Apart from the fieldwork, this study also relied on information from the body of literature in the broader lines of a multidisciplinary direction. The researcher
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developed his thinking around this exercise after coming across the work of Van Engen and Tiersma (1994: 251) who recommend that:
Christians borrow from sociology, anthropology, economics, urbanology, the study of Christianity and religious pluralism in the city, psychological issues urbanism, and a host of other cognitive disciplines. This makes them come to a more particular contextual understanding of the city in terms of hermeneutic of the reality in which they minister...this calls to hear the cries, see the faces, understand the stories, and respond to the living needs and hope of people.
The researcher therefore consulted different areas of the literature using that bottom line. Special considerations in this exercise became essentially to read publications which help to create an interface between the Christian faith and development theories that promote sustainable community well-being in general. Different areas which were consulted form part of the key headings presented below.
1.6.6.1 PUBLICATIONS ON THE WESLEYAN TRADITION
The first area from the literature is publications that interact with the Wesleyan tradition. The main goal in consulting these publications was to come up with a bigger picture which describes the centrality of Wesleyan teachings and their implications in the urban church and mission practices. On the basis of his rationale, the researcher read the tradition in a broader urban social context with some considerations. This process then made the researcher think that the homelessness phenomenon cannot be debated in isolation from of other social issues. It should rather be located in a broader urban framework for a holistic understanding of the dynamics behind it.
In this respect the researcher acknowledges the contribution of Le Roux (2001:40- 49), one of the local Methodists who interprets Wesley’s social ethics as an invitation to the urban church to empower urban poor people. He believes that Wesley’s ethics materially contributed toward changing the living conditions of poor people in England in the 18th century, hence his motivation to think of the current South African poverty situation experienced by urban poor people. He also argues that besides Wesley’s “greater concern” to spread “scriptural holiness over the land”, Wesley also
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made significant advances in caring for poor people through the distribution of clothes, care of widows and medical assistance, as well as loan funds.
Le Roux’s presentation is in actual fact an attempt to read Wesleyanism as a serious urban ecclesial response to urban poverty in general, through various interventions. However, he firstly does not engage the same question the researcher poses about a mutual journey between the urban church and the poorest of the poor, who include homeless people in their struggle to achieve fuller humanity. Secondly, the researcher’s view is that a Wesleyan alternative vision of holiness and the expression of Christian hospitality is not brought into scrutiny as a guiding principle to develop alternative strategies for both the inner city church and homeless people to achieve mutual transformation. This concern is developed in Chapters Four and Five, as the researcher’s contribution towards a broader urban theological framework that addresses inner city homeless people.
As the researcher continues to recapture the centrality of the Wesleyan tradition, Pohl (2007:7-31) is an inspiration. She presents teachings about the experience of holiness and Christian hospitality in relation to human oppression and vulnerability. This is clearly observed through her attempt to incorporate in her research Wesley’s concerns which led him to “practicing hospitality in the face of ‘complicated wickedness’ or ‘complicated misery’.” Pohl addresses the sinister circumstances surrounding the slave trade which hurt the victims immensely, as reflected in Chapter Four.
It is this same concern which guides the researcher to go further and explore the Wesleyan implications of Christian hospitality in relation to welcoming those who are wounded in the community and branded as strangers. To expand this idea, Pohl introduces practising acts of kindness in the form of conducting regular visits to poor and sick people to offer them the necessary support. Recording Wesley’s own instructions, Pohl (2007:22) states that “visiting had to do with going to poor people – where they lived or could be found – in order to render aid.”
