Abstract

VAN NIEKERK, PI. God and poverty in the Karoo - A reflection on a theology of transformation. STJ [online]. 2015, vol.1, n.1, pp.321-343. ISSN 2413-9467.  https://doi.org/10.17570/STJ.2015.V1N1.A16.

The Karoo is an outstretched arid area characterised by poverty and underdevelopment. This article focuses on the poverty of the Karoo people and the effect of their faith in God on social development and transformation. The future of the Karoo is vested in its people and religious communities. Previous research indicated that believers' image of God had an effect on their attitude towards social development and transformation. A small sample of women in a Karoo town experienced God as loving, but not as a God that inspired people towards transformation. The test for the church lies in her social involvement in the world as its salvation is God's concern. In Christian humanism the integrity of creation in a world filled with injustice and poverty is emphasised. Churches in the Karoo are encouraged to utilise a theology of transformation that is developmentally driven and inspired by a transforming image of God.

Keywords : People of the Karoo; Image of God; Transformation; Poverty; Church; Earthiness; Justice.

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