White South African Evangelicals

Do white South Africans have the same weaknesses in their theology in the areas of oppression and justice as white American evangelicals do?  Yes, but some are recognizing the problem and are beginning to seriously wrestle with the issue.

In July 1986, a group of South African evangelicals published "Evangelical Witness in South Africa," in which they critiqued their own theology and practice in regard to the apartheid racial crisis in South Africa.  The full text of this highly important theological document was printed in the January/March 1987 issue of Transformation.

As these South African evangelicals faced their racial crisis, they realized that though they were born again believers, their "theology nevertheless was inadequate to address the crisis. . . . "   Their past theology dealt with personal sin, but not with their social oppression.  In their document the words oppressed, oppression and oppressors occur 39 times along with many other similar words such as exploitation, injustice and structural sin.  By contrast, the positive words such as justice or just 16 times, kingdom of God 7 times, and radical (in the positive biblical sense) 25 times.

I have summarized the key points with the following comments:

1.  "We wish to confess that to a large extent the evangelical community has chosen to avoid the socio-political crisis in this country. . . .  We wish to confess that our evangelical family has a track record of supporting and legitimating oppressive regimes here and elsewhere.  That this family has tended to assume conservative positions which tend to maintain the [oppressive] status quo."

2.  Because conformity to secular social structures is often the norm among white evangelicals, they have to rationalize their rejection of the radical kingdom of God that Jesus taught.  "In fact, evangelicals go to great lengths claiming Jesus did not teach what he clearly did.  We have to, because to admit he taught what he did, would require us either to change (repent) or to criticize him.  And neither of these is acceptable."  For Jesus, the kingdom was about justice that releases the oppressed.

3.  "The problem is that Jesus was a radical and we are moderates."

4.  There is one type of oppression that evangelicals do recognize---the dangers of Communist oppression, because this is an oppression which would oppress them.  The apartheid system does not oppress them; in fact, they benefit economically from this oppression.

5.  Why this selective and limited recognition of social evil?  No comprehensive biblical theology of ethnocentrism and oppression.  They do not know about the biblical teaching that "oppression smashes the body and crushes the spirit."

6.  Why this blindness to the full message of the Bible by those who profess to believe every word and thought in the Bible?  Cultural conformity?  "We must therefore be conscious of how society around us influences and even distorts our thinking."

7.  Is there any hope?  Things are so bad I think we need a Second Reformation that combines justification and justice, the Holy Spirit and the kingdom as justice that releases the oppressed.