- Victory Park, Johannesburg
- (+27) 767-840-603
Jakub Urbaniak
University College Dublin, Innovation Academy, Department Member
- University of the Free State, Theology, Department Memberadd
- Black Liberation Theology, Liberation Theology, Kairos, Kairos Documents, Race and identity in post-apartheid South Africa, South African Theology, and 9 moreQueer Theology, Feminist Theology, Ecotheology, Ecological Theology, Decolonization, Decolonial Thought, Modernity/coloniality/decoloniality, Racial Justice, and Gender and Raceedit
- I believe that the pursuit of a more just and sustainable world requires diverse collaborations and a true spirit of togetherness (ubuntu).edit
All differences considered, the Christ of deep incarnation and the African Jesus of Tinyiko Maluleke share at least one fundamental dimension: they both stand out as signs of God's radical embodiment in the world of creation/of African... more
All differences considered, the Christ of deep incarnation and the African Jesus of Tinyiko Maluleke share at least one fundamental dimension: they both stand out as signs of God's radical embodiment in the world of creation/of African culture(s). Put crudely, while the deep incarnation theologians extend Jesus' body into social and cosmic bodies, Maluleke locates Jesus' body in the bodies of his fellow Africans. This study first identifies major convergences and tensions between these two christological perspectives and, second, posits that the scandal of reciprocity, seen as a characteristic feature of African christologies, can be translated into a twofold guiding principle for approaching and assessing African Christianity theologically. There shall be neither separation nor confusion between Christ and creation. 1 Africans are taking Jesus by the hand, teaching him a few African "moves" and sensitising him to local issues and conditions. 2
Research Interests:
This study depicts African "battle Christologies" as a risky act of resistance à la Jesus, that is, concomitant of Jesus' own life in terms of their modus operandi. Their christic features are discussed in contradistinction to the... more
This study depicts African "battle Christologies" as a risky act of resistance à la Jesus, that is, concomitant of Jesus' own life in terms of their modus operandi. Their christic features are discussed in contradistinction to the mainstream Western chris-tological tradition. Only by probing the dynamics of power and difference inherent in the cultural appropriations of Jesus can their specific performative consequences be accurately captured. In light of the study, some methodological considerations are being offered with regard to the way in which prophetic theology should be done in post-apartheid South Africa and the Global South in general. K E Y W O R D S African Jesus, Battle Christologies, Christology, deep incarnation, South Africa, Tinyiko Maluleke Bad theology is like pornography-the imagination of a real relationship without the risk of one.-William Paul Young. 1
Research Interests:
Much has been already written about public theology's prophetic role in democratic South Africa. This study seeks to offer a reality check. By probing some of Nico Koopman's views on justice and reconciliation I draw tentative conclusions... more
Much has been already written about public theology's prophetic role in democratic South Africa. This study seeks to offer a reality check. By probing some of Nico Koopman's views on justice and reconciliation I draw tentative conclusions regarding the shortcomings characteristic of the prevalent discourses that have developed in South Africa under the umbrella of public theology since the mid-1990s. I seek to explain why liberation theologies-be it black, feminist or queer-may and should constructively disrupt these discourses. I also point to some promising (prophetically-loaded) insights coming from the chosen public theologians that revolve around the tension between civic spirit and public anger. Lastly, I suggest that one essential aspect of public theologians' navigating between a populist temptation and a prophetic calling may be found in the need to rethink their theological accountability whereby grooving with people's anger appears as a sine qua non condition for prophetic theologizing.
Research Interests:
The African Jesus of Tinyiko Maluleke and the Christ of deep incarnation represent two radically different christological trajectories. While the deep incarnation theologians extend Jesus's body into social and cosmic bodies, Maluleke... more
The African Jesus of Tinyiko Maluleke and the Christ of deep incarnation represent two radically different christological trajectories. While the deep incarnation theologians extend Jesus's body into social and cosmic bodies, Maluleke locates Jesus's body in the bodies of his fellow Africans. Each of these christological moves is interpreted as a manifestation, albeit in a different sense, of God's radical embodiment through Jesus in our world. African appropriations of Jesus stand out as a warning that even christologizing centered upon the category of "flesh" is at risk of remaining purely visionary unless it is done by and/or with those in whose own bodies Jesus is being crucified.
Research Interests:
The modest goal of this article is to creatively unpack and render more accessible (mainly by means of cultural illustrations) Vuyani Vellem’s account of the virtual spirituality of Empire. Geared towards the maximisation of the economic... more
The modest goal of this article is to creatively unpack and render more accessible (mainly by means of cultural illustrations) Vuyani Vellem’s account of the virtual spirituality of Empire. Geared towards the maximisation of the economic profit by the lite at the expense of the poor,
today’s Empire is a result of the unprecedented convergence of the military, political, economic and cultural powers, along with advanced sciences and technologies. All these forces are mediated through a particular kind of deadly spirituality, which is propelled chiefly through
virtual images. Whether it manifests itself through an act of a political manipulation or through unconscious assimilation of the historically oppressive forms of religiosity, an imperial logic invariably leads to the ‘capture’ of the spiritual assets for political and/or economic ends, instead of God. As such, it reveals the fundamental incompatibility of these resources with their source of inspiration. What Vellem refers to as virtual spirituality appears, then, as a fatal disequilibrium of powers between the innermost being and the exterior. Whilst Empire’s ‘hardware’ in an age of informatics consists primarily of weapons of war, its ‘software’ ranges from ubiquitous marketing imagery to the variety of fetishised cultural-religious symbols. A virtual modus operandi implies that images are deceptively projected as ‘needs’ rather than ‘wants’, and an unsatisfiable spiritual hunger is generated. As such, it is utterly self-referential. By contrast, an authentic experience of participating in the world process finds its congruent expressions in the public domain and notably in the spiritual praxis of liberation.
today’s Empire is a result of the unprecedented convergence of the military, political, economic and cultural powers, along with advanced sciences and technologies. All these forces are mediated through a particular kind of deadly spirituality, which is propelled chiefly through
virtual images. Whether it manifests itself through an act of a political manipulation or through unconscious assimilation of the historically oppressive forms of religiosity, an imperial logic invariably leads to the ‘capture’ of the spiritual assets for political and/or economic ends, instead of God. As such, it reveals the fundamental incompatibility of these resources with their source of inspiration. What Vellem refers to as virtual spirituality appears, then, as a fatal disequilibrium of powers between the innermost being and the exterior. Whilst Empire’s ‘hardware’ in an age of informatics consists primarily of weapons of war, its ‘software’ ranges from ubiquitous marketing imagery to the variety of fetishised cultural-religious symbols. A virtual modus operandi implies that images are deceptively projected as ‘needs’ rather than ‘wants’, and an unsatisfiable spiritual hunger is generated. As such, it is utterly self-referential. By contrast, an authentic experience of participating in the world process finds its congruent expressions in the public domain and notably in the spiritual praxis of liberation.
Research Interests:
Scholarship on the abolition of the slave trade and slavery has given little attention to specifically theological factors behind the movement. This article seeks to interrogate three themes that underpinned the activism of the British... more
Scholarship on the abolition of the slave trade and slavery has given little attention to specifically theological factors behind the movement. This article seeks to interrogate three themes that underpinned the activism of the British abolitionists, namely, deliv-erance/liberty, love of neighbor, and imago Dei. These are examined, first, within their own biblical-theological frame of reference and, second, in relation to other intellectual currents of the era as well as, anachronistically, in the light of some key features of liberation theology. The article considers whether the British abolitionists, whose rhetoric oscillated around apologetics and emancipation and was marked by imperial paternalism, developed a form of proto-liberation theology.
Research Interests:
This study seeks to revisit and evaluate the “combat theology” developed by Canaan Banana, a contemporary theologian, Methodist minister and the first president of Zimbabwe, notably with regard to the issue of land dispossession. It does... more
This study seeks to revisit and evaluate the “combat theology” developed by Canaan Banana, a contemporary theologian, Methodist minister and the first president of Zimbabwe, notably with regard to the issue of land dispossession. It does so primarily against the backdrop of the historical analysis of the ways in which power operated at the intersection of religion and politics during the first three decades after Zimbabwe’s attainment of political independence (1980). The article interrogates several facets of Banana’s liberationist view of justice with regard to the land issue, including (a) speaking truth to political power, regardless of consequences; (b) bearing a prophetic witness vis-àvis the church’s own complicity in wrongdoing; as well as (c) making a distinction between the selective acts of “liberating violence” and the systemic violence inherent in unjust sociopolitical structures.
