Die NG Kerk, apartheid en die Christelike instituut van Suidelike Afrika
Date
1990-05-18
Authors
Van Rooyen, Jan Hendrik Petrus
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Abstract
Apartheid had long been an everyday practice in South Africa when
the NG Kerk threw its weight behind it during the third decade of
the twentieth century. However, it did not take long before the
church began playing a leading role in this respect. During the
fourth and fifth decades many decisions and publications underscored
the church's conviction that the policy of separate
development was based on Scripture. The South African Government
and the National Party Government, in particular, were certain of
the co-operation of the NG Kerk not only in the establishment of
this policy but also in the extension thereof to cover all the
facets of social, economical and political life.
Although the NG Kerk, on many occasions, reiterated that the
policy should be implemented with justice and compassion, it was
always clear that apartheid as a policy that was based on colour
could only result in discrimination against, and injustice to,
people of colour. This resulted in growing resistance by blacks,
coloureds and Indians since the beginning of the century. The
resistance increased rapidly after the National Party took over
the government of the country in 1948 and proceeded to intensify
this policy by applying it to all levels of the political and
societal life.
On March 21 1960 thousands of blacks marched to the police
station in Sharpeville to protest against the pass laws. This
resulted in the police killing 69 blacks and wounding 180 in a
panic reaction which caused not only a worldwide wave of
indignation and protest but also increased racial tension in
South Africa. The World Council of Churches in conjunction with
the local member churches immediately arranged the Cottesloe
Conference to discuss possible solutions to the racial problems.
The proposals of this conference which was held in December 1960
met with strong opposition from Government and were eventually
completely smothered by the Church leadership. The proposals
were unacceptable because they smacked too much of criticism of
apartheid. Notwithstanding the strong political and ecclesiastical
rejection of Cottesloe, a group of church leaders nevertheless
decided to establish the publication Pro Veritate, and soon
afterwards the Christian Institute of Southern Africa was founded
in an effort to give scriptural witness in South Africa.
Pro Veritate, which later served as the mouthpiece of the Christian
Institute (CI) and the CI itself, were - since their inception
- seen as contentious issues by both the NG Kerk and
Government because of the challenge to apartheid. The church
immediately instituted strong measures to suppress Pro Veritate
and the Christian Institute initiatives. This was applauded from
the political side, particularly in the Transvaal, where certain
Afrikaans newspapers gave their full support to it. Decisions
were taken by the Southern Transvaal Synod to discourage ministers
from contributing to Pro Veri tate and to prevent them from
becoming members of the CI. The CI leaders, in particular, had
to be silenced. After the General Synod finally rejected the
Christian Institute, a long and heart-rending history of church
persecution of Naude as leader and Engelbrecht as theologian of
the CI followed. It all took place within the boundaries of the
Parkhurst parish, of which the Naude and Engelbrecht families
were members. Parkhurst parish was part of the circuit of
Johannesburg. Strong pressure was exerted on the church council
of Parkhurst and the circuit of Johannesburg to censure these
members in order to silence them. Disciplinary measures had to
be employed to get rid of these voices against the policy of
separateness. The church leadership played a prominent role in
these efforts. In the intensity with which the campaign was
waged in and through the circuit of Johannesburg and the Parkhurst
parish, it became evident - as nowhere else - how strong
the NG Kerk felt about apartheid. When eventually the Government
investigated and banned the CI and confined Dr Naude to his home,
the church silently acclaimed what was being done. After all,
the NG Kerk had from the very beginning not differed from the
Government with regard to the CI.
The biblical protest of the CI against apartheid was, of
necessity, also a protest against the close ties of the NG Kerk
with the Government and National Party. With time, however, the
CI also moved into a process of politicisation. Black power and
black political aspirations became the major driving forces
behind the CI. In the middle seventies it became increasingly
clear that a strong relationship had developed between the CI and
the African National Congress (ANC).
The history of the CI ended in immense irony. This organisation
which took its stand on Scripture and courageously warned against
the support by the church of a political party and structural
violence in serving apartheid, ended in close co-operation with
the ANC as a political party which committed itself to the armed
struggle to overthrow the Government.
There was also the irony that in their struggle against the
ali gnment of the NG Kerk wi th the political theology to the
right, the CI and its director aligned themselves to a South
African version of the theology of liberation - a political
theology to the left in which the Gospel of Jesus Christ is
struck in the heart. And just as the NG Kerk in its political
alignment remained silent about the violence of apartheid - so
the CI eventually became silent about the violence of the political
party in its struggle against apartheid.
Description
Keywords
Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk, Christian institute of Southern Africa, Church and state -- South Africa, Apartheid -- South Africa -- Religious aspects, Christianity in relation to politics and government