Tydskrif vir Christelike Wetenskap | Journal for Christian Scholarship

An apologetic approach to ATR's influence on Christain churches in Southern Africa

Henk Stoker — 2024-09-05

Afrika Tradisionele Religie (ATR) stel ? beduidende uitdaging vir die Christelike kerk in Suider-Afrika. Lidmate van Christen kerke wat uit ? ATR-agtergrond kom, worstel dikwels met ? oorgang van hoe hulle opgegroei het deur die beoefening van ATR rituele, na die uitleef van Christenskap op ? nie-kompromitterende manier. Hierdie stryd kom duidelik na vore in die sinkretiese praktyke wat binne Christenkerke in Suidelike Afrika ontstaan het, waar elemente van ATR in Christelike aanbidding geïnkorporeer is. Hierdie sinkretisme is ? gevolg van die godsdienstige oortuigings en kulturele praktyke van gemeentelede. Ten spyte van hul pogings om by Bybelse leerstellings te hou, vind hulle hulself steeds aangetrokke tot tradisionele Afrika-godsdienstige praktyke en die gepaardgaande wêreldbeskouings. Belangrike aspekte van die ATR se invloed op Christen kerke wat in die Bybel as Woord van God glo, moet verstaan en apologeties aangespreek word.

Een christelijk-wijsgerige benadering van het biologische soortbegrip

Rafael Benjamin — 2024-09-05

In this article I intend to present a philosophical-biological ground at behalf of the creationistic biology, with a focus on the concept of a biological species. My point of departure is the so called ‘philosophy of the cosmonomic idea’, developed by the Dutch philosopher dr. Herman Dooyeweerd. I try to make it clear, that it is not correct to consider species as things, entities, in the sense of substances. On the basis of the neo-Calvinistic worldview that God has created a cosmic world order of laws that are of a different ontic quality, and that, as Baupläne, as design, hold for all entities, as well as for their different modes of functioning in the world, is it possible to do justice to the meaning diversity and the meaning coherence that we all experience in a pre-theoretical sense. This is something that is not possible when departing from the macro-evolutionistic stance whereby species and entities are considered as substances that are all originated out of each other, because then one entangles himself in a regressus ad infinitum. In that case it is impossible to speak about the concept of a species in the true sense of the word.

Gerhard Tersteegen (1697-1769), Andrew Murray (1827-1917) en mistieke gnosis

2024-09-05

Andrew Murray’s interest in Tersteegen’s mystical work surfaced in numerous citations from Tersteegen’s publications and Murray’s fondness of reading Tersteegen’s poems. Particularly Tersteegen’s emphasis on losing oneself in God, being quiet in the presence of God, shutting out the rest of the world and true spiritual understanding in the inner chamber of the heart, appealed to Murray’s mystical inclinations. Tersteegen’s mystical profile reflects influences from a number of Medieval and post-Medieval sources. Mystical ideas from Origen, Augustine and Macurius, contributed in numerous respects to Tersteegen’s and Murray’s emphasis on spiritual understanding in the depths of the heart. Particularly Macurius’ metaphors of the bride’s (soul’s) longing for her Bridegroom (Jesus), the transcendental light of God in the heart and the metaphor of the heart as a tomb, in which the mind and its thoughts lie buried, until the deeper light of God shines in the deepest sanctuary of man’s being, surface prominently in Murray’s theology. Murray’s involvement with mystical gnosis gleaned from Tersteegen’s works, finds expression in his theological views that knowledge of God is life eternal and that abiding in Christ ensures fellowship with God in which the only true knowledge of God is to be have. Christ’s love, power and infinite glory may not be grasped through the human understanding, but the knowledge which is deeper than thoughts or words will be given the mystic soul ? the knowing of God, which comes of being known of Him.

Kosmiese wet, noodsaaklikheid en waarskynlikheid

2024-09-05

In this article, an outline is mainly given of Armstrong’s view of natural laws and probability laws and of Van Fraassen’s criticism thereof. Armstrong considers natural laws as necessary relations between universals and attempts to relate the problem of probability laws to his theory of universals as well. Van Fraassen claims that Armstrong’s view runs up against what he calls the identification and inference problem. The identification problem asks back to what is the law-generating (law-making) relationship that applies between universals and the conclusion problem asks what information the statement that one property is in relation to another property offers us about events and how things are. An important problem that also arises from this debate is Armstrong’s view of natural laws and the regression problem. The important underlying problem here is the ‘reification’ of universals, even if Armstrong does not consider universals to be ‘substances’. It will also become clear that issues such as necessity, causality and probability are at issue in Armstrong’s exposition of what laws of nature and probability are. A further conclusion that this article tries to draw is that law and reality are an irreducible given that Armstrong and Van Fraassen must take into account. The second article will try to address the problems arising from the first article from a Christian perspective.

Literature Study on Abraham Kuyper

Steve Bishop — 2024-09-05

This survey examines a significant number of articles written in English on the Dutch neo-Calvinist Abraham Kuyper from the 1890s to the 1950s. It provides a broad overview of the scholarly discourse surrounding Kuyper's ideas and influence during the period from 1898 until 1959 with brief biographies of the authors.

