Abstract:
This article presupposes the right of the faithful to pose critical questions about God. God concepts
cannot be distanced or freed from ideology. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the reflection
on Jahwe and Elohim are mostly influenced by Israel’s exodus experience. The liberating God
becomes a theme that legitimises their faith, but is ultimately coloured by their patrarchal Sitz
im Leben. For black theologians, the image of God as the Liberator stands foremost as the
Crucified. This has clear connections with Western thinking such as that of Jürgen Moltmann.
The ancient native people of southern Africa developed a consciousness regarding a Higher
Being through many years, eventually integrating it into their holistic worldview. God’s
involvement in human suffering plays a significant role in all of these expressions of faith. The
different views of God as the transcendant, yet involved God, should be revisited within the
context of our current society characterised by human suffering, chronic poor communities,
gaping inequality and increasing corruption. The theological-ethical question is whether the
Khoisan people’s view of a wounded God is more suitable to help faithful people to engage
with the world in a meaningful way.
Description:
Dr Boezak is participating in
the research project, ‘Gender
Studies and Practical
Theology Theory Formation’
directed by Prof. Dr Yolanda
Dreyer, Department of
Practical Theology, Faculty of
Theology, University of
Pretoria.
