| Be mindful of the next seven generations – US indigenous leader | https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=5172 | | Be mindful of the next seven generations – US indigenous leader | Deborah Hendriks and Zenzile Khoisan | <h2 style="text-align:center;">Be mindful of the next seven generations <br></h2><p><strong>Pearl Means</strong>, a writer, producer and indigenous rights activist in the United States, struck a raw nerve with the audience at the University of Stellenbosch on 21 September 2017, when she recalled the terrifying experiences that Native Americans had to endure. She shared how, despite relatively small numbers, they were putting up a valiant defense against US corporations and government putting an oil pipeline through Indian land and sacred sites. <br></p><p>Means delivered the keynote address at the 2017 annual Institute for the Healing of Memories lecture, jointly sponsored by the Institute and the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology at Stellenbosch University. She observed, “The Native American is like the miner's canary" sending out a distress signal in a world, where failure to take action against injustice could imperil the future of the next seven generations. <br></p><p>“We are here today because of a painful past, one that the invader made certain no one would know about, and we are almost gone. There is one percent of us left in America, the most powerful nation in the world. This country knows nothing about us, therefore, is able to commit the atrocities, the genocide that continues today through their policies," Means stated.</p><p>She celebrated the power of activism to stop corporate greed and government policies that lead to war, plunder and the undermining of the environment. <br></p><p>Indigenous activists in America recently stopped the completion of the 1 886 km Dakota oil pipeline that would transport nearly half a million barrels of oil a day from the border of Canada, through five states to the holding and distribution centre in Illinois. The mass campaign at the Standing Rock reservation in South Dakota successfully resisted attempts by energy companies to drill and install the pipeline under Lake Oahe, a reservoir on the Missouri River that the indigenous peoples proclaim as a sensitive heritage area. The contention of the indigenous peoples, she noted, was that the water sources of the indigenous clans could become poisonous.</p><p>“We are under attack, with our lifeline, our water and the desecration of our sacred ancestral burial sites," Means claimed, explaining that the current violations were part of a pattern of historic abuse, reaching back to colonial times. <br></p><p>Means called for urgent action to secure future generations a sustainable legacy: “If we do nothing we will be charged with the next seven generations. We are all part of the human family and we need to preserve life. We made a stand with four women and one man, set up a camp a year and a half ago and said no more. What we didn't realise is that we would have the solidarity and support of over 10 000 people from all over the world – 500 members of the clergy came and stood with us and in a ceremony burnt the Doctrine of Discovery to show their solidarity. Over 400 indigenous nations came and stood with us: from the Maoris of New Zealand to the Amazonian indigenous of Ecuador. They filled our hearts with pride, with love." <br></p><p>“We have over 500 years' experience with the invader. We have no choice. We followed the mandate of our Creator. We know our time here is that of a drop in the bucket in comparison to the lifetime of a rock," Means added. <br></p><p>The indigenous leader noted that the current violations of indigenous rights and sovereignty stemmed from pronouncements by the Catholic Church more than five centuries ago:</p><p>“In 1493 the Vatican under Pope Alexander VI issued a Papal Bull (edict of the Pope in the Vatican) that essentially said that all non-Christian-owned land was available for the taking for the Crown and for the Church. It gave them the moral and legal authority for the slaughter, for the raping, the pillaging of our homelands and our peoples". <br></p><p><strong>Patric Tariq Mellet</strong>, a South African liberation activist, author and social historian, was the respondent to the keynote address and reflected on contemporary events in South Africa.<br></p><p>“In the old days before modern technology, a caged canary was taken down the mines because its demise provided a warning to miners of dangerous levels of poisonous atmosphere. It was a signal to miners to take action or die… to leave immediately for fresh air at the surface. As a metaphor, the plight of the canary can be likened in our societies to the assault on the most vulnerable, marginalised and oppressed in our society. The call to wake up and to resistance action shouts out from the overcome canary. This is a warning that a toxic wave – a period of threat – is about to sweep over others in our society," Mellet stated. </p><p>He noted that the metaphoric 'miner's canary' became a case of the testing of the resolve of the Native Americans at Standing Rock – “shouts out that race supremacism is on the rise – people of colour beware, other identities beware, all who are demonised beware."</p><p>“Our miner's canary as a warning of the corruption of our struggle gains, and of neo-colonialism in modern day South Africa stands out most starkly as the Marikana massacre. This was our Standing Rock… and so much more," Mellet added. <br></p><p>Photo: Patric Tariq Mellet, Pearl Means, Prof Nico Koopman (Vice-Rector: Social Impact, Transformation & Personnel) and Father Michael Lapsley (Director: Institute for the Healing of Memories) <br><br></p> |
