Reformed theology today: Practical-theological, missiological and ethical perspectives Reformed theology today: Practical-theological, missiological and ethical perspectives EDITED BY SAREL P. VAN DER WALT NICO VORSTER Head Office AOSIS (Pty) Ltd Postnet Suite #110 Private Bag X19 Durbanville 7551 South Africa Tel: +27 21 975 2602 Fax: +27 21 975 4635 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.aosis.co.za © Sarel P. van der Walt & Nico Vorster 2017. Licensee: AOSIS (Pty) Ltd The moral rights of the authors have been asserted. First Edition published in 2017 Impression: 1 Listed in OAPEN (http://www.oapen.org), DOAB (http://www.doabooks.org/) and indexed by Google Scholar. Some rights reserved. This is an open access publication. Except where otherwise noted, this work is distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), a copy of which is available at https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/. Enquiries outside the terms of the Creative Commons license should be sent to the Rights Department, AOSIS, at the above address or to [email protected] Published in South Africa by AOSIS (Pty) Ltd, 15 Oxford Street, Durbanville, Cape Town, 7550. Book Title: Reformed theology today: Practical-theological, missiological and ethical perspectives ISBN: 978-1-928396-30-7 (pdf) ISBN: 978-1-928396-31-4 (e-book) DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2017.rtt47 How to cite this work Van der Walt, S.P. & Vorster, N., 2017, Reformed theology today: Practical-theological, missiological and ethical perspectives, AOSIS, Cape Town. 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Their financial assistance is hereby recognised with gratitude. Religious Studies Domain Editorial Board at AOSIS Chief Editor: Scholarly Books Andries van Aarde, Post Retirement Professor in the Dean’s Office, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa Board Members Warren Carter, Professor of New Testament, Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, United States Christian Danz, Dekan der Evangelisch-Theologischen Fakultät der Universität Wien and Ordentlicher Universitätsprofessor für Systematische Theologie und Religionswissenschaft, University of Vienna, Austria Pieter G.R. de Villiers, Associate Editor, Extraordinary Professor in Biblical Spirituality, Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, South Africa Musa W. Dube, Department of Theology & Religious Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Botswana, Botswana David D. Grafton, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Hartford Seminary, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Jens Herzer, Theologische Fakultät der Universität Leipzig, Germany Jeanne Hoeft, Dean of Students and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Care, Saint Paul School of Theology, United States Dirk J. Human, Associate Editor, Deputy Dean and Professor of Old Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa D. Andrew Kille, Former Chair of the SBL Psychology and Bible Section, and Editor of the Bible Workbench, San Jose, United States William R.G. Loader, Emeritus Professor Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia Isabel A. Phiri, Associate General Secretary for Public Witness and Diakonia, World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland Marcel Sarot, Emeritus, Professor of Fundamental Theology, Tilburg School of Catholic Theology, Tilburg University, the Netherlands Corneliu C. Simut, Professor of Historical and Dogmatic Theology, Emanuel University, Oradea, Bihor, Romania Rothney S. Tshaka, Professor and Head of Department of Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa Elaine M. Wainwright, Emeritus Professor School of Theology, University of Auckland, New Zealand; Executive Leader, Mission and Ministry, McAuley Centre, Australia Gerald West, Associate Editor, School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics in the College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Peer Review Declaration The Publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African ‘National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum (NSBPF) Best Practice for Peer Review of Scholarly Books’. The manuscript was subjected to rigorous two-step peer review prior to publication, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher and/or authors in question. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript, and recommended that the manuscript be published. Where the reviewers recommended revision and/or improvements to the manuscript, the authors responded adequately to such recommendations. Research Justification This book is unique and of great importance for theologians from diverse traditions but who all share the relevance of the academic Reformed discourse. The book focuses on, and forms part of celebrating 500 years since the start of the Reformation during the 16th century. Its purpose is to commemorate the quincentenary anniversary of the Reformation in Europe and to indicate the way in which the rich legacy of this important period in the history of the church and society still globally influences the theological landscape in the fields of Practical Theology, Missiology and Ethics. Specific attention is given to the manner in which the core principles of the Reformation can be utilised for these disciplines and applied in a contemporary context. The Reformation changed the ecclesiastical landscape of the day and still provides the benchmark for theological principles and praxis in many Protestant denominations. This book illustrates and underscores the practical-theological legacy and importance of the Reformation for church and society. The collected works by various theologians reflect on the impact of Reformed Theology on their respective fields of expertise. The original research is based on literature studies and has not been published previously in any form. Its aim is to stimulate discourse in Theology and related disciplines. Although the chapters represent different perspectives, the collective aim is to propose the vast impact of the Reformational views as they relate to the current context. The target audience is Reformed theologians. This book focuses on ways in which the legacy of the Reformation addresses practical and relevant issues for 21st-century believers, scholars and churches. It explores inter alia important homiletical and liturgical aspects of the Reformation and contemplates the importance of continual reformation in this regard. Furthermore, it discusses a Reformed approach to apologetics, evaluates the driving forces behind the Reformation of the 16th century and its relevance to missions today as well as examines the sola Scriptura principle of the Reformation and provides a critical perspective on Prosperity Theology. Several pastoral themes take centre stage before various aspects of xenophobia and civil prejudice are being investigated – both being very relevant topics throughout the world today. The book also focuses on hermeneutics and ethics in a quest for a biblical ethical approach as well as congregational hymns in the Reformed churches of South Africa today. The research outcomes are relevant not only for the South African context, but also globally. Dr Sarel P. van der Walt & Prof. Nico Vorster Unit for Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society Faculty of Theology North-West University South Africa Contents Abbreviations appearing in the Text and Notes xvii List of Figures xviii Notes on Contributors xix Foreword xxv Chapter 1 Speaking about God: Luther as guide in the field of homiletics 1 Introduction 1 The high Word in the depth 2 Hermeneutic principle 3 God’s hiding and revealing of himself 7 Expositio and applicatio 8 Deus dixit 9 Two poles 10 The creative power of the Word 11 Origin 12 Characteristics 13 Visuality 14 Conclusion 15 Summary: Chapter 1 16 Chapter 2 Evaluation of the concept of continuous reformation (semper reformanda) in liturgy focussed on the Reformation of the 16th century and the emergent church movement 18 Introduction 19 ix Contents Theoretical foundation of the interaction between theory and praxis in liturgy 20 Evaluation of the interaction of theory and praxis in the liturgy of the 16th-century Reformation 21 The 16th-century Reformation as reformation of the existing praxis 22 The unity of Word and sacrament 22 God as initiator enables the acts in liturgy 24 Participation of the congregation 25 The