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TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > Apartheid and the Dutch Reformed Church
- The Dutch Reformed Church has accepted it, and claimed there is divine support for it.
- The various English speaking Churches have opposed apartheid and become involved in the struggle against it.
Note: The Church has been very much involved in the history of the Afrikaner's attempts to preserve the independence of their people. There has been a close relationship between the DRC and the aspirations of the Afrikaners:
- Christian Nationalism - love of nation and love of Christ go together (i.e.: success of Great Trek meant support of God.)
- DRC has been one of the chief means of preserving the culture of Afrikaners.
- Afrikaners felt a sense of superiority over non-European races - supported by the God-willed diversity of peoples.
Note: the history of the Afrikaners has been a history of struggle to preserve an identity - led to "laager mentality" (need to survive).
Apartheid and the English Speaking Churches
The ESC have played an increasingly active role in opposition to it.
ESC took the position that:
- Discrimination btw men on the basis of race was inconsistent w/ principles of Christianity.
- All should have the right to vote (irrespective of race)
- All should have equal opportunities in education and work.
- ESC have protested against Gov. regulations in implementing Apartheid (i.e.: Group Areas Act, Mixed Marriage Act, Immorality Act)
- ESC and DRC (although this statement was rejected by its own hierarchy) made a statement which included:
- That mixed marriages were valid.
- A condemnation of migratory labor laws.
- A demand that all citizens of South Africa receive equal shares in the rewards and privileges of citizenship.
- Setting up of the Christian Institute (banned in 1977) to establish common ground btw different races and different Churches.
- Council of South African Churches (1968) formed to fight against racism - criticized the "false gospel" of apartheid.
- Helped organize community dev. projects.
- Provided scholarships for black students.
- Gave help to families of political prisoners.
- Publicly criticized apartheid policies
- 1978: Black bishop Desmond Tutu as general-secretary of Council of South African Churches (more credibility w/ black pop.)
- CSAC urged people to refuse to do military service.
Evaluation of the success of the Council in its struggle
Despite some minor success, no great impact b/c:
- Blacks tended to adopt a cynical attitude towards the council.
- Many blacks identified Christianity with imperialism.
- The Council had very little political influence b/c it had no political party.
- Overtaken by the actions of the World Council of Churches: WCC provided grants to groups who fought apartheid.
Promoted non-violence (blacks saw little alternatives to non-violence and took as example the resistance movements in Europe in WWII who were and still are praised despite their violence.
Gov. showed little evidence of weakness b/c:
- Possessed most powerful military force in Africa
- Western powers could do little against it (needed gold, diamonds and uranium productions)
- Effective barrier to communism
- The Black Renaissance, 1970s - growth in black consciousness, caused by:
- Success of civil rights movements in the US.
- Success of guerrilla groups in Mozambique, Angola
- Detribalisation amongst urban blacks who then identified w/ being black instead of w/ a tribe.
- This new pride was a problem to Churches b/c:
- How to respond w/ the increasing violence w/out alienating itself further from the blacks.
- How to deal with the rejection of "the white man's church".
- How to respond to development of "black theology" (Africanized and politicized faith in order to fit black peoples struggle in South Africa)
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