4.4 Data Collection Methods
4.4.1 Use of Written Documents
Written documents used in this study were obtained by means of a systematic literature review (Olivier, 2012; Armstrong et al. 2011; Arksey et al. 2005; Wilson et al. 2010). Using various keywords related to the present topic (see the section, ‗Abstract‘ in the preliminary pages), the main search engines were Google Scholar, the EBSCOhost research database, EBSCO electronic journal service, SABINET and Web of Knowledge. Websites of research centres and other institutions such as SAHARA (Social Aspect on HIV/AIDS Research Alliance), CADRE (Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation), HSRC (Human Science Research Council), and WCC (World Council of Churches) were also explored. The library of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and its inter-library services were also used. Other written sources were the books and journals available from the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics as well as papers presented in various seminars organised by or through this School. The HIV and AIDS database of the Sinomlando centre based in this School was also gainfully utilised.
Two kinds of written documents formed the nexus of this study. Documents containing primary data such as reports and other non-academic and unpublished documents on the FMCSA were consulted. These documents were drawn on to shape sections 1.2.2, 1.3, 1.4, respectively on the overview of the FMCSA, background and outline of the research problem and the motivation of the study. They have also served in shaping section 4.2 on the location and population of the study and Chapters 5 and 6 dedicated to the fieldwork results. They include the Book of Discipline of the FMC which informs on the doctrine of this Church (FMCNA, 2000). They also involve HIV and AIDS project proposal which reveals an attempt of the FMCSA to address HIV and AIDS (FMCSA, 2005). They also comprise working documents of the FMSKZN Annual Conferences from 2008 to 2013 which are the compilations of annual minutes from
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circuits and superintendencies. Other primary documents are ‗Articles of the Rights, Power and Functions‘ which is The Haven Project‘s Constitution (The Haven, 2008); the minute of the UFMC‘s Board Meeting on Sunday 13 March 2011 (UFMC, 2011); the minute of the 4th General Conference of the FMCSA from 07-09 January 2009 (FMCSA, 2009); and the Statistics of the FMCSA from 2009 to 2011 (FMCSA, 2011).
Primary sources also involved interview transcripts on ‗memory of AIDS‘ in KwaZulu-Natal Midlands existing in the database of Sinomlando Centre. In particular, interviews with Baloyi, Briget, Hlela, Lamula, and Nxumalo were used. Primary sources also include academic dissertations and theses. The most accessed are the PhD theses of Gadsby (1998), especially the section on Wesley and his healthcare strategies; Le Roux (2001) on Wesley‘s social ethics as referred to by South African local congregations to empower urban poor; and Longwe (2012) on the experience of pastors‘ wives in the Baptist Convention of Malawi. They also included the Master‘s dissertations of Iyakaremye (2009), Ntakirutimana (2009), Ntakirutimana (2004), as well as the Honour‘s dissertations of Musabyimana (2004) and Ntakirutimana (2003) on the response of the FMC to social challenges in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Interview transcripts and academic theses were particularly used in the development of Chapters 2 and 3 on the context and the framework of the study.
Documents containing secondary data were also studied. These include published books, journal articles, government/departmental reports, papers presented in conferences or seminars, and Internet articles. In particular, documents on HIV and AIDS and its gendered nature in South Africa to develop the contextual background of the study52 were consulted. The most prominent are the chapters from HIV/AIDS in South Africa, edited by Karim and Karim (2010), The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa in a Historical Perspective, edited by Denis and Becker, and various books written or edited by members of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians.
Moreover, secondary data to explain the framework of the study53 were included. The article, ‗An Abbreviated Introduction to the Concept of Missio Dei‘ of McKinzie (2010), Transforming Mission:
Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, of Bosch (2011), Mission in the 21st Century: Exploring the Five Marks of Global Mission edited by Wall and Ross (2008), What Is Mission: Theological Exploration (2000) and Mission under Scrutiny: Confronting Current Challenges (2006) of Kirk, A Ministry Shaped by
52 See Chapter 2
53 See Chapters 3 and 7
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Mission of Avis (2005), Constants in context: A theology of mission for today (2004) and Prophetic Dialogue:
Reflections on Christian Mission Today (2011) of Bevans and Schroeder, The Church and Mission of Le Roux (2011), as well as The Renewal of All Things: An Alternative Missiology of Scott (2009) and Women in mission: from the New Testament to today of Smith (2007) have served as key documents to explore the concept of the missio Dei and the mission of the church. Important recent articles from journals such as International Review of Mission, Missio Dei, HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, Dialog: A Journal of Theology, Theology Today, and The Expository Times have been used also for this end.
With regard to Jesus‘ healing ministry, The Christian Healing Ministry by Maddocks (1981), Yes, You Are Healed: A Journey of Healing by Schmidt (2007), Doing Theology, Doing Justice by Folk (1990), Introducing African Women‟s Theology by Oduyoye (2001), chapters from Healing in the Name of God edited by De Villiers (1986), and the article ‗Counselling AIDS Patients: Job as a Paradigm‘ by Wittenberg (2007) have been extensively used. Inclusion of the gender aspect of this ministry was inspired by the book In Her Name: Women Doing Theology of Rakoczy (2004) and journal articles, ‗Deep in the Flesh‘ Women, Bodies and HIV/AIDS: A Feminist Ethical Perspective‘ by Ackermann (2008), and ‗Jesus, Prophecy and AIDS‘ by Dube (2007).
Regarding the, WHCR, the most prominent documents are John Wesley‘s various sermons and his book, Primitive Physic (Wesley, 2004). Other documents most referred to are the John Wesley among the Physicians: A Study of Eighteenth-Century Medicine of Hill (1958), John Wesley‟ Social Ethics:
Praxis and Principles of Marquardt (1992), and various books and articles of Maddocks and Maddox on Wesley‘s theology and practice of healthcare.
Secondary data have been used also in developing the methodological landscape of the study.
Michel Foucault of Shumway (1989), Counselling Youth: Foucault, Power, and the Ethics of Subjectivity of Besley (2002), Education Policy: Globalization, Citizenship and Democracy of Ossen et al. (2004), and the article, ‗Foucault and the Problem of Method‘ of Apperley (1997) were included. These documents have assisted in building onto two Foucauldian methods of analysis, genealogy and archaeology, in order to outline Chapters 1, 2, and 3. Still concerning methodological design, four books, Research in Practice: Applied Methods for the Social Sciences of Terre Blanche et al., Qualitative Journey: Student and Mentor Experience with Research of Minichiello and Kottler (2010), The Practice of Qualitative Research of Hesse-Biber and Leavy (2011), and Learning in the Field: An Introduction to Qualitative Research of Rossman and Rallis (2012) form the cornerstone of chapter 4 in which the methodological design of this study is explained.
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Furthermore, selected documents have been used in order to engage in a dialogue between the results and existing literature as it appears in Chapters 5, 6, and 7. In this dialogue, literature such as Beacons of Hope: HIV Competent Churches: A Framework for Action of Parry (2008), journal articles, ‗Gender Violence and HIV/AIDS: A Deadly Silence in the Church‘ of Haddad (2002) and ‗A Call for Care: HIV/AIDS Challenges the Church‘ of Richardson (2006), as well as the book‘s chapter, ‗Daughters and Sons of Africa: Seeking Life-Giving and Empowering Leadership in the Age of HIV/AIDS Pandemic‘ of Njoroge (2008) contributed to the identification of gaps of fulfilling the missio Dei in the FMSKZN‘s response to HIV and AIDS.