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The Church’s response to confliction and reconciliation in apartheid South Africa

The Church’s response to confliction and reconciliation in apartheid South Africa. - Christ perfection as social holiness in the theology of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Dr Dion Forster - John Wesley College, Pretoria, South Africa. Sessions.

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The Church’s response to confliction and reconciliation in apartheid South Africa

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  1. The Church’s response to confliction and reconciliation in apartheid South Africa - Christ perfection as social holiness in the theology of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa Dr Dion Forster - John Wesley College, Pretoria, South Africa

  2. Sessions Session 1: Social holiness as Christian perfection - the Methodist Church of Southern Africa’s (MCSA’s) response to oppression and violence in Southern Africa. Session 2: An Outcomes Based Education (OBE) approach to equipping clergy and laity for ministries of social holiness (‘A Christ healed Africa for the healing of the nations’).

  3. Outcomes By the end of these two sessions you should be able to: • Give an account of the colonialism and apartheid damaged Southern Africa society. • Express an understanding of the Wesleyan concepts of ‘social holiness’ and ‘practical divinity / Christian pragmatism’ as approaches to ‘Christian perfection’. • Give some examples of how the MCSA applied social holiness as a response to oppression and violence in Southern Africa. • Articulate an understanding of the current challenges the Church is addressing in ‘post-apartheid’ South Africa. • Understand the approach to equipping Southern African Methodist for the ministry of healing and transformation in post apartheid Southern Africa. • Critically evaluate one model of contextual theological reflection.

  4. Session 1 Social holiness as Christian perfection - the Methodist Church of Southern Africa’s (MCSA’s) response to oppression and violence in Southern Africa.

  5. Introduction • The unbearable and offensive task of working for Christian perfection in an imperfect world. • Struggle, opportunity, and new life – planting the seeds of Methodism in Southern African soil

  6. Piet falls asleep with Bible on his face. Africans say: "When the Europeans came, they had the Bible and we had the land. Now we have the Bible and they have our land".

  7. 4. Five important markers in the journey to the new land and beyond - Christian perfection, as social holiness, in the MCSA. • ‘One and undivided’ 1958 • The formation of the ‘Black Methodist Consultation’ 1975 • ‘Obedience’ ‘81’ • The ‘Journey to the new land’ in the early 1990’s • The ‘Mission Congress’ 2004

  8. Discussion …the gospel of Christ knows no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness. 'Faith working by love' is the length and breadth and depth and height of Christian perfection - John Wesley

  9. Session 2 An Outcomes Based Education (OBE) approach to equipping clergy and laity for ministries of social holiness (‘A Christ healed Africa for the healing of the nations’).

  10. Let’s talk… You are 13 years old, both your parents have died of AIDS. You are HIV+. You are the eldest surviving family member and so have to care for a sister of 8 and a brother of 3. Questions: • What does salvation mean in this context? (objectively / subjectively) • What kind of ministry, and ministers, does this context require?

  11. The ‘Outcomes’ towards which we train persons. EFFECTIVE MINISTERS WILL BE PERSONS … • Whose spiritual life has been formed and continues to be nourished by the Gospel and by the rich traditions of Christian Spirituality and the Wesleyan heritage; • Whose personal conduct and way of life are above reproach and an example to others; • Who have a passion to call people to Christian discipleship, to instruct them in the Faith and to build up the Church of Christ; • Who have been trained to think theologically, to interpret and expound Scripture faithfully and to preach effectively; • Who have been equipped to serve in any part of the diverse Southern African community and are willing to do so; • Who work for reconciliation and the unity of the People of God; • Who care pastorally for the needs of God’s People; • Who can give guidance on ethical issues and are equipped to critique the policies of Government and the practices of civil society in the light of Christian teaching; • Who respect the dignity of all people, resisting injustice and seeking to empower all people, especially the poor and marginalized, to develop to their full potential as children of God.

