Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Ethics|Theology'

This dissertation argues for the inclusion of Radical Reformation Theology into the discussion of contemporary biomedical ethics. Historically, Anabaptist/Mennonite theology has not had a place in the development of biomedical ethics. Catholic moral theology and various definitions of Protestant theological ethics have shaped the field of biomedical ethics alongside several important philosophical theories. A combination of such theological and philosophical theories of biomedical ethics has been the result of the Belmont Report and has later been expanded into The Four Principles of Biomedical Ethics with its focus on autonomy, beneficence, maleficence, and justice. However, the empirical research among Anabaptist/Mennonite physicians shows that such theories do not make adequate reference to Anabaptist/Mennonite theology and ethics and its approach to agent-based virtue ethics. This theology emphasises servanthood as the model for the physician, peace and non-violent justice as the modus operandi for this servanthood model, and community as the sustaining and sending forum for such servanthood. If these perspectives were included in the contemporary discussion of biomedical ethics, the virtuous agent would be enabled to embody a reconciling relationship- the physician with the patient and vice versa. In Anabaptist/Mennonite theology, agency formation has high priority and happens through the model of observation-participation-embodiment. Theology is therefore observed, participated in, and embodied by the individual agent within the setting of community. Such an agent-focused approach that seeks consensus in biomedical ethics would help to balance a principled approach that seeks to find the lowest common denominator. This agent-based approach could also aid in the process of uncovering the blind spots of contemporary biomedical ethics such as injustices in health care access and resource allocation, discriminatory policy-making, and the favouring of a largely utilitarian-deontological pragmatism in biomedical ethics.

The aim of this thesis is to examine process theology in the light of questions raised by environmental issues. To facilitate this study, different approaches to the nonhuman natural world developed in environmental philosophy - in particular in environmental ethics - are compared with the work of process theologians. The primary focus is on the systems of A.N.Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne, but John Cobb, Jay McDaniel and Daniel Dombrowski are also considered. In Chapter 1, the derivation of value and the formation of ethics in process thinking is examined, and its ethical methodology and content compared with classical utilitarianism and more recent consequentialist approaches to the nonhuman natural world. Ensuing problems including justice, replaceability, the identification of value with experience and the subjectivity of value judgments are considered. In Chapter 2, process ethics is compared with deontological approaches to environmental ethics which focus on the value of individual organisms and natural objects: in particular, the work of Paul Taylor. Problems generated by egalitarianism, individualism and the inability to affirm environmental restitution are examined. The capacity of process thinking to resist such criticisms is assessed. Collective consequentialist ethical approaches to the environment, characterized by Aldo Leopold and J.Baird Callicott, are laid alongside process ethics in Chapter 3. This raises questions concerning the nature of species and ecosystems, and the use of metaphors such as organism, community and society to describe them. The focus moves in Chapter 4 onto a comparison of the metaphysics and ethics of the Deep Ecology movement with that of process theology. This comparison concentrates on two main themes: attitudes to 'holism' and to the 'extension and realization of the self'. Finally, the question whether process theology should reform itself as a better response to environmental ethics is examined. Some suggestions about possible reformation are proffered, but it is tentatively concluded that process thinking is an inappropriate basis for environmental philosophy.

This project examines the relationship of doctrine and moral formation or ethics in the work of James Wm. McClendon, Jr. The general thesis is that McClendon understood ethics to relate to doctrine in such a way that ethics constitutes a type of justification for the truthfulness of doctrinal confession. After introducing the logic for considering atonement and moral formation together in this manner, the project proceeds by explaining McClendon's "narrative" epistemology. This introductory material is followed by an examination of historical Anabaptism and "postmodernism" as communities of reference that contribute to McClendon's epistemological vision. The project then moves to an explication of McClendon's own presentation of the nature of doctrine (specifically the atonement) and ethics, primarily as seen in his three-volume systematic theology, followed by an analysis of McClendon's presentation of his own epistemological method from his book Convections. The final chapter before the Conclusion examines the way the material in the first 5 chapters is manifest in, and depends on, McClendon's sense of the nature of ecclesiology. The Conclusion then summarizes the argument and draws attention to several areas where McClendon's vision and methodology open to several critical questions. My conclusion is that McClendon's understanding of the nature of the atonement is manifest in his sense of the place and function of moral formation of the church, and that this relationship explains how McClendon understands Christian confession to be justifiably held by the Church.

The purpose of this thesis is to present a theologically informed alternative to common conceptions of sport in contemporary culture, particularly in response to the challenges of doping in athletic competition. In the first part we will examine contemporary ethical perceptions of doping in sport by analysing the major arguments commonly used to justify the current ban on enhancement substances. The outcome will show that the context of the debate fails to account for a more fundamental analysis of the purpose and nature of sport. Part two will develop a framework for conceptualising sport. I will identify sport in the theory of social practices as depicted by Alasdair MacIntyre where sport is premised on the virtues and has no end beyond itself. This theory differs from the views traditionally held by the church which include seeing sport as insignificant, immoral or instrumental. In the third part I will offer suggestions for ways Christian theology contributes to our understanding of sport. We will look at three critical steps necessary in developing a Christian ethic of sport. First, we must reconcile Christian moral practice and participation in sport. After this we must recognise sport’s nature in the context of our human essence. As a third step Christians need to actively recover the spirit of play in sport that stands in contrast to the contemporary sports culture. When we have taken these three steps we begin to see sport differently than does the modern sports culture. In the conclusion I will suggest that, for Christians, sport becomes a form of worship as it points us to God through the components of grace and gratitude. This approach should shape our moral behaviour in sport, including in the issue of doping. It is clear that the benefits sought through enhancements fail to contribute to these purposes in any meaningful way. The motivation behind doping is to gain a competitive advantage and is based on a view of sport that sees winning as the highest value. This is incompatible with a Christian theology of sport.

Chapter 1 - The basis of Moltmann’s eschatology is explored and developed with its specific relationship to the moral impact it has within Christian theology at the forefront of the discussion. Chapter 2 - Moltmann’s primary category for discussing eschatology and its specific ethical import is ‘the Kingdom of God’ and is thus explicated in further detail within this chapter. Chapter 3 - This discussion of the Kingdom of God is then deepened with an analysis of Moltmann’s pneumatology.  In particular, the role of the Spirit in vivifying human moral action in the Church and in society is examined within eschatological perspective. Chapter 4 - The above argument is then interpreted in light of the Christian claim that God is Triune as the persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Chapter 5 - Beginning with this chapter, the preceding doctrinal concerns will be brought to bear on systematic consideration of time and space as it particularly relates to Christian moral action. Chapter 6 - Here the particular location of the human within God’s eschatological work in the promissory history as explicated in Moltmann’s theology is explored. Chapter 7 - the argument moves beyond theological theory to praxis within the specific realm of global economics.  After analyzing three recent theological proposals for economic engagement in the life of the church, the above theological description of an ethics of hope will be brought to bear on this issue and critique the three proposals.

The argument of this thesis is that H. Richard Niebuhr has produced a distinctive, indeed, unique theological crucis. Although Niebuhr never made this motif the explicit focus of his work, his writings, nonetheless, demonstrate a perennial reference to, and penetrating grasp of, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the defining events of the Christian gospel. After a short introduction to Niebuhr's life and work, and a brief discussion of that tradition which gives prominence to the theology of the cross (theologia crucis), an exposition and interpretation of Niebuhr's theologia crucis is carried out by means of six distinct, though interrelated perspectives: existential; evangelical; ethical; ecclesiological; ecumenical and eschatological. Despite his reluctance to present a full-blown dogmatics of systematics, I use these six perspectives to trace the contours of the coherent, yet largely, implicit theologia crucis that lied just below the surface of his corpus, so that my thesis may allow its form and content to crystallise more clearly in the mind's eye. Beginning with an existential exploration of Niebuhr's phenomenology of faith in terms of trust and loyalty, we are enabled to more fully apprehend the multi-faceted faithlessness of the social self-as exposed by the theologia crucis. In the next chapter, written from an evangelical perspective, we see how God in Christ has transformed the human situation by converting the various forms of faithlessness into that faithfulness which Niebuhr calls radical monotheism. Chapter three considers the ethical consequences of this faith-stance as depicted by Niebuhr in terms of response to the creative, governing and redemptive actions of God. Next, we analyse his ecclesiology, and see that this largely takes the form of a constructive critique in order to help clarify the mission of the ecclesia crucis.

