Papers by Hermen Kroesbergen
International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 2022
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 2020
Philosophical Investigations, 2019
Far from being non-realism or antirealism, Wittgensteinian philosophy of religion shows the meani... more Far from being non-realism or antirealism, Wittgensteinian philosophy of religion shows the meaning of practices within which the whole weight is in the picture that God speaks. 'The authority of the community of believers determines what is the word of God' does not contradict 'God himself determines what is the word of God.' As is shown by an example of Peter Winch, the distinction between inside and outside perspectives on religious practices is already given in those practices themselves. Wittgensteinian philosophy of religion does justice to the independent reality of God, without the adjustments proposed by Stephen Mulhall and Andrew Moore.
Zygon®, 2018
This article argues for acknowledging the existence of an absolute distinction between faith and ... more This article argues for acknowledging the existence of an absolute distinction between faith and science. It is often assumed in the science-and-religion debate that such a distinction would be a-historical and un-contextual. After discussing this critique the analogy with love and facts will be used to bring out that an absolute distinction between faith and science may exist nonetheless. This contrast, however, does not imply compartmentalization. It is shown that the absolute distinction between faith and science is of crucial importance to understand the historical contexts that so many contributors to the science-and-religion debate refer to their argument against the approaches of independence or contrast. The article concludes that within our messy and complex practices there is an absolute distinction between faith and science-our historical contexts cannot be understood without it.
Neue Zeitschrift für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie, 2016
SummaryThis article deals with the question whether it is a problem to use a static imagery of vo... more SummaryThis article deals with the question whether it is a problem to use a static imagery of vocation. Four relatively recent systematic theological monographs by Volf, Badcock, Schuurman and Hahnenberg on the topic of vocation criticize the idea that God in heaven has a blueprint for every individual life. This static imagery is assumed to be too uniform, too passive and too conservative to suit the modern way of life. It will be shown, however, that these consequences do not necessarily follow. A static imagery of vocation may be applied in a pluralist, active, transformative world; and the proposed alternative of a dynamic imagery of gifts may lead to uniform, passive and conservative living. Therefore, theologians should distinguish between a picture and how it is used. In the final paragraph it will be argued that the imagery of vocation does not need to be salvaged from its static nature, since, the more static features our concept of vocation has, the more dynamic its use m...
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 2014
The controversy about the importance of eco-theology or creation spirituality seems to be in a de... more The controversy about the importance of eco-theology or creation spirituality seems to be in a deadlock. Those who support it and those who oppose it do not even seem to be able to communicate with one another. On the one hand, Celia Deane-Drummond, for example, writes in her Eco-theology (2008:x): ‘I find it astonishing that courses on eco-theology do not exist in many university departments of theology and religious studies.’ Matthew Fox desperately asks in his Creation spirituality (1991:xii): ‘Need I list the [environmental] issues of our day that go virtually unattended to in our culture?’ On the other hand, evangelical Christians are known for their ecological ‘blind spot’ (Davis 2000), until recently at least. Pentecostal proponents of the prosperity gospel preach a consumer-lifestyle for all Christians, which is not very eco-friendly (cf. Kroesbergen 2013). Even in more mainline Christianity we find, for example, the well-known theologian Robert Jenson who writes in his Syst...
The Language of Faith in Southern Africa: Spirit World, Power, Community, Holism, 2019
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on t... more Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on the work of Wittgensteinian philosopher D.Z. Phillips, he obtained a PhD in systematic theology from the Protestant Theological University in the Netherlands, investigating the relationship between systematic theology and ordinary language of faith from a Wittgensteinian perspective. He served for four years as a pastor in a congregation of the Protestant church in the Netherlands, and lectured in theology, philosophy and ethics at Justo Mwale University, Lusaka, in Zambia for six years. In Zambia, he became interested in African theology and the distinctive character of African language of faith. He published widely in leading international journals in theology and philosophy of religion, and he edited four books on contemporary themes in African theology with contributions from all over Southern Africa. I thank Dr Naomi Haynes and Dr Chammah Kaunda for their comments on a chapter of this book. I thank Sherri and Dustin Ellington, and Jolanda and Charles Cartwright for their comments and corrections of my English. And, finally, my wife, Johanneke: you are a part of this book every step of the way. Thank you for exploring the world together with me!
Journal of Southern African Studies, 2018
This account of religious change in Zambia discloses shifts in the ideas and practices of Christi... more This account of religious change in Zambia discloses shifts in the ideas and practices of Christian unity since independence. It shows that state-backed appeals, at times repressive, under the slogan 'one nation, one church' gave way to a series of alternatives in institutional ecumenism, leading towards a challenge to the very nature of ecumenism, grassroots as well as institutional. The new stress is on individual choice and personal services, and yet membership in congregations persistsa complex, even contradictory, situation here conceptualised as 'multiple devotions'. The disclosure in this article calls into question conventional views of the importance of schism in churches and brings certain current tendencies-'multiple devotions', 'charismatic transmission', 'mushrooming churches'into focus in relation to wider, even global, religious movements, including the impact of neo-Pentecostalism and the striking new efflorescence of evangelical bodies self-labelled as 'Ministries International', in an imported style. The analysis suggests that in many of the 'Ministries International' there is a turn from church membership with fellowship in a solidary congregation to an individualistic patron-client relationship between pastor and believer. Each Ministry presupposes an asymmetrical relationship: one person ministers to another. Instead of a group of people coming together, a Ministry International offers services to whoever is interested, often on a casual basis; and, although without any drive for older forms of church unity or usual aspirations for past forms of grassroots ecumenism, the Ministries International are widely perceived to be a force for interdenominational tolerance.
