Introduction to Special South Africa Issue

by Joe Morecraft, Ill

This is a special edition of The Counsel of Chalcedon. Its primary focus is on the
history and strength of the Reformed Faith in South Mrica. It is addressed to our
distinctively Christian readership. We pray that you take time to read every word of
this issue. The future of the United States of America is inseparably entwined with
the, future of the Republic of South Africa. Both our nations have the same roots--in
the Biblical Calvinism of the Protestant Reformation of the Sixteenth Century; and
the worldview of the heart of South Africans is s t i l ~ in large part, shaped by the
foundational principles of that Calvinism, in a manner that the heart of Americans is
not.
The purpose of this edition is two-fold: (1). To look at the crises in South Africa
from the perspective of the Reformed Faith; and (2). To give American Christians a
taste of the flavor of South African Calvif).ism, which is a blend of Scottish, French,
Dutch, and American Calvinism, with unique contributions by South Mricans
themselves. The reason we are doing this is also two-fold: (1). Whereas there are
several reliable newsletters that deal primarily with the geopolitical situation in
South Africa from a Conservative position, there are no other popular periodicals
that report on the South African situation from a distinctively Reformed perspective.
In fact, I know of only two others, beside The Counsel of Chalcedon, that have done
so: Rushdoony's Chalcedon Report and Dick Knodel's Journey magazine. (2). There
is a treasure-house of creative and fascinating Reformed publications in South Africa, ,
but almost all of them are written in Afrikaans, although there are some excellent
books and papers by Afrikaans-speaking Calvinists in English, viz. Nigel Lee, and
authors connected with the Potchefstroom University for Higher Christian Educa-
tion.
This February-March issue of The Counsel of Chalcedon has three components:
(1). Articles by South African Calvinists; (2). Articles by American Calvinists who
are familiar with South Africa; and (3). Advertisements on South African
Reformed/Christian organizations.
The most helpful newsletters on South Africa include: (1). THE McALVANY
INTELliGENCE ADVISOR, P.O. Box 39810, Phoenix, Ariz.; (2). THE
HOWARD PHIWPS ISSUES AND STRATEGY BULLETIN, 9520 Bent Creek
Lane, Vienna, VA.; (3). SIGNPOSTS, P.O. Box 26148, Arcadia, 0007, Republic of
South Africa; (4). THE AIDA PARKER NEWSLETTER, P.O. Box 91059,
Auckland Park, 2006, Republic of South Africa; (5). FAMILY PROTECTION
SCOREBOARD, P.O. Box 10459, Costa Mesa, Calif.
The best books on the crises in South Africa include: (1). RED STAR OVER
SOUTHERN AFRICA, by Morgan Norval, 1988, Selous Foundation, Washington,
D.C.; (2). THE OTHER END OF THE LIFEBOAT, by Otto Scott, 1985, Regnery
Books, Chicago; (3). RED LOCUSTS: SOVIET SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM
IN SOUTHERN AFRICA, by Larry McDonald, 1981, Western Goals Foundation,
Alexandria, VA. For a helpful video on Christianity and Marxism in Southern
Mrica, entitled, "In the Name of God," contact National Citizens Action Network,
714-850-0349.
My understanding of the history of the Reformed Faith in South Africa is greatly
influenced by a series of ten cassettes on ''The Eschatology of Victory in South
Africa" by F. Nigel Lee. It is an informative and spiritually stimulating series, that I
highly recommend to anybody. For information as to how these may be obtained
call my office: 1-404-396-0965.
THE END OF VIOLENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Hope for South Africa
What will end t11e bloody violence and the escalating terrorism in South Africa?
....... ~ H r '" .
The Counsel of Chalcedon, February-March, 1989 Page 3
The release of Nelson Mandela won't do
it. Negotiations with the African Na-
tional Congress won't do it. Capitula-
ti6n to the pressures of the anti-Chris-
tian West won't do it. National reform
ahd new dispensations won't do it. With-
drawing from N amibia/SW Africa and
succumbing to United Nations' Resolu-
tion 435 won't do it. Lifting or rein-
stating a state of emergency won't do it.
The Nkomati and Lusaka Accords won't
do it. A return to 1948 and the mere
refurbishing of apartheid won't do it.
The only hope for South Africa is
the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Chris-
tian Reconstruction of every aspect of
South African society and civilization
by the written word of the sovereign
God in the power of the Holy Spirit; of
politics, economics, social and racial
relations, culture, church life, family
life, jurisprudence, and especially of the
inner life and world-view of individuals.
