Kerkwees in die saeculum vandag, Deel 2: ‘n Nuwe narratief (ook vir die Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika)

Abstract

Being church in the saeculum today, Part 2: A new narrative (also for the Netherdutch Reformed Church. A previous article illlustrated that the root of the tension between unity and plurality in the church can be found in an epistemology charcaterised by binary opposisions. This article describes this epistemology and, from the perspective of narrative theological epistemology, discusses the struggles and pitfalls reflected in the narrative of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa which identifies itself as an ‘ethnic church’ (volkskerk). The article argues that such a self-identification functions as a metanarrative that is in conflict with the church’s grand narrative, that of the Triune God. The re-telling of the grand narrative of the Trinity as the metaphor for unity through plurality will sustain the re-telling of the church’s narrative in the changing context of a secular society.

Keywords

• ecclesiology
• triadology
• narrative theology
• non-binary mentality
• the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa