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ivyleaguetheologian-blog · 7 years ago

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A Doctrine of Man Study on Gender Based Violence on Women in South Africa Part 4

The Hope of Scripture for Gender Based Violence on Woman

The story of the woman caught in adultery, reveals much about the disparity of Man, but also reveals much, about the future hope of mankind. John 8:1-11, recalls a woman, caught in adultery and brought before Jesus, the test is aimed at Jesus, the law demanded the execution of this woman, but Rome had removed capital jurisdiction from Jewish courts, except for temple violations. Thus the Jewish leaders test whether Jesus will reject the law, compromising his patriotic Jewish following, or reject Roman rule, which will allow them to accuse him to the Romans. It also true, that not only the woman demanded execution, but so too, the male she participated with, however, because the point was aimed at testing Jesus. The woman was used as a pawn. It is not however, the confrontation between Pharisees and Jesus that is of interest, but it is the manner in which Jesus, deals with this subjected woman, who when men demanded that she be killed, how Jesus deals with the situation of her affliction. The terrified woman had expected brutal violence and a painful death. Suddenly the Pharisees are angry at Jesus rather than at her. At great cost he has shifted their hostility from her to himself, and he doesn't even know her name! Jesus, presents to us a mind-set, we are to have towards the women, who have been stigmatized by our society. Love. We are to love and defend them in all aspects. The narrative of the woman caught in adultery and the response of Jesus, is the pure praxis of what modern day South African men should aim towards. In a society that abuses our mothers and sisters, where trust needs to be re-established between women and men. Men must thrive to bridge the gap that is currently prevalent between South African men and women.

Social Recommendations

Humanity bares the responsibility to create a safe environment for women in South Africa. Whether, black, white, coloured Indian or any other racial group. Protection must be offered to our women. The following four are recommendations are a matter how as society and people we can create that environment.

· Improving Community response towards female victimization

· Reviewing Criminal Justice

· Creating accessible service points, which assist community members

· Creating open forum discussion at a municipal level at each province

Conclusion

Women in South Africa, have long been subjected to a history of abuse. Abuse that has been brought on by the past events of South African history, which today have been magnified. The tracing of abuse, is prevalent in scripture, with the case of Dinah, in Genesis 34. However, the original anthropological make up of man, was not to be in any oppressive towards his partner or any other woman, it was to promote harmony among the two. This notion, we as humanity has lost along the way. Influenced by sin, our cognitive process views, bares a sense of evilness. Evilness which is aimed to hurt those around us, whether the hurt we do physically, emotionally or mentally. We as men, are still actively in involved.

Therefore, the saving grace of humanity is pictured in the person of Jesus Christ, and how he relates to women. Jesus relates with love and forgiveness. When other men, seek to have women killed and beaten. Jesus is the defender and protector of the woman. Jesus’ type style of handling of broken women, is the perfect antidote which should be followed by men around the world. The Doctrine Man is based on Jesus. Jesus is the reconciliation of abused, violated and oppressed woman.

#women abuse #South African #theology #systematictheology #jesus

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ivyleaguetheologian-blog · 7 years ago

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A Doctrine of Man Study on Gender Based Violence on Women in South Africa Part 3

Anthropologiam Desperandum (Anthropology despair)