From Pohl’s reflections, however, the researcher struggles to find the Wesleyan link to the ecclesial engagement in urban mission practices which encourage both the
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urban church and poor people to journey together as a strategy to address homelessness. The researcher observes that Pohl is not reading Wesleyanism down to the point of connecting the expression of holiness and hospitality with justice, in the light of Methodists’ active role in eradicating slavery in Britain. The work of Collins (2003:210) pays attention to this contribution, citing Wesley’s own words: “give liberty to whom liberty is due, that is to every child of man, to every partaker of human nature.” Out of this achievement, Chilcote (2004:95) gives more credit to Wesleyanism, believing that it is oriented towards “transformational vocational mission.” He challenges the church to accept Jesus’ invitation to participate in “a new age of peace with justice founded upon the reckless abandonment of power and self.” Chilcote (2004:115) reminds Wesleyans that “it should be no surprise, therefore, that the servant ministry of early Methodist people was a mission lived out in solidarity with those people who were shut out, neglected and thrown away.” Smith (2007:104) is also in support of this contribution by the church, entering into solidarity with the poor and vulnerable people. “Paul’s quest of a holy church” is the creative way he describes Wesleyanism (:104):
In a Wesleyan context the practice of hospitality takes the Body of Christ beyond the familiar and the safe so that the people of God might serve those who have been pushed to the fragile edges of society where people exist only a step or two away from the kingdom of darkness. Wesley’s principle is made clear in his sermon “On Zeal:” The Christian should “show his zeal for works of piety; but much more for works of mercy. Even reading, hearing, prayer, is to be omitted, or to be postponed...
Judging from all these sources attributed to Wesleyan interpreters, Wesley’s understanding of holiness cannot be separated from the expression of hospitality. The values of “justice” and “solidarity” are introduced to address the situation of people “pushed to the fragile edges of society.” The researcher’s conversation with the Wesleyan tradition builds on this whole foundation of holiness and hospitality to develop alternative strategies for both urban churches and homeless people to work together towards transformation. A special contribution to this study is also derived from the centrality of Wesley’s teaching which Marsh et al. (2004:206) also reflect on, namely that Methodism is not known for grand buildings or for any kind of theological aesthetics. It is rather known as a movement which was true to its founder, who
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engaged in significant counter-cultural Christian praxis and thus became a catalyst for change.
1.6.6.2 PUBLICATIONS ON ECCLESIOLOGY AND URBAN MISSIOLOGY
The second area of literature includes publications on ecclesiology and urban mission practices. The researcher’s intent in engaging this area was to create an interface between the Wesleyan tradition and urban ecumenical practices which embody the urban theological framework in response to the challenges faced by urban poor people in general. This specific enquiry is reflected in a number of local urban researchers, including one from Mutavhatsindi who deals with Church planting
in the Southern African Urban Context – with special reference to the role of the Reformed Church Tshiawelo. Mutavhatsindi (2009:91-98) develops his urban
theological design using six South African cities, namely Bloemfontein, Kimberly, Cape Town, East London, Port Elizabeth, and Durban. He points out that there are many poor people who are moving to these cities and the motivating factors behind this influx are classified into political, economic, and social issues. When they arrive in these cities, due to lack of jobs as a result of lack of skills, they end up on the streets without any means of survival, and some of them start seeking alternative means of survival which are not necessary good practices, e.g. criminal activities, while others get forced into habits such as prostitution and substance abuse.
Whereas his research does not geographically incorporate the City of Tshwane, his presentation on the church and its involvement in urban mission aligns with the theoretical principle of missio Dei and missiones ecclesiae which was introduced earlier in this study (section 1.3.2.5). Equally important, his use of “urban context”, “Biblical text” and “faith community” is based on the method of a Pastoral Circle, which was also introduced in this chapter (sub-section 1.5). This principle is developed theologically to stimulate the researcher’s thought on the urban church obeying God’s call into mission, working towards widening its practices to achieve a more holistic community transformation.
In integrating the above insights, another research study consulted on the same enquiry of urban ecclesiology and missiology is that of Ntshumayelo (2005). In his
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research, Ntshumayelo (2005:260-265) limited himself to the Orange Farm area, located approximately 45 km from the City of Johannesburg. A careful examination of the facts from his research helps to raise a question of theological concern whether the church has understood its mission among the urban poor people. From Chapter Six of his study, he advances three main views in relation to the urban church’s strategies:
1. Evangelism: the research states that “deeds of kindness done to the poor are never sufficient in and of themselves. The greatest kindness that the church can show to person is to point that person to Jesus...” (Matthew 9:2).
