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 37
    (South African Theological Seminary, 2024-05-01) Wendland, Ernst R.; Boaheng, Isaac; Ngobeni, Dumisani Member; Miti, Bambo; Resane, Kelebogile Thomas; Adegbile, Wole; Polzin, Lewis R.; Mati, Ali; Henry, Desmond; Adams, Scott; Banda, Collium; Banda, Irene; Coetsee, Albert; Connoway, Izaak J. L.; Coon, George; Darko, Daniel K.; Du Toit, Philip; Gitau, Wanjiru; Henry, Desmond; Kabongo, Luc; Kasera, Basilius M.; Lioy, Dan T.; Manomi, Dougara Ishaya; Manyika, Batanayi I.; Mouton, Elna; Ndereba, Kevin Muriithi; Ntseno, Caswell; Sarma, Bitrus; Sindo, Vuyani; Strange, Daniel; Urga, Abeneazer G.; Long-Westfall, Cynthia; Wilson, Alistair; van Deventer, Cornelia; Ntseno, Caswell; Connoway, Izaak J. L.
    In his article, “The Use of Translational English in Theological Compositions for More Effective Communication: Some Basic Considerations,” Ernst R. Wendland highlights the communicative difficulties that arise when theological literature is presented to non-first-language readers. The author offers translational English, an original or re-composed text more readily rendered in a non-Western language, as a strategic tool to address some of these difficulties. The topic of orality is explored further by the article, “Oral Theology in the African Church: An Examination of the Divine Attributes in the Song Yehowa by Suzzy and Matt” by Isaac Boaheng. The author stresses the value of oral material in the theological shaping of churches in Africa by analyzing a significant song by the Ghanaian duo Suzzy and Matt. While acknowledging the beauty and utility of oral theologies, Boaheng argues that these should always be weighed against the Scriptures in order to faithfully serve their various contexts. In his article, “The Rationale for Augustine’s Development of the Doctrine of Predestination,” Dumisani Member Ngobeni surveys the translated works of Saint Augustine to assess his influence on the theological development of the doctrine of predestination. Ngobeni especially considers Augustine’s exegetical approach to Romans and the influence of the Pelagian controversy, arguing that these two factors significantly shaped his theological thought. Next is the article, “Reconciliation in South Africa: Recent Contributions and the Part African Pentecostalism Can Play,” written by Bambo Miti. The author stresses the need for the religious sector to play a leading role in the socio-political rebuilding of South Africa. Miti suggests that African Pentecostalism has much potential as a transformative agent in post-Apartheid South Africa. In his article, “Maintaining an Evangelical Faith in the Face of a Decadent Culture of Democracy,” Kelebogile Thomas Resane identifies the pressures of constitutionalism and the influence of secularism as significant driving forces in the creation of a decadent culture in which God has been unsettled from public spaces. In light of the challenges faced by evangelicals in this context, primarily in the areas of church governance and family, Resane proffers a re-emphasis on three key doctrines, namely, the doctrine of the Trinity, human depravity, and a high view of the Bible. In the last article, “Which Way to Shalom? A Theological Exploration of the Yoruba and Western Foundations for Ethics and Development,” Wole Adgebile employs a comparative technique to compare Yoruba and Western views on ethics and well-being. By using the biblical idea of shalom as a measure, Adegbile argues that the Yoruba idea of àlàáfíà (peace) aligns more closely with this concept than Western views of well-being. Finally, the volume concludes with three book reviews. Lewis R. Polzin reviews Robert Falconer’s book, Embodied Afterlife: The Hope of an Immediate Resurrection, Ali Mati reviews The Holy Spirit in African Christianity, edited by David K. Ngaruiya and Rodney L. Reed, and Desmond Henry reviews Matthew Burden’s Who We Were Meant to Be: Rediscovering Our Identity as God’s Royal Priesthood.
