Conspectus

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14194/2580

Aims, Scopes, and Values

Conspectus is the journal of the South African Theological Seminary. Like the Seminary, the values of the journal are encapsulated in the phrase, “Bible-based, Christ-centred, and Spirit- led.” Launching from an appreciation of interdisciplinary discourse, the journal publishes from across the broad spectrum of theological studies (Biblical Studies, Practical Theology, Systematic Theology, Studies in Church and Society), while establishing links with extra- theological disciplines where appropriate. Like the Seminary, Conspectus invites contributions from the broad spectrum of denominations while showcasing academic research from a broadly evangelical perspective. The journal seeks contributions from authors who subscribe to a high view of Scripture, as is consistent with evangelical tenets.1 Publishing articles that employ reader-centered methodologies for exegesis does not lie in Conspectus’s purview.2 Additionally, as SATS is based on the African continent, the journal foregrounds contributions from the Majority World. To be published in Conspectus an article must go beyond a summary of secondary sources and present the results of sound theological research valuable to the church, including scholars, pastors, students, missionaries, and/or other Christian practitioners. Conspectus is an open-source journal, catalogued under ATLA (American Theological Library Association), Logos Bible Software, Galaxy Software, Sabinet, the Directory of Open Access Journals, African Journals Online (AJOL), and the SATS website.3