The term Anthropologiam Desperandum is a Latin term which effectively means Anthropology despair. The doctrine of Anthropology is the doctrine of man - his origin, destiny, and redemption. It is interested in the Scriptural presentation of man's divine origin, his composition, his spiritual state, and his redemption. It seeks the answer from the Scriptures as to the questions of man's beginning, the why of his condition now, and the where of his going. This will assist us facilitate the condition of humanity at current state, as the praxis of the current violent attacks on women in South Africa. The original state of man is crucial in understanding the despair of man at current. Man's Physical Condition, as in Catholic ideas of man's creation are at variance with the Scriptures. They teach that man was created all right but without the mature, developed mental and moral faculties, that he was created an infant in mind and character. The plain inference from the Bible account is that man must have been created with a mature body, in perfect manhood, with a mind fully matured in knowledge, with a moral nature having full rectitude. Moral condition becomes a clear early indicator of the original state of man. Man's Moral Condition, like his physical being, man was not created in a moral vacuum, without a mature, moral nature. He wasn't created indifferent to righteousness. As man couldn't have a mature, mental nature without possessing full mental habits of knowledge, so man couldn't have a perfect, moral nature from God without having habits of righteousness. A moral creature must be either holy or sinful, never halfway in between. Adam, therefore, was not created halfway in between, with the ability to become either righteous or sinful, but was definitely created in one or the other state. The Image of God in Man (the most important consideration). There is a two-fold sense in which man is made in the image of God. In the looser sense it could be said to consist in the spiritual properties, which make him a person - such as intellect, sensibility, and volition. This natural likeness man could not lose without ceasing to be man. In the stricter sense the image of God in man is in holiness. It is here that man bears God's image in the Garden of Eden, had it erased in the fall, and restored in redemption. This holiness is the holiness of nature, not just habitual holiness of acts but of state. Adam was innocent in that he had no experience of evil, and his whole being was bent toward the right. In his nature he was made in God's image in that he was made upright. This holiness of character of Adam was natural to his nature and not a subsequent addition by grace. It brought about a harmony of all his faculties, a walk in harmony with God, and perfect fellowship with God. But this holiness was not indefectible. He was liable to fall. It was not a static state from which no apostasy could be made. This shall be the consideration in the subject of probation. Man was made mutable in his holiness. He was capable of ever-increasing improvement in holiness. It is in this portion of man, made in the image of God, where the fall has wrought the greatest havoc. It is here the image is the most effaced. Whatever of this image, which still remains is located in the conscience and moral law written upon the soul; but how much of the harmony of soul with God and holiness of nature remains? We shall have occasion to refer to this question again in considering original sin and the extent of depravity in the human nature. Adam was created with these three spheres in mind, Physical Condition, Morality and Image of God in Man. They regulated man, regulated how He related with his wife, Eve. Eve also created with these three sphere. Adam would’ve understood that his relation to Eve, was in love. Adam understood that a woman is holy, by virtue of having the image of God in her. It is that break between them that causes the outcry of what we find today, among men and woman. That break of relating in love, but relation in severely evil manner. The despair of humanity has to be traced from where it began, with Adam and Eve. Sin, gave humanity a particular attitude and the heart was never the same. The heart is an evil hearts of humans. The biblical words for ‘heart’— לֵב or לֵבָב and καρδία—can be translated as ‘heart,’ but, depending on the context, also as ‘mind’ or ‘consciousness.’ This is because the Hebrew concept of the human heart has many different aspects. Generally, words such as לֵבָב and καρδία denote the inner life of a person, sometimes focusing on his or her emotions, sometimes on her virtues or vices, sometimes on her cognitive life, sometimes on the person’s will, and sometimes on the person as a whole. Now, there are a few passages in the Bible that speak of man’s heart’s being evil, wicked, deceitful, and so on. This brings that the inner breakdown of humanity, breaks the human at the level of his or her cognitive. Adam after the fall is perfect example of this, as there was no longer harmony due to sin. Fear took over this was a new thing for man. "I was afraid." Here is a sense of guilt and the recognition of the carrying out of the sentence God had pronounced. However, that guilt and fear is transferred and it is laid to Eve. An effort at self-vindication, Adam blamed the woman, despite the fact that he was not deceived. Immediately a form of psychological projection takes place in the garden, between to people who were in harmonious understanding, now there is immediate despair by Adam, who subjects the entire fault to Eve. Though this can’t be pictured as physical abuse, but it is a form of emotional and mental abuse placed on the woman, based on the events that could have been prevented by the male figure Adam. This treatment of woman, over the years since the garden event has only increased in severity. It has multiplied itself, in various forms. However, it is important that we note that we do have a biblical template, that instils to humanity how man in relation to women, should be treated.

#women abuse #South African #theology #systematictheology #jesus

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ivyleaguetheologian-blog · 7 years ago

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A Doctrine of Man Study on Gender Based Violence on Women in South Africa Part 2

Biblical Perspective on Gender based Violence of Women

The bible recounts many situations dealing with Women abuse, either from an Old Testament perspective or from a New Testament perspective. Each matter is dealt with in a particular, whether it is informing what is to be done with a rapist (Deuteronomy 24) or it is the relation that needs to exist between the husband and the wife (Ephesians 5). It all address the issue of the injustice towards women. However, there is no deeper rooted biblical narrative, which recounts the injustice of women, as the narrative found in Genesis 34. The narrative of Dinah, is one that draws much attention, to the evils not just of the world, but the evils which are prevalent in humanity.

