| Summary: | Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2000 === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This proposal focuses on the quest for appropriate God-images which can be
used to represent God in a given pastoral situation within an African context. It
identifies the challenge that confronts the African people as they try to find what
can be accepted within the African culture to express their experience of God.
The study argues that pastoral care and cross-cultural communication are faced
with a twofold problem: the problem of accommodation (continuity) and rejection
(discontinuity). It has been observed that the problem of accommodation and
rejection is an integral feature of a theological problem of continuity and
discontinuity in cross-cultural communication. The problem of accommodation
and rejection has been described in this study as: the challenge African people
confront in trying to express their experience of God in a given pastoral
situation, while at the same time being aware of what is not acceptable and
appropriate to the content of the Christian faith.
The basic working assumption undertaken by this research, states that
appropriate God-images are those which represent God and create an
experience of meaning and significance in any kind of circumstance faced by
His people. We will presuppose further that appropriate God-images are those
which are not going to conflict with a theological interpretation of the Godhuman
encounter in a given pastoral care situation. In order to clarify these
basic assumptions, the study has undertaken to work with a Hermeneutical
model. A hermeneutical model will help us to identify the underlying factors of
an African cosmology and anthropology which, according to this study,
influences the way African people formulate their God-images. It will be argued
further that unless we understand what influences the way African people
formulate God-images, we will not comprehend the depth of the problem of
accommodation and rejection in an African context. The research proposal wishes to emphasize that the African quest for
appropriate God-images is a pastoral problem. Pastoral ministry has a
challenge of providing a pastoral diagnosis of God-images which people can
identify with. Pastoral ministry should make use of metaphors and symbols
common to African people in order to facilitate their quest for appropriate Godimages. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie voorlegging fokus op die soeke na gepaste voorstellings van God wat gebruik
kan word in In gegewe pasorale situasie binne In Afrika-konteks met die oog op die
effektiewe kommunikasie van die evangelie en die vorming van lidmate se
geloofsvolwassenheid. Die kemvraagstuk is die probleem van inkulturasie met in agneming
van die invloed van In Afrika-spiritualiteit en kosmologie op Godsvoorstellinge.
Die studie voer aan dat pastorale sorg en interkulturele kommunikasie voor In tweeledige
probleem te staan kom: die probleem van akkommodasie (kontinuiteit) en verwerping
(diskontinuiteit). Daar is vasgestel dat die probleem van akkommodasie en verwerping In
wesenlike kenmerk is van die teologiese vraagstuk van kontinuiteit en diskontinuiteit.
Die probleem van akkommodasie en verwerping is in hierdie studie beskryf as: die
uitdaging waarvoor die mense van Afrika te staan kom wanneer hulle probeer
uitdrukking gee aan hul belewing van God in In gegewe pastorale situasie, terwyl hulle
tegelyk ook bewus is van wat, volgens die inhoud van die Christelike geloof, nie
aanvaarbaar en gepas is nie.
Die grondliggende hipotese waaruit hierdie navorsmg voortvloei is dat gepaste
voorstellings van God die is wat God op so In wyse weergee dat dit sin verskaf aan mense
se daaglikse belewing en ervaring. In Verdere veronderstelling is dat gepaste
voorstellings van God die is wat nie bots met In teologiese interpretasie van die
ontmoeting tussen God en mens binne In konkrete situasie wat kultureel geprofileer is
nie. Om hierdie grondliggende aanname te beredeneer, is daar in hierdie studie besluit
om met In Hermeneutiese model te werk. Die veronderstelling is dat In hermeneutiese
model ons kan help om die onderliggende faktore van In Afrika-kosmologie en
antropologie te identifiseer wat In invloed het op daardie Godsvoorstellinge wat iets
reflekteer van die eiesoortigheid van In Afrika-spiritualiteit. In Dergelike pastorale
hermeneutiek is nodig met die oog op lydingspastoraat binne In Afrikakonteks. Die
navorsingsvoorstel wil beklemtoon dat die Afrika-soeke na gepaste voorstellings van God
In pastorale probleem is. Vandaar die noodsaak om met die oog op In pastorale diagnose
in pastorale. terapie, aandag te gee aan kriteria wat die vraagstuk van inkulturasie in die
pastorale bediening kan aanspreek. Die navorsing voorsien om op hierdie wyse
uitdrukking te gee aan die vraagstuk van metaforiese teologie binne In Afrikakonteks.
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