spirit and healing in africa - University of the Free State

the work of the Spirit? What constitutes the matrix of Reformed pneumatology? Is it possible to
intimate the contours of a Reformed pneumatological matrix? Could such a matrix assist in
identifying new themes and motifs for articulating a link between God and healing in Southern
Africa?
6.1 DILEMMA OF ARTICULATING A REFORMED MATRIX
It is a challenge to describe the typical nature of Reformed theology. Some even refer to it as the
‘Reformed embarrassment’ (Busch 2008:207). Unlike, for example, the Roman Catholic,
Lutheran and Anglican tradition, the Reformed tradition does not have one particular authority or
confession that unites all Reformed believers and that represents ‘the’ Reformed perspective
(Hartvelt 1991:4; Smit 2009:58). The notoriously difficult task of describing the unity of
Reformed theology has to do with the nature of the tradition itself: it is plural, diverse, selfcritical
and sensitive to the cultural context in which it witnesses the truth of God’s Word (see
Smit 2011:313-326). The crucial issue in discerning constituents of the Reformed identity is the
tension between the danger of reductionism or essentialism, and the danger of losing identity
when moving with the shifting Zeitgeist. This tension is articulated in the question “how can we
exhibit the proper characteristics of Reformed theology in order to clarify and strengthen it (…),
and do so without being merely traditionalist, confessionalist, and anti-ecumenical?” (Sauter
2004:4).
In his effort to address and delineate Reformed identity in relation to the confessions, Gerrit
Hartvelt (1991) relates the Reformed frame of reference (God’s revelation in Christ and the
Scriptures) to other traditions and their specifics, their distinct core of confession. His method
reveals two important notions of the Reformed identity: the absence of a clear-cut, unchanging
nucleus of what could be called ‘Reformed’, and the need for dialogue with other church
traditions in order to offer a particular contribution towards understanding the Gospel. Hartvelt
(1991:18-34) emphasizes the importance of ecumenicity for the Reformed identity, because
ecumenical relationships and dialogue have an impact on the development of specifics of the
Reformed frame of reference. Dirkie Smit (1992:88-110; 2004:263-283; 2008:263-283;
2011:313-326) also supports the idea that although the Reformed tradition is confessional, this
characteristic must be understood in an open, historical and contextual way. With regard to the
Reformed tradition in South Africa, he refers to the Reformed story as a story of many stories. It
is a complex tale, revealing that Reformed identity consists of diverse and ambiguous stories
with their varying accents on confession, doctrine and cultural context. It is impossible to
simplify these internal differences and contradictions into one Reformed narrative. Within the
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