History of the Belhar Confession's Development

1. The Development of churches in South Africa

• Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) in South Africa established in 1652; three confessions: Heidelberg Catechism (HC), Belgic Confession (BC), and Canons of Dort (CD); “white” denomination associated with the system of apartheid.
• Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) established in 1881 by the exclusively white DRC for people of color.
• Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (DRCA) established in 1951 for “blacks.”
• Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) established in 1994; the DRMC joined with the DRCA.

2. Dates leading up to the Belhar Confession

• 1652 – The Dutch formed a station at the Cape and introduced slavery.
• 1857 – The Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa decided to have separate services for “colored” members (discrimination at the Lord’s Supper was already occurring well before 1857).
• 1881 – The Dutch Reformed Mission Church was established by the white Dutch Reformed Church for people of color.
• 1951 – The Dutch Reformed Church in Africa was established for “blacks.”
• 1978 – The Dutch Reformed Mission Church and Dutch Reformed Church in Africa decided to work for unity, an ideal that took sixteen years to fulfill. In the process, the Belhar Confession was formulated (1982).
• 1982 – The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), with Dr. Allan Boesak serving as president, declared a status confessionis concerning apartheid. Status confessionis is a Latin term meaning that which is foundational for belief and behavior and must be affirmed by professing members of the church. In addition to calling apartheid a heresy, WARC suspended the white Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa.

Later that same year, the synod of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (meeting in Belhar) also declared a status confessionis regarding apartheid, reasserting that it is a heresy and a misrepresentation of the gospel. In addition, the Dutch Reformed Mission Church drafted a confession dealing with three issues: (1) the unity of the church, (2) reconciliation in Christ, and (3) the justice of God. The synod adopted an official accompanying letter to explain the decision to draft the confession and to attest to the seriousness, spirit, and purpose behind it. The beginning of the accompanying letter states:

We are deeply conscious that moments of such seriousness can arise in the life of the Church that it may feel the need to confess its faith anew in the light of a specific situation. We are aware that such an act of confession is not lightly undertaken, but only if it is considered that the heart of the gospel is so threatened as to be at stake. In our judgment, the present church and political situation in our country and particularly within the Dutch Reformed church family calls for such a decision. Accordingly, we make this confession not as a contribution to a theological debate nor as a new summary of our beliefs, but as a cry from the heart, as something we are obliged to do for the sake of the gospel in view of the times in which we stand.
. . . We are aware that the only authority for such a confession and the only grounds on which it may be made are the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God. . . . This confession is not aimed at specific people or churches. . . . This confession must be seen as a call to a continuous process of soul-searching together, a joint-wrestling with the issues, and a readiness to repent. . . . Our prayer is that this act of confession . . . will be reconciling and uniting.

The resulting Belhar Confession was adopted by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church and Dutch Reformed Church in Africa. When these denominations united in 1994, the newly formed Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa reaffirmed the Belhar Confession as one of its four confessions. The Dutch Reformed Church synod refused to adopt it as an official confession of faith, viewing it as a product of liberation theology. After much debate, the Dutch Reformed Church synod of 2004 ruled that each congregation could make its own decision.

The question whether the Belhar Confession reflects the tenets of “liberation theology” has been frequently discussed and is addressed again in section II, B of this report.

3. History of the Belhar Confession and related matters in the CRC

It is important to note that the CRC has a history of its own related to the Belhar Confession. What follows is a summary of that history (much of it taken from material prepared by Dr. David Rylaarsdam of Calvin Theological Seminary). Synod has, on several occasions, encouraged further consideration of the Belhar within the CRC.