Religions, 2019
Religion in Africa is in many respects becoming religion without belief and community again, I wi... more Religion in Africa is in many respects becoming religion without belief and community again, I will argue in this article. Europeans arriving in Africa did not recognize African religion, because Africans did not have the kind of belief and community characteristic of European concepts of religion. Pentecostalization brings back this African concept of religion without worship groups defined by an adherence to a particular picture of the world, and I will show what this means at grassroots level. What matters in this concept of religion is whether something works rather than some implied truth-claims about the world. Instead of forming groups, Neo-Pentecostal ministries are more often organized around the vertical relationship between the man/woman of God and his/her client. The Pentecostalization of Christianity in Africa has led to a form of religion in which beliefs and community are not of central importance.
The Language of Faith in Southern Africa: Spirit World, Power, Community, Holism, 2019
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on t... more Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on the work of Wittgensteinian philosopher D.Z. Phillips, he obtained a PhD in systematic theology from the Protestant Theological University in the Netherlands, investigating the relationship between systematic theology and ordinary language of faith from a Wittgensteinian perspective. He served for four years as a pastor in a congregation of the Protestant church in the Netherlands, and lectured in theology, philosophy and ethics at Justo Mwale University, Lusaka, in Zambia for six years. In Zambia, he became interested in African theology and the distinctive character of African language of faith. He published widely in leading international journals in theology and philosophy of religion, and he edited four books on contemporary themes in African theology with contributions from all over Southern Africa. I thank Dr Naomi Haynes and Dr Chammah Kaunda for their comments on a chapter of this book. I thank Sherri and Dustin Ellington, and Jolanda and Charles Cartwright for their comments and corrections of my English. And, finally, my wife, Johanneke: you are a part of this book every step of the way. Thank you for exploring the world together with me!
The Language of Faith in Southern Africa: Spirit World, Power, Community, Holism, 2019
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on t... more Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on the work of Wittgensteinian philosopher D.Z. Phillips, he obtained a PhD in systematic theology from the Protestant Theological University in the Netherlands, investigating the relationship between systematic theology and ordinary language of faith from a Wittgensteinian perspective. He served for four years as a pastor in a congregation of the Protestant church in the Netherlands, and lectured in theology, philosophy and ethics at Justo Mwale University, Lusaka, in Zambia for six years. In Zambia, he became interested in African theology and the distinctive character of African language of faith. He published widely in leading international journals in theology and philosophy of religion, and he edited four books on contemporary themes in African theology with contributions from all over Southern Africa. I thank Dr Naomi Haynes and Dr Chammah Kaunda for their comments on a chapter of this book. I thank Sherri and Dustin Ellington, and Jolanda and Charles Cartwright for their comments and corrections of my English. And, finally, my wife, Johanneke: you are a part of this book every step of the way. Thank you for exploring the world together with me!
The Language of Faith in Southern Africa: Spirit World, Power, Community, Holism, 2019
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on t... more Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on the work of Wittgensteinian philosopher D.Z. Phillips, he obtained a PhD in systematic theology from the Protestant Theological University in the Netherlands, investigating the relationship between systematic theology and ordinary language of faith from a Wittgensteinian perspective. He served for four years as a pastor in a congregation of the Protestant church in the Netherlands, and lectured in theology, philosophy and ethics at Justo Mwale University, Lusaka, in Zambia for six years. In Zambia, he became interested in African theology and the distinctive character of African language of faith. He published widely in leading international journals in theology and philosophy of religion, and he edited four books on contemporary themes in African theology with contributions from all over Southern Africa. I thank Dr Naomi Haynes and Dr Chammah Kaunda for their comments on a chapter of this book. I thank Sherri and Dustin Ellington, and Jolanda and Charles Cartwright for their comments and corrections of my English. And, finally, my wife, Johanneke: you are a part of this book every step of the way. Thank you for exploring the world together with me!
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on t... more Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on the work of Wittgensteinian philosopher D.Z. Phillips, he obtained a PhD in systematic theology from the Protestant Theological University in the Netherlands, investigating the relationship between systematic theology and ordinary language of faith from a Wittgensteinian perspective. He served for four years as a pastor in a congregation of the Protestant church in the Netherlands, and lectured in theology, philosophy and ethics at Justo Mwale University, Lusaka, in Zambia for six years. In Zambia, he became interested in African theology and the distinctive character of African language of faith. He published widely in leading international journals in theology and philosophy of religion, and he edited four books on contemporary themes in African theology with contributions from all over Southern Africa. I thank Dr Naomi Haynes and Dr Chammah Kaunda for their comments on a chapter of this book. I thank Sherri and Dustin Ellington, and Jolanda and Charles Cartwright for their comments and corrections of my English. And, finally, my wife, Johanneke: you are a part of this book every step of the way. Thank you for exploring the world together with me!
