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31 January 2024 | Story EDZANI NEPHALELA | Photo ANJA AUCAMP
Dr Martin Laubscher
Dr Martin Laubscher’s thesis, crowned with the Andrew Murray-Desmond Tutu Prize, is testament to the university’s unwavering commitment to scholarly excellence.

In a historic triumph that reverberates over four decades since its inception, the UFS has clinched the coveted Andrew Murray Prize – now renamed the Andrew Murray-Desmond Tutu Prize – for the first time. Standing shoulder to shoulder with institutions such as the University of Pretoria (UP) and Stellenbosch University (SU), this achievement marks a significant milestone in the UFS’ journey.

At the heart of this accomplishment lies the profound contribution of Dr Martin Laubscher, distinguished Senior Lecturer specialising in Practical and Missional Theology in the Faculty of Theology and Religion. Dr Laubscher’s dedication and scholarly prowess culminated in the groundbreaking work titled Publieke teologie as profetiese teologie? (Public theology as prophetic theology), a revised edition of his doctoral thesis, which was originally crafted at Stellenbosch University in 2020, with a focus on the eminent Karl Barth.

Dr Laubscher received the Andrew Murray Prize for Theological Books in Afrikaans for his research and insightful analysis. The journey started when he realised, under the guidance of his study leader, Prof Dion Forster, that his script had the potential to be published in Afrikaans. Sun Media’s interest in publishing this work in Afrikaans, led to it being the first-ever published thesis in Afrikaans. Dr Laubscher recalls, “I was grateful and excited about Sun Media’s interest. The book emerged within a year, and during a celebratory launch Prof Forster suggested I submit it for the Andrew Murray Prize.”

Earlier this year, Dr Laubscher was excited to learn that he was being shortlisted for the prestigious award. Reflecting on the significant moment, he shares, “The elation I felt upon receiving the news was unparalleled. I was not only celebrating a personal triumph, but also etching my name as the first laureate from our faculty to secure this prestigious accolade.”

News Archive

UFS appoints Extraordinary Professor in Patristics
2010-05-26

Prof. Erik De Boer
The University of the Free State (UFS) has appointed Prof. Erik De Boer as Extraordinary Professor in Patristics (the study of the early church and the church fathers, as well as their writings and theology).

Prof. De Boer will work in collaboration with Prof. Dolf Britz, Head of the Division: Programme Design and Director of the Jonathan Edwards Centre in the Institute for Classical en Reformatory Studies at the UFS. The objective of the institute is to train young ministers of religion and researchers in Africa in the field of Patristics. The university also has partners in Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia.

According to Prof. De Boer, this discipline is regarded of great importance for the development of theology in Southern Africa.

Currently he is, amongst others, a lecturer in Classical Languages at the Theological University of Kampen and Extraordinary Professor in Reformation History at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.

He will deliver his inaugural lecture in August 2010 at the UFS.

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