In the wake of Lynne White's 1967 thesis contending Christianity is the historical root of our environmental crises, theologians have struggled to articulate an environmentally friendly theology. These efforts, while substantive, have proven insufficient to reorient Christian environmental ethics and practice en mass. Pope Francis argues in Laudato Si, that dogma, doctrine, and arguments are always insufficient for redeeming human relations and instead calls for an ecological conversion via a wild spirituality. I answer this call by offering a phenomenological theology of wilderness spirituality that grounds environmental ethics in the experience of encountering God in the wilderness. I use the existential phenomenology of American philosopher Henry Bugbee and Czech phenomenologist Erazim Kohák to map phenomenological practice as spiritual discipline. By engaging in lived, practical, and embodied practices bracketing one's intellectual and physical common-sense attitudes, the practitioner is opened to and made receptive to the redeeming work of God. This topology of phenomenology as spiritual discipline illustrates how wilderness functions in scripture. In conversation with Dietrich Bonhoeffer's reading of the Genesis 3 curse as both curse and promise I argue that wilderness functions by killing sicut-deus-humanity and thereby becomes the site of redemption, healing, and benediction. This spiritual and ethical function of wilderness is also evident in the early desert monks and grounds their praxis and ethical development. Ultimately, it is by being made vulnerable and receptive in the wilderness that the early desert monks were able to participate in the reestablishment of the paradisaical innocence. This suggests that redeemed relations between humanity and the non-human world is dependent upon the sanctifying experience of wilderness deconstruction and encounter and thus the efficacy of environmental ethics depends upon the invitation to practice a wilderness spirituality.

The need for holistic solutions to diverse problems presents the church with an opportunity for a social witness shaped by the gospel. As a step toward accomplishing this end, this dissertation aspires to establish a refreshed approach for understanding Christian social engagement as fundamental expressions of the character of God through the virtuous witness of the church. To begin, chapter 1 contains the introduction to the dissertation, beginning with a statement of the thesis, namely, the church embodies a prophetic social ethic in the world through presence, possibility, and place as expressions of the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. Following the articulation of this thesis will be definitions of “faith,” “hope”, and “love.” A proper understanding of these terms is crucial to the dissertation, and each will be elaborated further as the project progresses. This chapter closes with an overview of the project by explaining research methodology and brief chapter summaries.

Chapter 2 begins the explanation of the proposed virtuous social ethic: presence. Drawing together particular contributions from Ellul and Hauerwas to reveal how Christian faith enacted in social ethics requires the faithful ecclesial witness of God's people in the world. The goal of this chapter is to unpack, develop, and synthesizing particular emphases from the theological ethics developed by Ellul and Hauerwas. The resulting combination strengthens each respective position to encourage healthy Christian social presence from a disciplined theology of faithful presence.

Significantly, Ellul and Hauerwas encourage Christian social witness empowered by the revelational foundations of Scripture and biblical community. As well, the enduring witness of the church in the face of social instability, coercion, and injustice remains the peaceful paradigm of Jesus Christ. Only through genuine faith granted by the sovereign choice of God is the church able to maintain a prophetic and incarnational presence in the world. This chapter concludes by developing a theology of faithful presence revealed in the disciplined faithfulness of God's holy, redeemed people.

Chapter 3 moves from presence to possibility. The first part of this chapter explores how Ellul and Hauerwas see Christian hope driving and shaping the redeemed community. That is, joining Ellul's hopeful Christian freedom with Hauerwas' eschatological ethic encourages the church to embrace a broader vision for moral action. Such a living hope drives the Christian community to seek the substantive social good shaped by the dynamic awareness of God's lordship over all creation.

Chapter 4 moves to the third part of the proposed Christian social ethic: place. Through a loving relationship with the world, the church does not neglect cultural needs nor capitulate to social pressures but practices a dynamic commitment to Christ through enacting God's love. Christian social ethics are thwarted before they begin without an effort to know and understand context.

The first part of this section examines the way Ellul and Hauerwas describe the love exemplified by the church in relationship with God and the world. Specifically, Ellul's emphasis on living in relationship with the world complements Hauerwas' commitment to truthful community and Christian presence among the sick and suffering. The second part of this chapter further unpacks the lived significance of the loving God's world. Ellul's dialectic social ethic emphasizing man's need for divine intervention, Hauerwas points to the practiced presence of Jesus as the church's path to loving social witness. As a synthesis of the first two sections of this chapter, the final section explores how the Christian living in loving relationship with the world demands a rich theology of place emphasizing personal relationship, apologetic disposition, and temporary expressions.

Chapter 5 will wrap up this study by providing review, final analysis, and areas for further study. The church has a divine responsibility to embody the goodness and character of God in the world. Yet, the church often reacts in extremes by cultural capitulation or sectarianism. In light of this, the church must develop a balanced approach to the cultivation and practice of Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love. Even more, in the face of social marginalization, the church must maintain a creative yet distinctly Christian approach to social ethics. The hope of this study is to provide a constructive analysis of proposals made by Jacques Ellul and Stanley Hauerwas in order to empower the church to rightly embody the character of God for the glory of God and the good of the world. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

Even the most casual contemporary observer of Christianity must recognise that the notion of Christian community being identifiable through the mutual love of its members (John 13:35) is difficult to reconcile with the schismatic reality of current ecclesial life, dominated in the public sphere by divisive debates on matters such as gender or sexuality. Given the constant presence of disagreement throughout the church’s history, it remains an ethical subject neglected by scholars. This study examines how New Testament texts might inform Christian approaches to disagreement. It is the first systematic consideration of disagreement as a New Testament theme; it follows, and critiques, the methodological approach of Richard Hays in The Moral Vision of the New Testament. The context is public disagreement among Christians: how the church speaks in public when facing its inevitable disagreements, and what theological and ethical concerns might inform how this speech proceeds. The thesis is in three parts. Part One is an examination of the New Testament in relation to disagreement, following Hays' 'descriptive task'. In Part Two, the 'synthetic' and 'hermeneutical' tasks of Hays' methodology are critiqued and some modifications are proposed; a theology of disagreement that emerges from the New Testament is outlined. Part Three considers some ecclesiological implications of this theology of disagreement. Following Hays' 'pragmatic task', it examines how moral theological insights from the New Testament interact with the life of the contemporary church. Illustrative examples consider the church's public theological witness, its pneumatology, and its liturgy, to demonstrate the need for a Christian ethic to engage with extra-Biblical authority with greater enthusiasm than Hays. The thesis concludes by affirming the particular value of reading the New Testament in pursuit of ethical wisdom, but without excluding insights from tradition, reason and experience. The challenge for the church is identified as a move Towards Loving Disagreement; an integral part of its mission is to disagree Christianly.

