INTRODUCTION
- Theme
- Background
- Angus Buchan
- Richard Rohr
- The ‘what’ question
- The ‘why’ question
- The ‘who’ problem
- Chapter 2: Faith and Life in the Twenty-first Century
- Chapter 3: Power, Prestige and Possession: Two Approaches to Hope
- Chapter 4: Methodology
- Chapter 5: Things Yet Unseen
- Chapter 6: A Candle of Hope
Buchan, an example of the former approach, has gained popularity through an exclusivist message of hope in salvation for life after death. The second chapter presents the challenges facing the church in proclaiming a relevant message of hope in the early twenty-first century, background and insights in the context of the study by looking at the society of South Africa, ECM and.
FAITH AND LIFE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Postmodernism
On the other hand, more progressive elements in the church have attempted to interpret Christian theology in a way that meets the concerns of the postmodern generation. For Buchan, hope lies in salvation in the evangelical sense of the word, as he testifies to the physical healing of people and the transformation of their lives as a result of accepting Jesus as Savior.
Postcolonialism
As an outgrowth of the postmodern movement, many of the attitudes of Western postmodern thought are duplicated in postcolonialism, for example a rejection of authority (rejection of the colonial powers) and deconstruction (rejection of the colonial matrix imposed on the indigenous people become) (: 5). As a result of the colonization of African thought – the interruption of the “social, cultural and political lives of the people and societies in Africa by the policies implemented by the colonial masters during the colonial period and.
Generation-X and social networks
It is an important part of the way Generation-Xers express themselves and has played an important role in the rise of the burgeoning church. It should be noted that in the context of this study it was discovered that both generational theory and social media are largely irrelevant in terms of the interviews.
Conclusion
Although the nature of generational theory is a generalization and probably more easily confined to cultures heavily influenced by the West, it is worth noting these thoughts on Generation X as influential in the Emerging Church conversation. The above is background to a more local context of the white middle class society that I mentioned in the introduction.
A question of truth
Karen Armstrong says in God in 2000: “In the face of tragedy, we do not want rational discourse, but may have to listen to music, read a poem, watch the sunset, or turn to prayer” (Borg and Mackenzie 2000:141) and thus “the modernist desire for conquering, controlling and possessing is replaced by a desire for peaceful coexistence, a recognition of the fragility of our planet's ecosystem and the need to live in interdependence with other people in all creation' (Forster 2008:39), although we have seen little evidence of this attitude among world leaders.
Religious language
Embracing Fundamentalism
In the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; those who are saved to the resurrection of life and those who are lost to the resurrection of damnation.
The Emerging Church
These fall in the areas of racial composition, theology, and the continued relevance of the emerging church. For many, like the author of the aforementioned blog, this is where they would place the Emerging Church.
White Afrikaner Fears
It is possible that the popularity of this movement is a response to the fear of the Afrikaner male in South Africa – fear which, as expressed by the survey respondents and mentioned below, is related to the fear of black leadership and control of whites and political and economic power. In terms of South Africa, we can apply this not only to changes in the social and political sphere, but especially to the threats that Africans feel they are facing both to their culture and to their masculinity and to some from the respondents in this study.
Difficulties Noted by Respondents
Some of the survey respondents noted that although it was difficult for them (as white middle class) it was more so for others, for example Ds George* said this: "people work in my workshop. We are not interested in your opinion about certain things..." And some of the people have emigrated and said, "Well, we've got to leave South Africa." (Louis Marneweck, interview by Neil Vels, 11 November 2011 in Standerton).
The Emerging Church in South Africa
It is critical that leaders see this and take seriously their responsibility to inspire – to ignite the imagination of those they lead. The ability to inspire courage, to provide vision against all odds, to create dreams from the raw materials of fear and uncertainty is needed more than ever in a context of fluidity and change.
POWER, PRESTIGE AND POSSESSION: TWO APPROACHES TO HOPE
Christian hope
As a creator of new possibilities he frees the present from the shackles of the past and from the anxious existence of the status quo. As mentioned above, one of the main struggles in defining hope is the tensions it finds.
