CHAPTER ONE
RESEARCH PROBLEM, SIGNIFICANCE, AND METHODOLOGY

During the last half of the twentieth century, many branches of the worldwide church have critiqued Afrikaner, Reformed missiology and its associated social theology (Regehr 1979; Hexham 1981; Serfontein 1982; De Gruchy and Villa Vicencio 1983; Botha 1984; Kinghorn and others 1986; De Gruchy 1986; Loubser 1987; De Gruchy 1991).

Especially pointed was the criticism of Afrikaner "apartheid" missiology (see Adonis 1982; Lombard 1985). To help diffuse this criticism, the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (NGK) produced a strong defense of their doctrine of separate churches for distinct ethnic and racial groups. Entitled Human Relations and the South African Scene in the Light of Scripture (HRLS), it was the culmination of decades of development (Van der Walt 1963; Botha 1984; Loubser 1987). It was a theological defense of the traditional relationship of the Afrikaner church to the diversities of South African society (Durand 1985; Strauss 1995).

The HRLS document, however, did not as hoped diffuse the international criticism. Instead it intensified. The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), the Reformed Ecumenical Synod (RES), Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the South African Council of Churches (SACC), and the World Council of Churches (WCC) all put increasing pressure on the NGK to abandon their justification of social separation and urged them to rejoin the world theological consensus (De Gruchy 1986).

Many of the WCC member churches declared that all such theological justification was evil indeed heretical (see Villa Vicencio and De Gruchy 1983). The vision of the WCC and its South African affiliate churches was to erect a sign of the coming kingdom of God in South Africa. Their goal was to help create its opposite: a non-sexist, non-racist, non-classist democratic state and a unified church built on the same presuppositions (see Webb 1994; ICT 1991; WCC–PCR 1991).

Under great pressure, the NGK General Synod decided in 1982 to revise Human Relations and the South African Scene in the Light of Scripture (HRLS). Instead of a revision, however, the appointed commission wrote a new document: Church and Society: A Testimony of the Dutch Reformed Church (Ned Geref Kerk) (C&S). The General Synod adopted it in 1986 and revised it in 1990.

This author has carefully analyzed the theological and philosophical presuppositions behind this document (Kreitzer 1993, 1997). The results of this research demonstrate that C&S has departed from the classic reformed heritage in the area of the Scripture, the relationship of creation to eschatology, the doctrine of the Trinity, covenant and social ethics.

Kinghorn and others report that C&S shifted "from a purely ideological position [on apartheid] to a pragmatic, ideological position," though it had within itself possibilities for a more comprehensive change (Kinghorn 1990a, 29). C&S reflected the new majority consensus within the NGK which rejected the older, Kuyperian theology and was struggling to break with apartheid practice.

In the years between the writing of HRLS (1974) and the revision of C&S (1990), a paradigm shift in theology had gained ascendancy in the NGK. This shift reflected the growing influence of modern theologians such as Karl Barth and Barth’s follower, G. C. Berkouwer (see Berkhof 1982; Kreitzer 1997).

This modern theology is much in evidence in C&S (1990).

As discussed in this author’s previous dissertation, Church and Society (1986 and 1990) provides a model for culture transformation. It is, however, not a Reformational model. C&S’ goal is to facilitate the replacement of former divisive social structures with more equalitarian, democratic ones. These new, inclusive structures emphasize the collective whole of humanity and not any separate, exclusive part of that humanity such as gender, race, tribe or ethno-cultural group. Human unity, thus, became most important. The result was that social diversity possesses merely secondary importance as a means to serve unity. C&S came to see that human social unity is the divine eschatological objective.

This new theological paradigm is much more akin to holistic and collectivist ideological worldviews. These have a logical corollary. The social collective is the primary good and as such becomes a foundational presupposition of thought. This new ideological axiom is similar, though in a more moderate form, to that adopted by the missiology used in WCC circles.

Since this same type of "new mission" (McGavran and Glasser 1983) is being introduced into evangelical missiology (see Heldenbrand 1993; Larkin 1992), C&S’ theology and missiology could serve as an important experiment from which to observe and learn. A Reformed missiological alternative to this new paradigm that takes into account the issues which C&S addesses could be a significant addition to the corpus of mission theological literature.

This dissertation seeks to develop the theological principles behind a cross-culturally valid, mission-based social theology. The goal is facilitate the transformation of every ethno-culture according to biblical principles. The conclusion is designed, in part, to summarize these principles, giving a Reformed theological foundation for comprehensive culture transformation. This is designed to serve the world mission community which has been discussing culture transformation for at least a generation (see e.g., Nida 1954; Kraft 1979; Larkin 1992).

