| Summary: | The purpose of this study is to investigate to what extent the Lordship of Christ is a reality in the
life and faith of Christians in the South African township of Soshanguve, north-west of Pretoria.
The study is based on empirical research conducted in Soshanguve between 1996 and 1999,
among members of the following three denominations: the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the
Zion Christian Church, and a group of Pentecostal and charismatic churches.
During the first phase the research had a predominantly quantitative nature (survey research). The
second phase involved a qualitative research (in depth-interviews, analysis of written documents
and sermons).
After an introductory chapter and a chapter giving the necessary background, chapter 3 describes
the survey research, and chapters 4 to 6 examine the Lordship of Christ as it functions in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Zion Christian Church and the Pentecostal/charismatic
churches respectively.
This research shows that in the faith of many church members the Lordship of Jesus Christ is a
vague notion. It is accepted that Jesus Christ has died for our sins in the past, but it is less clear
what He is doing presently. The living Christ is a remote figure in the faith of the majority
of church members. The gap which is left, is filled by the laws of the church and/or the leadership
of the church.
Chapter 7 gives an analysis of the results. It appears that several backgrounds have to be taken into account: (1) the influence of African traditional religion, (2) the influence of Western secularism, (3) the influence of specific doctrinal tenets of the given denomination.
Chapter 8 offers a Biblical perspective on aspects which have to be dealt with in order to strengthen the notion of the Lordship of Christ in the life and faith of Christians. These are: the concept of God, the concept of salvation, the person of Christ, the Lordship of Christ over the life of the individual believer, and the Lordship of Christ over the world. === Thesis (Th.D.)--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2001
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