Emerging Africa

Roger Schroeder, well-known missiologist, Professor of Intercultural Ministries and co-author of the influential “Constants in Context” visits South Africa.
The Department of Science of Religion, in co-operation with Communitas from Stellenbosch, invites you to a day conference on the 24th March 2010 with prof. Schroeder, prof. Nico Botha (UNISA) and dr. Marius Nel. The theme will be “Missionary by its very nature”. Prof. Schroeder will lecture on the book Acts and the church emerging in mission.
Where: NG Gemeente Doornpoort, 841 Boababst. 841, Doornpoort, Pretoria See www.ngdoornpoort.co.za
Cost R100

Navrae/Inquiries
Daleen Kotze
Tel. 0124202348 (Kantoor ure)
Daleen.Kotze@up.ac.za

Prof. Nelus Niemandt
nelus.niemandt@up.ac.za

Program

On the other hand (this links to the previous post on Sarel van der Merwe) I've just recieved this letter from Jaco Strydom, who does amazing work with broken teenagers in Pretoria. I think this is really worth reading.

`n Ope brief aan Emerging movement mense in Suid Africa

KERKWEES VIR STUKKENDE MENSE...

This guy has stirred a lot of negative feelings about two years ago of so when he brought out a DVD "Nuwe Strominge in the Teologie", which was basically about some theologians at the Faculty of Theology at TUKS, presented in extreme propagandist style. Now, he's onto the emerging church. This was the information that he sent out before his last seminar.

Beste Mede-Christene,

SEMINAAR OOR DIE POSTMODERNE ONTLUIKENDE KERK (“EMERGING CHURCH”)

Roger mentioned the eschatology term here, so I thought I might post some questions and thoughts.

Firstly, I think you are right that eschatology is at the centre of the conversation. It's especially evident in the use of "Kingdom of God" (of "kingdom of heaven" if you are working with Matthew) terminology. Usually I think mission when I think kingdom, but kingdom of God is an absolute eschatological term.

Questions:

I don't know if you have experienced this, but I'm experiencing it more and more. I get into conversations about theological stuff, usually sort of dogmatic stuff, and usually conversations where concepts like Sin, Hell, Heaven, Grace, Faith, are used. And suddenly I get the feeling that I'm at a distinct disadvantage.

This may sound very bad, like it's some kind of argument, or even worse, some kind of competition. Usually it's not anything of the sort. It's just that we have all these concepts that is simply assumed in our church circles. If you are comfortable with these concepts you have a whole system of theological thinking sorted out for yourself. If not, you have very little. I get into these conversations, and simply can't seem to express myself, because I'm not always comfortable with the traditional ways in which we used these concepts, but I don't have a nicely worked out alternative yet.