Dinah, who is the daughter of Jacob, is raped by man, by the name of Schehem, who is the son of Harmor. What follows this incident is a lot of discussions between families. However, it is the particular rape that draws much attention. Dinah goes out to make the acquaintance of the daughters of the land; when Shechem the Hivite, the son of the prince, took her with him and seduced her. Dinah was probably between 13 and 15 at the time, and had attained perfect maturity; for this is often the case in the East at the age of 12, and sometimes earlier. The issues of culture play an important role in the raping of the young girl. The understanding of rape in this context is as follows; “Rape as a means of obtaining a marriage contract was apparently one stratagem used in the ancient Near East. Laws regulating this practice are found in Ex 22:16-17; Deut 22:28-29, the Middle *Assyrian Laws and the *Hittite laws. These often require the rapist to pay an especially high bride price and sometimes forbid any possibility of divorce. *Sumerian Law 7, like Gen 34, deals with a case where a young, unmarried woman leaves her parents’ home without permission and is raped. The result is an option by the parents to marry her to the rapist without her consent.” (Walton, 2010). Yet the writings of verse 7, paint a clear enough picture of what is instructed by God. Ancient Near Eastern literature contains law collections of this time and earlier that make it clear that prohibitions concerning illicit and violent sexual behaviour were not innovations at Sinai. The codes of conduct by which people lived in this time show great similarity to the laws enshrined at Sinai and demonstrate a common universal sense of morality and justice. Laws and less formal standards often sought to protect the honour and integrity of the family, the dignity of the individual and security within society. (Walton, 2010). We must also note the term “defile” used to express Shechem’s act. The term is used Three times in the narrative the word "defiled" is used to describe Shechem's wicked deed (vv. 5, 13, 27). The young prince claimed that he did it because he loved her and wanted her for his wife, but committing violent rape and keeping the girl confined in a house (v. 26) was a strange way to declare his love. But his actions and words bore witness only to the fact that God's people and the people of Canaan had different standards of conduct to the Jews, sexual activity that violated the law of God brought defilement to the victim and judgment to the guilty party. In later years, the Mosaic Law with its penalties sought to protect people by declaring sexual misconduct both a sin and a crime (see Lev 18). The conduct of people towards women, becomes a driving factor. Humanity is highly influenced in how it deals with situations. Genesis 34, thou very gruesome in it’s narrative, is a perfect benchmark to express the question of why? Why is there this need to abuse and hurt women? And that is due to humanity. There has been a disconnect between Man and God. Not only the male figure, but humanity at large. Both male and female have found themselves in a spiraling ring of psychological damage and evilness. The Doctrine of man, must be assessed in the context of what is happening in South Africa, the psychological downfall of humanity is to be viewed in the evilness that is presented towards women in this country.

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ivyleaguetheologian-blog · 7 years ago

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A Doctrine of Man Study on Gender Based Violence on Women in South Africa Part 1

The depravity of systematic violence upon women in South Africa, is overwhelming. At every point in South Africa, there is a case of a woman being killed by her partner, domestic violence or even emotional abuse. The current events, stress an importance of the God in relation to women and humanity as a whole. In particular, it places a stress on the Doctrine of Man, and how far we have departed as a people from the original intention of God. Yet if we sustain that the current violent out breakings have an anthropological theological perspective to them, then the same theological perspective, must provide the answers and recommendation. This essay will therefore approach the gender based violence against women, from a theological position of the dogma, Doctrine of Man or Doctrine of Anthropology. The essay will review the current climate of women violence in South Africa, the biblical perspective of gender based violence, the disparity of humanity from the original intention of God, as reasoning for increasing evilness among men and the hope that scriptures presents for violated women. Recommendations will be offered as a manner to connect society and the needs of women, who are in those particular societies.