The problem this dissertation addresses, therefore, is a Reformed theological alternative to the paradigm shift exemplified by Church and Society (1990). A key subsidiary hypothesis is that the NGK is moving toward accepting many of the social theological presuppositions used by the World Council of Churches and the South African Council of Churches.

Summary of Research Problem

In sum, the problem the dissertation will research is as follows: The NGK has rejected apartheid social theology (HRLS) and embraced another equally syncretistic social theology while passing over other a more biblical, Reformed alternative. That alternative will be expounded in the following chapters.

The purpose of this dissertation, then, is to give a viable theological alternative to the NGK’s recent social theology. These will be in the form of five principles that develop a mission based, social theology specifically developed for this and the author’s previous dissertation. It includes the following world and life view principles: (1) The Sola Scriptura Principle (Van Til 1967a, 1967b; Geisler 1980; Woodbridge 1982). (2) The Restorative Eschatology Principle (Campbell 1954; DeJong 1970; Kik 1971; Murray 1971; Gage 1984; Gentry 1990, 1992; North 1990). (3) The Trinitarian Principle (Kuyper 1931; Stoker 1941; Boettner 1963; Rushdoony 1978; Meeter 1990). (4) The Covenant Principle (Carney 1964; Robertson 1980; Sutton 1987; Van der Waal 1990). (5) The Universal Equity Principle (Rushdoony 1973; Kaiser 1983, 1987; Wright 1983; Bahnsen 1985; Poythress 1991; Klein, Blomberg, Hubbard 1993).

The following five questions provide the stimulus for the dissertation research. Each is based upon the standard given above. Each question is foundational to the following question, so that each flows directly into the next. Each has been used to evaluate the social theology of Church and Society in the author’s previous work’s evaluating that General Synod document (see Kreitzer 1993, 1997): (1) What is the classic Reformed view of biblical authority that could be an alternative to that used in C&S’ social theology? (2) What is a Reformed view of eschatology, which can serve as a more biblical alternative to that view the author previously discovered to be in C&S’? (3) What is the orthodox Trinitarian paradigm, which gives an alternative to C&S’ over-emphasis upon social collectives? (4) What is the neo-Puritan understanding of the covenant, which could serve as an alternative to the more individual-based vision of C&S’ social theology? (5) How could the universal equity of biblical law provide alternative social ethical principles to that used in C&S’ mission and social theology?

This study will be primarily limited to discovering possible mission and social theological principles that could serve as a biblical alternative to those within Church and Society (1990) It will not interact with the mission and social theology of the other Reformed churches in South Africa other than to compare, illustrate or contrast.

Second, this work will stay within the parameters of the five classic Reformed presuppositions as defined them in the paragraphs above. Third, this study will limit itself to interacting with the mission and social theologies developed by the three crucial General Synods of the NGK (1982, 1986, and 1990). These General Synods decided to commission, to approve and then to revise Church and Society.

Theological Bibliographic Methodology

This study, will give primary attention to documents in Afrikaans, the original language in which C&S was written. However, because the scholarly discussion in languages other than Afrikaans has occurred primarily in English, Dutch and German, several important works in these languages will also be cited.

The dissertation is organized to follow the research questions in order. The first chapter will give an introduction to the basic problem, its significance, definitions and research methodology. Because of the large mass of written information on the subject, the second chapter will review the significant background literature discussing the theological and missiological assumptions found in C&S. Furthermore, it will discuss and evaluate the relevant literature that has appeared on C&S in the years since its appearance.

Each of the following chapters are based upon the five points of the proposed alternative mission theological paradigm. Each chapter will discuss and analyze the philosophical and theological presuppositions relevant to the topic of the chapter’s research question. In sum, these foundational theological principles will be collectively termed a neo-Puritan mission theology.

The reader is urged to read simultaneously the author’s application of these five principles in his previous works evaluating Church and Society (1990) (see Kreitzer 1993, 1997).

1. The twin doctrines of the covenant and the kingdom are the unifying themes of the Bible (Robertson 1980; Sutton 1987; Van der Waal 1990; Spykman 1992). The covenantal relationship between man as the vice-gerent of God and God as Suzerain of his Kingdom is comprehensive, involving all of life. It unites into one perspective the cultural mandate of creation with the redemption mandate of the mediatorial King, Jesus. This mandate is none other than the Great Commission in its various forms (see Gentry 1990). Robertson describes this relationship aptly:

In summary, "by sovereign design, the Garden was destined to become a City" (Spykman 1992, 256). The Fall into sin was only a temporary obstacle to that goal but the redemption in Christ has overcome every obstacle sin erected (Ro 5:12ff).