| Memorial service for Prof Plaatjies-Van Huffel on 29 May | https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=7388 | | Memorial service for Prof Plaatjies-Van Huffel on 29 May | Marita Snyman | <p><a href="/english/PublishingImages/Lists/dualnews/My%20Items%20View/Memorial%20service%20MAP.jpg"><img class="ms-asset-icon ms-rtePosition-4" src="/_layouts/15/images/icjpg.gif" alt="" />Memorial service MAP.jpg</a><br></p> |
| We’ve stopped caring because of compassion fatigue | https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=7706 | | We’ve stopped caring because of compassion fatigue | Dion Forster | <p>Compassion fatigue during abnormal times such as the COVID-19 pandemic can cause people to care less for others, writes Prof Dion Forster from the Department of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology in an opinion piece for Mail & Guardian (26 Sept).<br></p><ul><li>Read the article below or click <a href="https://mg.co.za/subscribe-and-support-independent-media/"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">here</strong></a><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"> </strong>for the piece as published.</li></ul><p><strong>Dion Forster*</strong><br></p><p>In recent weeks I have noticed that even the most cautious members of my family, circle of friends and colleagues, have started to relax their stringent adherence to COVID-19 safety measures. They are arranging social gatherings, travelling across the country, returning to work, shopping with greater freedom, washing their hands less frequently, and even leaving their homes without wearing a mask. </p><p>This is a stark contrast to the vigilance we exercised in the early days of our national lockdown. Remember when you would wash every item you brought back from the grocery store? Or when no more than two persons could travel in a vehicle, and the passenger sat in the back seat? Or, when we <a href="https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/2020-03-27-a-marathon-during-lockdown-yes-its-possible--you-dont-have-to-leave-your-house/"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">ran circles</strong></a> on our balconies and backyards to get our exercise? Being careful seemed so important and necessary! After all, we were protecting ourselves, and others, from being infected with a possibly deadly virus.</p><p>When South Africa went into <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-52055161"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">lockdown</strong></a><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"> </strong>on the 26<sup>th</sup> of March, we had only 218 reported cases of coronavirus infection. The first two COVID-19-related deaths were <a href="https://sacoronavirus.co.za/2020/03/27/latest-confirmed-cases-of-covid-19-27th-march-2020/"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">reported</strong></a><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"> </strong>a day later. Understandably, we were shocked and afraid. I am sure that all of us can remember the first time that we heard of a close relative, friend, or co-worker who was infected with the coronavirus? Some of us have also had to suffer the loss of family and friends who succumbed to COVID-19. And of course, some of us are among the nearly 585 000 persons who were infected with the virus and have recovered (approx. 655 000 people were infected).</p><p>The pandemic is not only a health tragedy in South Africa. It is also an economic disaster, putting further strain on an already faltering economy. The media have reported <a href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-04-17-the-biggest-lockdown-threat-hunger-hunger-everywhere/"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">large scale suffering</strong></a> from hunger, the brutality of increased gender-based violence, the loss of job security for many South Africans, and the failure of our education system that has left teachers vulnerable, and learners even further behind in their schooling. It is likely to take decades to address some of these problems. This will almost certainly be hampered by ongoing corruption in both the government and the private sector.