Women of South Africa

South Africa is a country bound up in a long history of rejection, subjection and oppressiveness. There can be devoid between what South Africa, has gone through as a country and what is currently happening in the country. The history of Apartheid leaves behind it, a country full of angry individuals. The individuals are not only in one particular race, but in both the major races of South Africa, black and white. Black people lived for many years under an oppressed regime, one that did not view them as human’s, but rather as animals. The black people of this nation, were forced from their homes and led to live a life that is not sufficient for any human being. This type of treatment over years, will breed angry people, violent people. Not only among black people, but also among white the people. What kind of anger, violence must a person have in order to torture, hurt and kill another human? A very deep rooted anger. White people have been conditioned over years to view black people as less than human beings. This kind of conditioning leads many white people, to pass the mentality from one generation to another.

Yet the commonality between these two mentalities are the victims of the breakdown in rational thinking. The victims are women. Women in both races have been subjected to oppressiveness from men, as result of external factors which have been transferred to women. (Linker, 1995). The history of women oppression extends further than the notion of apartheid. Each culture or race, had their means of oppressing women. Whether a woman be Xhosa, Sotho, Zulu or even Afrikaner. Each culture sect subjected women to oppressive state, which lead to physical, emotional and mental abuse (Linker, 1995). In that light to reduce, gender based violence and killing to a racial reasoning, is poor reasoning. True, there might be more prevalent cases in a particular race, however that does not mean, gender based abuse, violence only occurs in one particular race or the abuse itself is a matter of race. The findings of today, which recount the amount of abuse which occurs among South African women, is an exact reality of what the dire attitude there is towards South African women. In her honours dissertation, psychologist Zamafiso Sibanda, examines the numbers obtained from gender links, 51% of females in Gauteng have been abused, 77% in Limpopo have been abused, 36% in KwaZulu-Natal and 45% in the Western Cape Province had faced some type of gender-based violence (Sibanda, 2017). These figures point to a reality, that all of South Africa is affected by abuse of woman. The stats do no, point to a singular race, but the larger South Africa. In two real life situations in South Africa, we witnessed Oscar Pistorius involved in murder allegations of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp (Naspers, 2012). While more recently we witnessed the murdering of Karabo Mokoena by her boyfriend (Naspers, 2016). Both the case has different means of murder and different personalities involved, the cases also involve two different races and two very different economic wellbeing. However, the common theme among these two cases, is the male partner killed the female partner. That is the bottom-line. It may be painted differently, however that is the reality of both situations. South African media portrayed the death of Reeva by Oscar, as a crime of passion, while the death of Karabo, by her partner was down to gender based violence on a black woman. That assessment is avoiding the reality that women abuse is not racially based, it is a systemic issue, which affects females. Males as part of humanity are actively involved in the violence that is prevalent among women. However, it is not only Men, who are involved, but also women, in the form of Women on Women abuse.

In her book, “bare” author Jackie Phamotse, discuss the dark live of South African women, in what is called “Slay Queens”, which has been propagated by women who run modelling companies as a front for prostituting and sex trafficking of other women. The most recent case of such an incident, is the case of Faith Nketsi, who runs a modelling agency, but as accusations lodged at her that, one of her employees was raped by 6 men, and Faith paid the girl money to remain quiet. (Phamotse, 2016). These are the kinds of injustices prevalent among women on women violence. Though the root may not come as anger, but in different form, it still involves the oppressiveness nature asserted on women. As Christians, living in the society of these events, are we to turn a blind eye? Are we, as Christians not impacted by what occurs in Society? Are not even our women abused within the church? The importance rests, on understanding that this stigma did not just begin now, but has been there since ancient times. As Christians, we must view this in the light of scripture.

#women abuse #theology #systematictheology #gender equality #South African #jesus

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ivyleaguetheologian-blog · 7 years ago

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South Africa and The Arikanerbond

The recent address by the president of the Republic at the 100 year celebration of the Afrikanerbond, caused much concern, and rightfully. This is systematized organization that holds South Africa truly captured to it’s commands. I wrote a paper last year on the history and influence of the Afrikanerbond. Take a read see.

The Call for Afrikaner Nationalism

In 1910 South African history would see the formulation of South Africa. History will note the rife tension between the English and Afrikaners, the purpose? The right to land ownership. The Afrikaner division feeling the necessity to outright own the country, while the English firming their stance of colonization of any nations. The bloodshed of the broer wars and Anglo wars between the two nations, would call for amnesty and reconciliation between the nations. Yet with every peace treaty, there is never equality.