Research Interests:
Unlike some of his American colleagues, James Cone tended to distance Black Theology from Africanness in general and African Traditional Religions in particular. Throughout his life this tendency has evolved, but never disappeared... more
Unlike some of his American colleagues, James Cone tended to distance Black Theology from Africanness in general and African Traditional Religions in particular. Throughout his life this tendency has evolved, but never disappeared altogether. This article sets out to achieve three goals. First, I give a historical account of Cone’s relationship with Africa, particularly with African religiosity, focusing on the criticism he received from his colleagues in the U.S. (notably Gayraud Wilmore, Cecil Cone and Charles Long). Second, I analyse the tension between the Christian and the African in Cone’s theological outlook by probing his notion of indigenization/Africanization among others. Third, I seek to interpret Cone’s binary view of Christianity and Africanness in the light of his chief locus of enunciation, namely Western Christianity (albeit contested). My attempt here is to lay foundations for an engagement with Cone’s attitude toward Africanness from the current South African (decolonial) perspective by considering it, first, within its original African American context.
Research Interests:
This article builds on my recent engagement with James Cone’s binary view of Africanness and Christianity which focused on his Western locus of enunciation and the criticism he received from his African American colleagues. I believe that... more
This article builds on my recent engagement with James Cone’s binary view of Africanness and Christianity which focused on his Western locus of enunciation and the criticism he received from his African American colleagues. I believe that analogical questions regarding Christian theology’s attitude towards Africanness in general and African religiosity in particular present themselves to us who live in and try to make sense of South African reality today, including white people like myself. I start by introducing a decolonial perspective as it manifests itself through the recent #MustFall student movements. In this context, I offer three theses regarding the decolonial perspective on African religiosity, each of which constitutes a more or less direct critique of Cone’s ambivalent attitude towards Africanness, and African Traditional Religions in particular. The first thesis concerns the distinction between postcoloniality and decoloniality; the second thesis concerns engaging African religiosity as a requirement for decolonising Christian theology; and the third thesis concerns problematising the relationship between the categories of blackness and Africanness.
Research Interests:
While there is a general consensus around the role of religion in the abolition of the Slave Trade, historians continue to give little to no detail on exactly how Christian theology influenced the abolitionist movement. This article seeks... more
While there is a general consensus around the role of religion in the abolition of the Slave Trade, historians continue to give little to no detail on exactly how Christian theology influenced the abolitionist movement. This article seeks to interrogate one major theological factor inherent in the spirituality that underpinned the activism of the British abolitionists, namely their notion of Divine Providence, and particularly its moral-emotive correlate: the fear of God's wrath. These theological notions are discussed based mainly on the analysis of the primary sources and within the theoretical framework of judicial providentialism, aptly captured by John Co ey among others.
Research Interests:
The students whose protests have captured the public imagination of South Africans since 2015, seem to, by and large, have replaced Christianity with a new “religion,” namely decolonisation. On the other hand, many African Christians seem... more
The students whose protests have captured the public imagination
of South Africans since 2015, seem to, by and large, have replaced
Christianity with a new “religion,” namely decolonisation. On the
other hand, many African Christians seem to remain oblivious to
the #MustFall movement’s revolutionary manifesto. And yet I
argue that unlearning Christianity by the fallists and learning it
anew by African Initiated Churches, among others, are two sides
of the same coin. This article interrogates a few chosen facets of
the intricate and multifaceted relationship between the decolonial
project and Christianity in South Africa today. After locating my
own voice within the decolonial discourse, I seek to interpret
fallism as an overt act of a decolonial resistance, and juxtapose it
with a covert one, namely the praxis of African religiosity. With
Vellem and others, I argue that this praxis offers a powerful
resource for liberating Christianity from its colonial/imperial
entanglement.
of South Africans since 2015, seem to, by and large, have replaced
Christianity with a new “religion,” namely decolonisation. On the
other hand, many African Christians seem to remain oblivious to
the #MustFall movement’s revolutionary manifesto. And yet I
argue that unlearning Christianity by the fallists and learning it
anew by African Initiated Churches, among others, are two sides
of the same coin. This article interrogates a few chosen facets of
the intricate and multifaceted relationship between the decolonial
project and Christianity in South Africa today. After locating my
own voice within the decolonial discourse, I seek to interpret
fallism as an overt act of a decolonial resistance, and juxtapose it
with a covert one, namely the praxis of African religiosity. With
Vellem and others, I argue that this praxis offers a powerful
resource for liberating Christianity from its colonial/imperial
entanglement.
Research Interests:
Through the dialogue between an emerging pan-Africanist political scholar and a Christian theologian, this study interrogates key aspects of the deployment of Christianity in the public domain under the presidency of Jacob Zuma. After... more
Through the dialogue between an emerging pan-Africanist
political scholar and a Christian theologian, this study interrogates
key aspects of the deployment of Christianity in the public domain
under the presidency of Jacob Zuma. After giving an overview of
Zuma’s controversial public career, the article focuses on the role of
religion and culture in Zuma’s political demagogy, and particularly
on his deployment of the Pentecostalized public culture. A “product”
of the ANC’s moral absolutism which got out of control, Zuma can be
seen—it is argued—as an emblem of the entanglement of
Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity and politics in South Africa
post-1994, and perhaps as a part of a broader global trend toward
religious-populist politics.
political scholar and a Christian theologian, this study interrogates
key aspects of the deployment of Christianity in the public domain
under the presidency of Jacob Zuma. After giving an overview of
Zuma’s controversial public career, the article focuses on the role of
religion and culture in Zuma’s political demagogy, and particularly
on his deployment of the Pentecostalized public culture. A “product”
of the ANC’s moral absolutism which got out of control, Zuma can be
seen—it is argued—as an emblem of the entanglement of
Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity and politics in South Africa
post-1994, and perhaps as a part of a broader global trend toward
religious-populist politics.
Research Interests:
Christian theology will be poised to play a constructive role in the current social transition in South Africa only insofar as it is capable of patiently listening to and being shaped by people's anger. The article aims at mapping a... more
Christian theology will be poised to play a constructive role in the current social transition in South Africa only insofar as it is capable of patiently listening to and being shaped by people's anger. The article aims at mapping a renewed prophetic theology in South Africa focusing on the significance of anger, and based on the theological framework inherent in the Kairos Document (1985). I refer to the three-tier distinction between state, church and prophetic theology to describe the economically-based alliance of politics and ecclesia in today's South Africa. This is followed by a reflection on the significance of anger in the emerging of people's (incipient) theologies which are then articulated as prophetic theology.
Research Interests:
The traditional institution of the family within Roman Catholic Christianity and Christianity in general is in an invidious position in contemporary society, partly because it lacks an agreed definition in a fluid global context. The... more
The traditional institution of the family within Roman Catholic Christianity and Christianity in general is in an invidious position in contemporary society, partly because it lacks an agreed definition in a fluid global context. The church is an institution in which families subsist and which both needs and bolsters the family unit for its own existence and stability. However, all major churches seem to be stuck in outdated traditional modes of understanding which are exclusive and cause great distress to many who do not conform to them. The Roman Catholic Church has recently inaugurated a discussion of pastoral challenges currently facing family life. This is an attempt to evaluate critically its initial findings through deconstructing the traditional notion of family on which the Church teaching seems to rely.
Research Interests:
This study seeks to probe Nico Koopman’s Christological approach through the lens of the theological framework spelled out in the Kairos Document (1985), and in particular its understandings of church theology and prophetic theology,... more
This study seeks to probe Nico Koopman’s Christological approach through the lens of the theological framework spelled out in the Kairos Document (1985), and in particular its understandings of church theology and prophetic theology, critically re-appropriated in the current socioeconomic context of South Africa. Four essential aspects of Koopman’s Christological perspective are examined: (1) the Reformed view of the lordship of Christ as the basis for the public vocation of theology; (2) Trinitarian and Christological foundations of human dignity; (3) Jesus as the epitome of divine and human vulnerability, and (4) the organic connection between the threefold office of Christ and the public calling of the church. In conclusion, I argue that Koopman’s Christ, albeit displaying an African veneer, upon scrutiny, appears to be unfamiliar
with and unconcerned about the problems faced by most South Africans today, and thereby fails to constructively engage with African (especially black African) contexts of our day. Th is is due to four major factors, namely (a) Koopman’s choices regarding theological references; (b) his cursory and un-nuanced treatment of African theological notions; (c) his a-pathetic mode of theologising; and (d) his inability (or lack of willingness) to engage with structural (especially macro-economic) issues. I further suggest that my conclusions concerning Koopman’s “global Reformed Christ” may be (at least tentatively) extrapolated into a number of approaches developed by South African theologians under the umbrella of “public theology”. I also point to some promising (prophetically-loaded) insights coming from the chosen public theologians, including Koopman himself, as a way of illustrating the tension between civic spirit and public anger, inherent in this mode of theologising.
with and unconcerned about the problems faced by most South Africans today, and thereby fails to constructively engage with African (especially black African) contexts of our day. Th is is due to four major factors, namely (a) Koopman’s choices regarding theological references; (b) his cursory and un-nuanced treatment of African theological notions; (c) his a-pathetic mode of theologising; and (d) his inability (or lack of willingness) to engage with structural (especially macro-economic) issues. I further suggest that my conclusions concerning Koopman’s “global Reformed Christ” may be (at least tentatively) extrapolated into a number of approaches developed by South African theologians under the umbrella of “public theology”. I also point to some promising (prophetically-loaded) insights coming from the chosen public theologians, including Koopman himself, as a way of illustrating the tension between civic spirit and public anger, inherent in this mode of theologising.