Hope in the cross
Hope of community
Hope and identity
As a virtue with faith and love
This framework is useful because the approach to power, prestige and ownership is very different between the two subjects of the study. Power in the home must be exercised through dominance of the rest of the family.
Background
He describes himself talking to his pastor and saying, “I want to be used by God. It filled to capacity every night (:81) and became a pivotal moment for him and his family (:96) in that it revealed to them that God had called him to full-time ministry and would require his commitment complete ( :97).
The Mighty Men’s Conference
It was at this time in his life that the local Methodist church ran a lay witness mission and he and his family were invited to attend. Jill [his wife] and I walked with many others to the front of the church and knelt before the Lord.
Theology
Because they do not obey “the Truth,” he says, “disaster is on the horizon” (:170), rejecting all contemporary cultural thoughts about child rearing in favor of “Biblical principles” (:170). Indeed, he attributes the negative experiences in the country to the fact that people have turned away from “the Truth” as I described above.
Criticism of Buchan
Van Wyk notes that there is evidently a deep-seated need for a personal, experienced spirituality that is free from the dry intellectualism that people feel they find in the traditional (African) churches (:11). The last group believes there is value in the gatherings, but they have their reservations.
Buchan on hope
So hope is communicated through the story of faith, first and foremost being his story, which Dale found so compelling - the story that brought Buchan to international fame: Faith as a Potato (1998). 17 The story of receiving and paying for the truck is told in two chapters, "The Vision Becomes Reality" and "The Miracle of Delivery."
Background
Theology
He says: "The new insight for many of us is that we now know that illusion and self-centeredness lie behind both the liberal and conservative facades. Particularly with regard to male spirituality, he notes the importance of a journey of initiation which moves men out beyond ego, control, and power into what he calls "the other half of life," the nondual mind that we call wisdom.
Criticism of Rohr
Where others are critical of Rohr, they often cite the Sibley article, for example in response to the question "is Fr. Richard Rohr a dissenter?" on the Catholic Answers Forums website (Dolores49 2005). The site claims to publish research papers on issues of concern to Catholics in the Santa Fe Archdiocese (the area where Rohr has his retreat center).
Rohr on hope
What word of hope can we offer to the millions of workers around the world who see no meaning in their lives? For most people in the world, the question is not: Is there life on the other side of death?
METHODOLOGY
- Subjects and location
- Structure of interview
- Respondents
- Concept of Hope
- Understanding of God and purpose of Christianity
- Relationship to author
- Effect on life
- Recording procedure
- Analysis
In contrast to Buchan's followers, the majority of respondents were ordained, mainly in the MCSA. Many of the respondents, like Milandri, spoke about Christianity as a connection to all things.
THINGS YET UNSEEN
Outline of Chapter
Overview of differences
Buchan's approach understands the power, prestige and possessions to be given by God to believers and is something to be desired: Men are not people who are weak, but people who are strong, who have standing in the community, and who in high degree may have hope through a restored place for the man in a society where his position has apparently been eroded. He suggests that people do not come to God through righteousness, but through imperfection, with the hope of freedom to do so.
Insecurity and the search for identity
While some respondents see South Africa as having immense potential, there are others who are less hopeful about the country. Rohr's followers acknowledged that bad things happen in South Africa, but celebrated God's presence even in the midst of the bad.
Male insecurity
And the thing is, we're all hungry, we're all hungry to get, we all want and need healing, and we all need to be told that, you know, it's going to be okay. Although it has been helpful to consider the context that both groups of followers have been talking about together because it is largely the same context.
Angus Buchan
He speaks very simply, simply, uses simple language, uses daily experiences – his own – and he is not so afraid to call a spade a spade, he is quite direct, but in a Christian way (Gerrit Smit, interview by Neil Vels, 2 December 2011 in Volksrust). He tells you about Jesus Christ and that is one of the things that appeals to Africans.
Richard Rohr
Sprong talks about the “interconnectedness of the entire universe and the spirituality and the synchronicity, the things that God does in many people. A number of Rohr's followers described the appeal of the contemplative and mystical as important in their faith journeys.