State capture, has never been a ‘fresh out the box’ ploy, perhaps in South African argument it may be true, but in order to understand the premise of State capture it is necessary to start at the beginning of South African history. The National Party, was all in all the emancipation of Afrikaner nationalism. 99 years ago, DF Malan the then leader of the National Party held a meeting, this meeting was ended by English mob men. The English mob men were systematically placed members of the government which ran South Africa. The English government used Afrikaners as leaders, this led to the division of Afrikaner and True Afrikaner. No doubt the English mob men disrupted proceeding in order to nullify any Afrikaner influence. At this time the Afrikaner nation had been stripped of their republics, which was the Orange Free State and The ZAR Republic, or better known today as Transvaal and Gauteng. The results of that disrupted meeting gave birth to a new attitude, an attitude that would be carried out in three young Afrikaner men.

HJ Klopper, HW Van der Merwe and DHC Du Plessis would be the catalyst for Afrikaner Nationalism. The purpose was simple, to create an organization that would defend the Afrikaner people and return the people to their ‘correctly elected’ place in South Africa. In the minds of the three Afrikaner young men, the loss of land due to the peace agreement, between Afrikaner and English only weakened the Afrikaner people. Peace treaty would be necessary after the ramifications of the Anglo-Boer war. The picture of the post effects of the Anglo-boer was left the community of Afrikaners really down. A huge amount families were ruined, there was huge number of deaths of Afrikaner women and children, many of which would have died in concentration camps. In that respect, for the three young Afrikaner men, enough was enough a stand had to be taken. And stand they did, the relying of pro-Afrikaner was full in effect, liberation for the Afrikaner people was the aim. The idea of three young men become the theme among small groups of Afrikaner people, to the point of the establishment of the “Jong Suid-Afrika” or better known as Broederbond.

Radical Revolution

The broederbond would be the attempt of an Afrikaner Revolution. It is with interest to note that there was at the time only 18 members of the Broederbond, 11 of which worked on the Rails, 6 of which were police and 2 ordinary Afrikaner citizen. The Broederbond saw the that current Afrikaner leaders Botha, Smuts and Hertzog were too pro-English and compromised explicitly at the expense of Afrikaner people. The Afrikaner people wanted little or no association with the people that ruined their livelihood and killed their women and children. Afrikaner nationalism is what they desired, independence from the English government. The Revolution of the Afrikaner against the Pro English government was very much a “last gasp” situation. Four years earlier many would have witnessed the failed mission by General De la Rey in 1914. In essence for the Broederbond it was a now or never situation. The Broederbond structured their strategic coup around four main plans.

1. The Promotion of Afrikaner Nationalism: Language and Culture

2. Advancing Afrikaner Education only

3. Promoting and Establishing Afrikaner business

4. Involve common labours in Public Sector

The fourth structural plan by the Broederbond was one of the most successful and well au castrated plan. The Broederbond planned to infiltrate South Africa life and government. The implementation of the fourth plan vested on the Broederbond involving the Workers Unions, specifically the teacher’s union. The Broederbond believed that teachers were cultivates of knowledge. A case of “If the teacher said, then it’s right.” The point was to breed a new generation of self-thinking Afrikaner centred people. The classroom setting would be the best place to interject these kinds of radical thinking into young Afrikaner minds. Teachers were well equipped to purposely incline the young minds to Pro- Afrikaner as the only way of true life, something very similar to Calvinism… Afrikaner Christian Calvinism.

