Die etiek van sending as anti-Kyriargale bemagtiging en liefdesdiens: ‘n Fokus op 1 Tessalonisense en mag of bemagtiging

Abstract

The Christian concept ‘mission’ is experienced by some as a negative term in the post- modern age of relativism and sensitivity with regard to the perspective and the rights of others. In this article it is postulated that the term ‘mission’ is only negative when mission is understood as an aggressive propagandistic persuasion of others from a position of power (moral high ground). This definition however, is a result of a male-dominated, Kyriarchal (male dominated) perspective, and by implication is ethnocentric and reductionistic in nature. Feminist and postcolonial perspectives open the way for an alternative definition of ‘mission’, which can open up fresh perspectives about mission and ethics in the early Church and these could be considered and in turn could have far-reaching implications for the manner in which the Christian mission is understood in a post-modern context. In this article it is investigated in which way the early Christian ethics of mission created the space within which traditional imperial dominance, gender, race and ethnicity was transformed with an alternative symbolic universe resulting from a reconceptualisation of power or empowerment and loving service from a Christological perspective.

Celebratory nostalgia: Reflecting on the work and impact of the Department of New Testament Studies at the University of Pretoria

“…The project centres on themes such as identity, ethics and ethos, reconciliation, the transcendence of boundaries and sensitivity (i.e. inclusivity) towards the outsider (Kok 2010(Kok , 2012b(Kok , 2012c(Kok , 2013(Kok , 2015a. This focus on identity formation leads to the involvement of various social-scientific theories (e.g.…”

The Social Gospel movement revisited: Consequences for the church

“….SeeMcKnight (2014), Van Eck (2013,Kok (2012), McNeal (2003, Van Aarde (2008a) that hold relevance to this section of action and the kingdom of God.…”