Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa

The old building of the Netherlands Reformed Church in the center of Springbok .

The Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa is a Calvinist denomination in South Africa, dating back to 1652 .

In the beginning, the Reformed communities of South Africa, gravitating towards Cape Town, were an integral part of the Dutch Church . After the annexation of the Dutch colonies by the British in 1806, they de facto gained self-government under the control of the colonial administration ^[1] . To coordinate parish activities, the Reformed communities of British South Africa in 1843 merged into the NGK denomination ( African: Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk ). Due to friction between the colonial authorities and local white reform farmers, the Great Track began, which led to the formation of the Transvaal state and a separate denomination of the NHC ( African Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk ) ( 1853 ) ^[2] . Autonomous synods of the Orange State and Natal existed for some time, but by 1885 they reunited in the Cape Synod ( African: Gereformeerde Kerke - literally: Reformed Church ).

All parishioners of the Reformed Church were white settlers. To date, the church unites over a thousand parishes and 1 million parishioners. Parishes are united in 10 territorial synods, over which there is a universal synod in Pretoria.

The subject of individual theological discussions was the attitude of the Dutch reformists towards the “non-white” population. As a result, the isolationists won. In South Africa, the Netherlands Reformed Church substantiated the policies of apartheid and white racism ^[3] .

God commanded nations and peoples to be divided, giving each nation a special destiny and gift.

^[four]

The book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, according to Totius, left no doubt about the intentions of the Lord: "From one blood He made the whole human race to dwell throughout the entire face of the earth, appointing predetermined times and limits to their dwelling" (17:26).

^[5]

For membership in the Brotherhood of Afrikaners - an influential organization that determined the policies of South Africa in the apartheid era - membership in the Reformed church was a prerequisite.