ORIGINAL RESEARCH

 

'The hastening that waits': A critical assessment of the tangebility of unity within the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa

 

 

Rothney S. Tshaka^I; Peter M. Maruping^II

^IDepartment of Philosophy and Systematic Theology, University of South Africa, South Africa
^IIDepartment of Church History, Missiology and Christian Spirituality, University of South Africa

Correspondence

 

 

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ABSTRACT

The tale of the Reformed Church tradition in South Africa remains conspicuous with challenges also within the current democratic context. Whilst the political past of South Africa contributed towards a Reformed church divided along racial lines, a struggle continues for a genuinely unified Reformed church today. Conceding to the present discussions about the possibility of uniting all Reformed congregations that were divided along racial categories of Black, Coloured, Indian and White, this article aspires to delve into the intricacies pertaining to the already achieved unity between the 'Coloured' and a huge portion of the 'Black' Reformed congregations, that is to say, the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa. This article will argue that although it is fundamental that the church of Christ must be united, it is equally imperative that the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) waits and assesses whether it has already achieved tangible unity.

Keywords: tangible unity; justice; reconciliation; URCSA; Reformed Church

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Full text available only in PDF format.

 

 

References

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Horn, N., 1984, ''n Vergelykende studie van die Barmenverklaring en die van die konsepbelydenis van die N.G Sendingkerk', MA thesis, Universiteit van Port Elizabeth, Suid-Afrika.         [ Links ]

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Smit, D. & Cloete, D. (eds.), 1984, A moment of truth: The confession of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church 1982, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.         [ Links ]

Smit, D., 2000, 'Versoening en Belhar?'[Reconsiliation and Belhar], Gereformeerd Theologisch Tijdschrift 4, 159-173.

Tshaka, R.S., 2007, 'African you are on your own! - The need for African Reformed Christians to seriously engage their Africanity in their Reformed theological reflections', Scriptura 3, 533-548.         [ Links ]

 

 

Correspondence:
Rothney Tshaka
Department of Philosophy and Systematic Theology
PO Box 392
UNISA 0003
South Africa
Email: tshakrs@unisa.ac.za

Received: 17 Aug. 2010
Accepted: 27 Oct. 2010
Published: 07 Dec. 2010