The Language of Faith in Southern Africa: Spirit World, Power, Community, Holism, 2019
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on t... more Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands. After an MA thesis in philosophy of religion on the work of Wittgensteinian philosopher D.Z. Phillips, he obtained a PhD in systematic theology from the Protestant Theological University in the Netherlands, investigating the relationship between systematic theology and ordinary language of faith from a Wittgensteinian perspective. He served for four years as a pastor in a congregation of the Protestant church in the Netherlands, and lectured in theology, philosophy and ethics at Justo Mwale University, Lusaka, in Zambia for six years. In Zambia, he became interested in African theology and the distinctive character of African language of faith. He published widely in leading international journals in theology and philosophy of religion, and he edited four books on contemporary themes in African theology with contributions from all over Southern Africa. I thank Dr Naomi Haynes and Dr Chammah Kaunda for their comments on a chapter of this book. I thank Sherri and Dustin Ellington, and Jolanda and Charles Cartwright for their comments and corrections of my English. And, finally, my wife, Johanneke: you are a part of this book every step of the way. Thank you for exploring the world together with me!
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
There is sun that we're enjoying. Thank you so much for the environment, the trees that we see, L... more There is sun that we're enjoying. Thank you so much for the environment, the trees that we see, Lord. Thank you so much for the life that we see even in the smallest creature. We thank you for the life.' (03 May 2020, Pastor Chifundo) Contribution: This article clarifies the important idea of nature within the context of African theology. It brings out how the meaning of holism and sacredness in African settings differs from the meaning of these ideas in Western eco-theological contexts. Hereby, it untangles important confusions in the field of eco-theology.
Utafiti
Wittgensteinian philosophy is needed to make sense of the strange practices in neo-Pentecostal re... more Wittgensteinian philosophy is needed to make sense of the strange practices in neo-Pentecostal religion that have been in the news in recent years. Other philosophical approaches have argued that spirits and miracles are fake, or real, or reasonable; but this misses the important question of what kind of reality is at stake here. The Wittgensteinian practice of providing hints and reminders clarifies the kind of reality that is implied in a particular context on a deeper level. By introducing this ethnographically informed philosophical approach, it can be shown that the kind of reality involved in this strange religion is that of a response to experiences of a world full of contingency, uncertainty, and chance.
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies
If you disrespect any leader, God will bring you down. If you kneel down to any leader appointed ... more If you disrespect any leader, God will bring you down. If you kneel down to any leader appointed by God, God will uplift you […]. So I am coming to serve the President. (n.p.) Earlier that year, the same President had initiated a Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs, and the newly appointed Minister considers the President also to be 'a man of God, he hears God, he has been obedient to God to create the Ministry' (Kaunda 2018:236). 'Religion and politics have been linked throughout African history', Stephen Ellis and Gerrie ter Haar (1998:187) observe. In itself there is nothing special about this connection; in Europe or the United States, politicians use religion as well to gain popular support. There is something different in Africa, however. Ellis and Ter Haar (1998) continue: In many cases [African politicians] also believe that access to the spiritual world is a vital resource in their constant struggle to secure advantage over their rivals in political in-fighting. (p. 188) Religion or the spiritual world is more than a tool to mobilise people for African leaders; it is the resource for their power itself. From the common African perspective, the spirit world, whether it is Christian, Muslim or traditional in nature, determines who will become a leader, and the spirit world inspires what this leader should do. In these two ways, the spirit world is even more important for African leaders than for European or American leaders. Leadership in Africa is inextricably connected to the spirit world. Leaders may be chosen through elections or other human processes, but ultimately, they are seen as appointed by God. Leaders may base their decisions upon science or intuition, but ultimately, they let themselves be inspired by revelations from the spiritual realm. Yet, what is meant by the spirit world in this respect? In this article, a new way is explored for investigating what references to the spirit world mean. Instead of discussing which theoretical concept applies to the kind of reality spirits have, or what analogy fits spirits, I demonstrate that we can discover what it means to speak of the spirit world by investigating what we already know about it before theoretical labels and comparisons. Such a Wittgensteinian approach in line with the re-emerging brand of ethnographically informed philosophy of religion enhances our understanding of what kind of reality the spirit world has. If you see leadership as being empowered by the spirit world, this is not a choice, option or interpretation, but you cannot see it any other way. Contribution: This article contributes to a better understanding of the kind of reality that the spirit world has, in particular in an African context. The topic of leadership in Africa is used here to illustrate how this kind of reality is often misunderstood. A clear understanding of the kind of reality of the spirit world is indispensable for a proper investigation of Christianity in Africa and religion in general.
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Papers by Hermen Kroesbergen