• 1959 – “In view of the racial tensions and the flagrant violation of the scriptural principle of equality occurring in society and the church both in America and in our world, the church has a calling to register a clear and strong witness to her members and her world” (Acts of Synod 1959, p. 84).
• 1984 – “The IRC is giving careful consideration to the synodical decisions of the [Dutch Reformed Mission Church] at its meeting in 1982, particularly the New Confession which is adopted” (Acts of Synod 1984, p. 172). “It is also essential for our denomination to relate with integrity to those who long and work for racial justice in South Africa” (Acts of Synod 1984, p. 220). “Furthermore, the confession adopted by the [Dutch Reformed Mission Church] can only be judged to be in essential accord with the declarations on race issued by the [Reformed Ecumenical Council] and by synods of the CRC. . . . In view of the relation of ecclesiastical fellowship that exists between the CRC and the [Dutch Reformed Mission Church] and other Reformed churches in South Africa . . . , and in view of the ecumenical relationship of the CRC with the Reformed churches of South Africa in the Reformed Ecumenical Council, it is incumbent on the CRC, out of integrity toward these relationships, to judge the rightness of the judgment of the [Dutch Reformed Mission Church] concerning apartheid (that it is a sin) and the “moral and theological justification of it” (that it is a theological heresy) and concerning the faithfulness of the Reformed confessions and Scripture of the . . . new confessional statement. As for the latter, it is our judgment that the new confessional statement is in accord with the decisions of several synods of the CRC” (Acts of Synod 1984, pp. 602-3).
• 1985 – “Further informal discussions were held [with the Gereformeerde Kerk in South Africa] on such questions as the relations between the constituent synods of the ‘Algemene Sinode,’ reactions to the Belhar Confession, and the assessment of the recent constitutional changes in South Africa” (Acts of Synod 1985, p. 211).
• 1989 – “That synod instruct the IRC to study the Belhar Confession and present recommendations to Synod 1990 in response to the REC request” (Acts of Synod 1989, p. 497).
• 1990 – “That synod endorse the IRC’s evaluation (pp. 217-219) which judges that the Belhar Confession is in harmony with ‘the Reformed faith as a body of truth’ articulated in the historic Reformed confessions and is in basic agreement with REC and CRC decisions on race made over the past decades; and, therefore, that synod declare that it has no objection to its inclusion in the list of Reformed confessions in Article II of the REC constitution” (Acts of Synod 1990, p. 625). Note: At a subsequent meeting of REC the recommendation to add the Belhar Confession to Article II of the REC Constitution was vigorously debated but then not adopted. Nevertheless, it is assumed that the position of the synod of the CRC stands.
• 1996 – Synod considered an extensive report from its Committee to Articulate Biblical and Theological Principles for the Development of a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Family of God (Acts of Synod 1996, pp. 510-15, 595-619). This report was published in 1996 (by Faith Alive Christian Resources) under the title God’s Diverse and Unified Family.
• 1997 – “We believe . . . the ministry of racial reconciliation has to take a greater role and priority in the ministries of the Christian Reformed Church. . . . We therefore urge synod to increase its efforts and its commitment toward the advancement of racial reconciliation” (Pastoral Ministries Report, Acts of Synod 1997, p. 686).
• 1999 – “The general synodical commission of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa met in Bloemfontein on October 19-22, 1998. The CRC delegation was warmly welcomed to the meeting and was permitted a presence at the discussion table for the duration of its visit. We brought greetings, and in response we received greetings to our churches in which the relationship between our churches was prized, our well-being was prayed for, and our churches were challenged to adopt the Belhar Confession as their own. . . . The URCSA’s challenge to the CRC to adopt the Belhar Confession needs further reflection. . . . The URCSA believes it is necessary that the Belhar Confession be accepted as part of the confessional basis of a new, unified church in South Africa. To the URCSA this is a nonnegotiable condition” (Agenda for Synod 1999, pp. 197-200).
