Godfrey Harold
Biographic Data
| ID | 6933995 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Godfrey Harold |
| GIVEN NAMES | Godfrey |
| FAMILY NAME | Harold |
| SIGNATURE | HAROLD G |
| AFFILIATIONS | Stellenbosch University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6609-9651 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 4 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 16 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Global South Theology as Theological and Missiological Imperative
As of 2025, approximately 69% of the world’s 2.64 billion Christians reside in the Global South, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, yet theological education and academic discourse remain anchored in Eurocentric epistemologies. This article addresses that gap through a constructive theological synthesis integrating demographic, postcolonial, missiological, and ecclesial evidence. It advances a four-pillar argument for the necessity of Global South …
Theosis- Evangelicalism and Orthodoxy in Dialogue
The doctrine of theosis, or deification, is a foundational to Eastern Orthodox soteriology and has emerged as a central topic in contemporary ecumenical discourse. This article synthesises principal objections to theosis from a mainstream evangelical perspective and provides a scholarly rebuttal grounded in patristic evidence. The evangelical critique is systematically outlined, focuses on four primary areas of perceived incompatibility: soteriol…
A Critical Understanding of Thomas Jay Oord’s Kenotic Theism versus Classical Theism- Two Fundamentally Different Concepts of God
This article argues that the theological framework proposed by Thomas Jay Oord, particularly his concepts of "uncontrolling love" and a kenotic, risk-taking God, is not a mere reinterpretation or development of classical theism but represents a fundamental and irreconcilable departure from its core metaphysical tenets. Classical theism is defined by its commitment to divine omnipotence as absolute power, divine impassibility, immutability, and at…
Theological Trajectories of Liberation- A Comparative Analysis of Liberation Theology and Integral Mission in Latin America and their Resonance in South Africa
This paper undertakes a comprehensive exploration of two seminal theological movements that emerged from Latin America in the twentieth century: Liberation Theology and Integral Mission. It delineates their distinct historical origins, core theological tenets, and methodological approaches to social transformation. The analysis proceeds to a comparative investigation, by charting the significant points of convergence and divergence between Libera…
Critical Contextualization and Identity Negotiation
The article examines the contextual missiological approaches needed to effectively reach the Indian diaspora by highlighting the various cultural, religious, and identity challenges faced by Indian migrants. The author critiques traditional missiological frameworks, advocating for strategies that acknowledge the cultural heritage of Indian migrants to communicate the Gospel effectively. The paper proposes a descriptive qualitative methodology tha…
Polity of the New Apostolic Movement considering Biblical and Historical Precedents in the Christian Church
The New Apostolic Movement (NAM) is marked by two tenets: the legitimacy of the ministry of modern-day apostles and “theocratic single-headship” of churches by apostolic leaders. There is a lack of specialized research regarding the polity of NAM networks and NAM churches. What is the polity of the New Apostolic Movement and how can that polity be evaluated in the light of biblical and historical precedents? New research found that local-church p…
Reuniting Humanity and the Cosmos in Barth's Theology
Using literature, this article argues that Karl Barth's (1886 –1968 CE) concept of an "assumed fall" could be helpful if applied to the cosmos and humanity. Barth's conception of the created order is that it is perfect exactly the way it is, natural disasters included. Further, the fall did not affect the creation. Barth does however argue for fallen humanity. Nevertheless, the fall is assumed in the Election of Jesus Christ. There was never a ti…
A study on the lived experience of Koinōnia in a post-apartheid, post-Armstrong congregation
The triune God reaches from within his perichoretic unity (Eugenio, 2014:156), into his creation, inviting all of humanity to participate in the Triune community of “shared participation—a participation together—in the perichoretic community of Trinitarian persons” (Grenz, 2003:268). Within this community, humanity finds it is made-in-God’s-image value and can live in the freedom of God’s communion (Knight, 2007:1).This article considers the expe…
Compassionate Acts as Missional Theosis
The Church is God's agency to bring about well-being in the world (Harold, 2018a). This bringing out of well-being to humanity call for an understanding of justice and compassion through a missional reading of the Bible and its intersection with "actions" of the Evangelical Church in post-apartheid South Africa. The aim of this article is two-fold, the first, is to examine the praxis of the Evangelical Church and its relevance to the marginalised…
Developing an African Evangelical Theology
Evangelicalism in Africa is an export of American theology and therefore considered inadequate for the African situation because it is shaped by Western culture. onsequently, I argue that Evangelical theology contains cultural elements from the dominant cultures of the West that apply only to those cultures. This article argues that if Evangelical theology is relevant in Africa, it must consider the cultural context. In most cases, references to …
Faith, Hope and Love
Evangelicalism in South Africa does not have the luxury of operating according to a modernistic epistemology if it is to be relevant in a secular, post-Christian South African context. People want to live in peace, and the issue is how the Evangelical Church can contribute to nation-building. This article attempts to reframe the theological understanding of reconciliation by adding to Western Evangelicalism's presuppositions that focus predominat…
