Die wese van Christelike sending is nie die oorwegende faktor in die waarneming van die
histories-diakrone nie. Christelike sending, maar ook die ontstaande transkontinentale
inheemse sending-onafhanklike Kerke – die begin van die Christelike geloof en om uit dié
geloof te lewe –, behels die uitbreiding en begrensdheid in die Sendingteologie van die 20ste
eeu.
Die globale fenomeen van Christelike sending is omvangryk, vertoon diversiteit en werk met
lang tydsverlope in sending-historiese navorsing. Die verhouding en uitdaging tussen
Christelike sending en die Kerk in die 20ste eeu berus op twee vlakke, naamlik die
institusionele integrasie van Kerke, Sendingkerke en Sendinggenootskappe in die
Christenraad van Suid-Afrika – as ‘n voorbeeld – en die integrasie van die Internasionale
Sendingraad in die Ekumeniese Raad van Kerke.
Christelike sending word uitgedaag om op verskillende kontekste, konfessionele, nasionale
en kontinentale perspektiewe te reageer, maar word ook gekonfronteer met verskillende
sendingteologiese modelle of insigte. Enersyds substitueer die bewussyn en opkoms van
kultuurprotestantisme die ouer paradigmas van kerkvestiging en Christelike godsdiens met
missionêre handelinge van die kulturele en die sosiale. Andersyds gee die teleurstelling in die
eerste ontwikkelingsdekade tot die besef aanleiding dat die geskiedenis nie evolusionêr, maar
konfliktief verloop. Die ontwikkelingsmodel is met ‘n bevrydingsmodel vervang, terwyl nieteologiese
faktore of kontekstuele sake ‘n bepalende invloed op ekumeniese prosesse en
teologie uitoefen.
Wanneer die Christelike sendingbeweging tot die ontstaan van die aanvanklike Ekumeniese
beweging bydra, fokus die strewe van die moderne Ekumeniese beweging – met haar drie
groot formasies, naamlik die Wêreldsendingkonferensies, die “Beweging vir Geloof en
Kerkkonstitusie” en die “Beweging vir die Praktiese Christendom” – op die eenheid van die
Kerk, in terme van organisatoriese eenheid en die teologiese begronding van eenheid. Hierdie
ekklesiologies-ekumeniese strewe na eenheid bly steeds ‘n onherkenbaar gesig, ondanks die
ouer program van “versoende verskeidenheid” en die nuwe konvergensie studie: The Church:
Towards a common Vision.
Die breë doelstelling van hierdie studie is om komplekse, uiteenlopende en teologieshermeneutiese
insigte, handelinge en kontekstuele perspektiewe in die sending en die
ekumene uit te lig. Die volgende temas kry o.a. aandag: historiese aktualiteit,
sendingteologiese program en model, Sendingwetenskap, Konvivenz, die Evangelikale
beweging, Evangelisasie, bekering, barmhartigheid, geloof, heil, vryheid, lewe, getuienis,
(sosiale / on) geregtigheid en verantwoordelikheid, etiek, menswaardigheid, nie-teologiese
faktore soos byvoorbeeld taal, Swart Teologie, kulturele en religieuse pluralisme, dialoog,
entologie, identiteit, opvoeding, skepping, ontwikkelingshulp, sang, vreemdheid, armoede,
interkulturele samehange, Christenraad van Suid-Afrika, Internasionale Sendingraad, Wêreld Sendingkonferensie, Afrika Onafhanklike Kerke, die Berlynse Sendinggenootskap, die Suid-
Afrikaanse Raad van Kerke, Ekumeniese beweging, die Ekumeniese Raad van Kerke,
Kommissie vir Wêreldsending en Evangelisasie, die ERK voltallige vergadering en die PCRprogram.
Hierdie studie probeer om ‘n bydrae tot die kennisontsluiting in verstaande Christelike
sending, Sendinggeskiedenis en Interkulturele Teologie, asook die Suid-Afrikaanse
Kerkgeskiedenis te lewer.
English: The nature of Christian mission is not the predominant constituent when observing the
historical diachronic approach. Not only Christian mission but also the genesis of the
transcontinental missionary enterprise in die fortification of indigenous Mission independent
Churches – the acceptance of Christian faith and living by faith –, imply both expansion and
limitation in the Theology of Mission in the 20th century.
The extensive global phenomenon of Christian mission is diverse and encompasses long
periods of time in the historical research of mission. The relationship between and challenge
for Christian mission and the Church in the 20th century have two different levels of
requirements, namely the institutional integration of, for example Churches, Church Missions
and Missionary Society’s into the Christian Council of South Africa and the integration of the
International Missionary Council with the World Council of Churches.
The challenge for Christian Mission is to react to the result of different contextual,
confessional, national and continental perspectives, besides various models and insights in
the Theology of Mission. On the one hand, consciousness and the rising of cultural
Protestantism substitutes the older paradigms regarding the establishment of Churches and
Christian religion with missionary actions, in a socio-cultural framework, while on the other
hand sensing the disappointment in the first decade of development, the realization ignites the
idea that the course of history was not an evolutionary progression, but elapsed in a
conflictual manner. The liberation model was called on to substitute the model of
development. Non-theological factors or contextual issues had an determining influence on
ecumenical processes and theology.
While the Christian missionary movement contributed to the initial Ecumenical movement,
the focus was on the pursuit of the modern Ecumenical movement with her three main
formations, namely the World Mission Conference, Faith and Order and Life and Work of
which the focus point is the unity of the Church in terms of the organizational unity and the
theological justification for unity. This ecclesiastic, ecumenical pursuit towards unity, still
remains unrecognizable, notwithstanding the older program, Reconciled Diversity and the
new convergence study, The Church: Towards a common Vision.
The broad objective in this study is to highlight the complexity, the diverse and theological
hermeneutical insight, as well as the action and contextual perspectives in mission and
ecumenism. It was necessary to study the following themes, among others historical actuality,
program and model on the Theology of Mission, Missiology, Konvivenz, the Evangelical
movement, Evangelism, conversion, mercy, faith, salvation, liberty / freedom, life, witness,
(social / in) justice and responsibility, ethics, human dignity, non-theological factors for
example language, Black Theology, cultural and religious pluralism, dialogue, ethnology,
identity, education, creation, development aid, choral music, foreignness, poverty,
intercultural coherences, the Christian Council of South Africa, International Mission Council, World Missionary Conference, African Independent Churches, the Berlin
Missionary Society, the South African Council of Churches, Ecumenical Movement, the
World Council of Churches, Commission in World Mission and Evangelism, the Assembly
of the World Council of Churches and the PCR-programme.
This research seeks to contribute towards knowledge production, within the framework in the
understanding of Christian Mission, Mission History and Intercultural Theology, in addition
to South African Church History.