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    Conspectus Volume 30
    (South African Theological Seminary, 2020-10) Manyika, Batanayi I.; van Deventer, Cornelia; Wendland, Ernst R.; Domeris, William R.; Lioy, Dan T.; Connoway, Izaak J. L.; Malherbe, Johannes S.; Smith, Kevin G.; de Carvalho, José; Falconer, Robert D.; Domeris, William R.; Tysick, Jonathan; Banda, Collium; Cloete, Anita; Coetsee, Albert; Coon, George; Du Toit, Philip; Godfrey Harold; Henry, Desmond; Kabongo, Luc; Kunhiyop, Samuel W.; Lioy, Dan T.; Malherbe, Johannes S.; Manomi, Dougara Ishaya; Manyika, Batanayi I.; Mburu, Elizabeth; Mouton, Elna; Linzay Rinquest; Sindo, Vuyani; van Deventer, Cornelia; Wendland, Ernst R.; Long-Westfall, Cynthia; Wilson, Alistair; Manyika, Batanayi I.
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    Conspectus Volume 33
    (South African Theological Seminary, 2022-04) Wendland, Ernst R.; Owiredu, Charles; Huovila, Kimmo; Lioy, Dan T.; Antombikums, Aku Stephen; Kasera, Basilius M.; Barron, Joshua Robert; Wamahiga, Florence; Burlet, Dustin; Lovelace, Christopher J.; Urga, Abeneazer G.; van Deventer, Cornelia; Long-Westfall, Cynthia; Wilson, Alistair; van Deventer, Cornelia
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    Conspectus Volume 35
    (South African Theological Seminary, 2023-04) Wendland, Ernst R.; Lioy, Dan T.; Pienaar, Frans-Johan; Owiredu, Charles; Banda Chiwoko, Maxwell; Badenberg, Robert; Barron, Joshua Robert; Menzies, Robert P.; Urga, Abeneazer G.; van Deventer, Cornelia; Long-Westfall, Cynthia; Wilson, Alistair; van Deventer, Cornelia
    In the first article, “Theologizing in Africa: With Special Reference to Bible Translation in Chichewa,” Ernst Wendland emphasizes the many ways in which Bible translators function as theologizers. To illustrate this, he focusses on the New Testament Study Bible in Chichewa, reflecting on the art of conveying the meaning of a biblical text in understandable ways in order to serve the reader(/hearer) well. Next, Lioy, Dan T. argues for the basic categorization of human speech as either verbum efficax or verbum inefficax in his article, “The Destructive Power of the Tongue as a Verbum Inefficax: A Canonical-Literary Reading of James 3:1–12 through the Lens of Speech-Act Theory.” Employing speech-act theory, Lioy discusses efficacious speech as the proclamation of the gospel and inefficacious speech as marked by James in 3:1–12, concluding that efficacious speech promotes human flourishing, while inefficacious speech leads to decay. In his article, “Salt and Light: Reading Matthew 5:13–16 within the Context of the Matthean Community,” Frans-Johann Pienaar explores the rhetorical effect of Jesus’s command to be salt and light in the lives of the original audience of Matthew’s Gospel. Pienaar argues that Jesus’s words in Matthew 5:13–16 come as a challenge to an audience facing daily temptation to assimilate after the destruction of the temple in AD 70. Next, Charles Owiredu discusses the metaphors used for menstruation in the Old Testament in his article, “Euphemisms and Metaphors for Menstruation in the Old Testament and Two Ghanaian Bible Translations.” Owiredu analyzes the metaphorical conceptualizations of menstruation in the Hebrew Bible and then compares them with their translations in two Ghanaian Bibles, Twi and Gã, demonstrating that in both Ghanaian and Israelite thought, ideas around indisposition and separation are prominent when language about menstruation is concerned. Finally, in his article, “Reimagining the Role of the Pastor as a Teaching Elder in the Twenty-First-Century Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Nkhoma Synod Context: A Situational Audit of Lilongwe City Congregations,” Maxwell Chiwoko underscores that most preaching in the Nkhoma Synod is done by laypeople. The author argues for a reimagining of the fulfillment of the teaching responsibilities of pastors and for more effective training for laypersons. The issue concludes with three book reviews. Robert Badenberg reviews Who Do You Say I Am? Christology in Africa (2021), edited by Rodney L. Reed, and David K. Ngaruiya. This is followed by a review of Nijay Gupta’s, Tell Her Story (2023), written by Joshua R. Barron. Finally, Robert P. Menzies reviews Adams, Scott's book, In Jesus’ Name: Johannine Prayer in Ethical, Missional, and Eschatological Perspective (2022).