspective, there are a number of Qur’anic verse injuctions for tolerance. Hindus are also required to maintain tolerant attitude towards other religions as this is commanded in the Veda. These theological grounds will strengthen from the faith point of view Hindu-Muslim social cohesion, which has so far been realized though various means, such as music, arts and religious festivals.

  2. INSTITUTIONAL Change as Cultural Change. An Illustration by Chinese Postsocialist Transformation

    OpenAIRE

    EL KAROUNI, Ilyess

    2007-01-01

    Culture of a society reflects its social values. So, through Chinese experience, we want to show that institutional change is not only an economic or a political process but fundamentally a cultural one. It is therefore based on a change in values and mentalities. Like in a chemical reaction, we discern initial conditions, factors which triggered the reaction, catalysts and elements of synthesis. Chinese institutional change per se derived from a cultural shock induced by the Chinese economic...

  3. Elements of the universe in Philo’s De Vita Mosis: Cosmological theology or theological cosmology?

    OpenAIRE

    Gert J. Steyn

    2013-01-01

    It is the intention of this article to investigate how Philo’s understanding of the universe, and particularly its four basic elements as taught by the Greek philosophers, influenced his description of the God of Israel’s world in which the Moses narrative unfolds. Given the fact that Philo was a theologian par excellence, the question can be asked whether Philo’s approach is closer to what one might call ‘theological cosmology’ or rather closer to ‘cosmological theology’? After a brief surve...

  4. Transgenic cultures: from the economic viewpoint

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauricio Mosquera

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available The introduction of transgenic seeds for agricultural purposes poses modification to their production, due to the potential for reaching desired characteristics such as greater yield, this being fundamental in an economic environment characterised by open market conditions. However, acceptance of products resulting from genetic engineering is far from becoming a simple process; discussion relating to the predominance of private sector interests, the monopoly of knowledge and the safety of such seeds/food is currently in the spotlight. This article presents the main points of debate regarding adoption of transgenic cultures, contributing to discussion about this topic for Colombia.

  5. Reflections of Culture: An Analysis of Japanese and American Advertising Appeals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, Barbara

    A study examined the advertising of Japan and the United States to determine if commercial messages reflect the cultural values of a particular society, thereby indicating the need for specialized campaigns. It was hypothesized that the majority of Japanese advertisements would use the traditional appeals of group, consensus, soft sell, veneration…

  6. Urban Teachers' Professed Classroom Management Strategies: Reflections of Culturally Responsive Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Dave F.

    2004-01-01

    Thirteen urban educators teaching from 1st through 12th grade selected from 7 cities across the United States were interviewed in this qualitative research study to determine if the classroom management strategies they use reflect the research on culturally responsive teaching. Participants revealed using several management strategies that reflect…

  7. Reading the New Testament from a theological perspective | van Zyl ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Reading the New Testament from a theological perspective. ... Abstract. This article argues that, from the perspective of the faith community, it is not enough to read the Bible only from a “technical” point of view; ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  8. SURRENDER TO LIFE - A Systematic Theological Analysis of Human Kenosis in Karl Rahner’s Thoughts, with Reference to Ignatian Spirituality

    OpenAIRE

    Røsok, Ingvild

    2011-01-01

    In this thesis I have investigated the transcendental theology of Karl Rahner, in order to find a theological basis for understanding the concept of kenosis as a following of Christ. Ignatian spirituality was then explored to deepen the understanding and to point to the consequences of such an understanding of kenosis. The research question was: How do the transcendental theology and the Ignatian spirituality of Karl Rahner contribute to an understanding of kenosis as a following of Christ?

  9. Sustainable development and culture - Some reflections for their search in the Alto San Juan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giraldo Restrepo, Aida

    2000-01-01

    The economic processes in the upstream San Juan River are determined by decisions taken in cultural frames in which the traditional groups and peasants build in hybrid forms of existence according with their own history and the availability of resources in the territory. In this way, they alternate different production systems that introduce them in different social and economic groups: local, zonal, regional, national and trans national; each one with a specific rationality, impacting in a particular way, in agreement with the system of dominant production over the environment. The features of the society and culture that impact the economic decision making can be revealed and strengthened in a coherent strategy that respects the regional and group specificities and that looks for the sustainable development of the region