Research Interests:
Should holiness be conceived as a predicate (an attribute), a state (a mode of being) or an event (a process)? It can certainly be understood as God‘s primary attribute. This is how much of classical Christian theology sees it. It can... more
Should holiness be conceived as a predicate (an attribute), a state (a mode of being) or an event (a process)? It can certainly be understood as God‘s primary attribute. This is how much of classical Christian theology sees it. It can also be thought of as a particular modus
of existence shared by God and the holy ones (the saints and the angels), as attested by much of Christian tradition and popular imagination. A more dynamic view of holiness can be found in Scripture and throughout Christian theological tradition; and yet, in the
modern era, it has been overshadowed by the first two tendencies. This article offers a tentative enquiry into an ‘evental’ account of holiness by drawing from (1) Niels Gregersen’s and Elizabeth Johnson’s reflection on ‘deep incarnation’ and ‘deep resurrection’ as well as (2) John B. Cobb’s and Marjorie Suchocki’s process theology of the Spirit. Firstly, the ‘from above’ approach to holiness, prevailing in modern Christian theology, is briefly discussed based on John Webster’s understanding of holiness as God’s personal moral relation to humanity. Secondly, I suggest an alternative ‘from below’ approach to holiness based on Gregersen’s and Johnson’s deep Christology. Thirdly, Cobb’s and Suchocki’s take on ‘creative transformation’ and Suchocki’s original appropriation of
Cobb’s insights on process pneumatology are used as a hermeneutic key to reinterpret holiness as an ‘evental’ category. Finally, the notion of the holiness of life is reconsidered in light of my proposal.
of existence shared by God and the holy ones (the saints and the angels), as attested by much of Christian tradition and popular imagination. A more dynamic view of holiness can be found in Scripture and throughout Christian theological tradition; and yet, in the
modern era, it has been overshadowed by the first two tendencies. This article offers a tentative enquiry into an ‘evental’ account of holiness by drawing from (1) Niels Gregersen’s and Elizabeth Johnson’s reflection on ‘deep incarnation’ and ‘deep resurrection’ as well as (2) John B. Cobb’s and Marjorie Suchocki’s process theology of the Spirit. Firstly, the ‘from above’ approach to holiness, prevailing in modern Christian theology, is briefly discussed based on John Webster’s understanding of holiness as God’s personal moral relation to humanity. Secondly, I suggest an alternative ‘from below’ approach to holiness based on Gregersen’s and Johnson’s deep Christology. Thirdly, Cobb’s and Suchocki’s take on ‘creative transformation’ and Suchocki’s original appropriation of
Cobb’s insights on process pneumatology are used as a hermeneutic key to reinterpret holiness as an ‘evental’ category. Finally, the notion of the holiness of life is reconsidered in light of my proposal.
Research Interests:
This study seeks to articulate the universality of the eschatological expectation, in its specifically Christian form, by interpreting it from the perspective of a radical embodiment. This can be understood in a twofold manner. Firstly,... more
This study seeks to articulate the universality of the eschatological expectation, in its specifically Christian form, by interpreting it from the perspective of a radical embodiment. This can be understood in a twofold manner. Firstly, the mysterious reality of the eschatological reign of God is rooted in – and thus can be more adequately grasped through the lens of – Jesus’ own body seen as distinct yet not separate from his risen body and, mutatis mutandis, from his extended body, both ecclesial and cosmic. Secondly, for the eschatological expectation to be lived out in an incarnational way, it must be ‘enfleshed’ in actions aimed at social and ecological liberation. The article consists of four sections. Firstly, we explain in what sense body – and more specifically Jesus’ body – is used in our analysis as a hermeneutic key to notions such as ‘risen
body’, ‘spiritual body’, ‘extended body’, ‘social body’, ‘ecclesial body’, ‘cosmic body’, basar/kol basar (‘flesh’/‘all flesh’), and ‘life’. Then, the universality of the eschatological expectation is being articulated on two levels, namely, (1) with regard to the social, and in particular the
ecclesial, body, and (2) with regard to the cosmic body, with ecological implications inherent in such perspective. Finally, we close the loop by briefly revisiting the notion of Jesus’ body.
body’, ‘spiritual body’, ‘extended body’, ‘social body’, ‘ecclesial body’, ‘cosmic body’, basar/kol basar (‘flesh’/‘all flesh’), and ‘life’. Then, the universality of the eschatological expectation is being articulated on two levels, namely, (1) with regard to the social, and in particular the
ecclesial, body, and (2) with regard to the cosmic body, with ecological implications inherent in such perspective. Finally, we close the loop by briefly revisiting the notion of Jesus’ body.
Research Interests:
With this study, we seek to contribute to the theological discussion regarding the nature and the meaning of the Christian eschaton. We will argue that the dynamics of God’s reign provide a hermeneutic key to Jesus’ ‘eschatological... more
With this study, we seek to contribute to the theological discussion regarding the nature and the meaning of the Christian eschaton. We will argue that the dynamics of God’s reign provide a hermeneutic key to Jesus’ ‘eschatological expectation’. It is not possible to grasp the full meaning of Jesus’ urgent expectation of the end unless one realises that God’s action is always eschatological. That is to say, right from creation, God is always acting in history in an eschatological way, though only in Jesus does this action reach its ultimate goal. By critically examining the multifaceted views of selected contemporary theologians, we will suggest that Jesus’ eschatological expectation may be adequately interpreted only in light of God’s ‘eschatological reign’. In this context, the
tension between the already present and not yet fully realised dimensions of God’s reign appears as a promising hermeneutic key to Jesus’ teaching in general and his eschatological expectation in
particular. The article consists of two sections. Firstly, we will give a brief account of the dynamics of God’s reign, interpreted according to the ‘middle way’ between consistent and realised eschatology. In the second part, our focus will be on the eschatological expectation: its development in the Jewish tradition; on how Jesus applied, or rather re-appropriated, it in his mission; and whether or not his emphasis on the imminence of an eschaton was a result of him being mistaken.
tension between the already present and not yet fully realised dimensions of God’s reign appears as a promising hermeneutic key to Jesus’ teaching in general and his eschatological expectation in
particular. The article consists of two sections. Firstly, we will give a brief account of the dynamics of God’s reign, interpreted according to the ‘middle way’ between consistent and realised eschatology. In the second part, our focus will be on the eschatological expectation: its development in the Jewish tradition; on how Jesus applied, or rather re-appropriated, it in his mission; and whether or not his emphasis on the imminence of an eschaton was a result of him being mistaken.
Research Interests:
Christian theology will be poised to play a constructive role in the current social transition in South Africa only insofar as it is capable of revolutionizing people’s love while patiently listening to and being shaped by their anger. In... more
Christian theology will be poised to play a constructive role in the
current social transition in South Africa only insofar as it is capable
of revolutionizing people’s love while patiently listening to and being
shaped by their anger. In this article, I offer the comparative study
of Public theology and Black theology as the best candidates to
embrace such a radically prophetic voice. The main discrepancy
between the two approaches lies in the different trajectories of
their “revolutionizing effect.” Public theology tends to explore the
redemptive, unifying and humanizing potential of Christian love,
yet fails to thoroughly deconstruct the imperial power structures
which are the ultimate cause of the anger of the structurally
disenfranchized majority of South African people. Black theology,
rooted in a postcolonial rather than postmodern perspective, has
the capacity to be vulnerable to the moods of the marginalized
and organic with their rage, yet it lacks coherence and a plan of
action.
current social transition in South Africa only insofar as it is capable
of revolutionizing people’s love while patiently listening to and being
shaped by their anger. In this article, I offer the comparative study
of Public theology and Black theology as the best candidates to
embrace such a radically prophetic voice. The main discrepancy
between the two approaches lies in the different trajectories of
their “revolutionizing effect.” Public theology tends to explore the
redemptive, unifying and humanizing potential of Christian love,
yet fails to thoroughly deconstruct the imperial power structures
which are the ultimate cause of the anger of the structurally
disenfranchized majority of South African people. Black theology,
rooted in a postcolonial rather than postmodern perspective, has
the capacity to be vulnerable to the moods of the marginalized
and organic with their rage, yet it lacks coherence and a plan of
action.
