Faculty of Theology
Prof CJA Vos, Dean
Telephone number: 012 420 2322
Fax number: 012 420 4016
E-mail address: cas.vos@up.ac.za
Message by the Dean
By its nature, the faculty is involved in people-centred activities. The training of ministers in religion, as well as the sensitising of students for the world view and religious affinity of other people, adds up to this reality.
As an internationally recognised research and teaching facility, the faculty is committed to attracting and retaining excellent students, as well as members of staff who can provide these students with a balanced education, developing the whole person. Because of its unique perspective on reality, the faculty is well equipped to contribute in this regard. It therefore appropriates in its own way the University’s aim to optimise teaching strategies and to encourage the principle of lifelong learning. Within this framework and with its excellent scholars, the faculty develops scholarship in a wide spectrum of theologically relevant disciplines. It strives to provide students with an inclusive education in order to prepare them for constructive citizenship, as well as for responsible leadership in faith communities.
Academic research prevails as one of the firm pillars of academic activities. Research outputs are, therefore, vital for the sustainability of academic programmes. Two accredited academic journals of the faculty, HTS Theological/Teologiese Studies (HTS) and Verbum et Ecclesia (VE), played an important role to stimulate and disseminate local and international research. Both journals are recognised and indexed on the most important international catalogues. Editors of both journals were part of the Editors’ Forum of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and serve on the executive of the newly established Editors’ Forum for Theological and Related Journals, as chairperson and secretary.
Staff, students and research associates published more than 130 papers in national and international academic journals during 2008. Additionally, the following books were published: Partnership in Mission (GA Duncan: VDM Publishers), Biblical Interpretation in the Russian Orthodox Church (AI Negrov: Mohr Siebeck), Das Lukas Evangelium (M Wolter: Mohr Siebeck) and Hermeneutik der Gleichnisse Jesu (R Zimmerman: Mohr Siebeck).
The Faculty of Theology considers community engagement to be one of its key priorities and core functions. It is not treated as a separate function, but naturally forms an integral part of the faculty’s teaching and research programmes. The specialist centres that reside within the faculty attest to its important service to various local communities. These include the Centre for Theology and Community, which endeavours to build bridges between the faculty and the local churches, as well as the broader community, the Institute for Missiology and Ecumenical Research (IMER), which offers research and sup-port to missionary and ecumenical activities, the Centre for Ministry Dev-elopment (CMD), which offers opportunities for continuing education to students and pastors in the Dutch Reformed Church, the Reformed Theological College (RTC), which was established in conjunction with the Reformed Church to train theological students for practical service in the church, the Centre for Business and Professional Ethics (CBPE), which is housed in the Graduate School of Management as a joint initiative of the Faculty of Theology, the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and the Department of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities, and the Centre for Contextual Ministry, which offers theological training to a wide range of ministers and leaders in South African churches.
The faculty’s international involvement manifests itself in a host of ways. It has cooperation agreements with a number of respected equivalent institutions in Africa, Europe and North America and regularly receives research scholars. It actively participates in international academic projects and hosted international conferences on the Pentateuch, Psalms, the New Testament and ethics in 2008. Three senior staff members received prestigious international awards.
Two special projects deserve to be mentioned. The first is Small Survivors of HIV/AIDS, a project funded by the NRF, the Centre for the Study of Aids (CSA), the University of Pretoria and the South Africa-Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD). This project is interdisciplinary in nature and is conducted in collaboration with the faith-based organisations (FBOs) Heartbeat and Hospivision, and Pretoria Envangelism and Nurture (PEN) in the greater Pretoria area. The project aims to address the role that the church and FBOs can play in addressing and alleviating the spiritual and bereavement needs of HIV and AIDS orphans. The second is the Enablemed-Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP) Managed Health Care Project. With a range of techniques and in collaboration with a medical aid scheme service provider, the project team reduces the cost of providing health benefits to poor African households, while simultaneously improving the quality of care rendered.
Prof CJA Vos
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