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    Conspectus Volume 25
    (South African Theological Seminary, 2018-03) Aryeh, Daniel Nii Aboagye; Harold, Godfrey; Joubert, Callie; Maartens, Nick; Lioy, Dan T.; Manyika, Batanayi I.; Smith, Kevin G.; Woodbridge, Noel B.; Falconer, Robert D.; Atterbury, Vincent E.; Brodie, Robert; Domeris, William R.; Erdey, Zoltan L.; Jabini, Frank; Kunhiyop, Samuel W.; Lessing, Pelham; Lioy, Dan T.; Mahlangu, Elijah; Malherbe, Johannes S.; Maré, Leonard; Peppler, Christopher; Pretorius, Mark; Smith, Kevin G.; Song, Arthur; Woodbridge, Noel B.; du Toit, Philip; Erdey, Zoltan L.
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    Conspectus Volume 32
    (South African Theological Seminary, 2021-10) Anderson, Paul N.; McGrew, Lydia; Mburu, Elizabeth; Zogbo, Lynell; Costa, Tony; Aryeh, Daniel Nii Aboagye; Lioy, Dan T.; van Deventer, Cornelia; Domeris, William R.; Porter, Christopher A.; Boaheng, Isaac; Ndereba, Kevin Muriithi; Luka, Reuben Turbi; Burlet, Dustin; Vongjen, Moses; Urga, Abeneazer G.; van Deventer, Cornelia; Long-Westfall, Cynthia; Wilson, Alistair; van Deventer, Cornelia
    The issue launches into Paul N. Anderson’s article, “Jesus in Johannine Perspective: Inviting A Fourth Quest for Jesus.” Here, Anderson critiques the parsimonious quests for the historical Jesus, lamenting the neglect of the Gospel of John. He advocates for a Fourth Quest for Jesus—one inclusive and appreciative of John’s unique and historical contribution. In another article about John’s historicity, “Is Jesus John’s Mouthpiece? Reconsidering Johannine Idiom,” Lydia McGrew aptly challenges the view that Johannine idiom is indicative of elaborations of Jesus’s discourses on the part of the evangelist. Rather, by referring to explanatory “asides” and unexplained allusions, she argues that John was scrupulous in his recordings and retellings of Jesus’s teachings. Moving on to hermeneutics, in her article, “Jesus, our Liberator: An Intercultural Dialogue,” Mburu, Elizabeth underscores and demonstrates the importance of contextual African hermeneutics, illustrating how such a reading reveals Jesus as liberator in John 8:31–47 and what the significance is for African contexts. Next is an article entitled, “On Understanding and Translating ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν in John’s Gospel against the Backdrop of English and a Selection of African Languages,” by Lynell Zogbo. Zogbo maps out and analyzes the use of John’s unique double “amen” formula, offering insightful suggestions to Bible translators in Africa and beyond. In his article, “The Use of πιστεύω in the Gospel of John: Some Considerations on Meaning and Issues of Consistency and Ambiguity,” Tony Costa analyzes the Fourth Gospel’s use of πιστεύω by assessing how John uses this word and its other word associations and descriptors in various contexts to distinguish true believers from those embodying a counterfeit faith. Daniel Nii Aboagye Aryeh enters the world of socio-rhetorical analysis in his article, “The Purpose of σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα in the Gospel of John: A Socio-Rhetorical Reading of John 4:46–54,” by engaging the inner texture of socio-rhetorical reading to re-interpret John 4:46–54. He considers the pairing of σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα and the mode of healing as critical factors for understanding the narrative and its rhetorical aims of inducing faith and promoting Jesus above others. In his article, “Denial Versus Betrayal: A Case Study Analysis of Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot in the Fourth Gospel,” Lioy, Dan T. undertakes a case study analysis of Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot in the Fourth Gospel with the intent of exploring the reason for the two radically different outcomes of both disciples’ lives. Next, Drs. Van Deventer, Cornelia and Domeris, William R., in an article entitled, “Spiritual Birth, Living Water, and New Creation: Mapping Life-Giving Metaphors in the Fourth Gospel,” launch from Cognitive Metaphor Theory to illustrate how images of birth, water, and new life work together to create a metanarrative of reproductive language that includes the gospel’s female hearers in a significant way. In his article, “Of Sheep, Shepherds, and Temples: A Social Identity Reading of the Good Shepherd Paroemia on the Way to a Destroyed Temple,” Christopher Porter analyzes the Good Shepherd discourse in John 10 in light of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, foregrounding an exilic context strengthened by the intertextual use of Ezekiel 34 and Zechariah 10– 11. In another article on the Good Shepherd discourse, Rev. Isaac Boaheng ushers us into the realm of Practical Theology with his essay entitled, “Exegetical and Theological Reflections on John 10:1–18: Implications for Contemporary African Christian Leadership.” Boaheng responds to the challenge of ineffective leadership in the contemporary African society by exploring how leadership principles embedded in John 10:1–18 might inform the behaviors, styles, and leadership philosophies of African leaders. Another Practical theological offering includes Kevin Muriithi Ndereba’s article, “Engaging Youth Worldviews in Africa: A Practical Theology in Light of John 4.” Ndereba problematizes worldview engagement in Africa from a Kenyan context, arguing that robust youth engagement must straddle the traditional/animistic, modern, atheistic, and postmodern worldviews. Launching from Osmer’s approach, he analyzes John 4, exploring the ramifications of John’s Christology for youth ministry practice and higher education. In his article, “The Prologue of John: A Conceptual Framework for African Public Theological Discourse,” Reuben Turbi Luka explores whether the incarnational theology of the Johannine prologue could be instrumental in the formulation of a normative methodology for doing public theology, particularly in Africa. Turbi concludes by arguing that God’s invasion of human history in the incarnation serves as an enduring hermeneutical springboard, a defining model for carrying out the goal of public theology in a normative fashion. Last, but not least, the issue concludes with two book reviews: Dustin Burlet reviews Origins: The Ancient Impact and Modern Implications of Genesis 1–11 by Paul Copan and Douglas Jacoby, and Moses Vongjen reviews Majority World Perspectives on Christian Mission, edited by Nico A. Botha and Eugene Baron.
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    Conspectus Volume 36
    (South African Theological Seminary, 2023-10) de Carvalho, José; Jésus, Jiofack Kana C.; Vandi, Roseline Luka; Dickie, June F.; Ndereba, Kevin Muriithi; Norton, Katharine; Demo, Samson Tadelle; Aryeh, Daniel Nii Aboagye; Swart, Max; Braithwaite, Megan; Urga, Abeneazer G.; van Deventer, Cornelia; Long-Westfall, Cynthia; Wilson, Alistair; van Deventer, Cornelia
    In the first article, “Nonconformist Transformation: An Exegetical Study of Ephesians 5:7–14,” José de Carvalho dives into Ephesians 5:11’s appeal to expose the unfruitful deeds of darkness, arguing that Paul had the deeds of unbelievers in mind. Through an exegetical and literary study of verses 7–14, de Carvalho demonstrates the missional value of non-verbal gospel communication through a nonconformist lifestyle that rejects secular norms. Next, Jiofack Kana C. Jésus points out the threats and opportunities in African missions, illustrating the need to engage biblical authority, theology, and anthropology for an effective and faithful missional theology in and for Africa. In his article entitled, “Towards a Biblical Theology of Missions in Western Africa,” Jésus argues that African theologians are well positioned to articulate a biblical theology of missions. In her article, “The Effects of Boko Haram on the Church in Nigeria: The Case of Michika Local Government Area, Adamawa State,” Roseline Luka Vandi discusses the devastating impact of Boko Haram on the church in the Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. Employing a critical phenomenological method, Vandi makes recommendations about the hopeful and redemptive role of the church and its leaders in the aftermath of the insurgence. Next, June Dickie applies literature trauma theory to demonstrate how reading and performing the biblical story of Ruth and selected lament psalms could facilitate more cost-effective healing for trauma sufferers. Reflecting on the outcomes of readings and performances of these texts with selected groups, Dickie argues that this approach gives sufferers the opportunity to express their own pain and relate to characters in the Bible. In his article, “Emotive or Ethical? A Theological Reflection on Kenya’s Comprehensive Sexuality Education,” Kevin Muriithi Ndereba critiques an emotive response to sexuality education in Kenya. Through a customized practical theological methodology, Ndereba offers a theological and ethical approach to the issue by analyzing the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) policy in Kenyan society, evaluating its sexual ethics in light of key NT passages, and offering practical recommendations for ministerial and theological engagement in matters of sexual ethics in Kenya. In her article, “Drawing on the Collective Wisdom of the Past to Develop a Transformative, Scripture-Infused Eco-Theology for Land Use in Africa,” Katherine Norton addresses the widespread environmental degradation in Africa by proffering a Scripture-infused eco-theology that honors indigenous wisdom and takes seriously the engagement with Scripture within a community’s local language. She concludes with eight practical recommendations, inspired by experiences of the Faith and Farming program in Nigeria and beyond. Finally, Samson Tadelle Demo engages the topic of transhumanism in his article, “Deconstructing Transhumanism: A Metanoia from Homo Deus to Homo Kenosus.” Demo critiques the transhumanistic ideals of homo deus and calls for a metanoiac turn, a kenotic embrace of Christ’s incarnate life and service, as key to deconstruct the ethos of transhumanism. The publication concludes with three book reviews. Daniel Nii Aboagye Aryeh reviews David deSilva’s (2022) Honor, Patronage, Kinship, and Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture, Max Swart reviews Spiritual Formation for the Global Church: A Multi-Denominational, Multi-Ethnic Approach, edited by Ryan A. Brandt and John Frederick (2021), and Megan Braithwaite reviews Catherine L. McDowell and Philip H. Towner’s (2021) The Rewards of Learning Greek and Hebrew: Discovering the Richness of the Bible in its Original Languages.