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A few months ago, some of my fellow "clergy" in Lynchburg, Virginia, got agitated when I wrote criticizing those who supported sanctions against South Africa. I argued that those who supported the sanctions "hated the Whites more than they loved the Blacks."
Though stark, doesn't this cut through a lot of the confusion and hypocrisy that we hear concerning this dear country? My argument consisted of the fact that sanctions definitely hurt Black South Africans more than Whites, and that pro-sanction people were more in love with the idea of hurting Whites than helping Blacks.
A few months ago, some of my fellow "clergy" in Lynchburg, Virginia, got agitated when I wrote criticizing those who supported sanctions against South Africa. I argued that those who supported the sanctions "hated the Whites more than they loved the Blacks."
Though stark, doesn't this cut through a lot of the confusion and hypocrisy that we hear concerning this dear country? My argument consisted of the fact that sanctions definitely hurt Black South Africans more than Whites, and that pro-sanction people were more in love with the idea of hurting Whites than helping Blacks.
A few months ago, some of my fellow "clergy" in Lynchburg, Virginia, got agitated when I wrote criticizing those who supported sanctions against South Africa. I argued that those who supported the sanctions "hated the Whites more than they loved the Blacks."
Though stark, doesn't this cut through a lot of the confusion and hypocrisy that we hear concerning this dear country? My argument consisted of the fact that sanctions definitely hurt Black South Africans more than Whites, and that pro-sanction people were more in love with the idea of hurting Whites than helping Blacks.
fellow "clergy" in Lynchburg, Virginia, got agitated when I wrote criticizing those who supported sanctions against South Africa. I argued that those who supported the sanctions "hated the Whites more than they loved the Blacks." Though stark, doesn't this cut through a lot of the confusion and hyprocrisy that we hear concerning this dear country? My argument consisted of the fact that sanctions definitely hurt Black South Africans more than Whites, and that pro-sanction people were more in love with the idea of hurting Whites than helping Blacks. Does not this really describe the liberal American scene? How can you "love" someone and want to viciously hurt them at the same time? Or, how can you "love" someone in this sense and act condescendingly toward them when they protest your "kindnesses?" Because you see, the vast majority of South African Blacks do not wan:t sanc- tions. The most famous Black Chief, Mangosuthu Buthelezi (boot-ah-LAZ- y), has spoken out against them. He represents seven million Zulus. So have lesser . magistrates like Mayor Tamsanqa Linda, who represents 400,000 people in Ibhayi Township (budget: 35 million Rand!). But these men who are concerned for the welfare of their people cannot be . heard because Western media, for whom belief in biblical Christianity and pri- vate property are the greatest two sins, find Marxists, and socialists like Bishop Tutu, more to their liking. Our question, is this: What should Western Calvinism'S posture be in the face of this hypocrisy? Heretofore, an- swers have been sad to say the least. With the exception of some of the conservative Dutch journals, almost no voice has been raised which has been willing to give the Afrikaaners (cf. a term similar to "American," ie. one who grew up in Africa) a fair shake. Our periodicals, while moderating some from the most virulent forms of the Marxist propaganda, have failed misera- bly to consider the situation from a Christian perspective. What questions might we ask which would redeem South Africa's reputa- tion? To this we can make quite a list: 1) Why have we never heard the South African situation analysed along the lines of Covenant Theology? Has not anyone considered that in the same way Israel was to be separate from un- belief, that the Christian White South Mricans have attempted to maintain their faith in the face of an earlier Black One of their major chal- lenges has been how to integrate cove- nanially, without losing their birthright for a mess of modern media pottage. 2) Along those lines, if there Wete a theoretical, modern, Christian state, which flourished and capitalized itself, would it be responsible if it away its wealth because some other people suddenly showed up--and de- manded it? (Note: most South Afrip.an Blacks don't demand such things, but theMarxists do). Did the Old Testament call Israel to bankrupt herself by giving all of her possessions to their pagan Of course . not. Covenant Theology stands diametrically opposedto human- ism's teaching that all men have equal rights. The only equal rights sinful men have is death before the wrath of God. But the Lord even destroys this equality with his sovereign discriminating love. This too galls humanist equalitarians. They demand all go to heaven, or even to Jiell, anything, as long as. it's to- gether so that there is no social divi- sion! 3) Have American Calvinists understood that South Africa's settlers were "Puritans," just like in America? Their history parallels our own almost exactly. During the reigns of perse- cuting kings like James I of England (1600's), earnest Reformed Christians fled to America. . . .and to South Africa. It was the same in France (the Huguenots fled) and in Romanist parts of Germany. And the same in Scotland, where during "the killing times" Scots Covenanters emigrated. In other words, .the Afrikaaners were not bred in the cradle of modern fascism, but the bed of Reformation Christianity! That's why, aside from media caricatures, they are so much like us today (in terms of some of our vir- tues). 