Skotse predikante en die geestelike bearbeiding van die Voortrekkers

Abstract

Scottish clergymen and the ministering to the Voortrekkers
Scottish clergymen viewed the migration from their Cape parishes with real concern. They sincerely believed that, despite miserable conditions on the frontier, it was better to stay under the British flag than to emigrate to an unknown wilderness. As British citizens, it would have been strange for them fully to identify themselves with the grievances and aspirations of the Voortrekkers. On the other hand, countrymen like Livingstone accused the Scottish ministers of collaborating with the Voortrekkers. Despite sporadic attempts they, like the Cape Church, failed to minister to the spiritual needs of the Voortrekkers comprehensively; especially with the exodus at its height. The presence of Scottish clergymen in the Cape Church was not a major cause of the Groot Trek.