The Letter to the Ephesians is comprised of two distinct parts that can be labelled "theology" (Ephesians 1-3) and "ethics" (Ephesians 4-6). These sections are, however, difficult to reconcile with each other. The moral exhortations of the paraenesis are not directly and argumentatively derived from the theological narrative. Although Ephesians is a letter, epistolary analysis does not lead to an explanation of how the "theological" and "ethical" sections can be integrated. A rhetorical critical examination, however, provides a new angle of interpretation that shows a way through the difficulties of explaining how the two halves of the letter are related to each other. Ephesians is a document that can be designated as "sermon". As a "sermon" it is a combination of epideictic and deliberative rhetorical genres that does not address a specific issue or controversy. It speaks to a Christian audience that is not expected to make critical decisions based on argumentation within the "sermon," but rather is reminded of, impressed with, and identifies with certain theological concepts. A frame of mind is thereby developed among the audience members that makes them receptive to the moral exhortations contained in the paraenesis. An analysis of the "theological" section of Ephesians reveals that a frame of mind receptive to moral exhortation is developed through the rhetorical presentation of theological notions with which the audience would be in agreement. The "ethical" section or paraenesis is not directly founded on these theological notions, but presents its own, self contained argumentation for proper conduct to an audience that has become susceptible to such behavioral appeals. It is concluded that theology and ethics in Ephesians are related by the rhetorical use of the language of what is defined as "sermon".

This thesis for the first time critically and comparatively examines contemporary Christian and philosophical ethics of war. Thus it contributes to an investigation of current possibilities of moral-political action. Exploring various combinations of political ethics and the tenets of faith, it compares three Christian with two secular thinkers. Each chapter first shows how Just War ethics are constructed between ‘realism’ and ‘idealism’. The former prioritizes individual or national self-defence and power; the latter the universal value of each individual. Each analytical section reconstructs the author’s moral understanding of political authority, violent force and political reality. These foci are investigated in terms of how they understand, envision or reject the mediation between politics and Christian morality. As the inner logic of each Just War proposal is thus brought out, continuities and differences between authors can be explained. Part I looks at Christian authors. Jean Bethke Elshtain’s realistic, ‘naturalistic’ Just War ethic of the sovereign state rejects humanist idealism. For Paul Ramsey Christian agape provides a transformative ethic between idealism and realism. Developing this, Oliver O’Donovan’s evangelical approach practically fuses idealism and realism. Dogmatically, this is conditioned by moving from Elshtain’s modern theological dualism to Ramsey’s Christ-transforming the world, though still indebted to philosophical idealism. O’Donovan, however, suggests that after the singular mediation of the Christ event, moral-political categories disclose the divine order. Part II investigates the idealism-realism divide amongst philosophers. Both David Rodin’s idealist demand for a global state and Uwe Steinhoff’s individualist Machiavellianism seek to protect human rights. After Kant, they presuppose an unbridgeable division between politics and ‘religious’ morality. Theology, having become anthropology, replaces the mediation of Christ with immanent mediators: legal, statist or individualist moral agents. But this echoes and intensifies the Christian tradition. Whereas Rodin introduces a renewed, violent papacy, Steinhoff seeks to renew the liberal-democratic status quo through a secular ‘radical reformation’. It is concluded that both modern Christian and philosophical ethics of war can oscillate between impractical triumphant justice and the failure of tragic antagonism. If the singular mediation between Is and Ought in Christ is recognized as a universal paradox, doing justice effectively becomes possible.

In this dissertation it is contended that central to Reinhold Niebuhr's theology and ethics is his understanding of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as a revelation of the suffering of God. Keeping in mind the theologia crucis of Martin Luther, Part I examines the significance of the Christian symbol of the cross during Niebuhr's formative years and as he later sought to relate the moral and ethical insights of the Christian faith to the more tragic social and political events of his age.
Part II begins with a systematic appraisal of Niebuhr's theology of the cross in reference to his understanding of Christian anthropology, theology proper, the atonement, history and eschatology. The theological similarities of Niebuhr's thought to the theologia crucis of Luther are made explicit. A delineation is then made of Niebuhr's social ethic of the cross. It is an ethic which seeks to underscore the true but limited relevance of the norm of sacrificial love to issues of relative justice. This ethic is then contrasted to the ethica crucis of Luther.
The dissertation concludes with an examination of the current debate regarding Niebuhr's ultimate political position. It is suggested that an understanding of Niebuhr's theology and ethic of the cross is essential to any thorough appreciation of the major shifts which occurred within his political thought.

What role does beauty play in our moral formation? What difference does the perception of beauty make to the way we live our lives? In order to answer these questions, I look to the twentieth-century Catholic theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar. Relatively little has been written about Balthasar’s ethics. He is, perhaps, best known for his retrieval of beauty as a transcendental property of being. Balthasar, though, never set down an extended account of his ethics or moral theology. While he had no explicit ethic, he certainly thought that his theology could be lived. The Theo-Drama, for instance, discusses the implications that the perception of beauty has for Christian life.

I do not intend to present “Balthasar’s ethics.” Instead I will offer a “Balthasarian ethic.” Drawing from his theological aesthetics and dramatics, I will outline the morality implicit in his theology: a Balthasarian theo-dramatic ethics. We can see this kind of ethic at work, I contend, in some of Balthasar’s lesser-known works on Christian life. I will then go beyond Balthasar to consider how we might put this moral formation into practice in the possibility of living out Christian pacifism in the nation-state and in our treatment of non-human animals.

This dissertation points to the convergence of method and performance. The method of theo-dramatic ethics can never be distilled to a set of abstract rules or terms. We can do so artificially in order to better express what makes performances of the good beautiful. But it is the performance, not the method, of theo-dramatic ethics that we find enrapturing. Being formed by performances of beauty better enables us to recognize and express new forms of beauty. My thesis is that recognizing beauty as the foundation of moral formation affirms the formational power of the Christian tradition as well as that of new experiences and practices because in both cases we are responding to beauty.

This dissertation will engage in a critical analysis of discourse related to the reception of migrant workers coming to the United States especially from Latin America. The thesis will propose that at the center of arguments for a more restrictive immigration policy in the U.S. is a construction of the immigrant as "other" and as a threat to the purity of American national identity. This construction will be examined historically, sociologically, and theologically, and will be contrasted with Christian theological and ethical models for dealing with human social and cultural difference, proposing an alternative approach of envisioning the immigrant as enhancing rather than threatening our identity as a people.

The analysis will include insights from anthropology, postcolonial and feminist thinkers, critical race theories, and a historical exploration of racial ideologies. Christian theological responses will include insights from Latin American liberation theology and the Aristotelian-Christian virtues tradition, along with a theology of reconciliation. The dissertation will also address political and economic aspects of immigration and the relationship between globalization (including NAFTA) and migration.

In this exploratory work I argue that Jesus’s particularity as a Jewish, male human is essential for developing Christian theology about nonhuman animals.

The Gospel of John says that the Word became “flesh” not that the Word became “human”. By using flesh, John’s Gospel connects the Incarnation to the Jewish notion of all animals. The Gospel almost always uses flesh in a wider sense than meaning human. The Bread of Life discourse makes this explicit when Jesus compares his flesh to “meat,” offending his hearers because they see themselves as above other animals. Other animals are killable and consumable; humans are not.

The notion that the Word became flesh has gained prominence in ecotheology, particularly in theologians identifying with deep Incarnation. Unless this notion is connected to Jesus’s particularity, however, there is danger in sacrificing the individual for the whole. We can see this danger in two early theologians, Athanasius and St. John of Damascus. Both of these theologians spoke of the Word becoming “matter”. Yet they ignored Jesus’s Jewishness and rarely focused on his animality, preferring instead to focus on cosmic elements. Consequently they often devalued animal life.

Jesus’s Jewishness is essential to the Incarnation. His Jewishness entailed a vision of creation’s purpose in which creatures do not consume one another, but live peaceably by eating plants. This Jewish milieu also entails a grand vision for transformation where predators act peaceably with their former prey.

Jesus’s maleness is also connected to his Jewishness. In the Greco-Roman context in which he lived, his circumcision marked him as less male and more animal-like. Moreover, Jesus’s Jewish heritage rejected the idea of a masculine hunter. His theological body was far more transgendered and connected to animality than the Roman ideal.