</p><p>Yet, for the majority of South Africans life seems to be 'returning to normal'. We have numbed ourselves to the images of frontline workers dressed in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) caring for desperately sick persons in hospitals. We hardly seem to notice when the daily news reports that another 100 or so persons have died as a result of COVID-19 overnight, and that the death toll now sits at around 16 000 persons. These are no longer the faces of persons – they are just a number.<br></p><p><strong>Why have we stopped caring?</strong></p><p>The short answer is that we are suffering from a condition known as '<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328049042_Affect_Empathy_and_Human_Dignity_Considering_Compassion_at_the_Intersection_of_Theology_and_Science"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">compassion fatigue</strong></a>'. Compassion fatigue is common among persons who are constantly exposed to unresolvable suffering. It is most often reported in the so-called 'caring professions' (e.g., nurses, doctors, social workers, religious leaders). Research has shown that when a person is constantly confronted by suffering, their response to the suffering becomes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909109354096"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">less pronounced</strong></a><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"> </strong>over time. This is the body's way of coping with the pain and trauma of witnessing and experiencing the suffering of others. </p><p>When we see someone suffer, or hear about someone suffering, a part of our brain is activated that causes us to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328049042_Affect_Empathy_and_Human_Dignity_Considering_Compassion_at_the_Intersection_of_Theology_and_Science"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">recreate the experience</strong></a><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"> </strong>of the other person in our own imagination. We feel something of their pain. This is a pre-cognate reaction – in other words, it happens in that deep part of our brain that responds to pain without thinking. This capacity is believed to have evolved in all mammal brains (to different degrees) in order to evoke the responses of care and the avoidance of danger. </p><p>When we imagine the suffering of another, we are instinctually motivated to avoid it ourselves. We also tend to shield those that we care for from facing harm. Similarly, when we see someone suffering, we are also instinctually prompted to help them ease their pain. The offering of care and the avoidance of pain have served to preserve life and so they have become 'hard-wired' into the functioning of our brains.<br></p><p>However, my research, and that of others shows, that while our brains are 'wired' for survival and the avoidance of pain and threat, they also <a href="https://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2015/07000/Compassion_fatigue__The_cost_of_caring.15.aspx?casa_token=YjKnyScHBx8AAAAA:uQryqaM_I0rBCKSAeviSUrlXfoZiSPSRMNq3TMFVA5DXE4rpISQk2OAC6v412oRb-siXd6IVdpcS2sao243dKiLa9PZ1l6Tb5Q9_"><strong>a</strong><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"><strong>d</strong>apt to avoid emotional pain</strong></a> and psychological threats. Over time, as we are exposed to ongoing pain and suffering of others, we become less and less sensitive to it. Our emotional reaction to their pain is less severe. We rationalize what we hear and see, moving from the emotional center of the brain to the cognitive and rational functions. Over time we are no longer shocked to hear that 100 persons died in the last 24 hours from a virus that each one of us could be infected with. We are no longer thinking about 15 000 individuals – mothers, fathers, sons, daughters – who have died; we are thinking about a number, a statistic.<br></p><p>Research further shows that compassion fatigue can also occur in groups – such as communities, or nations. For example, a community may become accustomed to certain forms of suffering, or abuse, and normalize them. Gender activists frequently <a href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-06-18-gender-based-violence-is-south-africas-second-pandemic-says-ramaphosa/"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">point out</strong></a><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"> </strong>the abnormally high rates of rape, femicide and gender-based violence in South Africa. In <a href="https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.lib.gla.ac.uk/stable/10.5749/jcritethnstud.2.1.0073"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">America</strong></a>, for example, the frequent mass shootings, or the killing of black persons by the police, are rationalized and diverted from painful experiences into political debates. </p><p>Compassion fatigue on a personal and a structural level can lead to a loss of perspective. It may cause us to miss-recognize the humanity of others, hindering us from adequately and effectively responding to suffering and pain. Just as we would not want to be treated by an uncaring doctor or nurse, we also should not want to live in a society which does not care about the suffering of its fellow citizens.