Die noodsaak daarvan om metateoretiese vertrekpunte ten opsigte van werklikheidsbeskouing in praktiesteologiese wetenskapsbeoefening uit te spel

Abstract

The necessity of explicating metatheoretical assumptions regarding the view on reality in cientific practical theological research

This article is the second in the research project “Metatheoretical assumptions in Practical Theology”. In this project – as indicated in the previous article − a group of reformed theologians is elucidating and discussing their metatheoretical and other perspectives regarding research in Practical Theology. In this article the necessity to explain metatheoretical assumptions concerning a view on reality, is discussed from a reformed perspective. The practical theological implications of a view on reality with its roots in the sixteenth-century protestant Reformation are critically compared with an alternative view on reality in the contemporary context which focuses more on the horizontal dimension of the action events taking place in praxis. This comparison is done with a view to responding to this alternative view in a responsible way. Essential characteristics of the sixteenth-century reformed view on reality seem to be its Scripture-determined vision and theocentric focus as well as the way in which human life and actions are represented as reflections of the “imago Dei”. The need to critically reflect on these characteristics and to newly align this view on reality with respect to challenges posed in the contemporary context, is explored.

Hierdie artikel is die tweede resultaat van die navorsingsprojek“Metateoretiese vertrekpunte in Praktiese Teologie”. In hierdieprojek – soos in die vorige artikel aangedui word die metateoretiese en ander vertrekpunte van ’n groep reformatoriese navorsers in Praktiese Teologie eksplisiet gemaak en die invalshoeke by die ondersoek van die praksis aangetoon. In hierdie artikel word die noodsaak daarvan vanuit ’n reformatoriese perspektief beredeneer om metateoretiese vertrekpunte uit te spel ten opsigte van die werklikheidsbeskouing. Die prakties-teologiese implikasies van ’n werklikheidsbeskouing, met sy wortels in die sestiende-eeuse protestantse Reformasie, word krities vergelyk met en verantwoord ten opsigte van ’n alternatiewe werklikheidsbeskouing in die kontemporêre konteks wat meer fokus op die horisontale dimensie van handelings wat in die praksis plaasvind. Essensiële karaktertrekke van die sestiende-eeuse reformatoriese visie op die werklikheid blyk die skrifbepaalde lens te wees waardeur gekyk word, asook die teosentriese fokus en die manier waarop menslike handelings voorgestel word as ’n weerspieëling van die “imago Dei”. Die noodsaak daarvan om kritiese verantwoording van hierdie wêreldbeskoulike aspekte te doen en om dit opnuut te rig ten opsigte van die uitdagings wat daaraan in die kontemporêre konteks gestel word, word bespreek.