The confession of Belhar and an African indigenous perspective: A comparative engagement

Abstract

A study of the Christian Statement of belief, which was written in Afrikaans as Belydenis van Belhar (The Confession of Belhar, 26 September 1986), is critically important, as it amounts to reviewing the past in order to inform the future. A reading of indigenous confessions will enrich our comparative engagement and broaden our grasp of individual and communal-inspired confessions across historical times. As a Christian witness of biblical truth in an evil era of apartheid and oppression, the Confession of Belhar called for ecclesiastical unity among diverse peoples, reconciliation and God’s justice for all. While indigenous confessions are driven by the need to: Restore social and spiritual order, respond to existential threats, and as a crucial life-stage ritual (like initiation), the article asserts that the Confession of Belhar was equally restorative and holistic. In rethinking the two models of confessions, one is driven to ask: Does the Confession of Belhar draw its parallel with African indigenous forms? If so, where do we draw their triangulation in reference to what and how both can learn from each other? Methodologically, it will simultaneously engage the two confessional epistemologies, as it strives to unveil the problem.
Contribution: The article contributes to HTS Journal’s vision and mission by promoting a multidisciplinary perspective that explores a parallelism between the Confession of Belhar and the African indigenous forms, in its endeavour to address the myriad of problems bedevilling society.