Wetenskaplike metodologie en kerkregering

Abstract

Any mode of science has a paradigm which determines the questions asked, the methods followed and the results obtained in that science. Taking this as a point of departure the question about the relationship between the a paradigm of reformed church polity and the results to which it leads in the everyday life of the church is discussed in this article. The issue concerning the practical results of a paradigm change as criteria for judging the need for a paradigm change is also taken into consideration. The quest for a paradigm change by the Dutch theologian, Dingemans, is analysed with specific reference to its practical results. In a final paragraph a few further guidelines, in conjunction with a paradigmatic constellation for church polity, which have been mentioned earlier in the paper, are developed.