Die Berlynse Sending en "Apartheid" in Suid-Afrika

Abstract

It is interesting to note that over the last two centuries Churches and Missionary Societies have taken the lead in denouncing the South African policies of segregation and apartheid. What seems strange, however, is how little of this criticism has come from German Lutherans, despite the fact that they were amongst the earliest pioneers of mission work in South Africa. This article examines the reasons why one specific German Lutheran denomination, the Berlin Missionary Society which arrived in South Africa in 1834, only officially denounced apartheid as a theological heresy in 1967.

Van die grootste kritici van die Suid-Afrikaanse rassebeleid die afgelope twee eeue was geestelikes van verskillende kerk. en sendinggenootskappe. Gedurende die negentiende eeu was dit veral sendelinge van die Londense Sendinggenootskap (Johannes van der Kemp, John Philip en David Livingstone) wat die lot van die Nie-Blankes teen die Blankes beskerm het. Ook in die twintigste eeu was dit hoofsaaklik geestelikes (Trevor Huddleston, Joost de Blank, Ambrose Reeves, Beyers Naude, Desmond Tutu, Allan Boesak en nog vele ander) wat hulle teen die diskriminerende Suid-Afrikaanse rassebeleid verset het. Wat egter opvallend is, is hoe weinig protes daar teen die landsbeleid van die kant van Duitse Lutherane gekom het. Dit was maar eers teen die sestiger- en sewentigerjare dat daar van Lutherse kant teen die apartheidsbeleid kritiek gelewer is.