Ons geestelike toerusting vir missionêre diakonaat in kultuurkonteks

Abstract

The Dutch Reformed Church is increasingly defining its role in terms of a ministry to the poor and needy in Southern Africa. But, are we spiritually competent for this calling? The majority of those who are poor in this country come from an African cultural tradition. They are struggling with the tensions and interactions between African Traditional Culture and Religion, modern Western Culture, Christian Faith, and other influences. Many Dutch Reformed people, on the other hand, see themselves as post-modern. They understand very little of the cultural context of the poor, because they struggle with secularism and post-modern trends, such as a loss of contact with hard realities and relativism. A phenomenological approach to culture and a spirituality of biblical realism, and the experience of being called by God to transcend our cultural boundaries in order to be confronted by real people in real need, seem essential for an adequate Christian response to those who are suffering.