Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary
Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary
162 them precisely what He told others before them. Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter The sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord. “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. “I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the LORD (Jer. 23:1-4). University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
163 Chapter VII Postmodern Spirituality The trait of the postmodern cultural wave that fascinates me the most is the resurgence of spirituality and animism in the West -- though it is really nothing new at all. The pre- Christian West was rooted in animism, much like the rest of the world. With the coming of Judaism and Christianity, animism gave way, but certainly never disappeared: more often, it went ‘underground.’ With the Enlightenment came new intellectual freedoms, and a resurgence of animism. Then, with postmodernity came an even more substantial resurgence, or renaissance of paganism -- animism given fresh license to flourish. “For the first time in centuries, the biblical condemnation of the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth is beginning to have direct reference to contemporary culture” (Lovelace, in Montgomery, 1976:86). Across early Medieval Christendom, came the warring and migratory influx of barbarians from other European regions -- Ireland, Scandinavia, and Germany -- and with them, a fresh surge of animism. Rooted in the barbarian worldview were things like elves, giants, fairies, goblins, gnomes, ogres, banshees, dragons, vampires and more. “Dead men walked the air as ghosts; men who had sold themselves to the Devil roamed woods and fields as werewolves; the souls of children dead before baptism haunted the marshes as will-o’-the-wisps” (Durant, 1950:984). People of the period wore all manner of objects to ward off evil and devils and bring good luck (e.g., rings, amulets, gems). Numbers had great significance. Three was the holiest number, representing the Holy Trinity of the Godhead; seven represented complete man and his seven most deadly sins. A sneeze could be a bad omen and was believed disarmed by a ‘God bless you.’ The Church condemned and punished such practices, by a graduation of penances, but they continued virtually unabated. The Church especially denounced ‘black magic’ which resorted to demons to obtain command University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Page 111 and 112: Those who truly know Jesus Christ a
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- Page 115 and 116: 115 An Apologetic Response Beyond t
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- Page 131 and 132: 131 Chapter VI Postmodernity and th
- Page 133 and 134: Postmodernism enhances the process
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- Page 143 and 144: society. State authorities quite of
- Page 145 and 146: “The subtle assumption of Western
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- Page 151 and 152: not know what it means to be indepe
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- Page 155 and 156: 155 Ours is not a faith rooted in i
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- Page 159 and 160: says, “Homosexual practice is inc
- Page 161: the position held by the non-Wester
- Page 165 and 166: With the dawn of the Enlightenment,
- Page 167 and 168: contemporary West look not to the c
- Page 169 and 170: adherence overall declined from 86.
- Page 171 and 172: 171 (Johnson, 2004). Contemporary n
- Page 173 and 174: 173 The postmodernists undertook th
- Page 175 and 176: deconstruction leads to a foundatio
- Page 177 and 178: 177 postmodernity has opened the do
- Page 179 and 180: Pagans are usually worshippers of t
- Page 181 and 182: most Catholics in Brazil. Many Musl
- Page 183 and 184: which is one of the key factors tha
- Page 185 and 186: 185 1980:viii). For example, when t
- Page 187 and 188: 187 the higher religions. The pleth
- Page 189 and 190: whose wrath has been and will be di
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- Page 197 and 198: 197 to develop. Even after several
- Page 199 and 200: 199 excesses of scientism and reduc
- Page 201 and 202: Carson, D.A., ed. (2000). Telling t
- Page 203 and 204: Grudem, W. (1994). Systematic Theol
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- Page 207 and 208: 207 Riss, R. (1988). A Survey of 20
- Page 209 and 210: 209 Bibliography of Electronic Sour
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162<br />
them precisely what He told others before them.<br />
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter<br />
The sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord.<br />
Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel<br />
against the shepherds who feed My people:<br />
“You have scattered My flock, driven them<br />
away, and not attended to them. Behold, I<br />
will attend to you for the evil of your doings,”<br />
says the Lord. “But I will gather the remnant<br />
of My flock out of all countries where I have<br />
driven them, and bring them back to their<br />
folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.<br />
“I will set up shepherds over them who will<br />
feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor<br />
be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says<br />
the LORD (Jer. 23:1-4).<br />
University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, <strong>South</strong> Africa
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