As Owen Fourie has written: "A na-
tion's obedience or disobedience to the
law of God will determine the nature of
its divinely appointed destiny whether it
be one of blessing or one of cursing,
and that applies equally to each ethno-
linguistic group." Or, as the Bible
states it: "Righteousness (i.e., conformi-
ty to the biblical standard) exalts a na-
tion, but sin (i.e., disobedience to or dis-
regard of the biblical standard) is a re-
proach to any people."1
Fourie continues: "With due repent-
ance of his sins and with renewed obedi-
ence to God's laws, the Afrikaaner
should proceed without guilt. In today's
post petty-apartheid South Africa, the
Afrikaaner must build true Reformed
C}1ristianity with its implications for
every area of life, and pursue a policy of
retaining the God-given, God-created
diversity of ethno-cultural groups,
while making every zealous effort to
convert these groups to the Christian
Faith. It is the destruction of this faith
as expressed by the Afrikaaner, not the
apartheid system, that is the target of
the worldwide forces of ungodliness and
unrighteousness.
"In the providence of God and by the
obedience of the Christian evangelizing
the unconverted and applying the law-
word of God to every area of life,
Southern Africa can become a common-
wealth of diverse Christian nations each
with its own God-given character--a
microcosm of what must become of the
world before 4istory culminates in the
return of our Lord Jesus Christ. It must
be stated unequivocally that Christian
Reconstruction is the way ahead for.
South Africa.
"What is needed in South Africa
above all is a return to the foundations
of its heritage, not to mere tradition but
to a vital application of the basic tenets
expressed in Christian Reconstruc-
. tod n2
non ay ....
The Position of South Africa
The Republic of South is in a better
position than any other nation on earth
to apply distinctively biblical solutions
to her complex problems. As a matter
of fact,. it is only the courageous appli-
cation of distinctively biblical solutions
that will solve her problems and guaran-
tee a future of liberty and justice for all
her children.
Just as the United States of America,
the Republic of Sol.lth Africa must
repent of her gradual departure from her
Christian roots and Christian calling as
a nation. Just as Soli Deo Gloria
has faded on rands ten or fifteen years
old, so that mind-set and world-view
and heart-fire that gives all glory to God
alone, which seeks to live by faith in
Christ alone, governed by his Word
alone, in the power of the Holy Spirit,
has begun to fade in the hearts of many
of her people. Just as the once-great
Presbyterian and Reformed churches in
America, the Reformed Churches of
South Africa are not the bright, clear
lights of truth and grace they should be.
Their trumpets often give an uncertain
sound.
Almighty God has already begun rais-
ing and gathering the Assyrian, Baby-
lonian, and Roman armies of today to
bring his righteous and terrible judg-
ment upon those nations who have
neglected their Christian heritages, and
who refuse to repent of that neglect.
The Soviet Union has targeted six
states from the Atlantic to the Indian
Ocean to dominate in order to surround
and isolate South Africa, the Com-
munists' ultimate target, next to the
United States. Those states are Angola,
SW Africa/Namibia, Zambia, Bots-
wana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. As
Donald McAlvl!Ily points out: "The
Soviets do not believe they can conquer
South Africa militarily. Their plan
instead is to surround and isolate Soutlt
Africa, precipitating economic sanc-
tions and disinvestment in the West,
harass South Africa along her four"
country, 1500 mile border and foment
internal revolution among her 16-plus
million blacks."3
Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26
guarantee that without a national return
to Christ and his covenant, and with
that return the Christian Reconstruction
of her hearts and culture, the enemies of
South Africa will win, and rape. her
civilization, no matter how she tries to.
stop them. On the other . hand, Praise
God!, if South Africa does undergo
genuine, thorough-going
ducexevival-reformation-renewal-recon-
struction by the word of God, Deutero-
nomy 28 and Leviticus 26 promise that
her enemies will fail in their efforts to
keep her and her children from a glori-
ous destiny under God's blessing.
Professor Von Rooy, in his excellent
lecture, "Revolution or Revival?",
gives us a good description of revival,
as we mean it "There are times in his-
tory when the Almighty in his sove-
reign grace decrees to work through his
Holy Spirit in an especially powerful
manner, in such a way that many peo-
ple are deeply affected and transformed
by the power of the gospel. This is
what we call"Revival." In times of re-
vival the same Spirit does the same
work of renewing and transforming men
as at other times, but he does it much
more extensively and intensively.
"The first and foremost sign of gen-
uine revival--for there are many counter-
feits which do not deserve this glorious
name--is a real and overwhelming en-
counter with the living God, which
reveals people to themselves in such a
way that they are powerfully convicted
that they cannot bear the thought of
living a single day without Christ any
longer. They must have Christ their
Savior, or perish."4
Page 4 The Counsel of Chalcedon, February-Marchj 1989 --
Gary North has well-spoken --We
must be more than anti-communists.
