Browsing by Author "Joubert, Callie W. T."
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Item A Critical Study of the Doctrine of Impartation in the Church of God Denomination(South African Theological Seminary Johannesburg) Bewley, Billy Darrell; Joubert, Callie W. T.Research reveals that many of the major Pentecostal denominations as well as the Church of God accept impartation as a biblical doctrine and practices in assembly meetings. However, there is some definite inconsistency in how the term ‘impartation’ is understood which has created controversy among church leaders. The problem surrounding the doctrine relates to two main areas: (1) the theoretical, which refers to an unbiblical understanding of the doctrine, and (2) the practical, and that is the manner in which impartation is practiced in the churches. In other words, there is strong indication that the doctrine of impartation although practiced has not been given adequate theological and/or hermeneutical attention. The Greek word for imparts metadatum, which means to ‘give over, to give a share’. Consequently, some Pentecostals and charismatics incorrectly view metadatum to mean the ability to transfer one’s own anointing and/or spiritual gift/gifts to another person or persons. Also problematic is the unscriptural bias towards the impartation of extraordinary gifts over and above those gifts considered to be ordinary. This, in turn, has led some to conclude that the definition of impartation has become so hermeneutically skewed and misunderstood that it consequently distorts the nature and intention of God’s gifts. The findings of this study reveal that although impartation is a valid biblical doctrine, there is no evidence to support the view that believers can seek impartations from the dead, initiate healings and blessings at will or volitionally impart their spiritual gifts and anointings to other persons. Rather, the study reveals that all gifts are spiritual in origin and available for impartation, that God imparts His gifts and blessings sovereignty, and may alternatively use human intermediary assistance to impart through the laying on of hands, spoken words and acts of service. The study attempts to formulate a correct biblical understanding of the doctrine of impartation and provides a biblical model of impartation that can be considered for adoption and implementation by Pentecostalism and, more specifically, the Church of God.Item A Critical Study of the Newfrontiers Apostolic Network and the Impact of the Transfer of Leadership on Structure, Unity and Mission(South African Theological Seminary Johannesburg, South Africa) Dooley, Sean Derrick; Joubert, Callie W. T.Newfrontiers is a modern apostolic network of churches. It not only has its origin in and developed from the apostolic gift of Terry Virgo, but also grew rapidly into an international movement based on Virgo’s apostolic ministry and an ‘apostolic team’ of Ephesians 4:11 ministries he had established. As Virgo approached his later years, the international apostolic network faced the question of apostolic succession. A decision was made to release several new apostolic spheres under new apostolic leadership. This amounted to the multiplication of the erstwhile single apostolic sphere into several apostolic spheres rather than simply replacing Virgo with one apostle and maintaining Newfrontiers as a single apostolic sphere. The latter has been the approach of the modern apostolic network known as New Covenant Ministries International, which has led to that movement splintering into several independent apostolic spheres. Newfrontiers has expressed the hope that the Newfrontiers spheres will remain relationally and organically connected as a movement in order to avoid becoming a bureaucratically formalised organisation. The aim of the study is to analyse Newfrontiers’ transition and the factors that had an impact on Newfrontiers’ transition. It compares the dynamics of Newfrontiers’ transition with biblical teaching on apostolic succession in the Pastoral Epistles and applies Peppler’s Christocentric principle to the Gospel of Matthew. Bridges’ theories on how to manage leadership transitions in organisations are used to further evaluate Newfrontiers’ leadership transition, whether the transition conformed to Bridges’ principles of best practice. Together, these methods form the lenses through which the impact of Newfrontiers’ leadership transition on the mission, unity and structure of the movement is evaluated. The study concludes that the multiplication of Newfrontiers into several new spheres is indeed in accordance with the leadership teachings of the Pastoral Epistles and Peppler’s Christocentric principle. It shows that Newfrontiers could have done better if it had a specific transition plan in place for the period of transition from the old situation to the new. The question of whether women can be apostles and elders is also raised, together with how the lack of female engagement in the process at the highest decision-making level may have affected it. Finally, there is also the question of whether Newfrontiers’ sense of theological and ecclesiological certainty, its call to pioneer the restoration of the church to its New Testament glory, and the movement’s male bias might produce a movement that is cognitively closed to outside theological and ecclesiological perspectives and therefore may not remain receptive to changes that would sustain the movement in future.Item A Study of the Burial and Funerary Rites of the Maaŋge Family Villages Among the Ndop People of Cameroon: Implications for Church Growth(South African Theological Seminary Johannesburg) Mbahlegue, Pius Mboubougoh 1978; Joubert, Callie W. T.This thesis underscores the uncertainty and confusion that exist among church members, the clergy, and the