<br></p><p>In his 1947 novel <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?id=3qCOmB8EYigC&dq=editions:G--JUyAmT1oC&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjp54HkvO3rAhWNN8AKHWnDD3sQ6AEwBXoECAAQAg"><em class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"><strong>The plague</strong></em></a>, Albert Camus tells the story of the arrival of a plague in the Algerian city of Oran. After facing great tragedy and hardship, the citizens of Oran start to normalize their lives. Camus, however, uses his novel to illustrate how <a href="https://www.counterpointknowledge.org/when-a-pandemic-makes-the-impossible-possible/"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">abnormal</strong></a><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"> </strong>some aspects of their normal lives actually are.</p><p>It is important that we recognize when compassion fatigue starts to set in. We must guard against it in our closest relationships, and also name it when we see it in our communities and social systems. To show compassion requires an ongoing choice to recognize the humanity of those who suffer. It requires the courage to face pain and discomfort. To create a more compassionate society, we will have to face the reality of our shared humanity, our shared frailty, and our need for one another. We will have to avoid the instinct to escape or simply ignore what causes pain and suffering. In these difficult times, we could all do with a little more care, a more humane and compassionate society. <br></p><p><em>*Prof </em><em>Dion A. Forster is an Associate Professor in Systematic Theology and Ethics and the Chair of the Department of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology at Stellenbosch</em> <em>University (SU). He also serves as the director of the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology at SU. </em><br></p><p><br></p> |
| The Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology and Faculdades EST, Brazil strengthen partnership | https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=4276 | | The Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology and Faculdades EST, Brazil strengthen partnership | Dion Forster | <p>The Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology in the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University has been engaged in a rich and fruitful partnership with colleagues from Faculdades EST since 2007. Faculdades EST is a Brazilian institution of research and academic training in the fields of human sciences and applied social sciences, linguistics, languages, arts and health. The partnership has focussed predominantly on issues of Public Theologies in the respective contexts. Prof Dr Rudolf von Sinner from Faculdades EST and Dr Dion Forster from the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology serve as the coordinators of an ongoing research project on the nature and content of Public Theologies from Brazil and South Africa. This has been a very fruitful collaboration over the years with the exchange of staff and students, participation in conferences in Sao Leopoldo and Stellenbosch, and shared publications. <br> <br>On the 14th of September 2016 the Faculty of Theology (Stellenbosch University) and the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology presented Prof Dr Rudolf von Sinner with an artwork for the Centre for Ethics at Faculdades EST. The artwork, which was created by Prof Daniel Louw (Emeritus Professor - and former Dean - of the Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch) is entitled '<em>The Cursed and Wounded Healer</em>'. It symbolises the frailty and brokenness of human persons and society as a result of sin. Yet, it points towards the hope of healing and restoration that the cross of Christ brings, expressed in Pauline terminology, as wholeness (<em>parrhesia</em>).</p><p>We look forward to many fruitful years of South by South collaboration between these two Southern hemisphere institutions. In this picture Dr Donald Katts, Stellenbosch (left) is presenting the artwork to Prof Dr Rudolf von Sinner (right) at a special service at Faculdades EST.</p> |
| Celebrating Allan Boesak’s 70th birthday | https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=3919 | | Celebrating Allan Boesak’s 70th birthday | Marita Snyman | <p>Before the event, attendees received the introduction and first chapter of Prof Boesak's latest book, <em>Kairos, Crisis, and Global Apartheid: The Challenge to Prophetic Resistance. Palgrave Macmillan.</em> </p><p>The reference to "Kairos" in the title of the book reminds of the 1985 Kairos Document which responded theologically to the crisis experienced in apartheid South Africa. The book argues that thirty years later Christians and faith communities are facing a more global sort of apartheid, and apartheid that is – as the book states – "caused and characterized by growing social and economic inequalities, environmental devastation, and degradation of human dignity on a global scale." The book makes a powerful claim for the embodiment of a theology of prophetic resistance.