An Investigation on Demonic influences on human beings
It is not always easy when first approaching a troubled person to know the source of their distress. For instance, how does one differentiate between demonic possession and demonic oppression? Is there a difference? This article contends that there is a difference, and an explanation of this will be presented in this chapter. The article will probe the differences between demonic influence and psychological disorders because they can present with…
The Place and Meaning of Suffering in Evangelical Theology
The Evangelical view of God is rooted in Orthodox Theology. The article posits that it is within the classical understanding of God that Christians can find their best resources for dealing with the problem of evil from theological, practical and even philosophical perspectives. The present suffering that COVID-19 has brought to the world requires us to answer the question, ‘what on earth is God doing?’ With over two million officially recorded d…
God, Doctrine Immutability, unchangeableness, simplicity, Orthodox, evangelical, open theism
In recent years the doctrine of the immutability of God has come under attack within Evangelicalism from the adherents of process theology and open theism, who claim that the doctrine of immutability is based on an Aristotelian philosophy concerning God. This article engages a literary investigation to prove that the doctrine of God's immutability as understood within Evangelicalism finds its tradition within Christian orthodoxy. In an endeavour …
God’s Omnipotence
The omnipotence of God can be defined as the perfect ability of God to do all things that are consistent with the divine character. Open theists see God as one who is influenced as God interacts with human beings in time and space (temporally). Thus, for Open Theists, God is affected and influenced by the world. This paper revisits the historical, biblical and theological grounds for the doctrine of omnipotence with the aim of re-establishing the…
From Cane Cutters to Church Planters
Polity of the New Apostolic Movement considering Biblical and Historical Precedents in the Christian Church
The New Apostolic Movement (NAM) is marked by two tenets: the legitimacy of the ministry of modern-day apostles and “theocratic single-headship” of churches by apostolic leaders. There is a lack of specialized research regarding the polity of NAM networks and NAM churches. What is the polity of the New Apostolic Movement and how can that polity be evaluated in the light of biblical and historical precedents? New research found that local-church p…
A study on the lived experience of Koinōnia in a post-apartheid, post-Armstrong congregation
The triune God reaches from within his perichoretic unity (Eugenio, 2014:156), into his creation, inviting all of humanity to participate in the Triune community of “shared participation—a participation together—in the perichoretic community of Trinitarian persons” (Grenz, 2003:268). Within this community, humanity finds it is made-in-God’s-image value and can live in the freedom of God’s communion (Knight, 2007:1).This article considers the expe…
Developing an African Evangelical Theology
Evangelicalism in Africa is an export of American theology and therefore considered inadequate for the African situation because it is shaped by Western culture. onsequently, I argue that Evangelical theology contains cultural elements from the dominant cultures of the West that apply only to those cultures. This article argues that if Evangelical theology is relevant in Africa, it must consider the cultural context. In most cases, references to …
Faith, Hope and Love
Evangelicalism in South Africa does not have the luxury of operating according to a modernistic epistemology if it is to be relevant in a secular, post-Christian South African context. People want to live in peace, and the issue is how the Evangelical Church can contribute to nation-building. This article attempts to reframe the theological understanding of reconciliation by adding to Western Evangelicalism's presuppositions that focus predominat…
From Cane Cutters to Church Planters
The Place and Meaning of Suffering in Evangelical Theology
The Evangelical view of God is rooted in Orthodox Theology. The article posits that it is within the classical understanding of God that Christians can find their best resources for dealing with the problem of evil from theological, practical and even philosophical perspectives. The present suffering that COVID-19 has brought to the world requires us to answer the question, ‘what on earth is God doing?’ With over two million officially recorded d…
God, Doctrine Immutability, unchangeableness, simplicity, Orthodox, evangelical, open theism
In recent years the doctrine of the immutability of God has come under attack within Evangelicalism from the adherents of process theology and open theism, who claim that the doctrine of immutability is based on an Aristotelian philosophy concerning God. This article engages a literary investigation to prove that the doctrine of God's immutability as understood within Evangelicalism finds its tradition within Christian orthodoxy. In an endeavour …
God’s Omnipotence
The omnipotence of God can be defined as the perfect ability of God to do all things that are consistent with the divine character. Open theists see God as one who is influenced as God interacts with human beings in time and space (temporally). Thus, for Open Theists, God is affected and influenced by the world. This paper revisits the historical, biblical and theological grounds for the doctrine of omnipotence with the aim of re-establishing the…
Compassionate Acts as Missional Theosis
The Church is God's agency to bring about well-being in the world (Harold, 2018a). This bringing out of well-being to humanity call for an understanding of justice and compassion through a missional reading of the Bible and its intersection with "actions" of the Evangelical Church in post-apartheid South Africa. The aim of this article is two-fold, the first, is to examine the praxis of the Evangelical Church and its relevance to the marginalised…
