KovsieJournals - University of the Free State (UFS)
Not a member yet
5214 research outputs found
Sort by
Book review: Odendaal, André. Dear Comrade President: Oliver Tambo and the Foundations of South Africa’s Constitution. Cape Town: Penguin Books, 2022. 441 pp. ISBN: 9781776096695
Get PDFMany South Africans, particularly Black Africans, are increasingly disgruntled about the Constitution of the country and its perceived lack of inclusive representation. One of the overarching arguments is that the Constitution should be re-written to be more just. On 27 February 2018, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) tabled a motion in parliament for section 25 Constitution to be amended to allow Land Expropriation Without Compensation (LEWC). The process failed after the National Assembly could not get a two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution. Additionally, when the United Democratic Front (UDF) held its 40th anniversary at City Hall in Johannesburg on 19 August 2023, former South African minister of finance Trevor Manuel noted that “the Constitution of the country should be amended so that citizens can hold government accountable, as voices of the general public are not represented”.1 Postapartheid South Africa is, therefore, undergoing a moment of critical introspection, with the Constitution at the centre of many public and scholarly debates
Book Review:Marmon, Brooks. Pan-Africanism Versus Partnership: African Decolonisation in Southern Rhodesian Politics, 1950-1963. New York: Springer, 2023. SBN 10: 3031255585
Get PDFBrooks Marmon’s Pan-Africanism versus Partnership is a welcome addition to the historiography of Zimbabwe’s political history. There has not been much written of late on this period, as most historians have focused on the liberation war and the negotiated settlement leading up to Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980. Marmon has taken up the challenge of re-assessing the messiness of white settler and African nationalist politics during the 10-year Federation period (1953-1963). During this period, white politicians from Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland (Malawi) tried to forestall African majority rule from reaching their territories by engineering a veneer of a more racially inclusive politics short of majority rule for the Federal government. Marmon does an excellent job of bringing to life the debates and power plays of various white politicians and parties as they tried to block the growth of “pan-Africanism” amongst the Black African movements in the Central African Federation (CAF). In addition to establishing how central the fear of black nationalism, or pan-Africanism, was to white politicians, Marmon demonstrates how important it was for fledgling Zimbabwean African politicians to navigate and build ties with pan-African movements in West, Central, and Southern Africa during this period
Pre-legislative scrutiny during the drafting process:: A case for linguistic auditing
Get PDFSeveral pre-legislative quality-control measures exist to ensure the drafting process delivers necessary and well-written laws. Despite these measures, some bills and acts still contain mistakes that could hinder subsequent statutory interpretation and construction. A few of these mistakes are language based. A case in point is South Africa’s Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill and the way it describes the offence of smoking/consuming cannabis in a vehicle on a public road (sec. 5(5)), in relation to the definitions of the words place and vehicle (sec. 1). The word vehicle can be interpreted as both a place and a transportation device, which obscures the offence in sec. 5(5). A means to try and prevent such semantic anomalies before a bill is published for comment is to apply a linguistic audit as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny stage in the drafting process. A linguistic audit entails the use of various linguistic tools and theories informed by the language challenges in the draft. As an illustration, this article employs the cognitive linguistic “container schema” to better understand the polysemous interpretation of the word vehicle as both a place and a transportation device. In addition, the article proposes four potential linguistic instruments as tools for a linguistic audit, namely componential analysis, functional hyponymy, prototype theory, and limited syntactic analysis. The article starts by reviewing the drafting process, followed by an explanation of the purpose of definitions in legislation. The focus then shifts to a discussion about the potential meaning of vehicle in the Bill, followed by a description of the lexicological approach to drafting. The article concludes that a language audit could assist courts in their continuation of the drafting process through interpretation and construction
Multicultural Pentecostal Congregations: : Spaces for the inclusion of the gifts and ministries of women
Get PDFThe study investigates the extent of gender discrimination and prejudice in multicultural Pentecostal congregations and the potential for a future in which gifts and ministry contributions of women are foregrounded. Multicultural congregations were studied to explore the gifts that the ministry of women contributes to the work of the churchand to the social cohesion of the congregation. This qualitative study collected data from men and women in five focus group discussions, with about 10 people in each group, held in five multicultural congregations. The data collected were analysed through the Atlas.ti program and findings were divided into themes that answered the question whether multicultural congregations create a space for the inclusion of the gifts and ministry of women
Paul’s self-presentation and his opinion on the art of persuasion in 1 Corinthians
Get PDFFrom Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 2:1 that he did not come to the Corinthians with eloquence/superiority of word or of wisdom, the question arises whether Paul was against the use of ancient rhetoric. Different references in this letter point to criticism against Paul where his authority was threatened, and the expectation was that Paul could easily fall into the trap of rhetorical display in his defence and presentation of himself in the letter. It becomes clear that Paul’s persuasion strategies, used in 1 Corinthians to present himself, are in line with ancient rhetorical guidelines. However, even in the events of Paul’s authority being jeopardized by the Corinthians, he could not be forced to exhibit his character in 1 Corinthians and fall into rhetorical display. In his presentation of himself, Paul presents a picture of dependence on God. Paul’s use of rhetoric in this letter, confirms his avoidance of persuasive words of wisdom as claimed in 1 Corinthians 2:1
The Problem of Evil:: Does Open Theism Have A Better Response?