  10. Nature as creation from an eco-hermeneutical perspective: From a ‘natural theology’ to a ‘theology of nature’

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johan Buitendag

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available For researchers who are interested in the relationship between theology and the natural sciences, 2009 is of special importance. It is now 500 years since Calvin was born and 450 years since his Institution of the Christian Religion was finally published. It is also 200 years since Darwin’s birth and 150 years since his On the Origin of Species appeared in print for the first time. Calvin and Darwin are representative of two separate lines which converge in a particular ‘transversal space’. Such insights are regenerating light on our search for scientific truth today. Neither the absolutisation of transcendent revelation, nor that of immanent knowledge of nature, provides an accountable understanding of reality. Against this background, the challenge for Systematic Theology today is to conceive of a ‘theology of nature’, which can be offered as a dialectical third option. An ‘ecohermeneutics’ offers a possibility of establishing such an option for theology. However, such an option will, on the one hand, have to deconstruct the reformed criticism of a natural theology and will, on the other hand, have to make serious work of an evolutionary epistemology.

  11. Attitudes of Economics and Sociology Students towards Cooperation. A Cross-Cultural Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna Dzionek-Kozlowska

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The impact of university education on the learners’ attitudes remains uncertain. Nevertheless, the Economics students’ unwillingness to cooperate is frequently attributed to the content of economic courses, and the theories of profit maximization. This article contributes to the discussion on students’ attitudes towards cooperation based on the survey of 341 Polish and Romanian students. Since these countries differ in terms of collectivism/individualism dimension, we focus on tracing the influence of cultures on cooperativeness. Specifically, we investigate three variables. First, the impact of culture on the willingness to cooperate, secondly, the influence of gender on collaboration, and finally, the differences in attitudes among the students of Sociology and Economics. We find significant differences between Polish and Romanian students’ attitudes towards cooperation, we also observe higher level cooperation among females than males. We detect a drop in cooperation from the first year to the subsequent years of undergraduate studies in Economics.

  12. New Voices in the Struggle/Nuevas Voces en la Lucha: Toward Increasing Latina/o Faculty in Theological Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, Caroline Sotello Viernes; Hernandez, Edwin I.; Pena, Milagros; Gonzalez, Juan Carlos

    2008-01-01

    Little progress has been made to increase Latina/o faculty representation in theological education. In this study, 33 interviews with Latina/o theological faculty identify supports and challenges to their scholarly development. Latino critical theory guides the analysis. Narratives reveal faculty experiences with oppression, challenging dominant…

  13. The harmoniation of cultural heritage and architectural conseration needs with socio-economic requirements of rural habitat in Danube Delta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SELA Florentina

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper present a study of cultural heritage of rural landscape in Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve focuses on cultural landscapes that reflect traditional lifestyle of the locals, activities of deltas’ resource sustainable exploitation, creating visual elements in the rural landscape, especially on traditional buildings, fishermens’ temporary shelters from fishing areas and other traditional activities. In order to highlight the necessity of cultural heritage harmonization and architectural conservation with the socio-economic requirements of rural habitat in Danube Delta were made some field activities through different methods of field investigation, like structured and semistructured interviews, questionnaires, focus groups. In Danube Delta villages, the changes imposed by the touristic function of most of existing or new construction have produced important changes in the architectural landscape of existing settlements impending danger of destroying traditional architectural values which demonstrates on the one hand the personality and inovation spirit of local people in their constructions, particularly in the use of local materials, and on the other hand gives a specific area feature that blends perfectly with the natural landscape. Danube Delta, the space of complex features in terms of cultural values, characterized as open gate of cultural interference, is the area that can provide options to balance cohabitation and cultural heritage.

  14. God as Intellect in the philosophical Theology of Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadezhda Volkova

