Expressions of whiteness? A Black ecclesiological reflection on Fresh Expressions of Church
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The article presents a critical literary analysis of the Fresh Expressions of Church movement, which started in the United Kingdom (UK) and was subsequently adopted by some mainline churches in South Africa. The authors review the genesis of the movement and its models, development and approaches in order to understand its relevance for the post-apartheid South African context. The authors then critically compare, through a literary analysis, the theological praxis of the Fresh Expressions movement and bring it into critical dialogue with some Black Liberation Theologians and Steve Biko of the Black Consciousness Movement who, when apartheid was at its height in South Africa, argued for a ‘Black expression’ of church. In the article, the authors reach a dramatic point by asking whether a ‘fresh expression’ is indeed needed, in the light of an existing ‘Black expression’ of faith and lived religion in South Africa that has historically been ignored and stifled. The article concludes with a call to embrace Black Ecclesiology in the post-apartheid context. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article concludes with a call to embrace Black Ecclesiology in the post-apartheid context.
Source: Verbum et Ecclesia
Authors: Benjamin J. Aldous, Eugene Baron
Institutions: The Queen's Foundation, University of South Africa
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $605
Funder: Universiteit Stellenbosch
OpenAlex ID: W4403929969