The pastor as spiritual mediator between God and the congregation: Corruptions of the relationships of the ‘under-shepherd’, the ‘flock’ and the ‘chief shepherd’ in a Zambian context and their implications for spiritual maturity

HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies

 
 
Field Value
 
Title The pastor as spiritual mediator between God and the congregation: Corruptions of the relationships of the ‘under-shepherd’, the ‘flock’ and the ‘chief shepherd’ in a Zambian context and their implications for spiritual maturity
 
Creator Nyirenda, Misheck
 
Subject Pentecostal Theology; Sociology; Cultural Studies; Biblical Exegesis; Spirituality shepherd; good shepherd, under-shepherd; flock; mediator; congregation
Description This article examined an ecclesiology that has led to the administrative and spiritual subjugation of members of local assemblies as God’s will and modus operandi under the New Covenant. The article will help adherents to re-examine the conclusions of the ecclesiology through a careful exegesis of the texts used in support. This article aimed at highlighting to Christians the potential dangers of this ecclesiology. It provided an analysis that can be consulted by any Christian who has been affected by this ecclesiology. This article examined a specific articulation of the teachings supporting a new ecclesiology and its bases in a local assembly in Lusaka, Zambia, during a ‘re-envisioning’ process. The author participated in this process, purchased the videos, transcribed the teachings and used them as his primary research data. The research was based on transcriptions of a series of teachings that were recorded in video format. The author explored key themes in the teachings, identified the texts used in support, examined those texts by critically using the historical-critical method and drew conclusions. A careful examination of the ecclesiology and the texts used as its proof-texts showed that it was based on flawed exegesis of the texts. The ecclesiology extracted from the transcripts was based on grounds other than careful interpretation of the texts used. The outcomes of this study were that proponents of this ecclesiology must find biblical texts that support it, or consider it to be wrongly derived doctrine.Contribution: The primary contribution of this article is re-examination of a specific teaching that is purportedly derived from the Bible, through a critical analysis of the texts used in its support. The article fits with the scope of the journal to be a critical forum for theological reflection and praxis.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2021-07-07
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Historical Inquiry; Literary Analysis; Qualitative Social Research
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/hts.v77i4.6349
 
Source HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies; Vol 77, No 4 (2021); 9 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/6349/18379 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/6349/18380 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/6349/18381 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/6349/18382
 
Coverage Zambia; Africa Modern Missionary Movement to Africa; National churches; African theologies Theology; Indigenous Theology; Syncretism
Rights Copyright (c) 2021 Misheck Nyirenda https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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