Finally, Jesus’s humanity entails a kenosis of what it means to be human. By becoming-animal he stops the anthropological machine that divides humans from animals. We see this becoming animal most clearly in his identity as a lamb, but also in Revelation’s idea that he is both a lion and a lamb. His eschatological body fulfills the Jewish vision for creation-wide peace.

Thesis advisor: James F. Keenan
This dissertation examines the significance of work and leisure from the perspective of Christian theology and ethics. Specifying work as obligatory activity and leisure as discretionary activity, the dissertation argues that a theological vision for work as a form of service and leisure as a form of peace can challenge some of the most damaging assumptions about paid employment and the use of free time. In the process, the dissertation also identifies the personal and social transformations necessary to make the theological vision a reality, and it proposes a distinct methodology for linking ethics with both lived experience and substantive theological claims. Chapter one outlines the current state of work in the United States, asserting that changes in the nature of work, the demographics of the workforce, and the structure of business have made workers more dependent on paid employment and less secure in their jobs. After discussing the implications of these changes for gender assumptions and family life, this chapter argues that the root causes of dependence and insecurity lie in an increasingly individualistic culture and its concomitant spirit of consumerism. Responding to the problems identified in chapter one, chapter two offers a theological vision for what work could become if Christian theological convictions were integrated more fully into this sphere of life. A critical overview of the traditional language of vocation yields a "charismatic-vocational" understanding of work, which stresses the dynamic nature of both God's call and an individual's response. This vision is further refined with insights about the relational nature of the human person and about Jesus' work for the kingdom of God. Christians, then, are encouraged to see their work as an intrinsic good that uses their particular charisms to serve God and neighbor. Chapter three uses the virtue of justice--biblically defined as right relationship--to pinpoint the structural reforms needed to make the theological vision for work more viable. In conversation with Catholic social teaching, this yields a constructive vision for just remuneration and a necessary critique of executive compensation practices. The result is a more relational understanding of work for employers and employees alike. Shifting to leisure, chapter four notes that the two most common leisure activities (watching TV and using digital media) are defined by superficiality and isolation. The former is described in opposition to depth and "flow," and the latter in contrast to robust community ties. In both cases, relationships are identified as the key casualty. Chapter five distinguishes leisure (flow-like activities) from recreation (non-flow activities) and engages Christian eschatology to insist that leisure is properly a temporary prefiguration of peaceful rest in God while recreation serves as a form of recuperation that helps one fulfill his or her charismatic-vocational responsibilities. Augustine's classic categories of enjoyment and use are then adapted to create a balanced approach to leisure and recreation that avoids idolatrous extremes. Chapter six develops a general ethics for leisure and recreation by relying on the virtue of solidarity. The distinctively Christian notion of this virtue yields a defense of a weekly day of rest for every worker. Parallels with Aquinas then create an ordering of leisure as well as guidelines for the ethical evaluation of particular recreational pursuits. The conclusion addresses the central benefits of the overall project, highlighting the value and necessity of promoting the practice of ethical discernment in everyday life
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Theology

The thought and writings of Catholic ethicist John Paul II (1920-2005) concerning sexual ethics, the value and dignity of life, and the bond of a man and woman in marriage highlights the theological value of the body in Catholic thought. While John Paul II belongs to a religious tradition that holds conservative and counter-cultural ideas concerning sexuality, his work marks a fundamental shift in the tradition of Catholic nuptial mysticism. Catholic teaching has always prioritized the critical significance of mystical or spiritual marriage of the soul/Church and God over the importance of marriage between a man and woman. This hierarchical ordering of the spiritual nuptial union over the human does not continue with the work of John Paul II. The latter argues for the value of the body in the immanent world as a good in itself as well as offering a deeper theological valorization of the experience of nuptial sexuality than his predecessor and mystic, John of the Cross (1542-1592). John Paul's understanding of conjugal union is based on the latter's egalitarian rendering of the spousal relation between God and humanity: when man and woman unite intimately, they are two equals. Human dignity and equality is fully realized in the intimate act of love. Through an analysis of two of John Paul II's major studies, Theology of the Body and Love and Responsibility, one comes to the conclusion that the latter valorizes the human body and sexuality by arguing for the incarnation of mystical nuptiality in conjugal union. In so doing, John Paul II adopts a new and positive theological affirmation of the meaning of the human body and conjugal union. Finally, John Paul's view of the female body in particular sheds even greater light on his innovative approach to the (female) body: John Paul II's theology of the body is focused on male/female embodiment, equality, identity and dignity. His nuptial mysticism offers an interesting trajectory for Catholic feminist theory, that is more tangible than the contributions of classic female mystics and visionaries such as Julian of Norwich ( 1342-1416) or modern Catholic mystics such as Teilhard de Chardin ( 1881-1955).
Jean Paul II (1920-2005), un homme aux pensées Catholique et avec un grand intérêt pour l'éthique sexuelle, a de nombreuses écritures concernant la valeur de la vie, la dignité humaine ainsi que l'union matrimoniale de l'homme et la femme. Les pensées de cet homme ont augmentées la valeur du corps humain dans la pensée Catholique. Malgré le fait que Jean Paul II a des pensées conservatrices concernant la sexualité, ces écritures marquent un changement important dans la tradition du mariage mystique. La pensée Catholique a toujours enseignée la valeur supérieure du mariage mystique en comparaison à la valeur du mariage entre une femme and un homme. Cette hiérarchie ne continue pas avec la pensée de Jean Paul II. Ce dernier juge la valeur du corps humain à être aussi importante dans la relation intime entre un homme et une femme qu'entre Dieu et l'être humain. Ceci est encore plus évident quand on compare la pensée de ce dernier aux écritures Jean de la Croix, un mystique Espagnol du seizième siècle. La pensée de Jean Paul II est basée sur l'égalité de l'homme et la femme, surtout dans une relation intime qui est à l'image de Dieu et de l'esprit humain, qui sont aussi de valeur égale. Après avoir analysé deux des travaux importants de Jean Paul (Théologie du Corps et Amour et Responsabilité), nous pouvons conclure que ce dernier valorise le corps humain et la sexualité en défendant l'incarnation du mariage mystique sous la forme de la matrimoine humaine. Ainsi, Jean Paul II adopte une nouvelle philosophie, c'est-à-dire, une pensée positive concernant la sexualité humaine. Finalement, sa pensée sur le corps féminin renforce le fait qu'il a une pensée positive concernant la valeur du corps humain, l'égalité de l'homme et de la femme ainsi que la valeur de a sexualité humaine. Ses pensées offrent un trajet philosophique pour la pensée féministe encore plus intéressante et tangible que les contributions de Dame Julian of Norwich (1342-1416), mystique et contemplative, ou Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), théologien et homme de science.

This dissertation articulates a practical theology of reconciliation for, with, and by Cuban Catholic exiles through the development of a faith-based structured process of reconciliation—the Circles of Reconciliation—that addresses personal reconciliation as the basis for social reconciliation. The Circles of Reconciliation draw on sources of the Christian tradition in dialogue with the empirical sciences and Cuban culture. The Circles provide the space to advance a praxis of reconciliation among Cuban exiles. The reflection that emanates from this process is the basis for the concluding insights on a theology and an ethics of reconciliation for this community.