Research Interests: Anger, South African Politics and Society, Liberation Theology, Black Liberation Theology, Love, and 10 morePublic Theology, Black Theology, South African history, Decolonisation, Decolonial Thought, South Africa, Decolonization, Revolution, Modernity/coloniality/decoloniality, and South African Theology
Today both philosophers and theologians make use of the category of ‘event’, though they do not ascribe the same meaning to it. Altizer, Badiou, Tracy, Caputo, and Zizek are only a few among many examples. This paper explores the... more
Today both philosophers and theologians make use of the category of ‘event’, though they do not ascribe the same meaning to it. Altizer, Badiou, Tracy, Caputo, and Zizek are only a few among many examples. This paper explores the religious use of this category in David Tracy’s revisionary theology and compares it with its philosophical use in Alain Badiou’s secular reading of St Paul, so as to disclose significant analogies between Tracy’s and Badiou’s interpretations of the Christ-event. In the conclusion, a direction is suggested for a theological appropriation of Badiou, based upon a critique of his philosophical treatment of the category of Christ-event. Uncovering continuities-in-discontinuity between the two approaches - as counterintuitive as they may initially appear – this ‘dialogue’ contributes to an ongoing conversation
concerning a connection between philosophical and theological uses of the category of ‘event’.
concerning a connection between philosophical and theological uses of the category of ‘event’.
Research Interests: Philosophy, Theology, Systematic Theology, Continental Philosophy, Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, contemporary continental philosophy, axiology (theories and applied research on values), philosophical and cultural anthropology, diversity managment, gender studies, intercultural communication, and translations studies, and 12 moreChristian Theology, Contemporary Continental Philosophy, Resurrection, Pauline studies, Biblical Hermeneutics; Resurrection, Resurrection of Jesus, David Tracy, St. Paul, Metaphysics of Resurrection, Foundamental Theology, St. Paul and Politics/Philosophy, and Paul and Pauline Studies
Would it be fair to say that religious people in general are more suspicious of the believers of other religions than of those who claim to have no faith at all? If the pivotal role of religiosity consists in bringing meaning and order to... more
Would it be fair to say that religious people in general are more suspicious of the believers of other religions than of those who claim to have no faith at all? If the pivotal role of religiosity consists in bringing meaning and order to human life, why should different religions see their respective “orders” as threatening one another? Isn’t it possible to trust in the midst of the multi-ordered reality of world faiths while acknowledging the presence (in all religions) of the untruth despite all the truth? This paper seeks to explore those and similar questions by means of elaborating on religions as potential contributors to a global ecumenism. Building upon insights of Charles Taylor and Hans Küng, I show in what sense the world religions can be considered the source of order as well as disorder and how the plurality of religiously-based "orders" can be accepted and embraced with trust rather than suspicion.
Research Interests:
In postmodern societies the symbolic vacuum, a result of the loss of a unified religious tradition, calls for substitutes in the form of fragmentary and isolated memories. By drawing from the reservoir of those memories in an arbitrary... more
In postmodern societies the symbolic vacuum, a result of the loss of a unified religious tradition, calls for substitutes in the form of fragmentary and isolated memories. By drawing
from the reservoir of those memories in an arbitrary and subjective way, privatised (deinstitutionalised) religion creates a kind of symbolic bricolage. Can such a bricolage become
more than a mere ‘counterfeit’ of collective meaning that religion once used to provide? Can religious tradition, based on a broken continuity of memory, still bring about a matrix of the
ways of expressing one’s faith? If so, how? This twofold study seeks to explore those and similar questions by means of showing, firstly, in what sense religion can be conceived of as
memory which produces collective meanings (Part One) and, secondly, what may happen when individualised and absolutised memories alienate themselves from a continuity of
tradition, thus beginning to function as a sort of private religion (Part Two). Being the second part of the study in question, this article aims at exploring the postmodern crisis of religious
memory, which includes the pluralisation of the channels of the sacred and the differentiation of a total religious memory into a plurality of specialised circles of memory. Firstly, it examines
the three main aspects of the current crisis of continuity at large, namely the affirmation of the autonomous individual, the advance of rationalisation, and the process of institutional
differentiation. Secondly, the plurality of the channels of the sacred is discussed in light of religion’s apparently unique way of drawing legitimisation from its reference to tradition. This is followed by two illustrations of the reconstruction of religious memory. In the final section of the article, a theological reflection on possible directions that may be taken in the
face of the postmodern crisis of religious memory is offered.
from the reservoir of those memories in an arbitrary and subjective way, privatised (deinstitutionalised) religion creates a kind of symbolic bricolage. Can such a bricolage become
more than a mere ‘counterfeit’ of collective meaning that religion once used to provide? Can religious tradition, based on a broken continuity of memory, still bring about a matrix of the
ways of expressing one’s faith? If so, how? This twofold study seeks to explore those and similar questions by means of showing, firstly, in what sense religion can be conceived of as
memory which produces collective meanings (Part One) and, secondly, what may happen when individualised and absolutised memories alienate themselves from a continuity of
tradition, thus beginning to function as a sort of private religion (Part Two). Being the second part of the study in question, this article aims at exploring the postmodern crisis of religious
memory, which includes the pluralisation of the channels of the sacred and the differentiation of a total religious memory into a plurality of specialised circles of memory. Firstly, it examines
the three main aspects of the current crisis of continuity at large, namely the affirmation of the autonomous individual, the advance of rationalisation, and the process of institutional
differentiation. Secondly, the plurality of the channels of the sacred is discussed in light of religion’s apparently unique way of drawing legitimisation from its reference to tradition. This is followed by two illustrations of the reconstruction of religious memory. In the final section of the article, a theological reflection on possible directions that may be taken in the
face of the postmodern crisis of religious memory is offered.
Research Interests: History and Memory, Postmodernism, Memory Studies, Social and Collective Memory, Cultural Memory, and 12 moreCollective Memory, Religion and Memory, Memory, Religious Studies, Tradition, Postmodernism and Religion, Memories, Continuity, Theology and Religious Studies, Continuity of Tradition, Faith and Reason, Postmodernism and Religion, and Individualism and Religion Postmodernism
Danièle Hervieu-Léger gives an account of religion as a chain of memory, that is, a form of collective memory and imagination based on the sanctity of tradition. According to her theory, in the postmodern world the continuity of religious... more
Danièle Hervieu-Léger gives an account of religion as a chain of memory, that is, a form of collective memory and imagination based on the sanctity of tradition. According to her theory, in the postmodern world the continuity of religious memory has been broken and all that remains are isolated fragments guarded by religious groups. This twofold study aims
at showing, firstly, in what sense religion can be conceived of as memory which produces collective meanings (Part One) and, secondly, what may happen when individualised and absolutised memories alienate themselves from a continuity of tradition, thus beginning to function as a sort of private religion (Part Two). Being the first part of the study in question,
this article is dedicated to a historical-theological analysis of religious memory as a source of collective meanings, as seen from a Christian perspective. Firstly, it situates Hervieu-
Léger’s definition of religion against the background of the most topical religious contexts in which the notion of memory appears today. Secondly, the dialectics of individual and
collective memory is discussed, notably through the lens of Ricoeur’s original proposal. This is followed by an overview of the traditional functions of memory in Christianity. Lastly, the
interpretation of the way in which Christian tradition, in its premodern continuity, served as a source of collective cultural meanings, is recapitulated. What underlies this analysis is the
conviction that to comprehend, and even more so to challenge mechanisms based on which the dominant purveyors of meaning (such as economic and information market) function in our day, one should have a clear understanding of what they attempt to substitute for. In brief, before exploring how memories become religion, one ought to be able to conceive of religion as memory.
at showing, firstly, in what sense religion can be conceived of as memory which produces collective meanings (Part One) and, secondly, what may happen when individualised and absolutised memories alienate themselves from a continuity of tradition, thus beginning to function as a sort of private religion (Part Two). Being the first part of the study in question,
this article is dedicated to a historical-theological analysis of religious memory as a source of collective meanings, as seen from a Christian perspective. Firstly, it situates Hervieu-
Léger’s definition of religion against the background of the most topical religious contexts in which the notion of memory appears today. Secondly, the dialectics of individual and
collective memory is discussed, notably through the lens of Ricoeur’s original proposal. This is followed by an overview of the traditional functions of memory in Christianity. Lastly, the
interpretation of the way in which Christian tradition, in its premodern continuity, served as a source of collective cultural meanings, is recapitulated. What underlies this analysis is the
conviction that to comprehend, and even more so to challenge mechanisms based on which the dominant purveyors of meaning (such as economic and information market) function in our day, one should have a clear understanding of what they attempt to substitute for. In brief, before exploring how memories become religion, one ought to be able to conceive of religion as memory.
