{"title":"Theological education and the COVID-19 pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Malawian perspective","authors":"J. H. Mawerenga, J. Knoetze","doi":"10.4102/ids.v56i1.2792","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v56i1.2792","url":null,"abstract":"The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought a unique disruptive moment of unprecedented proportions in world history affecting all spheres of life. Theological education in Malawi, Sub-Saharan Africa, has not been spared in experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study argues that the effectiveness of theological education in Africa contributes towards the future of Christianity on the continent, because it serves as a foundation for a vibrant missional church. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided opportunities for creativity and innovation which could ensure the survival and sustainability of theological education in Africa. It is therefore crucial to critically reflect on how the provision of theological education in Malawi in particular, and in Sub-Saharan Africa, in general, can be sustained during the uncertain and challenging times when the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating the African continent and the entire world. This article investigated the challenges and opportunities for theological education in Malawi in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In view of this, the following five objectives emerged: (1) to evaluate the Malawi government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic;(2) to discuss the history and importance of theological education in Africa;(3) to examine the challenges of theological education in Malawi in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic;and (4) to assess the prospects of theological education in Malawi in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative research methodology was used, namely a literature review and interviews with members of the faculty of theological institutions in Malawi. Six main findings were established: First, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented both challenges and opportunities for theological education in Africa. Second, the effectiveness of theological education in Africa has contributed towards the future of Christianity on the continent. Third, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the dominant models of theological education in Africa. This entails a shift from face-to-face teaching to online teaching and learning. Fourth, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided opportunities for the sustainability of theological education in Africa. Fifth, theological education has encountered misleading theologies regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Sixth, theological education has the opportunity of constructing life-giving theologies in Africa. This study has two implications: (1) navigating the changing terrain of theological education in Malawi;and (2) theological education’s employment of digital technologies during and post the COVID-19 pandemic. Contribution: This study has contributed to the discourse of theological education in Africa by providing solutions to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.","PeriodicalId":44312,"journal":{"name":"In die Skriflig-In Luce Verbi","volume":"184 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80500524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Holistic ministry approach to migration: Towards a practical theological and integrated ecclesiological model","authors":"V. Magezi, C. Magezi","doi":"10.4102/ids.v56i1.2770","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v56i1.2770","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44312,"journal":{"name":"In die Skriflig-In Luce Verbi","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86397140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Challenging childhood vulnerabilities from an ethical perspective in the South African context","authors":"A. Brunsdon","doi":"10.4102/ids.v56i1.2838","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v56i1.2838","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44312,"journal":{"name":"In die Skriflig-In Luce Verbi","volume":"2014 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82713895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Is Christian Zionism a heresy?","authors":"B. Wielenga","doi":"10.4102/ids.v56i1.2836","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v56i1.2836","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44312,"journal":{"name":"In die Skriflig-In Luce Verbi","volume":"202 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83643788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Table of Contents Vol 55 (2021)","authors":"Editorial Office","doi":"10.4102/ids.v55i1.2827","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v55i1.2827","url":null,"abstract":"No abstract available.","PeriodicalId":44312,"journal":{"name":"In die Skriflig-In Luce Verbi","volume":"112 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2021-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80789224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Die invloed van die lojaliteite en onderliggende vertaalfilosofie van die vertaler op die vertaalkeuses, met verwysing na die Afr2020 Bybelvertaling","authors":"Roelie Van der Spuy","doi":"10.4102/ids.v55i3.2755","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v55i3.2755","url":null,"abstract":"The influence of the translator’s loyalties and underlying translation philosophy on the translation choices, with reference to the Afr2020 Bible translation. When the reader looks a little deeper than the initial superficial ‘Revised’ Old Translation impression that reading the Afrikaans 2020 translation gives you, then one realizes that a great deal of effort had to be put into leading such a large group of diverse translators to understand the essence of a direct translation and to be able to apply it consistently. But it is precisely here that problems can arise. Due to the nature of skopus and the style of the Afrikaans 2020 translation, this direct translation can be categorised on the side of the more literal translations and it thus has a very high percentage of agreement with the 1953 Old Afrikaans translation. If the direct translation is not just another name or a revision of the so-called word-for-word translation, then what is this direct translation? Van der Merwe referring to this translation also touches on this issue when he says: ‘a ‘direct’ translation of the Bible is not new jargon for a word-for-word translation of the Bible. It is an attempt to ‘interpretively resemble’ in good idiomatic Afrikaans all the communicative clues of the source text in the contexts construed for the source text audience’. This underlying fundamental premise brings a lot of tension to the fore. Van der Merwe also confirms this (2014:294) by stating: ‘attempts to translate ancient texts directly (is) an almost impossible ideal (to) pursue’.Contribution: This study evaluated the Afrikaans 2020 translation according to its own criteria, the translation brief and to its self-proclaimed nature as ‘direct’ translation