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Koers

versão On-line ISSN 2304-8557
versão impressa ISSN 0023-270X

Koers (Online) vol.77 no.2 Pretoria  2012

 

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

 

Contextualising theological education in Africa by doing theology in a missional hermeneutic

 

Kontekstualisering van teologiese opleiding in Afrika deur die gebruik van 'n missionale hermeneutiek

 

 

H. Jurgens Hendriks

Department of Practical Theology and Missiology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

Correspondence

 

 


ABSTRACT

This article originated at curriculum development workshops for seminaries at different venues in sub-Saharan Africa. Its goal was to provide guidelines towards finding a hermeneutic key to practising theology contextually as a response to a process of spiritual discernment which would lead to a contextualised, missional theological curriculum and training. It briefly described elements of the history and context of theological training in the Christendom paradigm. It has little faith in the future of this paradigm, and argued that the southern shift of the heartland of Christianity points us in a new direction. The article said: look at the changing context, the influence of globalisation and the information revolution and revisit key theological parameters in Scripture. Observe what is happening in missional congregations and let all of these developments guide us on a journey to discover a new hermeneutic to do and teach theology in Africa.


OPSOMMING

Die artikel se oorsprong lê in kurrikulumontwikkeling-werkswinkels op verskillende plekke in Afrika suid van die Sahara. Die oogmerk was om riglyne te verskaf sodat 'n hermeneutiese sleutel gevind kan word om teologie kontekstueel te beoefen as 'n respons op 'n proses van spirituele onderskeiding. Dit sal lei tot 'n gekontekstualiseerde, missionale teologiese kurrikulum en opleiding. As sodanig het dit kortliks die elemente van die geskiedenis en konteks van teologiese opleiding in die Christendom beskryf as die put waaruit teologiese opleiding moet vrykom. Die artikel het geargumenteer dat die hartland van die Christelike geloof suid skuif; dat globalisering en die informasie-omwenteling die konteks verander. Ons moet per implikasie teologiese opleiding in die lig van die Skrif nuut konseptualiseer. In dié verband help dit om na prosesse in missionale gemeentes te kyk sodat hierdie ontwikkelings ons rig op 'n reis waarin nuwe hermeneutiek vir die praktiseer en onderrig van teologie ontdek kan word.


 

 

Full text available only in PDF format.

 

Acknowledgements

Competing interests

The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationships which may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article.

 

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Correspondence:
Jurgens Hendriks
Faculty of Theology
171 Dorp Street
Stellenbosch 760
South Africa
Email: hjh@sun.ac.za

Received: 30 Sept. 2011
Accepted: 20 Mar. 2012
Published: 14 Dec. 2012

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