Research Interests:
In the past decades it has emerged more clearly than before that Christian religion, which has so often contributed to human oppression, has rich theological resources that can be used to restore and perfect human freedom. These resources... more
In the past decades it has emerged more clearly than before that Christian religion, which has so often contributed to human oppression, has rich theological resources that can be used to restore and perfect human freedom. These resources have been reflected upon not only by liberation theologians, but also within the ecumenically oriented theology of religions which targets what Hans Küng calls global responsibility based on global ethics. World religions have an essential role to play in rendering that global humanity more humane and free. The
only way to accomplish this task leads through ongoing dialogue, directed both ad intra and ad extra, in the pursuit of a ‘global ecumenism’ which the present suggests and the future
demands. For those liberating and unitive resources inherent in religious theory and praxis to be activated, fundamental trust in the reality of the world and of one’s own self appears
indispensable. By deepening the theological insights of Hans Küng and David Tracy, the article seeks to explore the mutual correlation between such fundamental trust in reality and
religious faith in God, interpreted from a Christian perspective. Firstly, I probe the notion of fundamental trust from the existentialist and specifically Christian (theological) standpoints.
Secondly, I examine both the positive and the negative consequences that fundamental (mis) trust may have for religiosity. Finally, the Christian interpretation of fundamental trust as correlated to faith in God is reflected upon in terms of global ecumenism and its response to the needs of our radically pluralistic moment.
only way to accomplish this task leads through ongoing dialogue, directed both ad intra and ad extra, in the pursuit of a ‘global ecumenism’ which the present suggests and the future
demands. For those liberating and unitive resources inherent in religious theory and praxis to be activated, fundamental trust in the reality of the world and of one’s own self appears
indispensable. By deepening the theological insights of Hans Küng and David Tracy, the article seeks to explore the mutual correlation between such fundamental trust in reality and
religious faith in God, interpreted from a Christian perspective. Firstly, I probe the notion of fundamental trust from the existentialist and specifically Christian (theological) standpoints.
Secondly, I examine both the positive and the negative consequences that fundamental (mis) trust may have for religiosity. Finally, the Christian interpretation of fundamental trust as correlated to faith in God is reflected upon in terms of global ecumenism and its response to the needs of our radically pluralistic moment.
Research Interests: Trust, Ecumenical Theology, Interreligious Dialogue, Interfaith Dialogue, Ecumenism, and 5 moreEcumenical Ecclesiology, Fundamental theology, Hans Kung, Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue Theology of Reception Receptive Ecumenism Church History Pentecostalism and neo-Pentecostalism Catholic Charismatic Renewal Catholic Social Teaching Judaism Theology of the Laity Natural Law Yves Congar, and David Tracy
This article explores the dialectical relationship between liberating trust in reality and religious faith in God, interpreted from a Christian–Muslim perspective. An underlying conviction is that liberation constitutes a necessary mutual... more
This article explores the dialectical relationship between liberating trust in reality and religious faith in God, interpreted from a Christian–Muslim perspective. An underlying conviction is that liberation constitutes a necessary mutual correlate of a “true” religiosity, i.e. liberation is to be conceived as both prerequisite for and realization of a genuine religiosity, and vice
versa. As opposed to a “true” religiosity, born from liberating trust and finding its fulfilment in prophetic action aimed at liberation of human realities, religious belief and practice that
stem from fundamental mistrust are likely to deteriorate into either religious fundamentalism or indifferentism. The article focuses on fundamental trust in reality as capable of evoking
the liberating and uniting force of religious theory and praxis. It aims to render explicit the religious and ecumenical potential (hitherto not fully realized) of the theological–ethical
considerations of Hans Küng, in particular within a Christian–Muslim framework. The first part of the article, more conceptual in character, examines Küng’s views on fundamental
(mis)trust and its religious implications. The second part seeks to identify theological insights that shed light on the specifically Christian and specifically Muslim interpretations of liberating trust. My hope is that this study may contribute to a truly global ecumenism whose objective is to render religion an instrument of liberation, not oppression.
versa. As opposed to a “true” religiosity, born from liberating trust and finding its fulfilment in prophetic action aimed at liberation of human realities, religious belief and practice that
stem from fundamental mistrust are likely to deteriorate into either religious fundamentalism or indifferentism. The article focuses on fundamental trust in reality as capable of evoking
the liberating and uniting force of religious theory and praxis. It aims to render explicit the religious and ecumenical potential (hitherto not fully realized) of the theological–ethical
considerations of Hans Küng, in particular within a Christian–Muslim framework. The first part of the article, more conceptual in character, examines Küng’s views on fundamental
(mis)trust and its religious implications. The second part seeks to identify theological insights that shed light on the specifically Christian and specifically Muslim interpretations of liberating trust. My hope is that this study may contribute to a truly global ecumenism whose objective is to render religion an instrument of liberation, not oppression.
Research Interests:
This article seeks to explore the mystical approaches to suffering characteristic of both Buddhism and Christianity. Through the analysis of the meanings, the two traditions in question ascribe to suffering as a ‘component’ of mystical... more
This article seeks to explore the mystical approaches to suffering characteristic of both Buddhism and Christianity. Through the analysis of the meanings, the two traditions in question ascribe to suffering as a ‘component’ of mystical experience; it challenges the somewhat oversimplified
understanding of the dichotomy ’sage-the-robot versus saint-the-sufferer’. Thus it contributes to the ongoing discussion on the theological–spiritual dimensions of the human predicament, as interpreted by various religious traditions. It also illustrates (though only implicitly) in what sense – to use the Kantian distinction – the mystical experience offers boundaries (Schranken) without imposing limits (Grenzen) to interfaith encounter and dialogue.
understanding of the dichotomy ’sage-the-robot versus saint-the-sufferer’. Thus it contributes to the ongoing discussion on the theological–spiritual dimensions of the human predicament, as interpreted by various religious traditions. It also illustrates (though only implicitly) in what sense – to use the Kantian distinction – the mystical experience offers boundaries (Schranken) without imposing limits (Grenzen) to interfaith encounter and dialogue.
Research Interests:
This article seeks to answer the question, In what sense can Alain Badiou’s idea of evental grace, conceived of as radically immanent, be understood as the continuation of the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s nonreligious interpretation?... more
This article seeks to answer the question, In what sense can Alain Badiou’s idea of evental grace, conceived of as radically immanent, be understood as the continuation of the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s nonreligious interpretation? The thematic scope of my analysis is determined by two factors: first, the notions of “religionless Christianity” and “immanent grace,” which, as I will argue, despite the evident discrepancy between Bonhoeffer’s and Badiou’s ontological backgrounds, allow for grasping some analogies between both their general insights and particular views and, second, the willingness to preserve the integrity of each approach. In order to meet the latter
requirement I will, first, examine the contexts of Bonhoeffer’s concept of worldly faith and Badiou’s concept of immanently actual infinity one by one, through the lens of their respective agendas. Only then several analogies among them will be suggested by pointing to the essential continuity of
Bonhoeffer’s legacy in Badiou with concurrent discontinuity regarding both the ontological basis and the theological implications of their views. Finally, I will suggest a possible message that the trajectory of thought indicated by Bonhoeffer and Badiou might convey to Christianity today. It ought to be
mentioned that while Bonhoeffer’s theology constitutes the proper and direct object of this study, my treatment of Badiou’s philosophy assumes an effort of appropriating his thought theologically, which in itself constitutes an unobvious and often audacious task.
requirement I will, first, examine the contexts of Bonhoeffer’s concept of worldly faith and Badiou’s concept of immanently actual infinity one by one, through the lens of their respective agendas. Only then several analogies among them will be suggested by pointing to the essential continuity of
Bonhoeffer’s legacy in Badiou with concurrent discontinuity regarding both the ontological basis and the theological implications of their views. Finally, I will suggest a possible message that the trajectory of thought indicated by Bonhoeffer and Badiou might convey to Christianity today. It ought to be
mentioned that while Bonhoeffer’s theology constitutes the proper and direct object of this study, my treatment of Badiou’s philosophy assumes an effort of appropriating his thought theologically, which in itself constitutes an unobvious and often audacious task.
Research Interests:
In this chapter, I seek to show how understanding suffering characteristic of Buddhism differs from the one which can be found in Christianity and in what sense the meaning these two traditions ascribe to the human predicament may... more
In this chapter, I seek to show how understanding suffering characteristic of Buddhism differs from the one which can be found in Christianity and in what sense the meaning these two traditions ascribe to the human predicament may challenge and stimulate both Buddhists and Christians. To answer these questions I first examine the doctrinal understandings of suffering in Buddhism and Christianity in terms of the experience, origins, and meaning of suffering and, second, probe the Buddhist notion of dukkha and the Christian notion of passio in light of Gabriel Marcel's distinction between problem and mystery.
