The cultural practice of ancestor beliefs in the village of Taung, North West Province, South Africa : in light of the missio Dei
Abstract
The principal objective of this study is to contribute towards a solution to the missiological
challenge posed by the cultural practice of ancestor beliefs in the village of Taung, in light of the
mission Dei. This study focuses and/or sheds light on the subject of ancestral beliefs by means
of a literature study as well as empirical research. In terms of the empirical research, the
respondents were church leaders and ordinary residents of Taung who were selected at
random and requested to complete a questionnaire seeking to establish if the cultural practice
of ancestral beliefs in their area pose a missiological challenge .
Though the community embraced Christianity in the 19th century, ancestral beliefs are still
prevalent. As Amanze (2003:43) has observed, it may be that many Christians, especially
members of the African Independent Churches, live a strange life of one-foot rooted in the
African traditional beliefs with the other in Christian beliefs and practices.
The study provides a detailed explanation and/or clarification of the concepts of ancestor
beliefs. Since time immemorial God has revealed Himself to humanity and continues to
welcome everybody, without exception , to participate in the missio Dei or to partake in His
mission of reconciling Himself to humanity. Given that 1 Timothy 2:5 says "for there is one God
and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus", the question is: Where does
this place ancestors and ancestral beliefs? This study seeks to contribute towards addressing
the missiological challenge in the village of Taung that emanates from the cultural practice of
ancestral beliefs in light of the missio Dei.
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