THE RELEVANCE OF UNITY TO THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DUTCH REFORMED CHURCH IN SOUTH AFRICA

• Nico J. Smith Department of Religious Studies and Theology Unisa

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7833/83-0-888

Abstract

Outsiders to South Africa and the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC), when reading the title of this article, may rightly ask: “But what are the reasons for the necessity of the Dutch Reformed family of churches in South Africa (DRC-family) to become one church? Why can’t they exist separately as so many other churches exist separately in South Africa? Is there any necessity why this family of churches should become one church?” In this article I therefore intend to give some of the reasons for this necessity and will elaborate on the following two propositions that I consider as basic to the unity of the DRC-family. Firstly, the unity of the DRC-family can only be brought about by a restoration of the original unity of the DRC in the Cape in the 19th century and not through a process of unification of the different churches that were constituted by the DRC. Secondly, the relevancy of the DRC in the South African society is totally dependent on the unity of the DRC-family. In conclusion I will look at the developments (changes) in the DRC that will be needed in order to accommodate the unity of the DRC-family.