Culture plays an integral role in any aspect of a revolution. A revolution which fights for a culture and preservation of culture is bound to stir up emotions in any individual, whether for or against. The Broederbond capitalized perfectly on the notion of culture. The Afrikaner revolution did not involve guns, but involved culture. What is man without culture? Who is the man without culture? Any cultural preservation in any human being promotes a sense of patriotism. Unity under one purpose. Whether the unity is good or bad is of no relevancy, for every human views each decision in its current moment as “good” the results of the decision confirm the validity of the decision as good or bad. The cultural stance of the revolution brought about the establishment of a cultural grouped named the FAK. The main purpose of the FAK was to host Afrikaner cultural activities and imprint Afrikaner nationalism. This ploy from Broederbond would now make the organization not only secret, but also mainstream, as the FAK would be a front which promoted and advocated for Afrikaner Nationalism. The Afrikaner purists all had one vision, Baaskap or Afrikanerdom. These rumblings obliviously did not sit well with Pro – English Afrikaner, the likes of Jan Smuts and Barry Hertzog, who were more vested on the reconciliation between English and the Afrikaners. Smuts and Hertzog were literally isolated and rejected as pure Afrikaner, history notes also that at their deaths both of these men were politically isolated.

The most successful cultural activity hosted by the FAK was the Oxwagon Trek in 1938. The Oxwagon trek was a successful symbolic propaganda which evoked the emotions of all Afrikaners around South Africa, the Oxwagon trek celebrated 100 years of the great trek by the Voortrekkers. The Oxwagon travelled around the country and was well received. So well received that it culminated in 200,000 Afrikaners gathering at the Koppie, which is now known as the Voortrekker Monument. At this point The Broederbond through FAK had reached higher levels of power in South Africa. How significant then was it, that 1938 was 20 years of the formation of The Broederbond, it was also 100 years since the Great Trek and not yet known to all it was 10years before Apartheid. Perhaps a high point of emotion or patriotic thought. Either way, the future of the Oxwagon Trek, was to be fulfilled.

White Monopoly

The middle 1940’s would have seen the Broederbond having total control of the electorate. This was also coupled with the mineworker’s union along with teacher’s union. These factors would be very vital in the eruption of Apartheid. The system of Apartheid would have needed something more potent than Unions, more potent than electorate, it needed economical control. The Broederbond would front many economical organization, these were/are Sanlam, Santam, ABSA, SASOL, Engen, Rembrandt and Naspers (which importantly owned Media24). Revolution without economic benefits is a futile exercise. Governmental power vests on money. Money breeds influence and power, these factors both give birth to control. It was Cecil Rhodes himself who stated, “Give me the money of a country and I care not who runs it.” The Broederbond required their own economic interests which would rival those of that present day. The arrival of 1948, was the result of many workings to capture the government. DF Malan, of the National Party in his speech only confirmed what was being planned 30years earlier. The Afrikaners had completed the final trek, infiltration of government was completed, Afrikaner Economic stability was done and cultural fronts and been established. Afrikanerdom was realized.

The failure of some revolutions is to confuse power with control, power does not mean you are in control. That is to say, I may be power, but my incapability to control that power deems me in fact powerless. Control renders the individual with access to power, control is choice to exercise power at any given time. This is something the Afrikaners understood. The Afrikaners wanted control and not just power. The most emphatic display of the Broederbond was too inform all cabinet members post 1948, to elect men in every strategic sector of government. That instruction, would be the term of “Golden handshake” the history of secret organization affecting government was in effect. The removal of the SABC head at the time Gideon Ross, to make way for Broederbond personal was significant. Here we had the most powerful organization in the country having the control over the biggest media tools in South Africa. Naspers and SABC. The South African Broadcasting Channel was in all respects the perfect propaganda machine. Any content was to promote Afrikaner Nationalism as the superior race. The control over media dictated the views of all persons. Let us put this into perspective, if the white individual aged 12 grows listening to the radio content that promotes Afrikaner race and degrades black race, the psychological effects are long lasting. Similarly, if the black child does the same, the results have lasting damages on the Psych of the black child. Media control was the biggest success of White monopoly.

Apartheid and Church

The Broederbond decision for the countries removal from the commonwealth was the final nail in the coffin. South Africa would become a republic on the 31st of May 1961. That would signal the completion of Afrikanerdom. The state had been captured politically, military, legally and culturally. But in order to enforce a system like apartheid, something more essential was needed. Something more confirmative was needed, that was the Church. The church was a place where it would make political sense to capture the church and to legitimacy apartheid. A reasoning not to give any White Christians a moral discourse. Through the Dutch Reformed Church, South Africa would bear witness to a system that approved the oppressive nature of another through a biblical viewpoint. Apartheid in all respects built it’s understanding around the “Theology of Election” the aspect of chosen by God for a particular purpose. Is this not the point of major oppressive system, like Adolf Hitler’s “Arisch Wettrennen” or the Aryan race. A perfect human being, for the fulfilment of a certain purpose.