2. Discipleship: in addition to the evangelism dimension, discipleship in the city implies among other things taking responsibility “to eliminate squalor, slums and every depression condition that dishonour God by degrading human life.”
3. Incarnational ministry is emphasised in Ntshumayelo’s research to recommend how the city church should conduct itself among the poor people. This same philosophy of incarnational ministry in city mission appears in another study conducted by Phiri, Ross and Cox (1996:16) under the title The
Role of Christianity in Development, Peace, and Reconstruction: Southern Perspectives. An incarnational church is prepared for a bonding relationship
with poor people:
It involves entering into a relationship with the poor people, and so surrendering some of one’s own autonomy and sense of power in being able to identify what needs to be done and take steps to make a difference. It means offering what one has and is for their use.
It is to be acknowledged that Ntshumayelo raises a paradigm of urban missiological approach informed by the theological light of Christian incarnation and this insight is not spelled out by his counterpart, Mutavhatsindi. The idea of an incarnational church in urban mission greatly fascinates the researcher and in his opinion it fits together with Christian hospitality, seeking to identify with the most vulnerable people. Theologically, this correlation expands the researcher’s intellectual horizons to build a model which encourages the urban church to become a humble servant and to
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consider building a relationship with the homeless people in the inner city of Tshwane. Out of this encounter, a language of hope is emerging for both the urban church and homeless people, to face each other in a mutual journey and such a journey provides a foundation for the homeless people to pursue their own goal of transformation.
To avoid limiting the study to local views only, the researcher also looked at models from international urban missiological practices, because the inner city of Tshwane, where the current research took place, is also part of the urban global setting. The researcher is interested in Davey (2001:9), an Anglican minister from London (UK), and his urban vision “to engage with the reality of life in urban areas at the beginning of the twenty-first century.” Davey (2001:52) communicates his vision with an underlying principle of “renegotiating the city”, because “too often the planners have been solely concerned with issues of infrastructure in design, assuming community will follow and not engaging with the community that will fill that space.”
To unshackle this imbalance, Davey (2001:72-73) introduces “a space for justice” and “contesting Jerusalem” (city) because “God’s new order is about the reclamation of human space as the arena for economic and social justice.” He reaches this inference after consulting Brueggemann (1977:194), who says that “the radicalness of this ministry is of course the calling into question those norms and values which serve to enfranchise and disenfranchise” community individuals.
Out of this consensus, one realises that the issue of justice mentioned in the previous sub-section is a rich concept in the urban ecclesial involvement in mission practices and is linked to the fight for urban space to benefit poor people. A valid reason advanced for this value to be fostered in the church is rightly argued in a conversation between Bonhoeffer (2005:92-97) and De Gruchy (2014:26):
…the church is called to be the servant of the world not its lord, a redemptive church of grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation, a church of solidarity with all who seek the wholeness of life, and especially those who suffer and are oppressed… Conformity to the risen Christ means that the Church is always a community of hope, of new life, of transformation. It is within this Christological paradigm that the identity of the church emerges
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as it is faithful to the leading of the Spirit in witnessing to the coming of God’ reign.
In responding to the above expectations of the church in light of urban mission practices, the researcher reemphasises the principles of “grace”, “forgiveness”, “reconciliation” and “solidarity” with oppressed people in order for them to experience “wholeness of life.” The Wesleyan tradition is distinctly rooted in this paradigm which seeks holistic transformation of the poor and vulnerable people through practising “perfect love,” as discussed in Chapter Four. Cobb (1997:66) clarifies that the holiness which John Wesley promoted had a radical social focus on how the individual related to others in love, to promote a just and peaceful society for all people to find fulfilment: “The social gospel movement called for personal dedication and sacrifice for the cause.”
