B. Stories about God and faith in a multi-religious environment

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Introduction:

In this research I do not wish to speak of a “certain man”. I would rather like to speak of particular persons in particular concrete situations. I also do not want to speak about seafarers’ mission in general or in abstract terms, but would rather like to be specific about what seafarers’ mission is and by doing this would like to take the embedded nature of our existence seriously. This research is small scale research done in a concrete situation with specific people in Durban harbour. Maybe I can be even more specific. Most of this research took place with seafarers in the port of Durban, but it actually started in the harbour of Richards Bay where I was a chaplain for my first year in the seafarers’ mission.
What is seafarers’ mission like? Let me try to be specific. One evening doing ship visits my wife Anneke and I visited a ship which was loading aluminium. All the seafarers on board were from China and talking to them was not easy. Then we met Yu. He was the chief officer and an atheist, but he could understand a little English and so we sat down and chatted with him in the officers’ smoke room for a while. That evening we made a personal connection with him and the next few days, while his ship was still in port, we visited him again. While we visited him I used a simple-to-remember method to tell him about the story of Jesus.
I gave him a Chinese Bible, illustrated to him how a person prays and put his mind at ease when he raised his concerns about God only able to understand English. Unfortunately, as it is with seafarers’ mission his ship finished loading and he had to sail to the next port. This specific narrative illustrates something of what this research and seafarers’ mission is about. There was a particular person, Yu and he came into contact with a particular person Jesus. Bringing these two contexts together while taking their particularity seriously is the challenge because, if to speak of any man is to speak of no man at all, then to speak of any God is to speak of no God at all. This research narrative is a contextual, embedded social construction. It is not about practical theology referring to seafarers’ lives and circumstances, but it is a practical theology growing out of specific seafarers’ lives and circumstances (cf Müller 2004:296). How this will be done will be explained in much detail further on in this study.
Part of the answer will be found in the notions of postfoundationalism (specifically associated with Van Huyssteen), although importantly also the ideas of social constructionism (for instance associated with Gergen) and the narrative approach (for instance associated with White). As far as postfoundationalism is concerned Müller (2011) states that one of the most important characteristics of this approach is that it puts emphasis on contextuality. Van Huyssteen (2005:104) states that theology should recognise that its intellectual work, epistemology, values and thinking about God and God’s presence in the world, are embedded in culture and interpreted experience. This type of emphasis can lead to nonfoundationalism. This however is rejected by Van Huyssteen. Van Huyssteen’s (2000:434) hope is that through the interdisciplinary process a rationality will emerge that is guided by interdisciplinary standards which are shaped by its context, but which are not “hopelessly culture and context bound”.
In this interdisciplinary space there is a continuous assessment that leads to insight into how we are rooted in our different contexts and cultures (Van Huyssteen 2000:438). The postfoundationalist way of thinking is always contextual, local and concrete, but it moves beyond this to interdisciplinary concerns, by means of identifying shared resources and “shared conceptual problems” (Van Huyssteen 2005:105).
Being specific and taking a certain context into account prevents both science and theology from becoming too abstract (Howell 2008:494). Van Huyssteen emphasises that knowledge is contextual and that one should refrain from universalistic claims (Peterson 2008:468). Van Huyssteen (2000:437) states that we do not seek truth devoid of culture, but we aim to “meaningfully engage in cross-contextual evaluation and conversation and give the best available cognitive, evaluative, or pragmatic reasons for the responsible choices we hope to make.” Howell (2008:494) states that Van Huyssteen believes that specific scientists should be engaged with specific theologians concerning a specific topic and in so doing there should be the correct amount of consideration to context. Postfoundationalism takes it seriously that meaning is socially constructed and this construction always takes place within a certain context, which especially consists of the social and cultural traditions within which people are immersed (Müller 2009:205).

CONTENT :