Apartheid system built and in calculated that belief in all its churches. It would be clear that Old Testament Theology held more presidents than New Testament Theology. The Dutch reform theology vests that it is the realization of the Kingdom of God here on earth, yet this Kingdom is only for the elected, therefore those who are not elected or those who are not “White” are not destined to enter the Kingdom of God. How of flay echoing the sentiments of Calvinism, on its claims of predestination. Religion utilized in apartheid aimed to do away with culture of black people and strip them of any beliefs completely. The black mind never stood a chance in understanding any correct biblical hermeneutics. The black mind would forever see themselves as no relation to God. God was white and a Male. You are Black and an Animal. The apartheid system had succeeded in redefining the black believer. The black mind never stood a chance.

In closing, with this understanding, as Black South African’s we have a long way to go, to find Economic Emancipation. But we can not at any point give up this hope, we as a nation have. Something will give in at some point, Aluta Continua.

#south african #land expropriation #freedom #history

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ivyleaguetheologian-blog · 7 years ago

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Frame, Fry and Perspective Theology

I think it was Stephen fry who once said “A true thing, poorly expressed is a lie” those words have become a piercing truth. The lack of interpreting communication, is the link that breaks down truth. No matter how real or true it is, if it is not expressed well, it’s a lie. The expression itself communicates to truth. In other words, communication is limited by perspective, we cannot say we know, yet we have not been communicated. Communication, when properly expressed introduces us to reality and truth. This is what John Frame asserts when discusses the matter of Perspective.

Frame states the following on perspective, “it is a view of something, by someone from somewhere. Literally is a position from which a person sees something.” That is to say, the world I see around me now, as I am writing this paper, as I am typing on my laptop, is a perspective to me. This perspective is only limited to me. You, however who is reading this paper on my blog, while having your world around you, that is your perspective. The perspective you have, that I have, is limited to the communication either you or I will reveal. Frame is therefore correct is his definition of perspective, but Frame does one better, by introducing God’s perspective.

Frame asserts that while, we have the current perspective around us, God on the other hand has perspective of every point. Frame points out

“He sees all from every possible perspective. He sees the sparrow from behind its head as well as in front of its face. And he sees my hair from its follicle to its ever decreasing pigment. He sees it from his omniscient divine perspective, but he also understands fully how my wife experiences my hair. And he is able to see it as anyone else sees it, from every possible vantage point. He knows what the sparrow looks like to another sparrow, or to the hawk soaring overhead. He sees my hair from vantage point of the fly on the wall, He even knows perspectives that are merely possible: he knows what my hair would look like from the vantage point of a fly on the wall, even when there is no fly on my wall. So God is not only omniscient but omniperspectival.”

There is much I would discuss on the statement made by Frame in the above. Especially the statement on “perspectives that are merely possible” which speaks to realities that do not exist to humanity, but exist to God, all because he sees them all. However, for the purpose of this paper, I would rather concentrate on “But he also understands” Frame makes a powerful statement here, that God not only sees all perspectives, but understands them. That is too say, God is always relational involve with his creation. Understanding is not without relating. Yet this relating is not just extensional knowledge, but personal knowledge. Knowledge that includes feelings, thought, expression and sensory attributes. God being this relational to us, emphasis the point of communication.

God, in being Omniperspectival, is able to communicate to humanity in the best method and way. God is not in any way limited by perspective, because in his truth he is present to all perspectives of the cosmos, therefore communication is properly received from God. The question must be asked, what then is God communicating in your world and in our world? what is God trying to communicate? I would suggest, under John Frame’s assertions of God’s perspective, that God is trying to communicate God in the world. In other words, God has communicated and is still communicating Jesus in humanity. Jesus is by in large, the world’s best method of communication. The communication God has given us in Jesus, points to how limited our perspective had always been, but Jesus sought to introduce a new perspective in all the world. A perspective that would point us to divine reality.