</p><p>At the event, Prof Robert Vosloo put some questions about the book to Prof Boesak, to which he responded in his typical clear, challenging and inspiring manner. He elaborated on terms such as "kairos consciousness" and "global apartheid," and also pointed to the influence of Calvin, Bonhoeffer, Beyers Naudé, liberation theology and black theology on the ideas put forward in the book. One of the questions addressed the challenges posed by the conversations on decolonization and the various #mustFall movements. The discussion also turned to the situation in the United States and the candidacy of Donald Trump. Prof Boesak responded by emphasizing the need for the church to stand with God for justice.</p><p>The event was well-attended and those present enjoyed the discussion which served as a challenge to embody the gospel in line with the legacy of people like Beyers Naudé. The event concluded with student leaders from the faculty congratulating Prof Boesak on his 70<sup>th</sup> birthday.</p> |
| Dietrich Bonhoeffer for today | https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=4234 | | Dietrich Bonhoeffer for today | Marita Snyman | <p>For three years now, the Bonhoeffer Consultation has brought together scholars, pastors, and students for a close reading and discussion of a portion of Bonhoeffer's writings. This year's Consultation focused on Bonhoeffer's dissertation, <em>Sanctorum Communio, </em>which he completed at age 21. In it, Bonhoeffer offers a description of the church as a social entity in which separate persons are brought into community by encountering difference in one another. Participants spent each morning reading through <em>Sanctorum Communio</em> and discussing its implications for theology, sociology, politics, personhood, and a fresh vision for the church's role in a diverse and reconciling South Africa. The discussions were supplemented by public lectures, including an address by the renowned theologian and Bonhoeffer scholar, Prof. John de Gruchy, on Bonhoeffer's prophetic example for a global Kairos theology.</p><p>Photo: Prof Robert Vosloo, Director of the Bonhoeffer Unit at the Beyers Naudé Centre with Prof John de Gruchy<br></p> |
| SA not yet healed from frozen trauma | https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=6486 | | SA not yet healed from frozen trauma | Corporate Communication / Korporatiewe Kommunikasie [Alec Basson] | <p>We cannot afford to continue to ignore the unfinished business of healing our nation and dealing with the frozen trauma.<br></p><p>This was one of the viewpoints of Prof Christo Thesnaar from the Department of Practical Theology and Missiology in the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University (SU) on Wednesday (12 Jun 2019). He delivered his inaugural lecture on the topic <em>Divine discomfort: A relational encounter with multi-generational and multi-layered trauma</em>.<br></p><p>Thesnaar said South Africa is reaping the fruits of frozen and multi-generational and multi-layered trauma that has started to erupt in the country. He added that we have failed to deal with the trauma of the past.<br></p><p>“Domestic and intimate partner violence, violent crime, substance dependency, xenophobia, etc., all bear witness to a frozen trauma that has started to erupt. Persistent poverty, inequality and unemployment are clear indicators that we have neglected to attend to our frozen trauma."<img class="ms-rtePosition-2" alt="Teologie intree-8.jpg" src="/english/PublishingImages/Lists/dualnews/My%20Items%20View/Teologie%20intree-8.jpg" style="margin:5px;width:380px;" /><br></p><p>“In the lead-up to the 25th anniversary of the political settlement in South Africa, we have seen an increase in anger, violence and vengeance on all levels of our society regarding basic service delivery, poverty, education, economic freedom, and so forth.</p><p>“It is safe to say that for the most part of the 25 years, the state of the trauma in our country has been mainly suppressed by the transition process, the first democratic election, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process and the many political promises."<br></p><p>According to Thesnaar, the lack of implementation of the TRC recommendations by government, civil society and religious groupings and the failure to facilitate the past trauma have contributed to the eruption of the trauma. <br></p><p>“The failure to address socio-economic settlement in terms of economic justice, land reform, housing and employment, to name a few, has specifically contributed to the frozen trauma and the subsequent eruption thereof."<br></p><p>Thesnaar added that even though we went through a transformation (political change and new Constitution) and healing process (facilitated by the TRC) 25 years ago, there was no guarantee that it would be sufficient to deal with the decades of frozen trauma.<br></p><p>He said the lack of urgency by all role players to transform South Africa has increased divisions between rich and poor, different race groups, and leadership and the people.