The need for community
Interestingly, Milandri used words identical to Buchan's followers to describe Rohr, albeit in a different context: “He can call anything that and he challenges the top-down structures and the hierarchies that the church is tied to.” (Sergio Milandri, interview by Neil Vels, February 2, 2012 in Cape Town (via Skype)). I will first examine what Buchan's followers found appealing about his message of hope, and then compare it to Rohr's.
Buchan
An important aspect of hope for Buchan's followers is that it gives them the ability to carry on despite the difficulties they may be facing. There is hope that we can be saved from the world that tries to trap you, grab you and waste your time, you can be set free and set free and transferred to a new kingdom called the kingdom of God. .
Rohr
It has an impact on my life here, so in other words it is being aware that God is always busy before I know it. It is a hope associated with "I know that God's presence will always be with me in every situation."
Comparison
Jordaan sums it up as she says: "The purpose of life for me that Christianity brings, that God brings to us, is that it's good enough, we're good enough just the way we are. In fact, we don't need fixing, we don't need change, in fact we just need to know that we are who we are.
An Alternative Theology of Hope
Hope is about who people are and who they can become, whether identified as one of the Mighty Men, as a person of power. Buchan's followers abound with testimonies of how God healed supernaturally, while Rohr's also speak of the healing they found by following Rohr's God.
Benefits of Community
A hugely important part of the story for those who follow both Buchan and Rohr is that of community – what it means to be people together, whether it's people who are all the same and experiencing similar things, or people with different views and circumstances. . Buchan's followers in particular spoke again and again about the special community they found when they attended the Mighty Men's Conferences, and there was a clear sense that they wished life in South Africa could be like this every day.
Mighty Men’s Conference as ideal community
Testimonies abound of God's presence among the men, feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit and the miraculous taking place, apart from men being nice to each other. Both Duncan (Allen Duncan, interview by Neil Vels, 21 November 2011 in Standerton) and Manie* (Manie*, interview by Neil Vels, 8 December 2011 in Standerton) spoke of this being an important part of the experience for them .
Relationships as community
Initially these seem attractive, especially in a context of loss, where those things have either been removed or were never held in the first place. Instead of seeking power, prestige and possession, they have chosen rather to renounce those things, and this is where they have found meaning in their lives.
A CANDLE OF HOPE
Liminality and identity
In chapter five I noted how Lottering mentioned the need for young people in the Western Cape to join gangs to give them a sense of who they are, to find their identity in the new South Africa. Buchan's followers, feeling that many of the things that gave them identity have been taken from them and left them powerless, find their identity in the gang of "powerful men."
Differences in regard to power, prestige and possession
The place where there is the greatest difference between the two authors, however, is how they approach the need for power, prestige and possession. Instead of difficulties in life being seen as taking away one's power, prestige and possessions and leaving one hopeless, one can have hope because
Similarities based on hope
This is especially relevant in South Africa today, as racial and cultural tensions appear to be increasing. The role of the Church is to proclaim identities that enable people to live with a sense of hope and vision, and to work to make that vision a reality today.
What is the hope theology?
Here we see the importance of the Church as a leader in times of limitation, in order to facilitate the construction of meaningful identities - both human and Christian. In hope, it is also important that there is meaning in suffering: that God is active in the present and that I am not alone.
Why is it compelling?
Who finds it meaningful?
Improvising the Church: An Introduction to the Emerging Church Conversation.” International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church. The Emerging Church in South Africa.” Retrieved 22 August 2011 from FutureChurch: Journey towards the Future Church in South Africa, 10 January: http://www.futurechurch.co.za/old/item/the-emerging-church-in -south-africa.
Buchan’s followers
Below are the names of the people interviewed as part of the field work of this dissertation, along with the date and place of the interview. Names marked with an asterisk indicate that they have requested that only their names be used.
Rohr’s followers
And some of the people emigrated, said, "well, we have to leave South Africa," and all of that is changing because of that message, or that security being replaced. You know people will be so high, say, "Well, I'm a new believer..." and then, if there's no follow-up on them, some will backslide.
