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Postmodern societies are increasingly characterized by a hyperpluralism that coincides with an interdependence between social spheres and structures. Actions in one sphere of life often impinge on other spheres of life. This leads to a consistent and endemic conflict between the social dynamics of plurality and the need for social unity. The symbiotic political theory of Johannes Althusius (1557–1638), which attempts to preserve unity through organized plurality, might be helpful in addressing the plurality/unity conundrum so characteristic of postmodern societies. Central to this approach are the anthropological and political notions of symbiosis, association, communication, and sharing. After providing some background to Althusius's thought, this article discusses his symbiotic anthropology and explicates his symbiotic political theory. The article concludes by identifying five features of Althusius's political theory that might be helpful to contemporary postmodern society.

Several authoritative studies have indicated that Western people are currently experiencing a loss of meaning. This article states that this collective sense of loss of meaning is partly due to the fragmentation of Western rationality. It attempts to identify historical-philosophical factors that might have contributed to Western society's sense of the loss of meaning. Several shifts in Western history are identified and their contribution to the ultimate fragmentation of Western rationality is discussed. The shifts identified are the rise of voluntarism and nominalism, the effects of the Rennaisance and Reformation on Western society, the development of an autonomous anthropology, the rise of an immanent political and economical order, the surge in materialist ideologies in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, and the epistemological shift from modernism to postmodernism. The shift from realism to voluntarism and nominalism led to a greater separation between the transcendent and immanent realms and also a pursuit of instrumental rationality, while the Reformation and Renaissance brought about an emphasis on will, freedom and the reconstruction of society. The Enlightenment created an autonomous anthropology, that coincided with the construction of a purely immanent frame of reference that can function independently of God, while the transcendent becomes a domain outside the boundaries of human reason. Ethics are now founded in the human will, religion is purified from myths and supernatural concepts and Christian humanism is steadily being replaced by what Charles Taylor calls "exclusive humanism". The autonomous anthropology developed by Enlightenment thinkers would necessarily lead to the rise of an immanent political and social order. The traditional theocratic political order that was embedded in a higher sacral order is now replaced by an immanent social order founded on rights and horizontal humanism; a new kind of individualism originates that emphasises self-interest and the exchange of goods for mutual benefit; progress becomes a central societal ideal and greater differentiation takes place because a variety of rationalities in the public sphere are acknowledged that compete with one another. In the greater differentiation, individualism and pluralism that emanate from the construction of a new political and economic order we find the origins of the later fragmentation of Western reason, because all of of these social phenomena create fluid identities. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries were characterised by the rise of materialist ideologies such as Marxism, Communism, Social Darwinism and Capitalism. All of these ideologies are undergirded by an underlying will to power. The dangerous downside of Marxism, Communism and Social Darwinism manifested itself in the twentieth century in bloody revolutions, ethnic cleansings, genocide, two World Wars and a Cold War. Capitalism enhanced global inequality and contributed directly to the destruction of natural resources. The last big shift can be described as epistemological in nature and is constituted by the rise of postmodernism after the Second World War. Postmodernism is characterised by fragmented rationality, to such a degree that comprehensive systems of truth that provide all-encompassing explanations for reality have totally disintegrated. Various factors have contributed to this fragmentation such as the horrific results of global conflicts in the twentieth century, the nature of modernism itself, processes of pluralism and globalisation and developments within the natural sciences. The "death" of hegemonic notions of truth and the fragmentation of rationality inevitably cause instability and a sense of meaninglessness. The article concludes that Western people's collective sense of loss of meaning is systemic in nature and cannot merely be ascribed to psychological attributes or temporary social factors. This "systemic" problem needs to be addressed by the social sciences through the development of a new kind of rationality that averts disintegration ; http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_serial&pid=0041-4751&lng=en ; http://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/tvg/v53n1/03.pdf

This article discusses the GKSA's (Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika) use of article 30 CO during the apartheid era. The central theoretical argument is that the GKSA Synods gave a Kuyperian content to the expression 'ecclesiastical affairs in an ecclesiastical manner' in article 30 CO, and this enabled them to evade sensitive political issues. The article states that the Kuyperian ecclesiology contains serious deficiencies and proposes that the relevant expression must rather be interpreted from the perspective of God's kingdom, because the church is a sign and instrument of God's kingdom on earth that anticipates the kingdom of God. 'Ecclesiastical affairs' ought to refer to all religious-ethical, social-ethical and spiritual issues that pertain to the principles of God's kingdom, while 'ecclesiastical manner' ought to depict the church's unique way of dealing with matters through witness, confession and proclamation

Migration is an issue that is under discussion worldwide and affects South Africa, the United States of America and Germany in a distinctive way. This book reflects academically on this significant and topical subject of migration from the often neglected perspective of the fields of theology and Christian ethics. While the majority of contributions are from the South African context, there are also chapters reflecting on the topic from the other two aforementioned contexts. While numerous publications have recently appeared on the subject, reflection from theology and Christian ethics are often lacking. As such, this scholarly publication wants to add ethical value to the local and global conversations on the theme from a theological perspective. The book reflects on migration from the perspectives originated in the disciplines of biblical studies (the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament), systematic theology, ecumenical studies, Christian ethics, practical theology, and missiology. It presents new and innovative inquiries primarily from a qualitative methodological viewpoint. The book unveils new themes for deliberation and provides novel interpretations and insights into existing research.