in order to try to make an objective evaluation and assessment of this great work. This process also pointed out where the loyalties of the translators lie, and what the underlying translation philosophy is, and how difficult it is to make a distinction between the direct translation method and using archaic words and terms.","PeriodicalId":44312,"journal":{"name":"In die Skriflig-In Luce Verbi","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2021-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84856007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Foreword Bible 200","authors":"F. Viljoen, Albert J. Coetsee","doi":"10.4102/ids.v55i3.2808","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v55i3.2808","url":null,"abstract":"No abstract available.","PeriodicalId":44312,"journal":{"name":"In die Skriflig-In Luce Verbi","volume":"299 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2021-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73161237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Calvin’s exposition of the sixth commandment as a trajectory in his catechetical works","authors":"Rudolf Britz","doi":"10.4102/ids.v55i1.2773","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v55i1.2773","url":null,"abstract":"In this article is explored the key theological and pedagogical trajectories which shaped Calvin’s teaching of the sixth commandment (‘You shall not kill’) in his catechetical publications. These include the Instruction of 1537/1538, l’Institution Puerile de la Doctrine Chrestienne (1538–1541), the 1542 and 1545 Catechismus, and La Maniere d’Interroguer les Enfans (1551). The overall objective is not only to depict the theological line of argumentation as a development, but also to map out Calvin’s pedagogy and teaching strategies. In Calvin research, this aspect of his teaching is undervalued. This was in particular illustrated by studying the relevant source texts in chronological order. The method employed in which the original texts were read, explicated and compared to contemporary texts (Luther, Jud and Bucer), confirmed that Calvin’s basic argument should indeed by explicated contextually, based on the original language of publication. This approach also provided the opportunity to identify patterns in Calvin’s exposition that normally remain beyond the interests of investigators. One of these was the underpinning pedagogy. The results indicated that Calvin’s teaching of the commandment was ingrained in the understanding and enduring meaning of the Law for the Christian church given in the words of Christ in Matthew 5:21, 22 and 22:39. The practical implications of the Command should not be attributed to the particular use of the Law as a rule of life in the born-again. Calvin’s underpinning pedagogy allowed not only for an envisioned transfer of knowledge, but also for the unpacking of that knowledge content in terms of practical competencies and skills to live a spontaneous Christian life. In this sense, a dynamic educational strategy guided the learner by challenging questions to consider and think, and then to respond independently.Contribution: This article employed a significant historical-chronological method for studying pre-1551 Calvin texts. An appraisal of the contextual development of his thinking on ‘You shall not kill’ was argued within the framework of teaching and learning. It also created the opportunity to ask new questions to the texts such as the pedagogy that underpinned the catechetical work of Calvin.","PeriodicalId":44312,"journal":{"name":"In die Skriflig-In Luce Verbi","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2021-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83129628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gert Breed Festschrift Foreword","authors":"Albert J. Coetsee, F. Viljoen","doi":"10.4102/ids.v55i2.2806","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v55i2.2806","url":null,"abstract":"No abstract available.","PeriodicalId":44312,"journal":{"name":"In die Skriflig-In Luce Verbi","volume":"194 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2021-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74158731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Key questions on the outmoded Bernese policy on religion","authors":"Matthias G. Inniger, J. Vorster, R. Rheeder","doi":"10.4102/ids.v55i1.2763","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v55i1.2763","url":null,"abstract":"This research highlighted the main purpose of a state policy on religion, which is to clarify the basic attitude of the state to religion, to grant individual and collective religious rights, to govern the relationship between state and religious communities, and to promote religious peace in a highly differentiated religious landscape. By presenting the Swiss Canton Bern as a case study, this research aimed to demonstrate that while the Bernese policy on religion for years did address the concerns of state, church and the religious needs of the majority of the population, it is today – as many other state policies on religion – outmoded, because it does not take into account the changing religious landscape. This policy includes and recognises only the declining traditional state churches, while it excludes and ignores growing churches and religious communities and the needs of their members. This research also intended to show that the Bernese policy does not pay enough attention to the positive and negative potential of religious communities. It furthers asymmetries between social groups and hinders the promotion of social cohesion. It also does not offer adequate answers to current concerns related to religion of the parliament, administration, public institutions and society. Considering the newest research and the insights from interviews with representatives of civil society, politics, government staff and academics, this research evinced clear responsibilities of a modern state in respect of religion, complex questions regarding state neutrality and equal treatment in terms of religion as well as current questions regarding the state’s commitment to promoting social coherence and religious peace. This research argues that the Bernese policy on religion should be revised.Contribution: This article contributes by presenting key questions on the outmoded Bernese policy on religion. These questions should not only guide the aims of politicians, researcher and the administration as they revise the policy, but also guide further research as part of my thesis. This article prepared the ground for further theological research, which will show that the adjustment of the Bernese policy on religion is also justified from Reformed perspective. Given the fact of the plural and secular religious landscape, theologically reconsidered principles regarding state policies on religion will pave the way to a creative and community-building unfolding of religion in general, and specifically regarding the free development of the Bernese Reformed Church.","PeriodicalId":44312,"journal":{"name":"In die Skriflig-In Luce Verbi","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2021-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87492828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}