2. Thus, this dissertation presupposes that the idea of covenant is intimately related with that of the Kingdom of God and both are a "bi-unitary index to the meaning of the creation." Neither is independent of the other but are "two sides of a single coin." They begin and end together and are "alike in their depth of meaning and coterminous in their cosmic scope" (Spykman 1992, 257-258). Covenant connotes the concept of an "abiding charter," whereas the concept of kingdom implies the idea of an "on going program." Thus "kingdom may . . . be conceived of as covenant looking forward with gathering momentum toward its final fulfillment" (Spykman 1992, 258).

Covenant and kingdom are virtually "interchangeable realities" having a common origin in the Creator, cover the same terrain and "involve the same people" (Spykman 1992, 258). Therefore at the beginning of the creation, mankind was covenanted into the kingdom of the triune God who reigns over all things in heaven and earth (Ps 103:17-22). As a result, God’s "royal authority . . . proclaims his covenantal claim on his creatures" (Spykman 1992, 258). Man and all creatures are responsible to thank, trust, and obey the Creator (Ro 1:18-30).

Without the historic Reformed emphasis upon the close connection between an all encompassing covenantal kingdom, and a redemption that extends as far as the creation was effected by the fall (Rom 8:18-22), these concepts are reduced to an "exclusive salvific reality," leading the people of God inexorably into a "dualist worldview, structured along nature-creation/grace-covenant lines" (Spykman 1992, 261).

3. This dissertation assumes that each of the five points of the neo-Puritan model is biblically valid and that each is found in the Calvinist-Reformed foundational confessions though not necessarily with all of the contemporary development and application.

4. The growth and victory of the Kingdom of God, in King Jesus, is the goal of the missio Dei. "He shall reign until he makes his enemies a footstool under his feet" (see 1Co 15:22-28; Eph 1:10 NIV).

5. The family, church, and civil governments are social structures designed to glorify the Creator. Hence, though the people in these structures are fallen, the structures in themselves are not. They can be re-incorporated as structures in the Kingdom of God and Christ. The goal and meaning of these institutions is to shine forth God’s glory into the moral, cultural darkness found in every people of earth (see Mt 4:15ff; Isa 9:1).

(1) Christonomy. The law of the new covenant people of God,built upon Christ’s interpretation of the law in His own ministry and his apostles and prophets. This is in direct contrast to certain forms of anachronistic theonomic, theocracy teachings.

(2) Christocracy. The present kingdom-reign of Christ through his people in heaven and earth as they exercise dominion over every sphere of life. It involves administering the law of Christ in family, church, and civil governments by chosen male elders. This is in contrast to theonomic, theocracy teachings.

(3) Ethno-Covenantal Solidarity (ECSOL) and Ethno-Covenantal Solidarity Principle (ECSOP). A neo-Puritan alternative to Homogeneous Units (HU) and the Homogeneous Unit Principle (HUP). A self-identified people group, bound by a common language, covenanted religion, territory, custom, and history.

(4) General or Universal Equity. The principle of evenhandedness, justice and neighbor love (charity) found in every judicial law and which defines both impartial justice (social and legal-system ethics) and loving righteousness (individual and interpersonal ethics) (see Kaiser, 1983, 1987; also Wright 1983; Bahnsen 1985; Poythress 1991; Klein, Blomberg, Hubbard 1993).

(5) Holism. A word coined by South African Prime Minister, Jan Smuts. It emphasizes that particulars are evolving into wholes which are above, apart from, and more important than any separate part. Philosophically, holism is similar to Platonism and aspects of Hegelianism (Smuts 1935/1987; Beukes 1989).

(6) Neo-Puritan. "Neo-Puritan"is the label the author chooses to apply to his five-fold paradigm of Reformed, mission and social theology. This reflects a desire to identify with the culture transforming spirit of sixteenth and seventeenth century Anglo-American Puritans and of nineteenth and twentieth century Dutch, Dutch-American, and Afrikaner neo-Calvinists (e.g., Kuyper, C. A. Van Til, H. G. Stoker, and H. Dooyeweerd). Both groups desired the purity of the individual, family, and church but also all of society under the grace and law of King Jesus.

(7) Social Theology. The outworking of theology into the various social spheres, defining their content, boundaries, and interrelationships. Social theology thus includes the sub-discipline of social ethics. As such, social theology is defined here as a branch of missiology which deals with the conversion and transformation of culture (see Stoker 1941; North 1990; and Rushdoony 1970, 1978b, 1986, etc.).

(8) Wholism. The concept that reality must not be seen in terms of a dualism between matter and form, nature and grace, form and freedom or good and eternal spirit, nor transitory and carnal flesh. Instead, all of life, both body and spirit, physical and spiritual, nature and grace are good in themselves because they are created by the Word. Both can be instruments of evil when controlled by the "devil who holds them captive to do his will" (2Ti 2:26; Eph 2:1-2) or instruments of righteousness when they are ruled by the Holy Spirit (Ro 6:12-14).