This article considers the topical issue of social cohesion. It seeks to demythologise the issue bringing it into critical conversation with eight related categories. It proposes that a vision of a socially cohesive society should employ all eight categories as parallel and complementary strategies. Secondly, it proposes a practical theological vision of social cohesion that..
Read moreUrban Africa 2050: Imagining Theological Education/Formation for Flourishing African Cities
Africa’s staggering rate of urbanization and the silence of religion or theology in response form the backdrop of this article. Africa’s urban futures, up through 2050, are considered through the lenses of fifteen African cities and theological institutions in these cities. I employ a set of research questions, seeking to contribute theologically to a body..
Read moreUrban Africa 2050: Imagining Theological Education/Formation for Flourishing African Cities
Africa’s staggering rate of urbanization and the silence of religion or theology in response form the backdrop of this article. Africa’s urban futures, up through 2050, are considered through the lenses of fifteen African cities and theological institutions in these cities. I employ a set of research questions, seeking to contribute theologically to a body..
Read moreHomelessness IS a Housing Issue: Responding to Different Faces of Homelessness. A City of Tshwane Case Study
This article presents the case of one local housing organisation in the City of Tshwane and its mother organisation, responding to different faces of homelessness through creating diversified housing options. It asserts that the absence of such housing options would render people homeless, or extremely precarious. It insists that homelessness is also a housing issue, challenging a..
Read moreChange agency and urban vulnerability: Theologicalecclesial paralysis or deep solidarity
Globally, cities respond differently to their most vulnerable urban populations, notably so during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In the City of Tshwane, there seems to be a general paralysis of the church and theological education in relation to urbanvulnerability. If the church and theological education are to participate as change agents to help..
Read moreHomelessness and Covid-19 in the City of Tshwane: Doing liberation theology undercover – A conversation with Ivan Petrella
Ivan Petrella argues that the goals of liberation theology can sometimes be better served by doing it undercover. This article reflects on responses to homelessness during Covid-19 in the City of Tshwane, describing and reflecting upon it from the perspective of a researcher theologian as well as activist-urbanist. It employed two lenses in its reflection:..
Read moreA reflection on Vuyani Vellem’s longing for liberation: A spirituality of life and freedom
Vuyani Vellem was insistent on fostering a spirituality that could ground and sustain resistance of death as expressed in multiple unfreedoms, and the quest for life and freedom in abundance. After naming a number of themes evident in the life of Vuyani – ranging from racism and pigmentocracy to the managerialist university and the shackled..
Read moreA practical theology of liberation: Mimetic theory, liberation theology and practical theology
In this article, the authors bring two personal journeys together: one author’s liberationist journey, sparked by a search for justice and liberation in the slums of Guatemala City, and the other’s lifelong commitment to practical theology and spatial justice in South Africa. A practical theology of liberation is the result of life experiences in countries..
Read moreFaith-based action and urban regeneration
After describing the challenges, myths, exclusions and opportunities of urban regeneration, this article explores the potential interface between faith-based action and different forms of urban regeneration. Focusing on different South African cities, it considers how faith-based action could participate in regenerative urban work. Faith-based action will refer to the varied responses of churches and faith-based organisations to..
Read morePractising chaordic beauty: On embracing strangers in one inner city faith community
In this article I read one inner city faith community – the Tshwane Leadership Foundation (TLF) – through the lenses of literature that reflects on chaordic organisations and chaordic leadership. I explore whether an emphasis on the management of diversity, which is widespread in organisational and ecclesial practices and languages, should not be replaced with..
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