Maaŋge people regarding the cultural practices of burial and funerary rites of the Maaŋge people. This uncertainty is the result of different teachings taught by different pastors of the same denomination within five denominations on the subject namely, the Baptist, Full Gospel, Apostolic, Presbyterian, and the Roman Catholic church. The aim of this study is, accordingly, to examine the burial and funerary rites of the Maaŋge people through the lens of Scripture, and to establish what cultural bridges exist that can be used to reach the people with the gospel of Christ. This has been performed in the hope that the cultural practices can be integrated into the teaching ministry of the church, with the view that the church will become stronger, contextually relevant, growing in number and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. To achieve that goal, the study uses a modified version of the Browning model of practical theology which is a blend of hermeneutical and empirical methods for doing theological research. The study led to the conclusion that he cultural practices of the Maaŋge people cannot be accepted in their entirety. However, they are not a demonic edifice to be destroyed before the gospel can be accepted by the people. Instead, some of the practices are cultural bridges that can be utilised to make the gospel appealing and relevant to the people. In the final analysis, using cultural practice as a bridge to reach people with the gospel does not necessarily mean that one is accepting everything that the people are doing. It only means that one must find common ground from which to proceed with the ministering of the gospel of Christ.Item Biblical Church Governance and the City Hill Church Network: A Comparative Study(South African Theological Seminary Johannesburg, South Africa) Mellish, Douglas; Joubert, Callie W. T.No AbstractItem Civil Responsibility And The Shanghai Community Fellowship In China: A Theological Examination And Response(South African Theological Seminary Johannesburg South Africa) Loggenberg, Cornelius Andries Petrus; Joubert, Callie W. T.This mini-thesis follows a modified version of Osborne’s comprehensive theory-to-practice model to establish a biblical understanding of a believer’s civic responsibilities, specifically those in the Shanghai Community Fellowship (‘SCF’) in China, and of Chinese citizens who have lived overseas. The thesis focuses on three key New Testament passages, namely, Romans 13:1-7, Titus 3:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:13-17. They instruct believers to ὑποτάσσω (‘submit’) to secular authorities. The main objective of the thesis is, therefore, to establish from Scripture biblical guidelines for a believer’s civil responsibility toward the state. To accomplish the main objective, the thesis addresses the following three subsidiary objectives: (1) to identify guidelines for church and state responsibility taught in the Scriptures; (2) to determine what has historically been taught regarding the church-state relationship; and (3) to identify the practical implications for SCF regarding its civic responsibility. The thesis concludes that the leadership of SCF should submit to the prohibition of the Chinese government when it decides to disallow Chinese citizens who lived overseas from attending SCF services.Item Destruction of the Human Embryo in Stem Cell Research and the Moral Status of the Unborn in the South African Regulatory Framework - A Christian Assessment Conspectus : The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary, Volume 15, Issue 03, Mar 2013, p. 175 - 206(South African Theological Seminary Press Johannesburg, South Africa) Joubert, Callie W. T.One of the most prominent controversies of the last decade has been human embryo research, as obtaining stem cells typically requires the destruction of the embryo. The South African Bill of Rights excludes the embryo from the right to life, yet, in legislation, it is acknowledged that the unborn can suffer harm. The aim of this paper is to help Christians make sense of this state of affairs. First, it highlights a few anomalies in the South African regulatory framework. It then turns to the scriptures, followed by a clarification of crucially important metaphysical concepts and distinctions without which no position on the moral status of the embryo can be adequately assessed and critiqued. The final section comprises a brief response to three objections to the view that the human embryo is in fact a human person.Item Discipling Migrant Youth in an Informal Settlement in Agbogbloshie, Accra: Strategies for the Accra South Baptist Association(South African Theological Seminary Johannesburg) Annan, Eric Kwasi; Joubert, Callie W. T.The research in this dissertation took as its point of departure that the local church is called to have a transforming influence on all areas of society. This dissertation is about migrant youth in the informal settlement in Agbogbloshie, Accra. The main question of the dissertation is, “What strategies could the Accra South Baptist Association develop and employ to disciple the migrant youth in the informal settlement in Agbogbloshie, Accra?” The aim of this research is to develop a model that will help with reaching out to the migrant youth in informal settlement as well as discipling them so that there will be lasting transformation in their lives. In order to understand the situation at the informal settlement, a survey was conducted. Additionally, some of them were interviewed. The findings of the survey revealed that the migrant youth had come to Accra from all parts of the country, mainly for economic reasons. Despite their predicament in the informal settlement, it is apparent that some of them were open to Christian programmes; thus, the migrants are receptive to the gospel