In this thesis I offer a theological analysis of biomedical efforts to extend the healthy human lifespan by attenuating the aging process, situating this project within the Christian quest to holiness. The potential of even modestly extended life spans has profound social, familial, political, economic, religious, and environmental implications, and warrants considerable theological reflection, hitherto largely absent from contemporary ethical discussion. Hence, I critique the biomedical attempt to extend human life via aging retardation by considering the historical attitudes towards one’s aging body and longevity within the Christian tradition, paying particular attention to shifts in attitude regarding aging and decay, and by examining the Christian discipline of fasting as practiced by the Desert Fathers, who believed that an attenuated rate of aging was one physiological outcome (among others) subsumed under a larger moral project of character transformation. While the concept of a normative lifespan as derived from Scripture is highly tenuous, a relationship between finitude and a wisdom that recognizes one’s bodily limits does emerge. While key figures in the history of the Church have acknowledged both the difficulties of earthly life and the promise of bodily resurrection leading to a general ambivalence concerning the length of life and its extension, such attitudes were challenged by Francis Bacon and mirrored during the theological upheavals of the Great Awakenings in America. Drawing upon the work of Charles Taylor and Thomas R. Cole, I discuss the theological shifts whereby spiritual growth was segregated from physical aging via an increasingly instrumental stance towards aging and its mutability, increasing one’s fear of death. In the remainder of the thesis I examine St. Antony’s ascetic regime which enabled him to ‘remake’ his body as part of reordering and refining his soul to be the leader of his body, a regime which entailed an attenuated rate of aging. Drawing upon Karl Barth’s christological anthropology who locates the unity and order of soul and body in the person of Jesus Christ, I demonstrate how current attempts to retard aging exacerbate the ‘disorder’ and segregation of body and soul, described as ‘sloth’ and ‘care,’ negating the role of the body and its limitedness in the formation of one’s soul, and failing to mitigate the fear of death occasioned by such a disorder. Finally, I situate the Christian discipline of fasting as an alternative to life extension within the context of the practices of faith communities, understood minimally as baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Bibliography: leaves 187-208.
Feeling guilty is an experience we all know. It is a condition that ensures we remain cognisant of our obligations to our- selves and to others so that we live within the bounds of appropriate behaviour. When obligations are violated and deviance is evident, the resultant dissonance between expected and contrary behaviour generates feelings of inner environment discomfort and self-criticism recognised as guilt feelings. Whether such states of internal dissonance are psychodynamically induced, as Freud maintained, or are the result of not meeting ethical obligations, as decreed by particular religious systems, or are due to an inevitable faculty of being human, they have to be controlled if the mental health of the individual experiencing them is not to be detrimentally affected. What psychology and religion have to say about ensuring that this control is effective has unfortunately become dichotomous and disparate realms of discourse. A common discourse is necessary if the insights of each are to most effectively deal with mental health care. To this end, this thesis is presented as a means for assisting psychotherapists in a re-assessment of the interface between psychology and religion.

This dissertation considers the political implications of the doctrine of holiness. I proceed by demonstrating the neglect of holiness in political theology, the viability of the holiness movement as an embodied witness of the political implications of the doctrine of holiness, and a biblical trajectory in Leviticus that extends into the New Testament. I describe this scriptural holiness as vocation for all of God’s people through personal formation and outward societal action to extend God’s holiness.

With attention to the approaches of political theology and formation, I demonstrate that the holiness movement of the nineteenth century offers an example of holiness in practice that addresses societal problems (e.g., urban housing crisis, intemperance, and slavery). I then propose three theological issues that undermined the political vision of the holiness movement in the twentieth century. First, the scope of sin narrowed resulting in a less hopeful expectation of sanctification’s power. Second, most of the holiness movement adopted premillennial eschatology, which altered the way it viewed social structures. Third, the holiness movement was marginalized by its theological rejection of the Third Great Awakening, which served to influence religious and civil approaches to social problems in the twentieth century (e.g., the New Deal and Social Gospel).

Three case studies (race, global missions, and temperance) demonstrate the influence these respective theological shifts had on social action. I argue that a theological interpretation of Leviticus 17-26 guides the holiness movement to embody the vocation of holiness as an alternative vision to the formation of modern politics regarding social orderings. I extend Israel Knohl’s insight that Lev 17-26 responds to prophetic critiques of cultic practices and reconceives holiness to address social challenges. I argue that Jesus picks up this stream when he recites, “love your neighbor as yourself,” and that Christian embodiment of this Scriptural holiness sustains the political vocation of holiness in changing contexts (including the modern bifurcation of life into private and public spheres). I conclude that vocational holiness enables a Christian understanding of political community.

Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2000
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In seeking to evaluate a Christian ethic in the modern and postmodern world, we should first search for the ethical principles of modernism and of postmodernism. Thereafter, we should attempt to find a common ethical principle in both modernism and postmodernisrn. In this way we can establish whether or not modern and postmodern ethics approximate to Christian ethics. Modern ethics originated from and were established on the concept of 'the self or selfcentrism as defined in this thesis. More exactly, modern ethics were grounded on the basis of the 'reason' of the autonomous self. In this way modern ethics can be characterized by universal laws or universal norms. They served oppressive political norms. In modern times the rational ethics, therefore, correlated with the langauge of totalization and colonization. This modern ethical paradigm was criticized by postmodernists. Postmodernists deconstructed modernist universal norms which were constituted on the concept of 'the self. They discovered 'the other'. Thus the postmodern ethics were developed on the concept of 'the other'. Postmodern ethics are expressed in uncertainty and can be characterized as 'rninimalistic morality'. Even though modern ethics and postmodern ethics were established on different concepts, they have a common principle. We recognized that the this-worldly self-life centrism is a common principle of modern ethics and postmodern ethics. We established this in chapter 2. In Chapter 3 we studied the Christian ethics in the Bible. Christians must follow Christ. Christians must become the image of Christ. The Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ. Therefore, Christ is the origin and model of Christian ethics. But we also investigated the reason why so many believers fail to live Christ-like life. We discovered that the this-worldly life centrism always hinders believers from becoming Christ-like people. We suggested that life-giving love is the core ethical principle in the Bible. In Chapter 4 we applied Biblical Christian ethics to the modern and postmodern world. We found that Christian ethics could not match up with modern and postmodern ethical principles in certain respects. Christian ethics are different from modern and postmodern ethics. From this application we proposed that Christian ethics are not expressed in either modern rationalism or postmodern deconstruction. We disclosed the reason why modern rational ethics and ethics of deconstruction cannot comprehend Christ-like ethics. Modern and postmodern ethics were not established on the model of Christ. Modern and postmodern ethics did not emphasize the life-giving love which Jesus portrayed. In this thesis, therefore, the conclusion is that Christian ethics must be Christ-centric ethics. The Christ-centric ethic that can counter postmodern life comes true in life-giving love. Countering modern rational ethics which are based on the concept of 'the self' or selfcentrism we, Christians, must emphasize suffering and self-giving by loving 'the other', for example: women, the isolated, and so on. Countering postmodern ethics of deconstruction based on the concept of 'the other', 'the other' must strive to become a Christ-like person rather than pursue his/her own perfect self-realization and liberation.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ten einde Christelike etiek in die moderne en postmoderne we reid te evalueer, moet ons eerstens soek vir 'n etiese beginsel ten opsigte van modernisme en postmodernisme, asook 'n gemeenskaplike etiese beginsel van sowel modernisme as postmodernisme. Slegs daarna kan ons klaarheid he of moderne en postmoderne etiek inpas in die Christelike etiek. Moderne etiek het ontstaan uit en is gebaseer op die konsep van 'die self of selfgesentreerdheid, soos na verwys is in hierdie tesis. Om meer presies te wees, moderne etiek het ontwikkel op die grondslag van die 'rede' van die outonome self. Dus kan die moderne etiek op die wyse uitdrukking vind in universele wette of norme. Dit het onderdrukkende politieke stelsels bedien. In moderne tye het die rasionele etiek dus ooreengestem met die taal van kolonialisme en 'n totalitere benadering. Hierdie moderne etiese paradigma is deur die postmoderniste gekritiseer. Postmoderniste het die universele norme gebaseer op die konsep van 'die self deur moderniste, afgetakel. Hulle het 'die ander' ontdek. Die postmoderne etiek is dus ontwikkel op die konsep van 'die ander '. Postmoderne etiek word uitgedruk in onsekerheid en kan gekarakteriseer word as 'geminimaliseerde moraliteit'. Alhoewel moderne etiek en postmoderne etiek op verskillende konsepte gevestig is, het hulle tog 'n gemeenskaplike beginsel. Ons het die gerigtheid op hierdie-wereldse selfgesentreerdheid herken as eie aan beide moderne etiek en postmoderne etiek. Ons het dit in hoofstuk 2 ondersoek. In hoofstuk 3 het ons Christelike etiek in die Bybel bestudeer. Christene moet navolgers van Christus wees. Christene moet Christusgelykvormig word. Die Heilige Gees herskep ons tot die beeld van Christus. Daarom is Christus die oorsprong en die model van Christelike etiek. Ons het ook die rede ondersoek waarom die dissipels Christus nie kon navolg nie. Ons het ontdek dat die hierdie-wereld lewensgesentreerdheid gelowiges altyd verhinder om Christusgelykvormige mense te word. Ons stel voor dat lewegewende liefde die kern etiese beginsel in die Bybel is. In hoofstuk 4 het ons Christelike etiek soos ons dit in die Bybel bestudeer het, toegepas op die moderne en postmoderne wereld. Ons het bevind dat die Christelike etiek op sekere punte nie in lyn gebring kan word met moderne en postmoderne etiek nie. Christelike etiek verskil van moderne en postmoderne etiek. Voortvloeiend uit hierdie toepassing het ons voorgestel dat die Christelike etiek nie kon ontstaan het vanuit die moderne rasionalisme en postmoderne dekonstruksie nie. Ons het die rede blootgele waarom moderne rasionele etiek en dekonstruktiewe etiek nie Christusgelykvormige etiek kan omvat nie. Moderne en postmoderne etiek is nie gevestig op die model van Christus nie. Moderne en postmoderne etiek is nie beklemtoon in die lewegewende liefde wat Jesus gedemonstreer het nie. Die gevolgtrekking in hierdie tesis is dus dat Christelike etiek Christus-sentriese etiek moet wees - Christus-sentriese etiek wat die postmoderne lewensuitkyk kan weerle deur 'n openbaring van lewegewende liefde. Om moderne rasionele etiek gebaseer op die konsep van' die self of selfgesentreerdheid te weerle, moet ons as Christene die klem laat val op lyding en om onsself te gee deur ander lief te he, byvoorbeeld: vroue, die gel soleerdes en ander. Ten einde postmoderne etiek se dekonstruksie gebaseer op 'die ander' te weerle, moet dit 'die ander' se mikpunt wees om Christusgelykvormig te word eerder as om sy volkome selfrealisering en bevryding na te streef.

