Versohnung in Gerechtigkeit Das Konzept der Versohnung und seine Kritik im Kontext Sudafrika

Ecumenical Review, The, Jan, 1999 by Geiko Muller-Fahrenholz

Thomas O.H. Kaiser, Versohnung in Gerechtigkeit Das Konzept der Versohnung und seine Kritik im Kontext Sudafrika, Neukirchen-Vluyn, Neukirchener Verlag, 1996.

The period of 1976 to 1986 can be regarded as the most oppressive period in South Africa's recent history. It began with the Soweto uprisings and their brutal repression and led to increasingly desperate attempts by the apartheid regime to stem the growing tide of critique and resistance, both abroad and within the Southern African region. Consequently, this became the period in which the churches and Christian communities in South Africa were challenged to clarify their position with regard to the apartheid system. If the ministry of reconciliation is central to Christian discipleship, how were the churches to react to flagrant injustice, denial of human dignity, contempt of basic human rights, all executed by a government that claimed to be guided by Christian ideals?

Kaiser's dissertation takes stock of these ten years of profound theological questioning in South Africa. After a brief and succinct description of the political and economic aspects of the conflict, Kaiser presents five concepts of reconciliation that came to play an important role in the struggle.

The first is the concept that guided the work of the SACC as it was formulated by three theologians who assumed leadership positions during that decade, i.e. Desmond Tutu, Beyers Naude and Wolfram Kistner. Kaiser points out that Tutu argued for linking reconciliation closely to equality and freedom, an approach rooted in his (Anglican) conviction that all human beings are created in God's image. His successor, the Reformed pastor B. Naude, stressed the relationship of reconciliation and repentance, whereas the (Lutheran) pastor Kistner -- he headed the department of justice and reconciliation of the SACC -- emphasized the universal claim of reconciliation and the partiality of the crucified Christ for all who suffer. The common denominator of these three complementary notions was that reconciliation cannot be mistaken for cheap harmonization of conflicts but must always be closely linked to justice.

Kaiser then goes on to present, second, what the Belhar confession of faith has to say about reconciliation. This statement of faith of the (black) Nederduitse Gereformeerde Sendingskerk was profoundly shaped by the well-known theologian A. Boesak. It places reconciliation in a strictly christological perspective. Because of the universal relevance of Christ's reconciling work for all humanity, apartheid is declared a heresy which establishes a status confessionis. Thus resistance is the logical practical expression of the Belhar confession.

Third, in 1985 the National Initiative for Reconciliation, a broad coalition of Christian leaders with strong connections to the (evangelical Christian) Lausanne Movement, formulated its Statement of Affirmation. It emphasized the need for all the conflicting groups in South Africa to accept reconciliation as a way to return to God and to turn to each other with renewed trust and peacefulness.

Fourth, at the same time another group of Christian leaders -- with Frank Chikane playing a formative part -- elaborated a text which became widely known as the Kairos document. It saw itself as a prophetic critique both of the "state theology" as expressed by the (white) Dutch Reformed Churches and the "church theology" of the English-speaking churches. Kairos put reconciliation firmly within the perspective of justice, and justice, it claimed, must be formulated from the perspective of those who suffer injustice, both personally and structurally. This clear emphasis on the victims and their struggle for liberation permits no "third option" outside or above the struggle, but calls for direct and partisan involvement.

The fifth document, and concept of reconciliation, presented by Kaiser is the Evangelical Witness in South Africa (1986), a statement written by mostly black evangelical Christians. It is firmly rooted in conservative evangelical groups, yet attempts to broaden the traditional concepts of sin, repentance and forgiveness by including their structural and political ramifications. The value of this statement, therefore, was foremost in contributing to the elaboration of a more holistic evangelical ministry.

In the final part of the book, Kaiser sums up his observations. He indicates that the Belhar confession provided the christological orientation, whereas the Kairos statement highlighted the option for the victims. Thus "reconciliation in justice" became the notion that expressed a wide consensus among the churches and Christian organizations. Often the expression "costly reconciliation" was used, which helped to underscore the profound relationships to Bonhoeffer's notion of "costly discipleship" and to the struggle of the Confessing Church in Germany during the Hitler dictatorship. In conclusion Kaiser offers seven "themes" which describe essential elements in reconciliation processes. (1) Reconciliation is God's gift in Christ and aims at reconciliation between human beings. Both are inseparable. (2) The root causes of enmity, conflict and guilt must be uncovered. There can be no reconciliation without truth. (3) The struggle for reconciliation aims at empowering the victims. The option for the weak is part and parcel of the ministry of reconciliation. (4) Such a ministry must apply itself to the political and economic conditions of a society and develop a clear awareness of the structural consequences. (5) The churches' work for reconciliation must have a liberating impact. (6) Reconciliation and empowerment of the powerless go together. The strategic goal of creating "counter-power" to the oppressive powers can be a legitimate step in the reconciliation process. (7) The churches have to stand for a "politics of reconciliation" which leads to equal rights and just political structures.