of Christ. For this reason, the church needs to consider the informal settlement as a mission field, where the gospel must be proclaimed and the migrant youth discipled, counselled, developed into mature Christians and integrated into existing churches, or where new churches in informal settlements must be planted, while their socio-economic needs are considered and met. Consequently, a discipling model or strategy based on the survey and the Bible is developed. The aim of the model is to help the Church with the proclamation of the gospel to the migrant youth and to disciple them to become new persons in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, churches can use the model when working with youth in slums, informal settlements or youth in other communities. This study recommends that similar studies be conducted in another informal settlement and recommends that the economic situations in the rural communities that force the youth to migrate to the urban centres be addressed.Item Mindfulness and the Brain : A Christian Critique of Some Aspects of Neuroscience Conspectus : The Journal of the South AfricaTheological Seminary, Volume 12, Issue 09, Sep 2011, p. 59 - 87(South African Theological Seminary Press Johannesburg, South Africa) Joubert, Callie W. T.The aim in this paper is to critique some aspects of neuro-scientific studies on mindfulness and mindful practices. Firstly, because of the often mistaken assumption that it is something totally new; its roots in fact lie in religious and philosophical views which are the antithesis of a Christian worldview. Secondly, because of opposing views of what the mind is, and how the mind relates to the brain, Christians have come under pressure to show how their claims about God are different from those of epileptics and atheists. In order to deal with these issues, this study commences with a brief introduction to the concept of mindfulness, its historical roots and the scientific claims in support of mindful practices. A philosophical critique of physicalism and panpsychism is then offered from a biblical perspective, followed by a discussion of some of the dangers lurking in the neighbourhood of mindful practices. The conclusion is that the philosophical and religious assumptions that underlie scientific views of ourselves and spiritual growth matter enormously; they deserve continual scrutiny.Item Strategies for Church Growth in the Cameroon Baptist Convention(South African Theological Seminary Johannesburg) Nkwelle, Ngome Joseph 1974; Joubert, Callie W. T.This research concentrates on the CBC churches among the Bakossi people of the South West Region of Cameroon. These churches do not increase in church membership despite the fact that the Baptists in general and the CBC churches, in particular, have existed among the Bakossi people of the South West Region for as long as 50 years or more. Thus, this thesis seeks to develop effective strategies that will promote church growth in CBC churches amongst the Bakossi people. The researcher did an empirical study by distributing questionnaires to twelve Baptist churches and seven to other denominations all of which he received responses. The data collected was analyzed and interpreted. The outcome of the data reveals that not only have Baptist churches failed to grow numerically throughout the over fifty years of their existence in the land but also that they did not have any intentional plans and strategies to do so. Proof of this is the fact that over ninety-nine percent of the members that make up these churches are non-indigenes who originate from other parts of the country. Therefore, through various resources, the researcher carried out a historical, theological, and biblical framework that formed the basis to develop strategies that will enhance effective church growth in CBC churches among the people. The researcher contends that the topic itself, proposed strategies, recommendations, and action plans must be embraced and implemented by individual Baptist churches, probably facilitated by the Cameroon Baptist Convention, if any meaningful growth has to take place in CBC churches among the Bakossi people.Item Strategies for mentoring young church leaders in Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches in the west rand District Municipality, Gauteng Province, South Africa.(South African Theological Seminary Johannesburg) Mtshali, Nomonde; Joubert, Callie W. T.The purpose of the study is to investigate Christian mentoring as a possible strategy to support young Pentecostal-Charismatic Church leaders in all phases of their ministry career. The study design is a three-dimensional descriptive research and explores first-ly, the need for mentoring young church leaders, secondly, to emphasize the im-portance of a biblical model of leadership mentoring, and thirdly, to assess the impact of negative ‘Pentecostalisation’ within Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches in the West Rand District Municipality, a geographical area that forms part of the Gauteng Province in South Africa. The research is descriptive in that a quantitative empirical research type of inquiry have been conducted. The hypothesis of the study is that there exists a need for mentoring young church leaders in the Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches situated in the West Rand District Municipality. A preliminary literature review supports the hypothesis and reflects that theory on the topic of mentorship is essential to leadership development in Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches. The study affirms that mentoring young church leaders in Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches could solve many leaderships challenges these churches are facing, hence the value of mentoring church leaders in biblical terms.