Why not Belhar? Some Reflections on the Foremost Barrier in the Process of Church Reunification

Fortein, Eugene

doi:10.25159/2412-4265/9068

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We have included the Confession of Belhar, as some Reformed churches in South Africa have accepted this Confession, e.g. the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa, already in 1991 (Fortein 2021:1 of 17). 9.Van De Beek (2022:1 of 9) correctly adds: 'Most trinitarian theologians call on texts of the patristic period for developing their argument'.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Θεός, Father and the ‘Holy Trinity’ in the New Testament

Oliver,

Oliver

2024

Verbum Eccles.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The term ‘Holy Trinity’, not known to the writers of the Bible, is still an elusive term to use nowadays, especially when one first reads the New Testament in light of the Old Testament and not immediately in light of the Creeds and Statements of Faith. This article discusses the roles of Θεός (God) and ‘Father’ in the New Testament with reference to the Holy Trinity. The conclusion is that the New Testament does not depict a Holy Trinity, but rather portrays Θεός as a coordinator, bringing a harmony between his anthropomorphic assignments ‘Father’, ‘Son’ and ‘Holy Spirit’, as well as all the followers of Θεός on Earth.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: On the first level, this article covers the disciplines of Old Testament, New Testament (NT) and Practical Theology. On the second level, it makes use of philosophy and logics to help determine the ‘truths’ in the Bible. Who is Θεός? We propose that the NT depicts him as coordinator of his three revelations, ‘Father’, ‘Son’ and ‘Holy Spirit’. Using anthropomorphic terms, Θεός reveals himself to his followers on Earth. The Bible is used as the main source, with references to the three Creeds and four Statements of Faith.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Θεός, Father and the ‘Holy Trinity’ in the New Testament

Oliver,

Oliver

2024

Verbum Eccles.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is a rare occurrence. Through the hermeneutical elements of black liberation theology, Belhar embodies the black experience under an inhumane and draconic racial system (Fortein 2021). By 1982 the apartheid design dominated every sphere of black life.…”

Section: The Historical Setting At the Drafting Of The Belhar Confessionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…9 URCSA is a merger of the DRMC and DRCA in 1994. with the Three Forms of Unity, but Belhar was nevertheless not accepted as a confession (Acts of General Synod of Dutch Reformed Church 1990:707). Elsewhere, I have argued that if Belhar is indeed the stumbling block for the DRC, why have the DRC not entered and re-united with those black Churches that do not contain Belhar as part of their confessional basis (Fortein 2021)? Here I am thinking of the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa 10 (hereafter DRCA) and the Reformed Church in Africa 11 (hereafter RCA).…”

Section: Belhar Failed: a Bridge Too Farmentioning

confidence: 99%

Belhar as mirror and window on social cohesion and justice

Fortein

2023

STJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study argues that the Reformed Churches in South Africa failed to constructively contribute to social cohesion and justice since the drafting of the Belhar Confession in 1982 due to its failure to embody the demands of unity, reconciliation and justice. Firstly, the study briefly discusses the historical setting of the Belhar Confession and how it remains a bridge too far to embody for the Church in South Africa since its drafting in 1982. Furthermore, the study indicates how the Church’s failure to embody the Belhar Confession leaves a vacuum in the discourses on racial tensions, the land issue and the new apartheid. Finally, the study engages how the Church can be an agent of transformation and hope.

show abstract

“…4 Another significant recognition that the DRC had changed its former ecclesiology was the DRC's readmittance as a member of the World Council of Churches in 2016 (Kenny 2016;Jackson 2016). However, many have argued that the "acid test" for the DRC's break with the ideology of race undergirding apartheid would be the acceptance of the Belhar Confession, and with that, church unity with the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) (Botman 1999;Boesak 2008;Mahokoto 2019;Fortuin 2021).…”

Section: Inclusive Ecclesiology: "Die Ng Kerk Is Oop"mentioning

confidence: 99%

other side of whiteness

Van der Riet,

Van Wyngaard

2022

STJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article will provide an overview and analysis of developments in the Dutch Reformed Churchâ€™s (DRC) General Synod concerning race, racism, and racial reconciliation from 1986 until 2019. It seeks to extend the multiple accounts of the DRCâ€™s adoption and rejection of apartheid theology by tracing its further attempts at grappling with questions of racism during and after the transition to democracy, into the present. Three primary discourses are explored, namely the search for an inclusive ecclesiology, the commitment to community involvement in the reconstruction of South Africa after apartheid, and the transformation of interpersonal ethics towards greater respect and care for others. Thereafter, the article highlights four territories that remain largely unexplored within the DRC in the past quarter of a century and argues for their future exploration. These trajectories could contribute to a deeper transformation and conversion from the white Christianity historically tied to the DRC.

show abstract

Why not Belhar? Some Reflections on the Foremost Barrier in the Process of Church Reunification

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Θεός, Father and the ‘Holy Trinity’ in the New Testament

Θεός, Father and the ‘Holy Trinity’ in the New Testament

Belhar as mirror and window on social cohesion and justice

other side of whiteness

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About