Towards a christological missiology for Africa: on-going relevance of Jesus Christ in missions in South Africa

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Date
2013-07
Authors
Ngubane, Siegfried John
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University of the Free State
Abstract
English: In the multi-faith, multicultural context of South Africa today, we need Christological missiology that will orient the church and missions to an understanding of Christ as the centre of Christian missions in South Africa. This missiology should witness in a non-judgemental manner, without compromising and without losing its critical edge. This is a missiology that will acknowledge and respect, in a spirit of honest openness, the reality of the context of South Africa and the world today and the reality of other religions and their mission endeavours. This research thesis has eight chapters. The first chapter serves as an introduction to the research. It deals with the background of the research and proposal. My hypothesis is that Christological missiology will guide the church in South Africa in continuing to see the relevance of Jesus Christ in missions. The church and missions will have a healthy understanding that her calling to missions is centred on the person and work of Jesus Christ protecting and preventing her from syncretism and entanglement in politics. In order to test this hypothesis, three questions were raised: How does an evangelical church respond to this quest? Have the evangelicals in South Africa orientated themselves enough to an understanding of Christ-centred missiology to be able to help the church in missionary work? What is the importance of the person and work of Christ in missions? The second chapter is dedicated to the definition of terms that are used in this study. Chapters 3 and 4 look at Christology and missiology. Chapter 5 reveals the findings of interviews with three missionary organisations: AIM (Africa Inland Mission), OM (Operational Mobilisation) and SIM (Serving In Mission). Contextualisation in missions is dealt with in Chapter 6, while Chapter seven deals with missions in South Africa, focussing on Jesus as the centre of missions. Chapter 8 concludes with final remarks and recommendation for further study in related fields.
Afrikaans: In die huidige meervoudige geloofs- en kulturele konteks van Suid-Afrika is daar ’n Christologiese missiologie nodig wat die kerk en sending rig op die insig dat Christus die sentrum van die Christelike sending in Suid-Afrika is. Hierdie missiologie moet getuienis lewer op ’n nie-veroordelende wyse, maar ook sonder kompromieë en sonder om die skerp kritiese beoordeling te verloor. Hierdie missiologie sal dus die werklikhede van die huidige konteks in Suid-Afrika en die wêreld en van ander godsdienste en hulle sendingondernemings in die gees van openlike eerlikheid erken en respekteer. Agt hoofstukke word in hierdie navorsing aangebied. Die eerste hoofstuk handel oor die agtergrond van en voorstelle vir die navorsing en lei dus die navorsing in. Die hipotese is dat ’n Christologiese missiologie die kerk in Suid-Afrika sal rig om die voortdurende relevansie van Jesus Christus in sending raak te sien. Die kerk en sending sal dan ’n gesonde begrip hê dat haar roeping tot sending gegrondves is in die persoon en werk van Christus, wat haar sal bewaar van sinkretisme en ook daarvan om verstrengel te raak in politiekery. Om hierdie hipotese te toets is drie vrae gestel: Hoe reageer ’n evangeliese kerk op die uitdaging? Het die evangeliese Christene in Suid-Afrika hulle genoeg georiënteer op die verstaan van Christusgesentreerde sending om die kerk te help om sendingwerk te verrig? Wat is die plek van die persoon en werk van Christus in sending? Deur hierdie vrae te oorweeg sal sekere antwoorde verskaf word. Dit is gedoen deur na Christologiese tendense te kyk, na tendense in die sending, en deur navorsing te doen deur vraelyste aan drie sendingorganisasies te gee, naamlik: AIM (Africa Inland Mission), OM (Operation Mobilisation) en SIM (Serving In Mission). Daar word gehandel met kontekstualisering en die voortgaande relevansie van Jesus Christus in sending.
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Keywords
Missions -- South Africa, Jesus Christ, Mission of the church -- South Africa, Christianity -- South Africa, African theology, Christology, Contextualisation, Demographics, Encountering religious pluralism, Enculturation, Globalisation, Inculturation, Indigenisation, Missiology, Missional church, Missionaries, Missions, Plurality, Urbanisation, Thesis (Ph.D. Missiology))--University of the Free State, 2013
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