This article examines whiteness as a neglected theological problem within South African missional theology. Although missional theology has significantly influenced South African churches since the early 1990s, particularly in response to the transition from apartheid to democracy and the challenges of post-Christendom, its engagement with race and whiteness remains limited. Drawing on critical whiteness studies and theological scholarship, the article argues that this omission represents a significant missional blind spot, particularly within the predominantly white Dutch Reformed Church (DRC).The article identifies several factors contributing to this neglect, including the adoption of Western theological frameworks that insufficiently account for South Africa’s colonial and apartheid histories, the influence of predominantly white and middle-class theological spaces, the protection of existing privilege, the role of language and culture in maintaining racialised identities, and a reductionist understanding of the Missio Dei. These factors contribute to a form of maintenance theology that inadvertently preserves white interests rather than critically challenging the structures and cultural assumptions shaping the church.Revisiting the missional insights of Karl Barth, Lesslie Newbigin, the Gospel and Our Culture Network, and David Bosch, the article emphasises that the church is not only an agent of God’s mission but also a recipient of the gospel’s transformative critique. It argues that a genuinely missional ecclesiology requires contextual and cultural self-criticism, an honest reckoning with historical complicity and ongoing privilege, and a willingness to be transformed through encounters with those historically marginalised. The article concludes that confronting and dismantling whiteness is essential if predominantly white South African churches are to move beyond maintaining their institutional and cultural interests towards participating faithfully in God’s mission.
Eve was well known in ancient literature as the deceiver and the source of trouble. Yet, Eve is barely mentioned in the New Testament. There are two instances in Pauline literature, explicitly in 2 Corinthians 11:3 and possibly in Romans 7:7–25 implicitly, where Eve is mentioned. Recent scholarship has proposed that the “I” of Romans 7 may draw on Eve traditions alongside tragic motifs associated with figures such as Medea. Building on these discussions, this article argues that Paul employs Eve as a paradigmatic figure of deception and vulnerability within a wider tragic moral imagination. In both texts, Eve functions not primarily as a figure of blame, but as an exemplar of human susceptibility to hostile powers. The recurring pattern of deception, bondage, and threatened destruction demonstrates that Paul appropriates familiar traditions concerning Eve to depict the human condition as vulnerable to forces beyond its control. Yet Paul does not remain within a tragic framework. By relocating the source of failure from individual moral weakness to cosmic powers such as Sin and Satan, Paul reframes tragedy within an apocalyptic vision in which deliverance is ultimately found in Christ. Eve therefore serves as a rhetorical exemplum through whom Paul exposes the depth of human vulnerability, while simultaneously directing his audiences toward divine redemption.
This article challenges the dominant narrative that pastoral ministry today is facing a crisis of relevance. Instead, it argues that the deeper issue is theological: the loss of confidence in divine action within a secular, disenchanted world. Drawing on Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age, the article explores how modern cultural shifts, particularly the Age of Authenticity, have fragmented pastoral identity and reshaped ministry into performance, therapy, or management. Through a historical-theological lens, it traces the development of pastoral roles from the pre-modern era to the present. In response to the contemporary pressures for relevance, the article proposes the figure of “the waiting pastor”, one who resists the urge to secure influence and instead bears witness to the hidden, interruptive presence of God in suffering, worship, prayer, and relationships. The article concludes that pastoral renewal lies not in innovation, but in theological fidelity and the courage to wait for God to act.
The poor always feature in the Old and New Testaments. In the former, God provided guidelines for the nation of Israel to relate to the poor. In the latter, Jesus re-emphasised these guidelines by echoing Deuteronomy 15:11 in Mark 14:7 when he said to the disciples, “You will always have the poor among you.” The poor in South Africa, in the past thirty years, now include African citizens and (il)legal immigrants from various African countries, who see South Africa as a destination for a better life. The presence of the latter due to various socio-economic and political factors in their countries creates a moral dilemma for the South African state and citizens. This challenge makes us ask: How are we supposed to relate to the African poor (African citizens and (il)legal immigrants from various African countries) in the post-1994 South African context? The article employs Ubuntu-Pentecostalism as a framework and the Lekgotla practical theology approach to reflect on how the African poor in post-1994 South Africa are treated. The reflection shows that various government departments and Central Methodist Church clergy displayed values identified in Deuteronomy 15:11 and Mark 14:1-7. These values resonate with those identified in Ubuntu-Pentecostalism.
Pastoral support meaningfully responds to the challenges of modern society and contemporary families. Globalisation and urbanisation have led families to move within countries and internationally. The in-between space and various factors affect the dynamics of family life. Families moving outside their communities of origin result in in-between families. Many in-between families struggle because of the loss of extended family support in their new community and require innovative pastoral care. The description of flourishing families is derived from insights from flourishing. Faith communities with inclusive congregations that focus on developing relationships and family-centred ministry provide meaningful pastoral care. The article presents recommendations and strategies for relational and inclusive pastoral support as effective for in-between families. Faith communities’ support for flourishing comprises shared communal convictions and investment in relational ministry, such as mentoring and small groups builds genuine relationships. A safe church culture, confidentiality, direct address of stressors, accountability, and family-centred practices strengthen pastoral support. Strategic maintenance of steady support practices and deliberate monitoring of silent vulnerabilities augment pastoral support for in-between families to flourish.
