Towards A Strategy For Understanding And Practicing Compassion To The Poor. A Study With A Selection Of Evangelical Churches In Johannesburg, South Africa
West, David Arthur
Towards A Strategy For Understanding And Practicing Compassion To The Poor. A Study With A Selection Of Evangelical Churches In Johannesburg, South Africa - Johannesburg South Africa South African Theological Seminary 2018 - 233 pages PDF A4 Abstract, TOC
Poverty in South Africa is a real challenge. It has a strong relationship with inequality due to the history of the nation with its colonial and apartheid policies. The church cannot ignore the situation as the Scriptures call for deep radical compassion to the disadvantaged and poor in society. Many evangelical churches in South Africa have struggled to understand their role when it comes to compassion, especially in the context of past social injustices and resulting legacies. The evangelical church has continuously debated the church’s role in social justice. Though some evangelical congregations have faced this challenge with true compassion, many have not had a track record of caring for the disadvantaged in a real and authentic, and thus relational, way. With this background in mind, my study seeks to better understand how South Africa’s history has impacted the poverty situation in the country and added challenges to showing compassion to the poor, especially those poor largely or entirely because of the inequalities in the country due to the apartheid past. The results of research at fourteen evangelical churches in Johannesburg to assess their understanding of, and commitment to compassion, to the disadvantaged poor is presented. This is followed by exploration and formulation of biblical compassion, the compassion of God and his will for compassion among his people. The final conclusion is a quality of compassion that is both radical and sacrificial. One of the key things I argue regarding compassion is that the church needs to hold together the Great Commission and the Great Commandment(love your neighbour as yourself). Not only are we to go to all people with the gospel and establish churches, that is to people from every nation and tribe as well as economic and social status and form communities of the converts, but we are to think seriously about what it means to love one’s neighbour as this is argued to be related directly to compassion. Finally this thesis seeks to put together a transformational model for the church in South Africa to achieve biblical compassion that reflects God’s compassion to the disadvantaged poor.
Towards A Strategy For Understanding And Practicing Compassion To The Poor. A Study With A Selection Of Evangelical Churches In Johannesburg, South Africa - Johannesburg South Africa South African Theological Seminary 2018 - 233 pages PDF A4 Abstract, TOC
Poverty in South Africa is a real challenge. It has a strong relationship with inequality due to the history of the nation with its colonial and apartheid policies. The church cannot ignore the situation as the Scriptures call for deep radical compassion to the disadvantaged and poor in society. Many evangelical churches in South Africa have struggled to understand their role when it comes to compassion, especially in the context of past social injustices and resulting legacies. The evangelical church has continuously debated the church’s role in social justice. Though some evangelical congregations have faced this challenge with true compassion, many have not had a track record of caring for the disadvantaged in a real and authentic, and thus relational, way. With this background in mind, my study seeks to better understand how South Africa’s history has impacted the poverty situation in the country and added challenges to showing compassion to the poor, especially those poor largely or entirely because of the inequalities in the country due to the apartheid past. The results of research at fourteen evangelical churches in Johannesburg to assess their understanding of, and commitment to compassion, to the disadvantaged poor is presented. This is followed by exploration and formulation of biblical compassion, the compassion of God and his will for compassion among his people. The final conclusion is a quality of compassion that is both radical and sacrificial. One of the key things I argue regarding compassion is that the church needs to hold together the Great Commission and the Great Commandment(love your neighbour as yourself). Not only are we to go to all people with the gospel and establish churches, that is to people from every nation and tribe as well as economic and social status and form communities of the converts, but we are to think seriously about what it means to love one’s neighbour as this is argued to be related directly to compassion. Finally this thesis seeks to put together a transformational model for the church in South Africa to achieve biblical compassion that reflects God’s compassion to the disadvantaged poor.