Research Interests:
This study seeks to compare and assess the Christological insights of Nico Koopman and Tinyiko Maluleke, as representatives of public theology and black theology based on their engaged-prophetic character. Graham Ward fosters a way of... more
This study seeks to compare and assess the Christological insights of Nico Koopman and Tinyiko Maluleke, as representatives of public theology and black theology based on their engaged-prophetic character. Graham Ward fosters a way of 'engaged' theologising, which, [G]ives due attention to our historical, cultural, and social placement … a mode of theological enquiry concomitant with the incarnation of God in Christ and the Church as the body of Christ involved in the operations of redemption in and through the materialities of our embodiment and our cultures (Ward 2016:ix). The Christological considerations of Koopman and Maluleke are measured also according to their prophetic potential, namely, in terms of their ability to spell out an alluring, inviting vision of an alternative community based on the principles of the reign of God and to offer courageous criticism where the status quo does not adhere to that vision, in particular where power is abused.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Philosophy and Sophia
Reasons for tolerating religion are not specific to religion but apply to all claims of conscience. Such is the central thesis that underlies Brian Leiter's book. The practical conclusion that he draws from that principle is that... more
Reasons for tolerating religion are not specific to religion but apply to all claims of conscience. Such is the central thesis that underlies Brian Leiter's book. The practical conclusion that he draws from that principle is that individuals with claims of religious conscience have no special right to request exemptions from generally applicable laws. In fact, unless their claims are not burden-shifting, they should be rather subject to the No Exemptions approach, alongside the individuals with the ‘merely’ secular claims of conscience...
Research Interests:
Exclusion, whatever its source and nature, is a challenge to the church’s faithfulness to its own unity and mission. Such is the central thesis that underlies 32 brief essays collected in this substantial volume, a fruit of the Dayton... more
Exclusion, whatever its source and nature, is a challenge to the church’s faithfulness to its own unity and mission. Such is the central thesis that underlies 32 brief essays collected in this substantial volume, a fruit of the Dayton “Ecclesiology and Exclusion” conference (2011).
By bringing together a group of outstanding theologians re^esenting various denominations and cultures, D. and his coeditors made sure that the essays not only discuss but also embody various forms of diversity. Airanged in seven parts, the book presents the series of discussions on the problem of exclusion seen from multiple perspectives including race, gender, immi- gration, sacraments, and ecumenism. Most contributors combined their observations regarding instances of an exclusory identity politics found in churches with showing the theological implications of such stances...
By bringing together a group of outstanding theologians re^esenting various denominations and cultures, D. and his coeditors made sure that the essays not only discuss but also embody various forms of diversity. Airanged in seven parts, the book presents the series of discussions on the problem of exclusion seen from multiple perspectives including race, gender, immi- gration, sacraments, and ecumenism. Most contributors combined their observations regarding instances of an exclusory identity politics found in churches with showing the theological implications of such stances...
Research Interests:
This article offers a comparison between public theology and black theology considered as the two major "players" in the present-day South Africa. Each theological approach is being evaluated in terms of its capacity to embrace a... more
This article offers a comparison between public theology and black theology considered as the two major "players" in the present-day South Africa. Each theological approach is being evaluated in terms of its capacity to embrace a radically prophetic voice, one that could engage the broad public without losing its accountability to those on the underside of history. The main discrepancy between the two approaches lies in the different trajectories of their "revolutionizing effect". Public theology tends to explore the redemptive, unifying and humanizing potential of Christian love, yet fails to thoroughly deconstruct the imperial power structures which are the ultimate cause of the anger of the structurally disenfranchised majority of South African people. Black theology, rooted in a postcolonial rather than postmodern perspective, has the capacity to be vulnerable to the moods of the marginalized and organic with their rage; and yet it lacks coherence and a plan of action. I argue that Christian theology will be poised to play a constructive role in the current social transition in South Africa only insofar as it is capable of revolutionizing people's love while patiently listening to and being shaped by their anger.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Christianity, Buddhism, Comparative Religion, Buddhist Studies, Christian-Buddhist dialogue, and 11 moreEmil Cioran, Buddhist-Christian dialog, Buddhist Christian studies, Comparative Studies, Suffering, Buddhist-Christian Studies, Christian Studies, Theology of Religious Pluralism / Interfaith Dialogue (in particular Buddhist-Christian dialogue), Dukkha, Emil M. Cioran, Emile Cioran, and Theology of Religions Interreligious Dialogue Buddhist-Christian Dialogue
Research Interests: Praxis and Ordination
As a theologian coming from Europe, a ‘postcolonial import’ into South Africa, it is my white privilege in particular that continues to queer my understanding of a social revolution on which our future, as a people, may depend. In this... more
As a theologian coming from Europe, a ‘postcolonial import’ into South Africa, it is my white privilege in particular that continues to queer my understanding of a social revolution on which our future, as a people, may depend. In this article, I seek to turn my personal experience of grappling with my whiteness into the source of my reflection. Drawing inspiration from fallism – a recent student movement that inscribes itself into a larger decolonial ‘struggle against the globalised system of racist capitalism’ – I ponder what it could mean, in the South African context, for whiteness to fall upward (Rohr). Here, the metaphor of ‘falling upward’ as a kenosis of whiteness is considered specifically with regard to a white theologian’s (my own) attempt to open spaces that could be filled with blackness.Contribution: This auto-ethnographic essay inscribes itself into a transdisciplinary study of theology and race from both socio-cultural and religiospiritual perspectives. The author’s ...
Research Interests:
This article offers a comparison between public theology and black theology considered as the two major "players" in the present-day South Africa. Each theological approach is being evaluated in terms of its capacity to embrace... more
This article offers a comparison between public theology and black theology considered as the two major "players" in the present-day South Africa. Each theological approach is being evaluated in terms of its capacity to embrace a radically prophetic voice, one that could engage the broad public without losing its accountability to those on the underside of history. The main discrepancy between the two approaches lies in the different trajectories of their "revolutionizing effect". Public theology tends to explore the redemptive, unifying and humanizing potential of Christian love, yet fails to thoroughly deconstruct the imperial power structures which are the ultimate cause of the anger of the structurally disenfranchised majority of South African people. Black theology, rooted in a postcolonial rather than postmodern perspective, has the capacity to be vulnerable to the moods of the marginalized and organic with their rage; and yet it lacks coherence and a plan ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
According to the main thesis which I try to prove within the framework of my analysis, the life and work of Emile Cioran constitutes a space in which the universal intuition of the wretchedness of the human condition, in the shape given... more
According to the main thesis which I try to prove within the framework of my analysis, the life and work of Emile Cioran constitutes a space in which the universal intuition of the wretchedness of the human condition, in the shape given to it by Buddhism and Christianity, expresses itself in a unique and unusually intensive way. The tension between the Buddhist and the Christian temptation seems constitutive of all the Romanian’s thought, and it reaches its apogee at the intersection of the Buddhist and the Christian vision of suffering. Cioran’s reflection on the situation of man “fallen into time” corresponds with the Buddhist experience of emptiness and the devilish vision of history, specific for Gnosticism; the doctrine of ignorance and desire as the sources of suffering and the conception of the original sin as the determinant of the condition of worldly man; the notion of nirvana as the extinction of suffering and the idea of the Last Judgement as settling accounts with history.
Research Interests: Philosophy and Brest
This article offers a comparison between public theology and black theology considered as the two major "players" in the present-day South Africa. Each theological approach is being evaluated in terms of its capacity to embrace... more
This article offers a comparison between public theology and black theology considered as the two major "players" in the present-day South Africa. Each theological approach is being evaluated in terms of its capacity to embrace a radically prophetic voice, one that could engage the broad public without losing its accountability to those on the underside of history. The main discrepancy between the two approaches lies in the different trajectories of their "revolutionizing effect". Public theology tends to explore the redemptive, unifying and humanizing potential of Christian love, yet fails to thoroughly deconstruct the imperial power structures which are the ultimate cause of the anger of the structurally disenfranchised majority of South African people. Black theology, rooted in a postcolonial rather than postmodern perspective, has the capacity to be vulnerable to the moods of the marginalized and organic with their rage; and yet it lacks coherence and a plan ...
Research Interests:
In this concise book, the eight contributors reflect on the various facets of the contextual missiological training in Asian religious frameworks. Their shared conviction which underlies the whole study is that holistic... more
In this concise book, the eight contributors reflect on the various facets of the contextual missiological training in Asian religious frameworks. Their shared conviction which underlies the whole study is that holistic theological-cultural formation should enable Christian theology students as well as mission workers and practitioners to explore critically and engage skilfully with the multiple religious contexts of Asia, including Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Hinduism. Lack of such a formation is blamed for the often minimal success that Christian missions from the West have had hitherto in impacting the religious worlds of Asia.
