Syncretism - urban church: role of the church in inner city Johannesburg ; unification of sacredness, urban culture, and contemporary needs
Date
2011-10-24
Authors
Denhere, Tichaona C.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This document seeks to discuss how the role of the church in
Johannesburg inner-city has changed through time. The fi rst sections
trace the establishment of churches in the inner-city. This is followed by a
discussion of the current realities in the inner-city including international
migration which is giving rise to culturally cosmopolitan society in which
urban ethnic spaces are emerging, often in the form of ethnic ghettos.
Both formal and informal spaces of worship and religious organizations
in the inner-city are mapped to help understand the contexts’
sacredness, urban culture and contemporary needs. The concluding
sections discuss the ways in which the role of churches are likely to
change in the inner-city in future. The document is concluded with a
architectural proposal on how the church could deal with the challenges
faced in Johannesburg inner-city today and in the future