Get PDFOpen theism argues that traditional responses to the problem of evil fail to provide comfort amidst suffering because of their notion of metaphysical determinism and over-dependence on Greek philosophy. Open theists argue that the best solution to the problem of evil lies in our understanding of the nature of God’s power, which has been relinquished due to his love, the open nature of creation, and the creatures’ inherent powers. This study argues that the open-theistic notion of divine power is reductionistic because it does not consider coercive power as part of divine power. Further, the open theistic logic-of-love defence propagates a loveless God who respects his covenant with the beloved more than thebeloved. Finally, the study argues that the open theists’ notions of divine omniscience and divine power are not viable; they raised many questions and objections and, therefore, created room for despair rather than comfort in adversity
Ecology and theology together within African Pentecostals worship liturgy
Get PDFThe African Pentecostal pneumatological experiences and the hesitancy to engage with the “other-worldly” (earth-based/earthly) matters have contributed to the slow uptake to contribute to the ecological crisis. An intentional, comprehensive, practical approach is needed to alleviate the ecological crisis. For the ecological strategies to be effective, they should blend into the churchs spiritual life, such as worship. The starting point is to identify and amplify any ecological notions that the church uses consciously or unconsciously. This studyuses qualitative data to explore how hymnal worship songs construct and dialogue ecotheological notions. It concludes that bringing ecology and theology together within the church worship liturgy is an appropriate strategy for churches to contribute to the ecological crisis
Mission to the Wounded Youth: Scripture Union’s Evangelistic Approaches in Senior High School in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana
Get PDFThe article forms part of a broader research project that investigated Scripture Union’s (SU) missional responses to the wounded youth. It discusses SU’s evangelistic response to the youth in the senior high schools in Kumasi through their campus ministry. The article seeks to answer the following question: What evangelistic strategies are used by Scripture Union in responding to the needs of the senior high school (SHS) students in Kumasi? Empirical data were collected through SU’s institutional records, interviews, and participant observations to investigate how SU addresses the spiritual, physical, and social challenges of SHS students through evangelism. The study found that SU blended traditional evangelistic approaches with media engagement, leveraged adult media literacy for youth interests, used fun activitiesfor gospel outreach, and involved youth in campus evangelism in its campus ministry
EMPIRE, TRINITY, AND IRONY: RHETORIC AND THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Get PDFThe article investigates the question as to whether the use of an intentional reading approach, such as the rhetoricalone, could generate innovative avenues for constructing a doctrine of God. The Book of Revelation is explored as case study. Three specific questions - about the rhetorical situation, the strategy, and the aim of Revelation - are discussed from the perspective of empire, triune God, and irony. A number of insights emerged as academic contribution of the study as a result of the methodological choice. A trinitarian naming of God was entangled with empire already at an early stage of Christianity. It was simultaneously implicated by and subversive of empire. In Revelation’s presentation of God one encounters redefined notions of divine agency and power, and an association with irony. The creative portrayal of the Divine enabled afflicted communities to navigate a way of life resistant of empire.
A chiastic opus to the Creator of “heaven and earth- earth and heaven”: A spatial reading of Psalm 148 and Colossians 1:15-20
Get PDFTwo hymns that focus on God (and Christ in the New Testament text) as the creator are Psalm 148 and Colossians 1:15-20. In both texts, an interesting chiastic pattern is noticeable concerning A-heaven-B-earth-Bearth-A-heaven. The imagery concerning heaven and earth can be spatially interpreted, as in both these texts, the creation and its inhabitants are understood in relation to, and their position towards God. This article analyses Psalm 148, and then makes a spatial comparison between the Old Testament text of Psalm 148 and the New Testament text of Colossians 1:15-20. The article indicates the importance of the chiastic structure in both of these texts, as it indicates not only a cosmic whole, but also contributes to the interpretive relation of God (and Christ) as creator to the creation and his people