According to the main thesis which I try to prove within the framework of my analysis, the life and work of Emile Cioran constitutes a space in which the universal intuition of the wretchedness of the human condition, in the shape given... more
According to the main thesis which I try to prove within the framework of my analysis, the life and work of Emile Cioran constitutes a space in which the universal intuition of the wretchedness of the human condition, in the shape given to it by Buddhism and Christianity, expresses itself in a unique and unusually intensive way. The tension between the Buddhist and the Christian temptation seems constitutive of all the Romanian’s thought, and it reaches its apogee at the intersection of the Buddhist and the Christian vision of suffering. Cioran’s reflection on the situation of man “fallen into time” corresponds with the Buddhist experience of emptiness and the devilish vision of history, specific for Gnosticism; the doctrine of ignorance and desire as the sources of suffering and the conception of the original sin as the determinant of the condition of worldly man; the notion of nirvana as the extinction of suffering and the idea of the Last Judgement as settling accounts with history.
Research Interests: Philosophy and Brest
Research Interests:
In this concise book, the eight contributors reflect on the various facets of the contextual missiological training in Asian religious frameworks. Their shared conviction which underlies the whole study is that holistic... more
In this concise book, the eight contributors reflect on the various facets of the contextual missiological training in Asian religious frameworks. Their shared conviction which underlies the whole study is that holistic theological-cultural formation should enable Christian theology students as well as mission workers and practitioners to explore critically and engage skilfully with the multiple religious contexts of Asia, including Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Hinduism. Lack of such a formation is blamed for the often minimal success that Christian missions from the West have had hitherto in impacting the religious worlds of Asia.
Research Interests:
Through the dialogue between an emerging pan-Africanist political scholar and a Christian theologian, this study interrogates key aspects of the deployment of Christianity in the public domain under the presidency of Jacob Zuma. After... more
Through the dialogue between an emerging pan-Africanist political scholar and a Christian theologian, this study interrogates key aspects of the deployment of Christianity in the public domain under the presidency of Jacob Zuma. After giving an overview of Zuma’s controversial public career, the article focuses on the role of religion and culture in Zuma’s political demagogy, and particularly on his deployment of the Pentecostalized public culture. A “product” of the ANC’s moral absolutism which got out of control, Zuma can be seen—it is argued—as an emblem of the entanglement of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity and politics in South Africa post-1994, and perhaps as a part of a broader global trend toward religious-populist politics.
Research Interests: Religion and Politics, Political Science, Pentecostal Theology, Politics and Religion, African Politics, and 8 moreAfrican Religions, Religion and politics in Africa, Pentecostalism, African Independent Churches, Charismatic Christianity, South Africa, Pentecostalism and Charismatics, and Jacob Zuma
Research Interests:
This study seeks to probe Nico Koopman’s Christological approach through the lens of the theological framework spelled out in the Kairos Document (1985), and in particular its understandings of church theology and prophetic theology,... more
This study seeks to probe Nico Koopman’s Christological approach through the lens of the theological framework spelled out in the Kairos Document (1985), and in particular its understandings of church theology and prophetic theology, critically re-appropriated in the current socioeconomic context of South Africa. Four essential aspects of Koopman’s Christological perspective are examined: (1) the Reformed view of the lordship of Christ as the basis for the public vocation of theology; (2) Trinitarian and Christological foundations of human dignity; (3) Jesus as the epitome of divine and human vulnerability, and (4) the organic connection between the threefold office of Christ and the public calling of the church. In conclusion, I argue that Koopman’s Christ, albeit displaying an African veneer, upon scrutiny, appears to be unfamiliar with and unconcerned about the problems faced by most South Africans today, and thereby fails to constructively engage with African (especially black A...
Research Interests:
The African Jesus of Tinyiko Maluleke and the Christ of deep incarnation represent two radically different christological trajectories. While the deep incarnation theologians extend Jesus’s body into social and cosmic bodies, Maluleke... more
The African Jesus of Tinyiko Maluleke and the Christ of deep incarnation represent two radically different christological trajectories. While the deep incarnation theologians extend Jesus’s body into social and cosmic bodies, Maluleke locates Jesus’s body in the bodies of his fellow Africans. Each of these christological moves is interpreted as a manifestation, albeit in a different sense, of God’s radical embodiment through Jesus in our world. African appropriations of Jesus stand out as a warning that even christologizing centered upon the category of “flesh” is at risk of remaining purely visionary unless it is done by and/or with those in whose own bodies Jesus is being crucified.
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Much has been already written about public theology’s prophetic role in democratic South Africa. This study seeks to offer a reality check. By probing some of Nico Koopman’s views on justice and reconciliation I draw tentative conclusions... more
Much has been already written about public theology’s prophetic role in democratic South Africa. This study seeks to offer a reality check. By probing some of Nico Koopman’s views on justice and reconciliation I draw tentative conclusions regarding the shortcomings characteristic of the prevalent discourses that have developed in South Africa under the umbrella of public theology since the mid-1990s. I seek to explain why liberation theologies—be it black, feminist or queer—may and should constructively disrupt these discourses. I also point to some promising (prophetically-loaded) insights coming from the chosen public theologians that revolve around the tension between civic spirit and public anger. Lastly, I suggest that one essential aspect of public theologians’ navigating between a populist temptation and a prophetic calling may be found in the need to rethink their theological accountability whereby grooving with people’s anger appears as a sine qua non condition for propheti...
Research Interests: Public Theology and Brill
Should holiness be conceived as a predicate (an attribute), a state (a mode of being) or an event (a process)? It can certainly be understood as God‘s primary attribute. This is how much of classical Christian theology sees it. It can... more
Should holiness be conceived as a predicate (an attribute), a state (a mode of being) or an event (a process)? It can certainly be understood as God‘s primary attribute. This is how much of classical Christian theology sees it. It can also be thought of as a particular modus of existence shared by God and the holy ones (the saints and the angels), as attested by much of Christian tradition and popular imagination. A more dynamic view of holiness can be found in Scripture and throughout Christian theological tradition; and yet, in the modern era, it has been overshadowed by the first two tendencies. This article offers a tentative enquiry into an ‘evental’ account of holiness by drawing from (1) Niels Gregersen’s and Elizabeth Johnson’s reflection on ‘deep incarnation’ and ‘deep resurrection’ as well as (2) John B. Cobb’s and Marjorie Suchocki’s process theology of the Spirit. Firstly, the ‘from above’ approach to holiness, prevailing in modern Christian theology, is briefly discusse...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Christian theology will be poised to play a constructive role in the current social transition in South Africa only insofar as it is capable of revolutionizing people’s love while patiently listening to and being shaped by their... more
ABSTRACT Christian theology will be poised to play a constructive role in the current social transition in South Africa only insofar as it is capable of revolutionizing people’s love while patiently listening to and being shaped by their anger. In this article, I offer the comparative study of Public theology and Black theology as the best candidates to embrace such a radically prophetic voice. The main discrepancy between the two approaches lies in the different trajectories of their “revolutionizing effect.” Public theology tends to explore the redemptive, unifying and humanizing potential of Christian love, yet fails to thoroughly deconstruct the imperial power structures which are the ultimate cause of the anger of the structurally disenfranchized majority of South African people. Black theology, rooted in a postcolonial rather than postmodern perspective, has the capacity to be vulnerable to the moods of the marginalized and organic with their rage, yet it lacks coherence and a plan of action.
Research Interests: Sociology, Anger, South African Politics and Society, Liberation Theology, Black Liberation Theology, and 12 moreLove, Public Theology, Black Theology, South African history, Decolonisation, Decolonial Thought, South Africa, Decolonization, Revolution, Modernity/coloniality/decoloniality, South African History, and South African Theology
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The traditional institution of the family within Roman Catholic Christianity and Christianity in general is in an invidious position in contemporary society, partly because it lacks an agreed definition in a fluid global context. The... more
The traditional institution of the family within Roman Catholic Christianity and Christianity in general is in an invidious position in contemporary society, partly because it lacks an agreed definition in a fluid global context. The church is an institution in which families subsist and which both needs and bolsters the family unit for its own existence and stability. However, all major churches seem to be stuck in outdated traditional modes of understanding which are exclusive and cause great distress to many who do not conform to them. The Roman Catholic Church has recently inaugurated a discussion of pastoral challenges currently facing family life. This is an attempt to evaluate critically its initial findings through deconstructing the traditional notion of family on which the Church teaching seems to rely.
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This study seeks to articulate the universality of the eschatological expectation, in its specifically Christian form, by interpreting it from the perspective of a radical embodiment. This can be understood in a twofold manner. Firstly,... more
This study seeks to articulate the universality of the eschatological expectation, in its specifically Christian form, by interpreting it from the perspective of a radical embodiment. This can be understood in a twofold manner. Firstly, the mysterious reality of the eschatological reign of God is rooted in – and thus can be more adequately grasped through the lens of – Jesus’ own body seen as distinct yet not separate from his risen body and, mutatis mutandis, from his extended body, both ecclesial and cosmic. Secondly, for the eschatological expectation to be lived out in an incarnational way, it must be ‘enfleshed’ in actions aimed at social and ecological liberation.The article consists of four sections. Firstly, we explain in what sense body – and more specifically Jesus’ body – is used in our analysis as a hermeneutic key to notions such as ‘risen body’, ‘spiritual body’, ‘extended body’, ‘social body’, ‘ecclesial body’, ‘cosmic body’, basar/kol basar (‘flesh’/‘all flesh’), and...