• 2003 – “The general secretary of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) reiterated what he had told the IRC earlier, namely that URCSA was asking churches in ecclesiastical fellowship with it to study the Belhar Confession to determine what place that confession might take among the faith statements of the respective denominations. The IRC has received this oral invitation as an official request from the URCSA and has committed itself to review and study the Belhar with a view to making a recommendation to synod about its status sometime in the future” (Agenda for Synod 2003, p. 235). “The CRC did make an initial decision regarding Belhar in 1990 when it said that the Belhar Confession ‘is in harmony with “the Reformed faith as a body of truth” articulated in the historic Reformed confessions and is in basic agreement with REC and CRC decisions on race made over the past decades. . . .’ (Acts of Synod 1990, p.625). . . . Synod 1990, however, did not say anything about the Belhar Confession’s status within the CRC itself, and that is the kind of decision the URCSA would like the CRC to consider” (Agenda for Synod 2003, p. 246).
• 2004 – “The BOT is also committed to seeing the implementation of the decisions made in 1996 when synod adopted the report God’s Diverse and Unified Family” (Board of Trustees Report, Agenda for Synod 2004, p. 68). “The Christian Reformed Church has always had a good track record on addressing hunger and poverty but has realized that more needs to be done to address the root causes of world hunger. Understanding that hunger is always part of a complex web of natural disasters, poverty, oppression, structural injustice, and spiritual alienation, the CRC formed the Office of Social Justice and Hunger Action (OSJHA) to address these root causes. Today, the OSJHA works to develop a deeper understanding of, and response to, God’s call to let justice flow like a river in our personal and communal lives and in the structures of our societies, especially as it relates to hunger and poverty” (Agenda for Synod 2004, pp. 68-69).
• 2005 – “The CRC and RCA delegations first met in December 2002. Three items were given priority for consideration: (1) the so-called orderly exchange of ministers from one denomination to the other, (2) a unified approach to dealing with the Belhar Confession as requested by the Uniting Reformed Church of Southern Africa, and (3) a concerted effort to find new ways to cooperate in ministry and among our congregations and classes. Our discussions with representatives of the RCA have been guided by the following agreed upon items (as reported to Synod 2003): . . . Examine the Belhar Confession together because the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) has requested both the RCA and the CRC to study and adopt the Belhar. It may be possible for our two denominations to formulate a united statement of agreement on it. That would be a powerful statement to the URCSA” (Agenda for Synod 2005, p. 240). “The RCA has made great strides toward a greater understanding and acceptance of the Belhar Confession. The CRC participants in the dialogue group encouraged the RCA to produce their study materials in a form that would allow for its use as a discussion guide in the CRC context” (Agenda for Synod 2005, p. 241).
• 2007 – “That synod encourage the ongoing work of the Interchurch Relations Committee to inform and engage the churches concerning the Belhar Confession and the issues raised by it through: (1) a greater dissemination of the Belhar Confession to the congregations in order to familiarize the denomination with it and the issues raised by it, and (2) regional level dialogues to be initiated by the Interchurch Relations Committee as part of their process of expediting a recommendation to Synod 2009” (Acts of Synod 2007, p. 592).