<br></p><p>“Poverty in the midst of opulence is inclined to wound a person, family, community and even a nation more than one can imagine. In this regard, unequal societies such as ours tend to generate more rage and outrage that turn inwards as well as to those intimate to the one that is traumatised."<br></p><p>Thesnaar said as a society we will need to embrace the values of <em>ubuntu</em> and mutual recognition to deal with the multi-generational and multi-layered trauma.</p><ul><li><strong>Main photo</strong>: A squatter camp in South Africa. (Credit: Wikimedia) </li><li><strong>Photo 1</strong>: Profs Reggie Nel, Dean of SU's Faculty of Theology, Christo Thesnaar and Stan du Plessis, SU's Chief Operating Officer at the inaugural lecture. <strong>Photographer</strong>: Anton Jordaan</li></ul><p><br> </p><br><br><br><br> |
| Conferences on Church and Unity | https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=6449 | | Conferences on Church and Unity | Marita Snyman | <h3>Conferences on Church and Unity<br></h3><p><br>The annual conferences of the Synodical Commission for Doctrine and Current Affairs of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (Cape Synod) and the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology, focus upon the broader theme of Congregations and Public Life. Together we explore the potential of congregational practices for the transformation of all walks of life. <br></p><p>In 2019 the focus of the SKLAS – BNC conferences was on Church and Unity. </p><p>The following rationale for the 2019 conferences was: Biblical theology encourages unity within the Church and among the Churches. This forms part of the Church's witness to the world. It testifies to the reality that even though life is complex, and there is real diversity among persons and communities, we are one body that should coexist in humility and love. However, the reality in the South African churches at present suggests that we find it difficult to overcome our differences in language, culture, race, ethnicity, economic class, and understandings of our broken past. The 2019 SKLAS conferences will focus on a variety of perspectives on unity and disunity in society and the Church. Our aim is to equip attendees with theological insights and tools to engage the complexities of our current social reality and to help them to serve their Churches and communities in working for greater unity. </p><p> CONFERENCE DATES AND LOCATIONS: </p><p>11 February 2019 Malmesbury; 35 participants </p><p>4 March 2019 George; 30 participants: 30</p><p>8 April 2019 Port Elizabeth; 54 participants: 54<br></p><p><img src="/english/PublishingImages/Lists/dualnews/My%20Items%20View/_DSC8482.JPG" alt="_DSC8482.JPG" style="margin:5px;width:796px;height:528px;" /></p><p>Dr Sipho Mahokoto, Rev Rineke van Ginkel, Rev Mzwandile Molo, Dr Koos Oosthuizen and Rev Janine Williams, who participated at Goedgedacht Farm, Malmesbury as speakers and facilitators</p><p><br><img src="/english/PublishingImages/Lists/dualnews/My%20Items%20View/_DSC8508.JPG" alt="_DSC8508.JPG" style="margin:5px;width:800px;height:540px;" /><br></p><p>Ms Leona Loff, Rev Glenda Fredericks, Dr Koos Oosthuizen, Rev Peter Veysie, Rev Rineke van Ginkel, Dr Eugene Fortein and Prof Dion Forster (Director: BNC) all participated at Carmel, George<br></p><p><br></p><p>Note: In the photo on the title page the partipants were: Dr Koos Oosthuizen, Dr Sipho Mahokoto, Rev Rineke van Ginkel, Dr Eugene Fortein, Rev Bulelani Vete, Ms Pinky Sifuba and Rev Mzwandile Molo<br></p> |
| Gift exchange between the Beyers Naudé Centre and the Institute of Ethics of the Faculdades EST, Brazil | https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=4462 | | Gift exchange between the Beyers Naudé Centre and the Institute of Ethics of the Faculdades EST, Brazil | Marita Snyman | <p>Exchanges of significant gifts are signs of friendship, partnership and koinonia between brothers and sisters in Christ. As such a sign, the Beyers Naudé Center for Public Theology gave to its partner Institute, the Institute of Ethics of the Faculdades EST at São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, an artwork by Professor emeritus Daniël Johannes Louw of Stellenbosch University. The artwork under the name of "Derelictio: Christ the cursed and wounded healer" was brought to Brazil and handed over in a worship service during the third International Congress of Faculdades EST in September by Dr Donald Katts and put in place in the Institute (photo). Made with broken glass, it shows how Christ assumed our human vulnerability and suffered for our sake. In the rising sun behind the cross we can see the light of the resurrection.</p><p><img src="/english/PublishingImages/Lists/dualnews/My%20Items%20View/Faculdades%20EST.jpg" alt="Faculdades EST.jpg" style="margin:5px;" /><br></p><p>This light is also visible in the Easter candle that was brought in return to the Beyers Naudé Centre in October, following the fourth Meeting of the Global Network of Public Theology held at STIAS in Stellenbosch. Prof Rudolf von Sinner, Director of the Ethics Institute, handed over the handmade candle to Dr Dion Forster, Acting Director of the BNS (photo). Whenever we shall look at these tokens, we shall be reminded of our partnership and collaboration in the work of God's reign, justice and love in our respective contexts. Both countries are among those with the highest economic and social inequalities in the world and well know the positive, ambiguous and questionable contributions of churches towards the common good in society.</p> |