Every communication has a message or language, the language and the message are critical to the expression of the communication. Our communication can only be effective, if we understand the language or the message. The message or the language Jesus was communicating was love. Love becomes the reality of communication; love becomes the reality of the perspective we are being introduced too. Love is not only between us and God, but also between amongst ourselves. Amongst ourselves, love opens what was limited perspective, to become an unlimited perspective, because we carry the language of the communication.

Yet, language and message, are something that are relative. The communication is an absolute reference, however the language or message is relative, because interpretation is part of message deciphering. How then important is it to know the perspective of the Jesus, because should we not know it, then we interpret the message wrongly, once that is done even then among ourselves, we could never relate to one another. Even among ourselves we could not know how to love each other, we would always be closed off to the perspective of the other. We wouldn’t be able to communicate the message properly. When I say “I love you” what would it mean? The words of Stephen Fry, “A true thing, poorly expressed is a lie”.

#stephenfry #johnframe #theology #systematictheology #jesus #love #communication

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ivyleaguetheologian-blog · 7 years ago

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This is the second part of Exploring Creation. Please read the first part to get the full understanding.

The next element of our discourse in exploring creation is the word “Asah”. It is of vital importance to understand the meaning of Asah and its context. The term appears many times in the first and second chapter of the book of Genesis. “Asah” in the Hebrew is a verb, which indicates a certain type of action will be taking, is taking or has taken place. The translation of the word denotes “make” or “do”. The first indication of the term we get of “Asah” is found in Genesis 1:7, according to Brown-Driver-Briggs the word Asah appears 12 times between Genesis 1 and 2.

· Gen. 1:7 And God is the one who made the expanse.

· Gen. 1:11 And the fruit trees making fruit.

· Gen. 1:12 And the trees making fruit.

· Gen. 1:16 And God is the one who made two great luminaries.

· Gen. 1:25 And God is the one who made the animals of the Earth.

· Gen. 1:26 And God said, “Mankind, made in our image and after our likeness.”

· Gen. 1:31 And God saw all that He had done, and behold it was very good.

· Gen. 2:2 And God ended on the seventh day work that he did, and rested on the seventh day from all work that he did.

· Gen. 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it God rested from all work that He created to do.

· Gen. 2:4 The account of the heavens and the Earth when created—in the days Yahweh God did the Earth and heavens.

· Gen. 2:18 And Yahweh God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. For him I shall make as his counterpart a helper.”

The above usage of “Asah” experience the mannerism in which the word can be used, whether “do” or “make” in the English equivalent. In this biblical understanding of Asah, we must note that, asah aims to describe the work God did during the six days of the creation. Note that at each event of asah it is followed by a framework of explanation. This informs that “asah” would refer to bringing something new, by either working with, or making use of a substance or matter which had previously been created. In his article Frank notes “In other words, "making" generally presupposes that something used in the making process is already in existence before the new thing is "made".” (Nelte). The observation of Frank is linked precisely on the fact that “asah” or “making” is referring to a process of something which already existence.

Where “bara” refers to divine creation from nothing, which is an instant moment. Divine creation which is not subjected to time, but originates from a divine source. “asah” on the other hand is the activity of creation from already existing matters, which follows a particular process. It is not made in a moment, but it’s an imperative process that requires approval. A good text to investigate which holds these tension is found Genesis 2:3.

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

The text above uses the word of “created” (bara) and “made” (asah). The text grammatical construct of the text clearly draws and divide between the two verbs. The use of the conjunction separates the activity to confirm the distinction that vests between the words. As previously stated, the use of “bara” in the Hebrew is directly attributed to God.

אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּרָ֥א This brings the point which I mentioned of the divine attribute that his vested in “bara”.

The observation given of “bara” and “Asah” have given us a platform to understand the use of these words in the Hebrew perspective, However, the case still is set in the Exploration of creation, especially in relation to Genesis chapter 1 vs 1 and 2, Where are divine attribute is given for what has been created. The aspect of time must be considered. Where does time come in relation to the creation of the “Heavens and the Earth” The form and shape of the earth in verse two, what is the relation there to time? This leads us to our next section of discussion, the aspect of time in creation.

#theology hebrew christian writing freethinking life god jesus

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ivyleaguetheologian-blog · 7 years ago

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Exploring Creation Part 2

This is the second part of Exploring Creation. Please I advise if you have not read the first part, to start there. In order to have proper context.