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With this study, we seek to contribute to the theological discussion regarding the nature and the meaning of the Christian eschaton. We will argue that the dynamics of God’s reign provide a hermeneutic key to Jesus’ ‘eschatological... more
With this study, we seek to contribute to the theological discussion regarding the nature and the meaning of the Christian eschaton. We will argue that the dynamics of God’s reign provide a hermeneutic key to Jesus’ ‘eschatological expectation’. It is not possible to grasp the full meaning of Jesus’ urgent expectation of the end unless one realises that God’s action is always eschatological. That is to say, right from creation, God is always acting in history in an eschatological way, though only in Jesus does this action reach its ultimate goal. By critically examining the multifaceted views of selected contemporary theologians, we will suggest that Jesus’ eschatological expectation may be adequately interpreted only in light of God’s ‘eschatological reign’. In this context, the tension between the already present and not yet fully realised dimensions of God’s reign appears as a promising hermeneutic key to Jesus’ teaching in general and his eschatological expectation in particular...
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Research Interests:
In postmodern societies the symbolic vacuum, a result of the loss of a unified religious tradition, calls for substitutes in the form of fragmentary and isolated memories. By drawing from the reservoir of those memories in an arbitrary... more
In postmodern societies the symbolic vacuum, a result of the loss of a unified religious tradition, calls for substitutes in the form of fragmentary and isolated memories. By drawing from the reservoir of those memories in an arbitrary and subjective way, privatised (de- institutionalised) religion creates a kind of symbolic bricolage. Can such a bricolage become more than a mere ‘counterfeit’ of collective meaning that religion once used to provide? Can religious tradition, based on a broken continuity of memory, still bring about a matrix of the ways of expressing one’s faith? If so, how? This twofold study seeks to explore those and similar questions by means of showing, firstly, in what sense religion can be conceived of as memory which produces collective meanings (Part One) and, secondly, what may happen when individualised and absolutised memories alienate themselves from a continuity of tradition, thus beginning to function as a sort of private religion (Part Two). Being the...
Research Interests: History and Memory, Postmodernism, Memory Studies, Social and Collective Memory, Cultural Memory, and 11 moreCollective Memory, Religion and Memory, Memory, Religious Studies, Tradition, Postmodernism and Religion, Memories, Continuity, Theology and Religious Studies, Continuity of Tradition, and Individualism and Religion Postmodernism
Research Interests: Philosophy, Theology, Systematic Theology, Continental Philosophy, Christian Theology, and 11 moreContemporary Continental Philosophy, Resurrection, Pauline studies, Resurrection of Jesus, David Tracy, St Paul, Metaphysics of Resurrection, Foundamental Theology, Wiley, St. Paul and Politics/Philosophy, and Paul and Pauline Studies
Danièle Hervieu-Léger gives an account of religion as a chain of memory, that is, a form of collective memory and imagination based on the sanctity of tradition. According to her theory, in the postmodern world the continuity of religious... more
Danièle Hervieu-Léger gives an account of religion as a chain of memory, that is, a form of collective memory and imagination based on the sanctity of tradition. According to her theory, in the postmodern world the continuity of religious memory has been broken and all that remains are isolated fragments guarded by religious groups. This twofold study aims at showing, firstly, in what sense religion can be conceived of as memory which produces collective meanings (Part One) and, secondly, what may happen when individualised and absolutised memories alienate themselves from a continuity of tradition, thus beginning to function as a sort of private religion (Part Two). Being the first part of the study in question, this article is dedicated to a historical-theological analysis of religious memory as a source of collective meanings, as seen from a Christian perspective. Firstly, it situates Hervieu-Léger’s definition of religion against the background of the most topical religious cont...
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This article seeks to explore the mystical approaches to suffering characteristic of both Buddhism and Christianity. Through the analysis of the meanings, the two traditions in question ascribe to suffering as a ‘component’ of mystical... more
This article seeks to explore the mystical approaches to suffering characteristic of both Buddhism and Christianity. Through the analysis of the meanings, the two traditions in question ascribe to suffering as a ‘component’ of mystical experience; it challenges the somewhat oversimplified understanding of the dichotomy ’sage-the-robot versus saint-the-sufferer’. Thus it contributes to the ongoing discussion on the theological–spiritual dimensions of the human predicament, as interpreted by various religious traditions. It also illustrates (though only implicitly) in what sense – to use the Kantian distinction – the mystical experience offers boundaries (Schranken) without imposing limits (Grenzen) to interfaith encounter and dialogue.Man [sic] is ready and willing to shoulder any suffering, as soon and as long as he can see a meaning in it. (Frankl 1967:56)
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Research Interests:
In the past decades it has emerged more clearly than before that Christian religion, which has so often contributed to human oppression, has rich theological resources that can be used to restore and perfect human freedom. These resources... more
In the past decades it has emerged more clearly than before that Christian religion, which has so often contributed to human oppression, has rich theological resources that can be used to restore and perfect human freedom. These resources have been reflected upon not only by liberation theologians, but also within the ecumenically oriented theology of religions which targets what Hans Küng calls global responsibility based on global ethics. World religions have an essential role to play in rendering that global humanity more humane and free. The only way to accomplish this task leads through ongoing dialogue, directed both ad intra and ad extra, in the pursuit of a ‘global ecumenism’ which the present suggests and the future demands. For those liberating and unitive resources inherent in religious theory and praxis to be activated, fundamental trust in the reality of the world and of one’s own self appears indispensable. By deepening the theological insights of Hans Küng and David T...
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Research Interests:
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Scholarship on the abolition of the slave trade and slavery has given little attention to specifically theological factors behind the movement. This article seeks to interrogate three themes that underpinned the activism of the British... more
Scholarship on the abolition of the slave trade and slavery has given little attention to specifically theological factors behind the movement. This article seeks to interrogate three themes that underpinned the activism of the British abolitionists, namely, deliverance/liberty, love of neighbor, and imago Dei. These are examined, first, within their own biblical-theological frame of reference and, second, in relation to other intellectual currents of the era as well as, anachronistically, in the light of some key features of liberation theology. The article considers whether the British abolitionists, whose rhetoric oscillated around apologetics and emancipation and was marked by imperial paternalism, developed a form of proto-liberation theology.
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While there is a general consensus around the role of religion in the abolition of the Slave Trade, historians continue to give little to no detail on exactly how Christian theology influenced the abolitionist movement. This article seeks... more
While there is a general consensus around the role of religion in the abolition of the Slave Trade, historians continue to give little to no detail on exactly how Christian theology influenced the abolitionist movement. This article seeks to interrogate one major theological factor inherent in the spirituality that underpinned the activism of the British abolitionists, namely their notion of Divine Providence, and particularly its moral-emotive correlate: the fear of God’s wrath. These theological notions are discussed based mainly on the analysis of the primary sources and within the theoretical framework of judicial providentialism, aptly captured by John Coffey among others.
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The students whose protests have captured the public imagination of South Africans since 2015, seem to, by and large, have replaced Christianity with a new “religion,” namely decolonisation. On the other hand, many African Christians seem... more
The students whose protests have captured the public imagination of South Africans since 2015, seem to, by and large, have replaced Christianity with a new “religion,” namely decolonisation. On the other hand, many African Christians seem to remain oblivious to the #MustFall movement’s revolutionary manifesto. And yet I argue that unlearning Christianity by the fallists and learning it anew by African Initiated Churches, among others, are two sides of the same coin. This article interrogates a few chosen facets of the intricate and multifaceted relationship between the decolonial project and Christianity in South Africa today. After locating my own voice within the decolonial discourse, I seek to interpret fallism as an overt act of a decolonial resistance, and juxtapose it with a covert one, namely the praxis of African religiosity. With Vellem and others, I argue that this praxis offers a powerful resource for liberating Christianity from its colonial/imperial entanglement.
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This article builds on my recent engagement with James Cone’s binary view of Africanness and Christianity which focused on his Western locus of enunciation and the criticism he received from his African American colleagues. I believe that... more
This article builds on my recent engagement with James Cone’s binary view of Africanness and Christianity which focused on his Western locus of enunciation and the criticism he received from his African American colleagues. I believe that analogical questions regarding Christian theology’s attitude towards Africanness in general and African religiosity in particular present themselves to us who live in and try to make sense of South African reality today, including white people like myself. I start by introducing a decolonial perspective as it manifests itself through the recent #MustFall student movements. In this context, I offer three theses regarding the decolonial perspective on African religiosity, each of which constitutes a more or less direct critique of Cone’s ambivalent attitude towards Africanness, and African Traditional Religions in particular. The first thesis concerns the distinction between postcoloniality and decoloniality; the second thesis concerns engaging Afric...