Rethinking the past to manage the future: Participating in complex contexts informed by biblical perspectives

HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Rethinking the past to manage the future: Participating in complex contexts informed by biblical perspectives
 
Creator Gous, Ignatius G.P.
 
Subject — Complexity theory; Fourth Industrial Revolution; 4IR; Creativity; Genesis 1; Lamentations 4; COVID-19 pandemic; Face masks
Description Change is the new normal, but so it has been for ages. Experience to navigate change is something you get just after you needed it, unless you tap into age-old experience. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is bringing about wide-ranging changes. With people having to adjust, the question is whether Christianity, with its roots in preindustrial times, may support people to navigate these changes. This conceptual article focusses on the relationships amongst constructs, exploring logical arguments about how these constructs are associated. The 4IR is briefly described from differing vantage points, as to whether it is a valid description thereof. Whether a revolution or evolution, it is a complex system, and therefore the theory of complex systems is used, with the conclusion that one may merely participate in such systems. Being novel situations, one needs to participate creatively, based on a cognitive understanding of creativity. Creative solutions do not materialise out of thin air but are the novel use of existing knowledge structures. Christian traditions include institutional memories of how people managed situations of radical change, as reflected in Genesis 1 and Lamentations 4. These passages provide building blocks that may be used in creative coping strategies during times of change. Both passages suggest the strategy to juxtapose order and chaos, and borrowing from that, a ‘Grip-Grapple-Grow’ scaffolding system is suggested. To test the usability thereof, the issue of face masks during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic was touched upon, to evaluate how the interplay amongst 4IR, disruption, (Christian) beliefs and technological advancement may play out.Contribution: The Fourth Industrial Revolution is speeding up the pace of change, with people having to adapt. This article explores processes of change management, juxtaposing the theory of complex systems, the cognitive science understanding of creativity and institutional memories afforded by some Christian traditions reflecting on how people managed order and chaos.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2021-01-25
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/hts.v77i3.6316
 
Source HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies; Vol 77, No 3 (2021); 13 pages 2072-8050 0259-9422
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/6316/17020 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/6316/17019 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/6316/17021 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/6316/17018
 
Coverage — Current n/a
Rights Copyright (c) 2021 Ignatius G.P. Gous https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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