The RCA synod of 2007 provisionally adopted the Belhar Confession, which means that it will be considered for final adoption by the RCA synod in 2009. The polity of the RCA requires that for the final adoption to take effect the decision of the synod must be ratified by a two-thirds majority vote of the classes of the RCA. The result of that vote will then be reported to the RCA synod of 2010.

During the time of the IRC’s consideration, and in conversation with representatives of the RCA, it was judged that a statement of introduction to the Belhar would help present the confession in the North American context. A joint statement was developed and is included in this report as Appendix C-1.

In response to the encouragement of our own Synod 2007, the IRC offered a copy of the Belhar Confession study guide, Unity, Reconciliation, and Justice, to every congregation in the CRC. This study guide was produced by the RCA and we were granted permission to promote its use in the CRC. Several hundred requests for copies were fulfilled. The IRC also initiated a series of focus group discussions about the Belhar Confession. The responses of these groups are in large part reflected in this report:

• Calvin Theological Seminary faculty
• Northwest Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota at Dordt College
• Great Lakes region at Trinity Christian College
• Great Lakes region at Ridgewood CRC, Jenison
• Great Lakes region at Seymour CRC, Grand Rapids
• Ontario region in Guelph
• Ontario region in Ottawa
• East Coast, United States, in North Haledon, New Jersey
• Northwest and British Columbia in Lynden, Washington
• Alberta at The King’s University College, Edmonton
• California at Rosewood CRC, Bellflower
• Black and Reformed Leadership representatives
• Board of Trustees of the CRCNA
• Interdenominational Matters Advisory Committee at Synod 2008

The summary of synodical decisions listed above concerning the history of the Belhar Confession and related matters in the CRC references the decisions of Synod 1996. At that time synod adopted a comprehensive statement titled God’s Diverse and Unified Family. The IRC encourages all who are seriously interested in struggling with issues surrounding unity and reconciliation to read the report attached below as Appendix C-4. While synodical reports are at risk of collecting dust on bookshelves, this particular report is critical to the discussion on the Belhar Confession. There is substantial consistency in the content of synod’s decisions concerning matters of racial justice and what is confessed in the language of the Belhar Confession.

That consistency is clearly demonstrated in Synod 1996’s adoption of the twelve biblical and theological principles as follows:

Creation

1. The world as God created it is rich and God glorifying in its diversity.
2. The created world with all its diversity has its unity in the one God, who created it through Jesus Christ.
3. The unity and diversity of the human race and of created reality reflect the unity and diversity of the triune God (namely, his oneness and threeness).

Fall

4. A fundamental effect of sin is the breakdown of the community.

New Creation

5. The uniting of all things in Jesus Christ is at the heart of God’s eternal plan for the ages.
6. Reconciliation with God and reconciliation with one another are inseparable in God’s saving work.
7. Already in the old covenant the scope of God’s mission is racially and ethnically inclusive.
8. In Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church, God gives new power to the church, power to break down walls of separation and create a community that transcends divisions of race, ethnicity, and culture.
9. The church is God’s strategic vehicle for embodying, proclaiming, and promoting the unity and diversity of the new creation.
10. God calls Christians to find their deepest identity in union with and in the service of Jesus Christ.
11. Obedience in matters of racial reconciliation calls us, individually and corporately, to continually repent, to strive for justice, and to battle the powers of evil.
12. Christians live and work in the hope that one day the reconciliation of all things will be fully realized.
(Acts of Synod 1996, pp. 512-13)

Following the adoption of these principles, Synod 1996 also adopted the following recommendations:

That synod, on the basis of the above principles, declare that to be in Christ is in principle to be reconciled as a community of racially and ethnically diverse people, and that to ignore his calling to turn this principle into experienced reality is sinful according to God’s Word and the Reformed confessions.

Grounds:

a. The . . . report demonstrates that the Bible declares this reconciled community to be God’s will.

b. The confessions declare that the catholicity of the church means that Christ “gathers, protects, and preserves” the church “out of the entire human race” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 21 [Q. and A. 54]).

[And] that synod call the whole church—individual members, congregations, assemblies, agencies, and other ministries of the CRCNA—to respond to the biblical and theological principles regarding the development of a racially and ethnically diverse and united family of God by committing themselves

a. To pray and work for the increased enfolding of ethnic-minority persons into the CRCNA in order to reflect more fully the racial and ethnic diversity of Canada and the United States.

b. To ensure the equitable representation and meaningful participation of ethnic-minority persons in leadership and other roles of influence at all levels of denominational life.
(Acts of Synod 1996, p. 513)

While these decisions of Synod 1996 do not directly address the issues surrounding the CRC’s adoption of the Belhar Confession, they do lay the biblical and theological framework for giving serious consideration to the Belhar Confession’s emphasis on unity, reconciliation, and justice. The 1996 decisions of synod focus primarily on the one unified family of God while the Belhar Confession covers a broader area of biblical teaching. Nevertheless, the consistency and overlap between these two sources is striking and can be considered as complementary.