We must be able to offer a comprehen-
sive, workable alternative to commun-
ism. Nothing less than this will be suc-
cessful. Marxism is the most consistent
and powerful secular religion of all
time; it can only be successfully chal-
lenged by an even more consistent and
more powerful biblical religion. -- This
Christianity presents a comprehen-
sive challenge to the modem world,
and it also offers comprehensive
solutions to the complex problems of
our day. Is the West (and South Africa-
JCMIII) still walking the wrong way
down the road to serfdom? Yes. Even
the various national conservative and
'libertarian' revivals have not reversed
the overall trend, nor can they. The rea-
son is simple: only through faith
in Jesus Christ can any society
discover, develop and maintain
the legal institutions that make
freedom possible."5
The Time for Christian
Reconstruction: Now!
In many ways we have more working
against us in our American culture,
than Christians do in South African
culture. Our culture is deliberately and
self-consciously secular, humanistic,
and anti-Christian. At least, South Afri-
cans want a Christian civilization, al-
though some are not clear as to what
that means anymore. Our highest lead-
ers would never say what the state
president of South Africa, President
Botha, said: " .. .1 believe that the majori-
ty of South Africans, as well as the
citizens of the independent states .. have
much in common ... We believe in the
same Almighty God and the redeeming
grace of his Son, Jesus Christ.''6
Neither would they say what Chief
Buthelezi wrote: "We ... hereby declare
our commitment to serve God in obedi-
ence to his divine will for our country
and together."? Whether they mean the
same thing is yet to be seen. But the
point I am making is that South Africa
still has a Christian base from which to
work. Many in places of political, so-
cial, economic, media and ecclesiastical
influence have abandoned that base; but
The man in the right foreground in the photo to the left and in the center of the
photo to the right is His Majesty, King Goodwill Zwetilini, king of the Zulus. The
picture to the right was taken in Kwazulu when the Morecrafts visited in Aug., '88.
in the hearts and minds of the people,
black and white, it is still there.
South Africa, and America, must call
her people back to the God of the Bible.
We must communicate to them by
every means available--"Behold your
God!"--because in South Africa, as in
America, many leaders and people have
changed gods. And now, having
changed gods, they find that their new
gods are failing them. The time is ripe
to preach, teach, and apply more vigor-
ously than ever before the glory and
majesty of the triune God. Christian
Reconstruction's goal is to help people
believe in the true God again, and then
to act like they believe in him.
The Reality of Violence
in South Africa
Whereas the country of South Africa
is not in flames, as the leftist media and
politicians try to get us to believe,
there is much violence there. The cause
of this violence is humanism, and the
violence will not stop until the human-
ism is uprooted and destroyed from the
minds and institutions of South Afri-
cans. This will happen! It will happen
either by the judgment of God or by the
success of the gospel, but it will hap-
pen. Jesus Christ will "vindicate the
orphan and the oppressed, that man who
is of the earth may cause terror no
more," Psalm 10:18.
In order to present the Bible's gospel
effectively in a culture to solve its prob-
lems, those problems must be carefully
understood by the Christians. In South
Africa, Christians must understand the
. nature of violence, and be able tb identi-
fy and criticize its dominant forms, if
they are to end violence in their land by
the Dominion Mandate of Genesis 1:28
and the Great Commission of Matthew
28:18ff. If violence and terrorism in
South Africa, and the world, are to end,
we must understand three fundamental
points:
1. Violence is at root spiritual.
It is not caused by one's environment,
but by the rebellion of fallen man
against God. It is an expression of fal-
len man's desire to be God. Therefore
the solutions to violence and terrorism
are not ultimately political, but spiri-
tual.
2. The two primary expressions
of violence in South Africa are -- the
terrorism and Liberation Theology of
the Marxists, and the statism of the non-
communists.
3. The ultimate solution to vio-
lence is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
transformation of human hearts by His
word and Spirit, which leads to the
transformation of human cultures, as
the Kingdom of God advances trium-
phantly in the earth.
Endnotes
1. 0. Fourie, "The Afrikaaner To-
day," Chalcedon Report, No. 276, July,
1988, p. 10f.
2. Ibid., pg. 10f.
3. D. McAlvany, The McAlvany
Intelligence Advisor, Jan. 1985, p. 3.
4. Prof. Von Rooy, "Revolution or
Revival?," unpublished lecture given at
Kwasizabantu, Aug. 1988.
5. G. North, Liberating Planet Earth,
Texas: Dominion Press, 1987, p. 1-9.
6. P. W. Botha, Manifesto For the
Future, Aug. 15, 1985, Dept. .of
Foreign Affairs, Pretoria .
7. M.G. Buthelezi, "The Real
Challenges Black South Africans Face,"
Policy Forum, Vol. 11, No. 12, Sept.
D
'!f.he Counsel of Chalcedon, February-March, 1989
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