Motherhood and womanhood and the social ill of father absence in the South African context: A practical theological engagement

2024-09-05

Over the past decades, it has become evident in numerous families that the societal roles of mothers and fathers have shifted immensely. As a result, many scholars, researchers, and authors decided to study the various components of motherhood. Hence, the primary goal of this paper is to comprehend the phenomenal role of motherhood in society and the acceptance of this role within the domestic domain. In many cases, becoming a mother was not the mother’s decision; rather, it was a response to sociocultural pressure that held women[1] accountable for the care of children. Women had distinct motherhood experiences, and frequently, these were kept secret from the family and society. In addition to the issues associated with father absence and gender-based violence, mothers often face pressure and difficulties while attempting to imagine themselves in a morally acceptable motherhood role. Furthermore, mothers have a very negative perception of motherhood, particularly in a highly demanding patriarchal society. Based on a culturally accepted belief that requires mothers to devote themselves to their children and set aside their own needs, society has constructed the ideal concept of a perfect mother.

Synsperspektiewe en spekulatiewe mistiek in Andrew Murray se teologie

Andries Raath — 2024-09-05

The ontology of Neoplatonic mysticism has a sincere interest in the introvertive life of the spirit, the juxtaposing of man’s natural existence and the higher spiritual life in the heart, and the spiritual knowledge of God’s deep love for the soul. Neoplatonic mystical spirituality had a lasting impact on Andrew Murray’s theology. Firstly, he pursues the avenue that on its mystical quest, the soul must concentrate all its faculties on its very self, upon the invisible and intangible, and that all visible things are forgotten. All the scattered faculties must be called in by a deliberate exercise of will and the mind of its swarms of images and thoughts. For the mystical encounter with the One, it must sink into that blank abode where Reason cannot enter. The whole of this process, this gathering up and turning inwards of the powers of the self and gazing into the depth of the soul, is what for Murray is mystical introversion. The deliberate practice of introversion is tightly bound up with the sense of Divine Immanence. Its emphasis is on the indwelling God Who may be found by a spiritual journey towards the centre. The One is more truly our own who is not only with us but in us. To Murray contemplation establishes communion between the soul and the Absolute by way of two complementary modes of apprehension of the One: The flight to God, and the transcendence of the natural faculties. The end of the mystic introvertive journey is the mysterious fusion of divine and human life. Following the Neoplatonic mystical tradition through Gerhard Tersteegen’s quest for the introvertive life, Murray’s mystical theology shows signs of meaningful influence by the Neoplatonic mystical tradition.

The parenthood dilemma in South Africa: A philosophical-pedagogical perspective

JL van der Walt — 2024-09-05

’n Reeks onlangse verslae dui daarop dat kinders in Suid-Afrika in hulle ouerhuise blootgestel skyn te wees aan ontoereikende opvoedende sorg. Dit is vir opvoedingsfilosowe ’n bron van kommer dat, te oordeel aan die gedrag van skoolgaande kinders, ouers skynbaar nie beskik oor die nodige insig in die grondbeginsels van pedagogiese betrokkenheid by hulle eie kinders se doen en late nie. In die lig hiervan het dit nodig geword om ouers te help om die mees basiese beginsels van kinderopvoeding te kan baasraak. Hierdie artikel bied ’n moontlike oplossing vir hierdie probleem, naamlik dat onderwyser-opvoeders en ouer-opvoeders gesamentlik ’n skool-gemeenskap tot stand bring waarbinne die onderwysers leiding kan neem en die ouers van leerders help om ’n meer toepaslikie begrip op te bou van wat opvoeding in werklikheid alles behels, en van hulle vereis.

Kosmiese wet, noodsaaklikheid en waarskynlikheid

Heinrich Alt — 2024-09-05

In a previous article, an outline was mainly given of Armstrong’s view of natural laws and probability laws and Van Fraassen’s criticism thereof. In this article, an attempt is made to account for the problems dealt with in the previous article from a Christian perspective. The identity problem and the conclusion problem cannot be adequately solved if it is not realized that the individual (entity) also has a universal side, and consequently the distinction between concept and idea also comes into play here. In this article, it is further claimed that the identification and conclusion problem refer respectively to the law side and the factual side of reality. It is also concluded that natural laws are modal laws which are unspecified universal laws and statistical laws are typical laws which are specified universal laws. Although not discussed in detail, the point is highlighted that without, among other things, the quantitative, spatial, kinematic and physical aspects of reality, there is no way to form a comprehensive idea of what natural and probability laws are.

Cameron D Clausing: Theology and History in the Methodology of Herman Bavinck: Revelation, Confession, and Christian Consciousness (Oxford Studies in Historical Theology

Steve Bishop — 2024-09-05

Theology and History in the Methodology of Herman Bavinck is the revised version of Clausing’s doctoral thesis of 2021: “‘Christian dogmatic does not yet exist': the influence of the nineteenth century Historical Turn on the theological methodology of Herman Bavinck” (University of Edinburgh) supervised by James Eglinton.

George Harinck and Brant M Himes (Editors): Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Neo Calvinism in Dialogue: Perspectives in Public Theology

Steve Bishop — 2024-09-05

What has Bonhoeffer to say to Kuyper and Bavinck? What has Amsterdam to say to Breslau? Is it plausible to describe Bonhoeffer as a “Reformational Christian”? These are some of the questions explored in this volume.