Between the Scylla and the Charybdis: Theological education in the 21st century in Africa

Between the Scylla and the Charybdis: Theological education in the 21st century in Africa

The article reflects on the challenges of theological education in the 21st century and in Africa. Reputation, impact, success and funding have become the driving forces of the modern university. However, we are living in the 21st century and in Africa with a subsequent frame of reference that is h...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Johan Buitendag
Format: Article
Language:Afrikaans
Published: AOSIS 2014-11-01
Series:HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
Online Access:https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/2855
id doaj-10f40d8b19db451481bf23362f5386a1
record_format Article
spelling doaj-10f40d8b19db451481bf23362f5386a12020-11-24T23:24:49ZafrAOSISHTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 0259-94222072-80502014-11-01701e1e510.4102/hts.v70i1.28552453Between the Scylla and the Charybdis: Theological education in the 21st century in AfricaJohan Buitendag0Dean of the Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Dogmatics and Christian Ethics, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South AfricaThe article reflects on the challenges of theological education in the 21st century and in Africa. Reputation, impact, success and funding have become the driving forces of the modern university. However, we are living in the 21st century and in Africa with a subsequent frame of reference that is holistic and faith-based. The article therefore argues for a multi- and transdisciplinary approach towards the nature of a university and recognition of the unique contribution theological education can contribute. Due to the inherently cooperative nature of theological scholarship, theological education could be able to avoid the extremes of the Scylla and the Charybdis, that is, fideism and secularisation, and therefore be able to survive at an academic institution. Both sectarianism and scientism should be avoided. Theological education in Africa needed to travel the same difficult road of theological faculties in Europe in the previous century.https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/2855
collection DOAJ
language Afrikaans
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Johan Buitendag
spellingShingle Johan Buitendag
Between the Scylla and the Charybdis: Theological education in the 21st century in Africa
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
author_facet Johan Buitendag
author_sort Johan Buitendag
title Between the Scylla and the Charybdis: Theological education in the 21st century in Africa
title_short Between the Scylla and the Charybdis: Theological education in the 21st century in Africa
title_full Between the Scylla and the Charybdis: Theological education in the 21st century in Africa
title_fullStr Between the Scylla and the Charybdis: Theological education in the 21st century in Africa
title_full_unstemmed Between the Scylla and the Charybdis: Theological education in the 21st century in Africa
title_sort between the scylla and the charybdis: theological education in the 21st century in africa
publisher AOSIS
series HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
issn 0259-9422
2072-8050
publishDate 2014-11-01
description The article reflects on the challenges of theological education in the 21st century and in Africa. Reputation, impact, success and funding have become the driving forces of the modern university. However, we are living in the 21st century and in Africa with a subsequent frame of reference that is holistic and faith-based. The article therefore argues for a multi- and transdisciplinary approach towards the nature of a university and recognition of the unique contribution theological education can contribute. Due to the inherently cooperative nature of theological scholarship, theological education could be able to avoid the extremes of the Scylla and the Charybdis, that is, fideism and secularisation, and therefore be able to survive at an academic institution. Both sectarianism and scientism should be avoided. Theological education in Africa needed to travel the same difficult road of theological faculties in Europe in the previous century.
url https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/2855
work_keys_str_mv AT johanbuitendag betweenthescyllaandthecharybdistheologicaleducationinthe21stcenturyinafrica
_version_ 1725558646016835584

Similar Items