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The article gives an overview of the main stages in the development of philosophical theology in Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus, as well as its central concept - Active Intellect or God. It is shown, firstly, that Plato was the first who formulated the concept of a One omnibenevolent God. Plato opposed this doctrine to the gods of traditional mythology. In the "Timaeus" talking about the creation of the world, Plato represents God as an artisan, i. e. Demiurge, who arranges the World soul and matter with the help of the numbers. Therefore, God is introduced as an Intellect, because looking at an intelligible paradigm, he created the cosmos as its likeness. Secondly, it was shown that Aristotle made theology demonstrative theoretical knowledge. God as a subject of such knowledge is the pure actuality of thinking. Third, it is shown that Plotinus, continuing the line of Plato and Aristotle, gave philosophical theology a new, much more personal character. Theology for Plotinus is not only an demonstrative knowledge of the omnibenevolent God, but also a personal experience of reunion with him. A special attention in the article is paid for Plotinus' interpretation of the Platonic Demiurge. It is shown that Plotinus first connected the two aspects of the divine, namely the Demiurge-creator and the intelligible paradigm that are described in the "Timaeus," into the single hypostasis of Intellect. The main reason for this assertion was the necessity to postulate the unity of the intellect and the intelligible object as a necessary condition for the possibility of all cognitions. As a result, instead of the traditional idea of the two gods, Plotinus elaborates the doctrine of a single divine Intellect, combining both these aspects.

  15. Preliminary thoughts on the relevance of the research field of cognition for Practical Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ferdi P. Kruger

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In this research from the vantage point of Practical Theology, the author focusses on the importance and the possible value of the concept of cognition for further research. The philosophical roots of the concepts of knowledge and understanding are highlighted in a qualitative manner by means of a short selection from the insights of philosophers from the era of the Greek Philosophy to the nineteenth century. The insights of Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Descartes and Kant are utilised. The purpose was to indicate the importance of the concepts of knowing and cognition from an early stage. Research from the field of cognitive science also received attention in this research. The purpose of this discussion is to indicate that cognition is not a mere intellectual activity. Cognition is important in the processes of perspective-making and moral choices. Cognitive distortions could possibly endanger people�s ability to have the right cognition about people, events and life itself. The concept of phronesis, as the concept that comes the nearest to the essence of cognition, is also investigated from the vantage point of Philippians 2:5 and Romans 12:3. Wisdom thinking is really important in research on the acts of people from a practical theological vantage point. Cognition must be regarded as people�s attempt to make sense out what they already know and also out of what they are observing. In the final part of the article, fields for possible further investigation are highlighted in order to make the statement that practical theologians can consider the fact to reclaim the field of investigation on cognition in further research. The importance of cognition for liturgy, homiletics, pastoral care and youth ministry is indicated.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article is undertaken from a practical theological vantage point in order to highlight the importance of the concept of cognition for further research. In

  16. Culture, Spirituality, and Economic Development : Opening a Dialogue

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    1 janv. 1995 ... Dans Culture, Spirituality, and Economic Development, l'auteur, William F. Ryan, S.J. aborde la question en formulant des réflexions sur une série d'entrevues réalisées auprès de théoriciens de diverses disciplines de toutes les régions du monde. Les résultats confirment le caractère fallacieux que ...

  17. Reflections on the United States National Institutes of Health draft guidelines for research involving human pluripotent stem cells--theological perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sotis, J J

    2000-01-01

    Since the human embryonic stem cell research involves destruction of human embryos and, therefore, hinges on the fundamental question of the status of the embryo, it is essential to examine this status carefully in order to establish fitting guidelines for research. The US National Institutes of Health has proposed its own guidelines on the matter recently (1999). The document, rooted in current pluralistic perspectives in moral philosophy (or bioethics), is criticised in this paper as morally inadequate. The argumentation of the criticism stems from the theological perspective on human personhood, which focuses on a continuity of personal identity from embryos to adult human beings. An additional concern for the author is the moral complicity in which the research dependent upon the destruction of human embryonic life is sanctioned.

  18. Socio-political, cultural and economic preferences and behaviour of the social and cultural specialists and the technocrats. Social class or education?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Güveli, A.; Need, A.; Graaf, N.D. de

    2007-01-01

    Do the social and cultural specialists differ from the technocrats and other social classes with respect to their socio-political, cultural and economic preferences and behaviour? If they do, is this attributable to their level and field of education? The social and cultural specialists are assumed

  19. the art of creating futures – practical theology and a strategic

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Practical Theology, VU University, The Netherlands and research fellow ... some examples of a future orientation, a systematic futures perspective has not been .... future” has been applied as a specific strategy within business studies by.

  20. Is it possible to do theology without philosophical presuppositions ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The distinction between concept and idea is also elucidated with reference to conceptual and idea-usages of the term constancy (inertia). All in all our argumentation fits within the context of a new account to address in a meaningful way (also in scientific theological parlance) the possibility to employ creational terms in ...