1.6.6.3 PUBLICATIONS ON ISSUES OF URBAN POVERTY AND
HOMELESSNESS
In selecting a third area of publications to inform this study, the researcher focused on the urban context which is characterised by multidimensional problems that homeless people face on a daily basis. This located homelessness in a broader view of urban community development planning dedicated to poverty alleviation. The researcher was inspired by a metaphor from Wilson and Ramphele (1989:123-129) about “uprooting poverty.” The authors argue that poverty is a trigger for a myriad of issues, including powerlessness and vulnerability associated with the urban housing crisis, environment crisis, squatter shack, overcrowding in urban dwellings, hunger, and health deterioration. Looking at the extent to which poor people become deeply affected, Wilson and Ramphele (1989:4-5) point out that urban poverty should be uprooted from the community due to the fact that “it inflicts the damage upon the individuals who must endure it.”
The implication of the above metaphor in this current study is that homelessness viewed as a manifestation of poverty should be uprooted in an understanding that it also uproots poor people by forcing them into a deplorable life on the streets and sidewalks without social support. A reference is here made to Swilling et al. (1991:322-333), who strongly argue that as long as unbalanced policies do not
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receive a priority in urban planning, human vulnerability will prevail. It is clear that in different terms, the researchers are inclined to advocate policy change. The research’s understanding here is a voice of justice which is promoted through the “third generation” strategy for development action developed by Korten (1990:114- 115). Whereas his first generation is about short-term solutions through relief programmes to respond to poverty, his second generation compels a community agent to consider involving poor people in problem solving and in “self-help projects”. The abovementioned third generation seeks policy change, and is further about the enhancement of structures for long-term systematic change, focusing on issues of justice to promote the rights of poor people. The fourth generation of development approaches is constructed in such a way that an agent of development will be committed to the networking and mobilising of “people’s movements”, rallying together to address community issues. To give a broader picture of these generation strategies, Swart (2006:133) uses the following diagram:
Table 1.4: Korten’s four generation strategies for NGO development action
First Generation Second Generation Third Generation Fourth Generation Defining features Relief and welfare Community development Sustainable systems development People’s movement Problem definition
Shortage Local inertia Institutional and policy constraints
Inadequate mobilising
Time frame Immediate Project lifespan 10-20 years Indefinite future Scope Individual of family/household Neighbourhood or village All relevant public and private institutions National or global
Main actors NGO NGO plus
community All relevant public and private Loosely defined networks of
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institutions people and organisations
Role of NGO Doer Mobiliser Catalyst Activist and
educator Management Orientation Logistic management Project management Strategic management Coalescing and energising networks Development education
Starving people Community self-help Constraining policies and institutions Spaceship earth
Source: Adapted from Swart (2006:133).
Although Korten’s fourth generation is not directly reflected in the main research question of this study, it is essential for the reflection in Chapter Five to imagine strategies for both the church and homeless people in the inner city of Tshwane, working together to respond to homelessness. From the early paragraphs, the researcher has already indicated in which ways it is distinct from the first three generations. The main reason Swart (2000:146) adapts it in his research is because of its emphasis on a “people-centred” and “shared vision” approach to address issues that affect communities. Importantly, Mpumlwana (1994:71) recommends that the local church, regarded as “a voluntary organization,” should take advantage of the fourth generation to build more networks with grass roots organisations to empower poor people: “The task of a voluntary organization is to promote networks of common values which build a people-based vision, allowing for the empowering participation of all people without limitation.”
The fourth generation in this study is adapted to empower homeless people to organise themselves to address their issues by themselves, rather than the church and its partners opting to do things for them, which will amount to Korten’s first generation and which encourages dependency. It is also important for the church to journey with homeless people in this process. In Chapter Four it is pointed out that
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Wesleyan Societies and Classes were structured to achieve such results. The Works
of John Wesley edited by Rack (2011:226) reflects that even children were organised