The purpose of this thesis was to study the view of six teachers, working in three different field areas, on ethics questions and ethics teaching in schools, from a global perspective. My second aim was to analyze whether there was any cooperation between these different field areas or between them and others, in order to improve the ethics teaching in schools. My research questions were intended for one teacher in a Swedish school, three teachers in a Brazilian school, one Swedish missionary and one Swedish senior lecturer in ethics. The research questions basically centre on how these teachers would define concepts such as ethics and global ethics, what kind of ethics questions they feel are important for the school to convey and if there is any form of cooperation between teachers in Swedish/Brazilian schools and different organizations, designed to improve the ethics teaching in schools from a global perspective.

On the basis of the results of my questionnaires I find the definition of ethics more or less equal among the six teachers. They relate ethics to moral philosophy and other questions such as what is right, wrong, good and evil. The teachers also believe ethics contains a reflection on global matters, like the environment, poverty and peace. Five out of six teachers define global ethics with conceptions like global responsibility, respect for future generations, global consensus, comprehension and tolerance. One of the teachers does not believe in global ethics but in groups that could establish some common values to be achieved.

All six teachers feel it is important to bring questions related to Human Rights to the fore in schools. These ethics questions would touch on increased egoism, responsibility, respect for the environment, respect for differences, solidarity, tolerance, attitudes and sexual morals. According to the teachers these matters should be practiced and studied from a micro, macro and gender perspective.

My results show that cooperation does exist between the Swedish/Brazilian schools and different organizations and institutions. There is cooperation between The Church of Sweden Mission and Brazilian organizations, but there are no exchanges between Swedish schools and schools outside Europe. One way to improve ethics teaching and facilitate exchanges between schools from a global perspective could be to globalize the curriculum. With a globalized curriculum teachers could give the students the global context they need in global society.