4) Why have not our writers boldly declared that the South African situation contrasts with Rhodesia's like night and day? White Rhodesia was originally settled by Black tribes, and then later colonized by the English. South Africa was basically an empty country and was settled by Whites a century or more earlier than Rhodesia. South Africa did have some native aborigines (red and yellow skinned peoples) occupying parts of the land; but even here the comparison is parallel to America. . As in Virginia, whose native Indian population only numbered about twenty- thousand, the Aboriginal peoples were very sparse, backward and sickly. The White South Mricans had never even seen a Black man until almost the 1800's when the latter group was migrating South along the Eastern coastal region and that was one hundred and fifty years after the settlement (as in America) had commenced. (Here again, the settlement of the Northern and Northeastern sections of South Africa historically compares with our Ameri- can settlement of the West.) The bottom line here is that the Afrikaaners are about as ready to leave Pretoria as Tip O'Neill is to leave Bos- ton. Anybody who tries to root them
The Counsel of Chalcedon, February-Mar<;ll,, . , out is going to be prodding about at a land mine with which most Americans ought to identify. 5) Do most Americans under- stand that South Mrica has only had her independence since 1926, and her more organized republic since 1961? Do they know that the twin hammers of the Boer War (1902) and the Great Depression (1920's and 30's) wreaked terrible havoc upon the Afrikaaners? Economically they were almost des- troyed. Yet through faithful labor and the good providence of God, they rebuilt their country in the 1940's and SO's. It was not until the 1950's, with the rapid industrialization, that Blacks from other "South" African countries started streaming in looking for jobs. It has been since then that the population has swollen. Similarly, it has been since then that Apartheid measures were put in place so as to maintain some sort of social order in the midst of what other- wise would have been chaotic. (Think about it. What would you have done? What would any other country have done? Would it have been right to allow the dispossession of one's children, for a migrant people?) One of the efforts of the Apartheid measures has been to create Black states along-side White states. This follows closely the biblical Old Testament model wherein there was a confederation of different tribes (states) in one nation. Before the "War Between the States" here in America, this model of state sovereignty within a nation was also paramount. It too came from the bibli- cal model! Yet today, barely thirty years since such measures were inaugurated, West- em media scoffs at the Afrikaaner's efforts to dismantle the apparatus. In fact, some such efforts were no doubt necessary at the time. And today, as that necessity passes, and as the Black tribes have converted to Christianity, the Apartheid structures are coming down. But this still does not mean that the Whites are going to squander their ancestors' capital and give everything away just because Tom Brokaw et. al. think they ought to! 6) Why has not the Christian West admitted that the Mrikaaners have been the nwst successful mis- sionaries in Africa? The editor has witnessed a fibn where Prime Minister P.W. Botha traversed a Zulu crowd of a hundred thousand or so (with but a mere handful of bodyguards) in order to wor- ship Christ together with them. And not only have these Whites brought the gospel to these immigrating Blacks, they have also brought them Western wealth! Christian economics, in con- trast with Marxist economics, teaches that wealth is not limited to what al- ready exists. Based upon the "wealth" God has hidden in the creation, men can create new wealth as they till the earth and take dominion (Gen. 1 and 2) over it. Western-media-camera shots notwith- standing, there is a large Black middle class in South Africa. And it is the only one on the continent! In other parts of Africa, which have been domi- nated by a more pietistic-evangelical mission model, such economic progress has not been accomplished. For ex- ample, South African Blacks own more cars than the rest of Black Africa put to- gether. 7) Do Western Liberals know that their slanderous efforts have been used by God, providentially, to enrich the very people they sought to hurt? Through the disinvestment pressures, stocks of major internationally owned companies have collapsed. Then, as the Americans and the English have fled to their homelands with only half their capital, the South Africans have bought back the companies at a fraction of their value. During this last year, there have been many cases where West German banks have loaned the Africaaners the money to buy out the fleeing Western- ers, and the Africaaners have been able to pay back their entire loan on the gains that have then registered on those same stocks! God has used Western liberals and unbelievers to capitalize the Africaaner Calvinists! It's been an amazing historical turn of events. In conclusion, we believe that a whole new generation of thinking must take place regarding South Africa. It ought to start with the Bible and extend out into reality. The Christian Church ought to commence its own thinking, and stop depending on those who hate true piety for their information re- garding who they should love .. [This article is reprinted by p_ermission from Jourfi#Y Magazine, November- December1 1987. R.E. Knodel, Jr. is the editor of mat publication.] 0 UNITED CHRISTIAN ACTION News from South Africa P.O. Box 35 737 0102 Menlo Park South Africa Tel (012) 982680 Telex 4-21851 sa UCANEWS+UCANEWS+UCANEWS+UCANEWS " " i i ~ 'cbunsel of Chalcedon, February-March, 1989 ----------------------Page 15