Abstract:
The Faculty of Theology chose as its theme oikodome, which speaks about the fullness of life
for all. This article explored this theme by looking at John Calvin’s understanding of God
and the world. In this article, working from the premise of the sovereignty of God, the author
attempted to show that undergirding Calvin’s theology is the idea of oikodome. The author
showed that for Calvin everything in life is connected to God and thus the idea of oikodome
is deeply rooted in Calvin’s theology. The author illustrated this by examining significant
themes in Calvin’s teachings on the Trinitarian God, creation, humanity and providence, state
and church, transformation of society, concern for the poor, and education. The author used
this information to show what implications the idea of oikodome has for churches in South
Africa today, especially in the context of poverty and struggle. The author calls on churches to
embrace the theological foundation explicated by Calvin in their endeavour to work toward
the fullness of life for all people.
Description:
This article represents a
theological reflection on the
Faculty Research Theme (FRT)
of the Faculty of Theology,
University of Pretoria, entitled
‘Ecodomy – Life in its fullness’.
The theme is portrayed from
the perspective of various
theological disciplines. A
conference on this theme was
held on 27–28 October 2014.