This thesis investigates the shaping of Christian social behavioural instructions by the author’s theological vision in 1 Peter. The notion that these instructions are de facto derived from the author’s theological conviction as his ultimate concern is more often assumed or neglected, than seriously considered in Petrine scholarship. This thesis aims at adding one more dimension to scholars’ discussion by seeking an empathic understanding of the Petrine mode of Christian social engagement from “an insider” perspective of the author’s own theological vision as his primary concern. Besides paying attention to the more obvious meaning and the literary features of the text, historical data of the socio-political background of 1 Peter are also employed as an entrance to understand imaginatively the author’s vision and the implications of his social ethics. In the exegetical study of the Petrine text with particular reference to the author’s extensive use of Old Testament language, Jesus Christ is shown to be underscored in 1 Peter as the Jewish expected Messiah but who has submitted to human suffering as a resident-alien on the cross. Christians are also perceived as “elect exiles of Diaspora” on earth inheriting the self-understanding and eschatological hope of the Jewish Diaspora. The Petrine social strategy of “differentiated resistance” is thus understood as a token of Christians’ solidarity with the Messiah Christ and a congruent behavioural expression of their identity as “elect exiles of Diaspora”. “Ultimate allegiance to God” is seen to be the overriding boundary of Christians’ accommodation to the pagan culture to ensure their remaining in the grace/salvation of God. In the historical study of the Jewish Diaspora’s social engagement, it is demonstrated that the Petrine appropriation to Christians of Jewish self-definitions includes the Jewish social strategy in the Diaspora which also reflected a form of “differentiated resistance”. Theological conviction as the primary consideration of the early Christians when formulating their social strategies is then further demonstrated by the comparison of 1 Peter with Revelation and the Epistle to Diognetus. The thesis concludes with a reflection on the continuing significance of 1 Peter to Christians’ social engagement in the modern world and on the possible cooperation between the theological approach and socio-historical approach to investigate biblical texts.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study is motivated by challenges arising from decades’ long debates, conversations and tensions regarding church unity within the ecumenical movement and also amongst the Reformed churches locally and globally. This study seeks to investigate the role that church unity can play in relation to social contexts. This study argues that there is no adequate ecclesiology without ethics, and – theologically speaking – no adequate ethics without ecclesiology. Church unity can play a significant role in society, especially with regard to socio-ethical issues regarding peace, reconciliation and justice. Furthermore, regarding the visible unity of the church, this study proposes a meaningful and purposeful unity and ecumenism as the church’s contribution through witness and service in the world. Church unity is not just about abstractly fulfilling the dream of being one, holy church, but rather about claiming and seeking a unity that has significance for social contexts. Put differently: koinonia and martyria, communion and witness, community and confession, the body of Christ and the embodiment of justice are tightly interwoven. This study will focus on ecclesiology and its relation to ethics as articulated in the discourse of the World Council of Churches (WCC) project on Ecclesiology and Ethics, as well as on the discourse on (church) unity, reconciliation and justice around the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa’s (URCSA’s) Belhar Confession. This study will explore the tensions between the Faith and Order commission (which focuses on Ecclesiology) and the Life and Work commission (which focuses on Ethics) and also how the tensions between ecclesiology and ethics were dealt with. As means of healing these divisions, this study will discuss the Church and World study document of the WCC which affirmed that the unity of the church cannot be disconnected from its witness and service in the world; the Santiago conference on Koinonia in Faith, Life, and Witness, where the notion of koinonia played a fundamental role in bringing ecclesiology and ethics together; and, in addition, the three WCC consultations under the themes: Costly Unity (Rønde), Costly Commitment (Tantur) and Costly Obedience (Johannesburg), where the interrelations between ecclesiology and ethics were further explored. Key theological notions that played a role in the attempt to bridge the gap between ecclesiology and ethics will also be indicated. A comparable debate on the call for church unity took place and continues to take place in the South African context, especially amongst the Dutch Reformed family of churches. The reality of divisions in South African context will be explored. The Belhar Confession articulates the relationship between ecclesiology and ethics very clearly with its focus on unity, reconciliation and justice. Belhar affirms that there is no reconciliation without justice, and no justice without reconciliation; these concepts are inextricably interwoven. For a meaning and purposeful church unity, so this dissertation argues, you need both reconciliation and justice. Both the Ecclesiology and Ethics debate of the WCC and the Belhar Confession debate regarding (church) unity, reconciliation and justice affirm that ecclesiology and ethics belong tightly together. This study investigates, enhances, and ultimately affirms this claim.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die beweegrede vir hierdie studie is gegrond in die uitdagings van dekade-lange debate, gesprekke en spanninge rakende kerkeenheid binne die ekumeniese beweging sowel as binne die plaaslike en internasionale Gereformeerde kerke. Die studie worstel met die betekenisvolle rol wat kerkeenheid kan speel in verhouding tot ons sosiale kontekste. Dit betoog dat daar geen voldoende ekklesiologie sonder etiek is nie en – teologies gesproke – geen voldoende etiek sonder ekklesiologie. Kerkeenheid kan ‘n belangrike rol in ons gemeenskappe speel, veral ten opsigte van sosio-etiese kwessies rondom vrede, versoening en geregtigheid. Verder, rakende die sigbare eenheid van die kerk, stel hierdie studie ‘n betekenisvolle en doelgerigte eenheid en ekumenisme voor waardeur die kerk haar bydrae kan lewer deur middel van getuienis en diens in hierdie wêreld. Kerkeenheid is juis nie om afgetrokke uitvoering te gee aan die droom van een, heilige kerk nie, maar dit gaan eerder oor die aanspraak en soeke na ‘n eenheid wat betekenisvol is vir sosiale kontekste. Anders gestel: koinonia en martyria, gemeenskap en getuienis, kerk en belydenis, die liggaam van Christus en die beliggaming van geregtigheid is ten nouste verbonde. Die navorsing sal fokus op ekklesiologie en die verhouding daarvan tot die etiek, soos uiteengesit in die gesprek van die Wêreld Raad van Kerke (WRK) se projek rakende Ekklesiologie en Etiek. Daarmee saam ook die gesprekke rondom (kerk) eenheid, versoening en geregtigheid (etiek) binne die Verenigende Gereformeerde Kerk in Suider Afrika (VGKSA) se Belhar belydenis. The navorsing stel ondersoek in na die spanning tussen die “Faith and Order” kommissie (wat fokus op Ekklesiologie) en die “Life and Work” kommissie (wat fokus op Etiek). Dit stel ook ondersoek in na hoe die spanning hanteer was tussen ekklesiologie en etiek. In ‘n poging om die verdeeldheid te heel bespreek hierdie navorsing die “Church and World” se dokument van die WRK. Hierdie dokument bevestig dat die eenheid van die kerk nie losgemaak kan word van getuienis en diens in die wêreld nie. Voorbeelde hiervan is geillustreer tydens die Santiago konferensie wat gehandel het oor Koinonia in Faith, Life, and Witness en wat duidelik gewys het dat koinonia ‘n fundamentele rol speel om etiek en ekklesiologie saam te bring.. Die drie WRK konsultasies - onder die temas Costly Unity (Rønde), Costly Commitment (Tantur) and Costly Obedience (Johannesburg) – het die verband tussen ekklesiologie en etiek verder ondersoek. Sleutel teologiese terme wat ‘n rol gespeel het in hierdie poging om die gaping tussen ekklesiologie en etiek te oorbrug, sal ook aangedui word. ‘n Vergelykbare debat oor die rol van kerkeenheid het plaasgevind in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks, veral binne die Nederduitse Gereformeerde familie van kerke. Hierdie debate gaan steeds voort. Die realiteite van skeiding in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks sal ondersoek word. Die Belhar belydenis verwoord duidelik die verhouding tussen ekklesiologie en etiek, met die fokus op eenheid, versoening en geregtigheid. Die Belhar belydenis – so argumenteer hierdie studie – bevestig dat daar geen versoening is sonder geregtigheid nie, en ook geen geregtigheid sonder versoening nie. Hierdie konsepte is ten nouste en onskeibaar verweef. Hierdie navorsing argumenteer dat beide versoening en geregtigheid nodig is vir ‘n betekenisvolle kerkeenheid. Beide die Ekklesiologie en Etiek debat van die WRK sowel as die Belhar belydenis wat aan (kerk)eenheid, versoening en geregtigheid aandag gee, bevestig dat ekklesiologie en etiek bymekaar hoort. Hierdie studie ondersoek, versterk en bevestig hierdie aanspraak.

Thesis (M. Div.)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this thesis the focus will be on the challenges that our modern society presents to the church and her understanding of sexuality. Certain “traditional” values are questioned on a continual basis. Many people argue that a new era represents new challenges and therefore new answers are needed – “traditional” values has nothing more to say in this new world. A “traditional” sex-ethic that believes sex should be kept for marriage, is one of the casualties. This thesis attempts to show that such a “traditional” sex-ethic is still relevant in this world, today. This can only be done by taking serious notice of the current state of a modern society, & by respecting the Christian tradition, as well as the Word of God. By bringing the Word of God into a critical dialogue with the modern world and the challenges that it represents, it will be possible to show that a “traditional” sex-ethic is still relevant in this modern world. The Word of God gives us no systematic theory on human sexuality. It is therefore important that we take the central theme of the bible as our point of departure. Love and justice should guide every decision people make: if we want to obey God’s central command of loving our neighbors, we need to approach others with love and justice. By keeping sex for marriage we stay true to what God expects of us.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie studie word daar gefokus op die uitdagings wat ons moderne samelewing aan die kerk en haar verstaan van seksualiteit stel. Sekere “tradisionele” waardes word bevraagteken, dikwels in die naam van ‘n nuwe konteks. ‘n Nuwe era bied nuwe uitdagings en daarom word baie van dit wat as “tradisioneel” beskou word verwerp as iets wat vandag geen waarde meer het nie. ‘n “Tradisionele” seks-etiek wat sê dat seks slegs in die huwelik hoort, is een van hierdie slagoffers. Hierdie tesis probeer dus aantoon dat só ‘n tradisionele seks-etiek vandag, in ‘n veranderende wêreld, steeds relevant is. Dit kan slegs aangetoon word deur deeglik kennis te neem van die stand van die moderne samelewing, ‘n waardering van die Christelike tradisie, en die Woord van God. Deur die Woord van God krities in gesprek te bring met ‘n moderne samelewing en die uitdagings wat dit bied, kan daar aangetoon word dat seks steeds in die huwelik hoort – nie voor die huwelik nie, ook nie buite die huwelik nie. Die Woord van God bied aan ons geen sistematiese teorie oor die mens se seksualiteit nie. Om hierdie rede is dit belangrik dat ons die sentrale tema van die Woord as ons vertrekpunt sal neem vir ons bestudering van die mens se seksualiteit. Die basis van dit alles is liefde en geregtigheid – God se opdrag om ons naaste lief te hê kan slegs deur hierdie twee riglyne ‘n realiteit word. Deur seks slegs in die huwelik te beoefen, is ons getrou aan hierdie opdrag van God.