| Dr Chris Jones’s book wins most downloaded book award | https://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=8780 | | Dr Chris Jones’s book wins most downloaded book award | Marita Snyman | <p>The BNC congratulates <strong>Chris Jones* and Juri van den Heever</strong> on winning the following award:</p><ul><li>Most downloaded book during 2020 in the <strong>Humanities & Social Sciences AOSIS Scholarly Domain</strong></li><li>Book Title: <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https://books.aosis.co.za/index.php/ob/catalog/book/114&data=04%7c01%7c%7c1ba09e175cb144e9d1fa08d9b00885ad%7ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7c0%7c0%7c637734372912194577%7cUnknown%7cTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7c3000&sdata=CrwyxqgKuuk7HTLsQUrGsnMAembp2FtnB5fGmGz9PBM%3D&reserved=0"><strong>Moral Issues in the Natural Sciences and Technologies</strong></a></li></ul><p>*Dr Chris Jones is the head of the Moral Leadership Unit of the Beyers Naudé Centre<br></p><p><em>This book reflects academically on important and relevant natural scientific disciplines, important technologies, and related media to determine and communicate the moral issues and challenges within those specific fields of study, and how to deal with them morally and from a multidimensional South African context. It aims to add scientific, technological, and ethical value, locally and globally, by reflecting mainly from the viewpoint of specific scholars, writing about the most pressing moral issues or challenges raised by problems within their specific field of study</em>. – Chris Jones & Juri van den Heever</p><p><em>This collected work reflects, in a multidimensional fashion, on moral issues that arise in scientific and technological work. It resembles the South African heritage and circumstances of the authors. Let me state unequivocally that this is a very professionally conceived and completed project. That it is multidimensional is a given</em> – Prof Michael Ruse, Department of Philosophy, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America. </p><p>More about the AOIS Laureatus Awards:<br></p><p>The annual <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https://aosis.co.za/laureatus-awards-2021/&data=04%7c01%7c%7c1ba09e175cb144e9d1fa08d9b00885ad%7ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7c0%7c0%7c637734372912184619%7cUnknown%7cTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7c3000&sdata=1gPTEPW9sRIJra3UaLEdzsReV2E%2BFS8qZdz5kNL5BxU%3D&reserved=0"><strong>AOSIS Laureatus Awards</strong></a> is a prestigious awards ceremony where we acknowledge the hard work and dedication of authors and researchers who are making an impact in our scholarly community. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we have adapted with the times to bring you the 2021 awards ceremony <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DRNqFBA1MGk8%26t%3D43s&data=04%7c01%7c%7c1ba09e175cb144e9d1fa08d9b00885ad%7ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7c0%7c0%7c637734372912184619%7cUnknown%7cTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7c3000&sdata=zHsjb0MMkFSjJiCKlaXqnaC1GRYSy2ryB97ezbc%2B7UE%3D&reserved=0">virtually.</a> </p><p> It is with great pleasure that we give well deserved recognition to all the winners. View the complete list of prize winners: <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https://bit.ly/30U7tJZ&data=04%7c01%7c%7c1ba09e175cb144e9d1fa08d9b00885ad%7ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7c0%7c0%7c637734372912194577%7cUnknown%7cTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7c3000&sdata=Wl9E4fGYd8/mQGM8QAn2V9uC%2B73nmXLbGKSFfB3tmoU%3D&reserved=0">https://bit.ly/30U7tJZ</a></p><p>Click <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DRNqFBA1MGk8%26t%3D3s&data=04%7c01%7c%7c1ba09e175cb144e9d1fa08d9b00885ad%7ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7c0%7c0%7c637734372912204535%7cUnknown%7cTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7c3000&sdata=rzA%2Ba7iIyJTQyUy3diymsRlNV/zAHlbFh0tJYNL%2BLF8%3D&reserved=0"><strong>HERE</strong></a> to watch the <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DRNqFBA1MGk8%26t%3D3s&data=04%7c01%7c%7c1ba09e175cb144e9d1fa08d9b00885ad%7ca6fa3b030a3c42588433a120dffcd348%7c0%7c0%7c637734372912204535%7cUnknown%7cTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7c3000&sdata=rzA%2Ba7iIyJTQyUy3diymsRlNV/zAHlbFh0tJYNL%2BLF8%3D&reserved=0"><strong>Laureatus Awards.</strong></a></p><p><br></p> |