Chapter 1: The research as an embedded narrative
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 Research as story writing: The ABDCE formula
- 1.3 The Action: problems that are being researched and the research problem
Chapter 2: Thickening the background
- 2.1 Background about seafarers and the seafarers’ mission
- 2.1.1 Introduction
- 2.1.2 Existing literature
- 2.1.3 Seafarers and seafarers’ ministry
- 2.2 The way in which this research story might enrich and thicken existing
- narratives about seafarers
Chapter 3: The researcher, the research approach and methodology
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 Epistemological position
- 3.3 Theological position
- 3.3.1 Introduction
- 3.3.2 Interdisciplinary concerns
- – Van Huyssteen’s postfoundationalist approach
- – Evaluation of Van Huyssteen’s postfoundationalist approach
- 3.3.3 Missiological considerations
- 3.4 Methodology
- – The ABDCE formula and the different roles of the researcher and coresearchers
- – Three movements
- 3.5 Methods
Chapter 4: The development of a thick research narrative
- 4.1 Introducing the main research characters
- a. John from Nigeria
- b. Jonathan from Kenya
- c. Mohammed from the East Coast of Africa
- d. Ivan from Bulgaria
- e. Noel from the Philippines
- f. Eric from the Philippines
- 4.2 Understanding the climax
- 4.3 The themes: Developed by local and beyond the local movements
- A. Stories about a shipmate called Danger
- – Introduction
- – The research characters
- a. John from Nigeria
- b. Jonathan from Kenya
- c. Mohammed from the East Coast of Africa
- d. Ivan from Bulgaria
- e. Noel from the Philippines
- f. Eric from the Philippines
- – Alternative perspective
- B. Stories about God and faith in a multi-religious environment
- – Introduction
- – The research characters
- a. John from Nigeria
- b. Jonathan from Kenya
- c. Mohammed from the East Coast of Africa
- d. Ivan from Bulgaria
- e. Noel from the Philippines
- – Alternative perspective
- C. Injustices on board: Floating prisons
- – Introduction
- – The research characters
- a. John from Nigeria
- b. Jonathan from Kenya
- c. Douglas Stevenson: A transversal interdisciplinary conversation with
- maritime law
- – Alternative perspective
- D. The social dynamics of women on board
- – Introduction and the research characters
- – Alternative perspective
- E. Coping with and appreciating diversity: Stories of many cultures
- living under the same roof
- – Introduction
- – The research characters
- a. Jonathan from Kenya
- b. Mohammed from the East Coast of Africa
- c. Ivan from Bulgaria
- d. Noel from the Philippines
- e. Eric from the Philippines
- – Alternative perspective
- F. Seafarers and the stories of their families: An ironic relationship
- – Introduction
- – The research characters
- a. John from Nigeria
- b. Jonathan from Kenya
- c. Mohammed from the East Coast of Africa
- d. Ivan from Bulgaria
- e. Noel from the Philippines
- f. Eric from the Philippines
- g. Surita Stipp: A transversal interdisciplinary conversation with systemic
- family therapy
- – Alternative perspective
- G. Seafarers and seafarers’ mission: Shaving things, a little drinking
- and even a spiritual dimension
- – Introduction
- – The research characters
- a. John from Nigeria
- b. Jonathan from Kenya
- c. Mohammed from the East Coast of Africa
- d. Ivan from Bulgaria
- e. Noel from the Philippines
- f. Eric from the Philippines
- – Alternative perspective
- H. Positive narratives about being a seafarer: A profession of hope
- – Introduction
- – The research characters
- a. John from Nigeria
- b. Jonathan from Kenya
- c. Mohammed from the East Coast of Africa
- d. Ivan from Bulgaria
- e. Noel from the Philippines
- f. Eric from the Philippines
- – Alternative perspective
- I. Relationships between seafarers: Friendships and fistfights
- – Introduction
- – The research characters
- a. John from Nigeria
- b. Jonathan from Kenya
- c. Mohammed from the East Coast of Africa
- d. Ivan from Bulgaria
- e. Noel from the Philippines
- f. Eric from the Philippines
- – Alternative perspective
Chapter 5: The Ending
- 6.1 Introduction
- 6.2 The E in the ABDCE formula
- 6.3 The four main objectives of this research
- 6.4 Critical evaluation and summary of the ABDC stages
6.4.1 Chapter 1: Introduction
6.4.2 Chapter 2: Thickening the background
6.4.3 Chapter 3: The researcher, the research approach and methodology
- 6.4.3.1 Epistemology
- 6.4.3.2 Theology
- 6.4.3.3 Methodology
- 6.4.3.4 Methods
6.4.4 Chapter 4: The development of a thick understanding
- 6.5 The E of the different themes: some thoughts on “beyond the local”
- 6.5.1 Introduction
- 6.5.2 Sharing some ideas of possible implications beyond the local
- a. Stories about a shipmate called Danger
- b. Stories about God and faith in a multi-religious environment
- c. Injustices on board: Floating prisons
- d. The social dynamics of women on board
- e. Coping with and appreciating diversity: Stories of many cultures living
- under the same roof
- f. Seafarers and the stories of their families: An ironic relationship
- g. Seafarers and seafarers’ mission: Shaving things, a little drinking and
- even a spiritual dimension
- h. Positive narratives about being a seafarer: A profession of hope
- I. Relationships between seafarers: Friendships and fistfights
- 6.6 Possible new research narratives
- 6.7 A weakness?
- 6.8 The End