  12. The 3 Phase training system • What is OBE? • Head / Knowledge • Heart / Spirituality and values • Hands / Skill

  13. Ministerial Formation 2 days a week at Seminary Learn skills of ministry Phase 1 Learn Church practice Do cross-cultural ministry Spiritual formation

  14. Mostly 1 year at College Academic –Diploma Spiritual- Worship Discipline –Service Field Ed -1 day a week Ministry Skills Ministerial Formation Phase 2 Learning Partnership in Circuit Internship in the District

  15. Prepare for Ordination Phase 3 2 Retreats 1 Reflective essay 1 Academic essay 1 Empowering the Laity Project

  16. A case study - contextual theological reflection ‘Faith seeking understanding’ [fideis quarens intellectum] Anselm (1033-1109) OR What should the Gospel SOUND and LOOK like? To seek to know and understand truth To seek to know and understand truth about ourselves and all creation in relation to God To seek to live out this truth for the Glory of God and the obedient participation in the missio dei.

  17. The importance of context and history! Christopher Wren - St Paul’s Cathedral. 1710 “It is awful, amusing and artificial”

  18. Seeing with new eyes... The Mercator projection of the earth, in use since 1569, greatly exaggerates the size of countries in the Northern hemisphere. The Peters projection represents all countries according to their relative area.

  19. Peter’s projection ….

  20. Why is theological reflection important for your ministry? • Does God have a will for this world? (General orthodoxy, BUT also orthopraxis) • Do you know what God’s will and desire is for YOUR MINISTRY and YOUR COMMUNITY?

  21. Why is theology important for your ministry? • Understanding yourself • Understanding the rest of the world in which you live • Understanding others • Understanding the will of God for you • Understanding the will of God for the world around you

  22. What are the sources for doing theology? List a few sources…. The primary source is…. GOD’S REVELATION

  23. What are our sources for doing theology?  The Wesleyan Quadrilateral:  Scripture – why use it? How does one use it well?  Tradition – what constitutes tradition? Is it always valid?  Reason – when does reason ‘kick in’? When can something be considered unreasonable (i.e. what are the standards for reason?) • Experience – what constitutes experience? Only good, or, only bad?

  24. Stumbling blocks to good theology? • Not feeling • Good theology stems from a relationship with God and others! God primarily reveals God’s self in a PERSON and PERSONS (neither the incarnation, nor the community of the Church, are accidents or afterthoughts) • Not thinking • Reason, thought, reflection, using the insights of others. These all enrich our understanding of God, and are ALSO sources of God’s revelation. • Not doing • ‘Send us TRACTORS, not TRACTS’ - Leonardo Boff. All good and true theology leads to the DOING of God’s will.

  25. How does one do contextual theology? “you learn through experience !?” NO!!! We learn through REFLECTION upon experience

  26. How does one do contextual theology? • we only learn through reflecting upon experience o How did this experience make me feel? o What do I think about this experience? o What does this experience tell me about myself? o What does this experience tell me about others? o What does this experience tell me about God? • What does this experience make me want to do?

  27. Let’s do an exercise • From the movie ‘Yesterday’

  28. Theological Reflection Exercise A) Now please answer the following questions privately: o How did this movie clip make you feel? o What do I think about this experience? o What does this experience tell me about myself? o What does this experience tell me about others? o What does this experience tell me about God? o What does this experience make me want to do?

  29. Theological Reflection Exercise B) Now please share some of your answers in the group. Did you notice any differences in each others’ theological approach? What were some of the differences and why do you think your theology was different? C) Is there any way to test your own theological feeling and perception on this matter? What sources or tools can you use to do such a test? D) What are some of the weaknesses of an ‘orthopraxy’ approach to theological reflection?

  30. Some ways of facilitating contextual Theological Reflection • Journaling • Group discussions • Incident Reports • Debriefing • Creative activities (drawing, sculpting, writing) • Formal tasks (projects, presentations etc.)

  31. Situations in which you can use Theological Reflection • Situations of conflict • Situations of apathy • Situations in which you wish to facilitate change • Other….

  32. Any Input or Questions!?

  33. The END!

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