Developing an African Evangelical Theology
Evangelicalism in Africa is an export of American theology and therefore considered inadequate for the African situation because it is shaped by Western culture. onsequently, I argue that Evangelical theology contains cultural elements from the dominant cultures of the West that apply only to those cultures. This article argues that if Evangelical theology is relevant in Africa, it must consider the cultural context. In most cases, references to …
Faith, Hope and Love
Evangelicalism in South Africa does not have the luxury of operating according to a modernistic epistemology if it is to be relevant in a secular, post-Christian South African context. People want to live in peace, and the issue is how the Evangelical Church can contribute to nation-building. This article attempts to reframe the theological understanding of reconciliation by adding to Western Evangelicalism's presuppositions that focus predominat…
An Investigation on Demonic influences on human beings
It is not always easy when first approaching a troubled person to know the source of their distress. For instance, how does one differentiate between demonic possession and demonic oppression? Is there a difference? This article contends that there is a difference, and an explanation of this will be presented in this chapter. The article will probe the differences between demonic influence and psychological disorders because they can present with…
Polity of the New Apostolic Movement considering Biblical and Historical Precedents in the Christian Church
The New Apostolic Movement (NAM) is marked by two tenets: the legitimacy of the ministry of modern-day apostles and “theocratic single-headship” of churches by apostolic leaders. There is a lack of specialized research regarding the polity of NAM networks and NAM churches. What is the polity of the New Apostolic Movement and how can that polity be evaluated in the light of biblical and historical precedents? New research found that local-church p…
Reuniting Humanity and the Cosmos in Barth's Theology
Using literature, this article argues that Karl Barth's (1886 –1968 CE) concept of an "assumed fall" could be helpful if applied to the cosmos and humanity. Barth's conception of the created order is that it is perfect exactly the way it is, natural disasters included. Further, the fall did not affect the creation. Barth does however argue for fallen humanity. Nevertheless, the fall is assumed in the Election of Jesus Christ. There was never a ti…
A study on the lived experience of Koinōnia in a post-apartheid, post-Armstrong congregation
The triune God reaches from within his perichoretic unity (Eugenio, 2014:156), into his creation, inviting all of humanity to participate in the Triune community of “shared participation—a participation together—in the perichoretic community of Trinitarian persons” (Grenz, 2003:268). Within this community, humanity finds it is made-in-God’s-image value and can live in the freedom of God’s communion (Knight, 2007:1).This article considers the expe…
Critical Contextualization and Identity Negotiation
The article examines the contextual missiological approaches needed to effectively reach the Indian diaspora by highlighting the various cultural, religious, and identity challenges faced by Indian migrants. The author critiques traditional missiological frameworks, advocating for strategies that acknowledge the cultural heritage of Indian migrants to communicate the Gospel effectively. The paper proposes a descriptive qualitative methodology tha…
Global South Theology as Theological and Missiological Imperative
As of 2025, approximately 69% of the world’s 2.64 billion Christians reside in the Global South, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, yet theological education and academic discourse remain anchored in Eurocentric epistemologies. This article addresses that gap through a constructive theological synthesis integrating demographic, postcolonial, missiological, and ecclesial evidence. It advances a four-pillar argument for the necessity of Global South …
Theosis- Evangelicalism and Orthodoxy in Dialogue
The doctrine of theosis, or deification, is a foundational to Eastern Orthodox soteriology and has emerged as a central topic in contemporary ecumenical discourse. This article synthesises principal objections to theosis from a mainstream evangelical perspective and provides a scholarly rebuttal grounded in patristic evidence. The evangelical critique is systematically outlined, focuses on four primary areas of perceived incompatibility: soteriol…
A Critical Understanding of Thomas Jay Oord’s Kenotic Theism versus Classical Theism- Two Fundamentally Different Concepts of God
This article argues that the theological framework proposed by Thomas Jay Oord, particularly his concepts of "uncontrolling love" and a kenotic, risk-taking God, is not a mere reinterpretation or development of classical theism but represents a fundamental and irreconcilable departure from its core metaphysical tenets. Classical theism is defined by its commitment to divine omnipotence as absolute power, divine impassibility, immutability, and at…
Theological Trajectories of Liberation- A Comparative Analysis of Liberation Theology and Integral Mission in Latin America and their Resonance in South Africa
This paper undertakes a comprehensive exploration of two seminal theological movements that emerged from Latin America in the twentieth century: Liberation Theology and Integral Mission. It delineates their distinct historical origins, core theological tenets, and methodological approaches to social transformation. The analysis proceeds to a comparative investigation, by charting the significant points of convergence and divergence between Libera…
Christian Theology and Mission (12 works) · Philosophy (10 works) · Philosophy (10 works) · Theology (9 works) · Epistemology (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Law (6 works) · Law (6 works) · Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies (6 works) · Political science (6 works)