The objective of this research is to examine the theological ideas and moral vision of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and to explore how his theology (and theological hermeneutics and ethics) has influenced his politics of solidarity and social activism on behalf of the oppressed and the poor in Haiti in particular, and the wretched of the earth, in general. Through the use of the postcolonial, decolonial, and Liberation Theology paradigms as hermeneutical and theoretical methods of investigation, the project seeks to answer a threefold question: what is the relationship between theology and social activism and transformation in the thought and writings of Jean-Bertrand Aristide? What is the place and function of the community of faith, the poor, the oppressed, hope, and human liberation in the political theology of Jean-Bertrand Aristide? What is the place of (defensive) violence in Aristide’s theology? Our goal in this scholarly investigation is an attempt to provide an answer to these daunting questions above and to explore more fully and intelligently the theology of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. This present study considers Aristide’s democratic and social justice projects and theological reflections and theological intersections in the disciplines of theological anthropology, theological ethics, and political theology, as he himself engages all four simultaneously. The doctoral thesis locates Aristide’s thought and writings within Black intellectual tradition both in continental Africa and the African Diaspora. It establishes shared intellectual ideas and parallelisms, and strong ideological connections between Aristide and Black theologians and thinkers in both continental Africa and the African Diaspora. On one hand, Aristide’s intellectual ideas and political activism should be understood in the context of the struggle for democracy in Haiti; on the other hand, it is suggested the intellectual articulations and propositions of these Black and African thinkers aim at a common vision: the project to make our world new toward the common good. While we do not undermine the problem of violence in Aristide’s theology and political program in the context of Haitian history, the doctoral thesis argues that Aristide’s theological anthropology is a theology of reciprocity and mutuality, and correspondingly, his theological ethics is grounded in the theory of radical interactionality, interconnectedness, and interdependence, and the South African humanism of Ubuntu. It also contends that Aristide’s promotion of a theology of popular violence and aggression in the Haitian society should be understood as a cathartic mechanism and defensive violence aimed at defending the Haitian masses against the Duvalier regime and their oppressors.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
Dogmatics and Christian Ethics
PhD
Unrestricted

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study describes and analyses the problem of termination of pregnancy, with special attention to its prevalence in Kenya, where more than seven hundred abortions are performed daily on girls between fifteen and seventeen years of age. Although pregnancy termination is illegal in Kenya, its practice goes on in the rural villages, in homes, in urban streets and in private clinics. The research focuses on the ethical quest for human dignity in the context of the church’s response to the challenge of termination of pregnancy. It examines the perceptions and attitudes of various cadres of Christians, such as church ministers, doctors and lawyers, towards the problem. The study has been mainly through literature review of books, journals, magazines and newspapers, as well as through structured interviews and focus group discussions in Kisumu County of Kenya. Various viewpoints have been discussed and analysed with regard to the problem. The research proposes Martin Benjamin’s ethical theory of compromise as the most suitable means by which the church in Kenya can approach the challenge of termination of pregnancy. The theory finds support from Norman Geisler’s theory of graded absolutism as well as from a biblical analysis. Through the compromise theory, the research proposes that the church should lead in public advocacy for legalising pregnancy termination within the first six weeks of pregnancy in order to deal with pregnancies arising out of rape and incest. Findings from structured interviews and focused group discussions support the current legal framework that prohibits pregnancy termination, but reveal a desire for change in the way the church deals with members who get unplanned pregnancies and those who terminate the same. The research suggests, in addition, that the church’s role should emphasize counselling, teaching and pastoral care, rather than ex-communication and public rebuke. The church should avoid activism which seeks to keep abortion illegal at the expense of numerous Kenyans who do not necessarily submit to the church’s position. Within the church, and among those whom the church seeks to convert, the researcher upholds the church’s teaching of chastity and abstinence as the most effective preventive measures against abortion. The thesis proposes these measures as the means to ensuring human dignity within the church in relation to the ethical challenge of termination of pregnancy.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie beskryf en ontleed die probleem van die beëindiging van swangerskap, met spesiale aandag aan die voorkoms daarvan in Kenia, waar meer as sewe-honderd aborsies daagliks uitgevoer word op meisies tussen vyftien en sewentien jaar oud. Hoewel swangerskap-beëindiging onwettig is in Kenia, vind dit steeds plaas in die plattelandse dorpies, in huise, in stedelike strate en in private klinieke. Die navorsing fokus op die etiese strewe na menswaardigheid in die lig van die kerk se reaksie op die uitdaging van die beëindiging van swangerskap. Dit ondersoek die persepsies en houdings van verskillende kaders van Christene, soos predikante, dokters en prokureurs, ten opsigte van die probleem. Die studie is hoofsaaklik gedoen deur ‘n literatuuroorsig van boeke, artikels, koerante en tydskrifte, sowel as deur middel van gestruktureerde onderhoude en fokus-groep besprekings in die distrik van Kisumu, Kenia. Verskillende standpunte word bespreek en ontleed met betrekking tot die probleem. Die navorsing stel Martin Benjamin se etiese teorie van kompromie voor as die mees geskikte manier waarop die kerk in Kenia die uitdaging van die beëindiging van swangerskap kan benader. Die teorie word ondersteun deur Norman Geisler se teorie van gegradeerde absolutisme sowel as deur 'n Bybelse analise. Deur die kompromie-teorie stel die navorsing voor dat die kerk leiding moet neem in openbare voorspraak vir die wettiging van swangerskap-beëindiging binne die eerste ses weke van swangerskappe wat voortspruit uit verkragting en bloedskande. Bevindinge van gestruktureerde onderhoude en gefokusde groepbesprekings ondersteun die huidige regsraamwerk wat swangerskap-beëindiging verbied, maar openbaar 'n begeerte vir 'n verandering in die manier waarop die kerk optree teenoor lede wat onbepland swanger raak en diegene wat aborsies kry. Die navorsing dui verder daarop dat die kerk se rol eerder moet fokus op berading, onderrig en pastorale sorg, as op ekskommunikasie en openbare teregwysing. Die kerk moet aktivisme vermy wat poog om aborsie onwettig te hou ten koste van die talle Keniane wat hulle nie noodwendig aan die kerk onderwerp nie. Binne die kerk, en onder diegene wat die kerk wil bekeer, ondersteun die navorser die kerk se lering van kuisheid en onthouding as die mees doeltreffende voorkomende maatreëls teen aborsie. Die tesis stel hierdie maatreëls voor as middele om menswaardigheid, met betrekking tot die etiese uitdaging van die beëindiging van swangerskap, binne die kerk te verseker.

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this research project is to explore whether there are convincing, contemporary theological traditions within Christianity for conceptualising a socially responsible hope for our current times that can be envisioned, embodied and enacted in our world. It uses a theological-ethical framework of hope as social vision, virtue and practice to unpack the shape of hope systematically. It draws on diverse theologians such as Jürgen Moltmann, Albert Nolan, Walter Brueggemann and Flora Keshgegian as well as the Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper to offer multi-denominational and country perspectives on the topic that point towards the social practice of this hope as a central part of the mission of the church in our world today. This project examines a range of theological arguments for a world transforming Christian hope with concrete this-worldly social implications that is not just about ‘pie in the sky when we die’. It looks for a hope that can balance the demands of an active human responsibility alongside faith in a divine presence that is capable of being incarnated into how we see, are and act as humans in the midst of actual life as it is and not just as an abstract doctrine of belief for another world. It seeks for an ecumenically endorsed hope that can enable us to be active contributors to the wider human projects of social transformation clearly needed at the start of the 21st century enabling us to interpret Christian mission as hope in action within our world.
AFIKAANSE OPSOMMING: "Geen opsomming"