Like the Barmen Declaration (1934), the Belhar Confession is a declaration of faith that emerged when certain practices of the church were so clearly contrary to biblical teaching that the integrity of the proclamation of the gospel was at stake. The Belhar Confession focuses not only on the importance of believing and proclaiming biblical principles aright but also on the importance of obedient living and costly discipleship. The Belhar Confession’s call for faithfulness in the areas of unity, justice, and reconciliation is similar to the Presbyterian Confession of 1967 with its four strong declarations against domination, nationalism, indifference to poverty, and lack of compassion. The five articles of the Belhar Confession and its tone-setting Accompanying Letter are as follows:
1. Faith in the triune God
Like the Barmen Declaration, the Belhar Confession first confesses faith in the triune God. However, it goes further in identifying the practices of such a God “who gathers, protects and cares for the church through Word and Spirit.” This phrase clearly echoes Heidelberg Catechism Q. and A. 54 (Lord’s Day 21).
2. Unity of the church
The structure of the Belhar Confession is similar to the Canons of Dort, a confession that also arose out of a serious controversy in the church. Articles 2-4 of the Belhar begin by affirming biblical doctrines and then reject teachings that are contrary to Scripture.
3. Reconciliation of people in Christ.
4. God’s justice and care for the suffering and the call of the church to work against injustice.
5. A call to confess and practice the teaching of the Belhar Confession.
All of the confessions adopted since the Protestant Reformation emerged within specific circumstances. Likewise, the Belhar Confession emerged out of a specific South African experience. However, the themes of the Belhar Confession are biblical and universal. Even if one assumes the Belhar Confession to be primarily a response to the practice of forced (racial) segregation in South Africa (though its themes reach far beyond the issues of racial discrimination alone), the global picture reflects that racial divisions are a cancer-like reality in many cultures. The North American experience is no exception. Forced segregation has also been practiced in both Canada and the United States, and the practice of functional racial divisions is deeply embedded in North American culture (e.g., Native-American boarding schools, reservations, the containment of Japanese during World War II, public school segregation, the Timothy Christian School episode in CRC history, etc.). In that sense the Belhar Confession speaks to the context of life in the CRC as well as the general cultural setting within which CRC members live and work.
Among the nearly 200 participants in the focus groups, not a single voice was raised claiming that the Belhar Confession lacks applicability to the North American context. How it ought to be addressed and what options synod has for dealing with it were discussed extensively. Responses ranged from the suggestion that synod gratefully note and receive the Belhar Confession as the testimony of the South African churches that have adopted it, to the suggestion that the synod of the CRC (like the synod of the RCA) adopt the Belhar Confession as a fourth confessional testimony alongside the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort. Stating the range of responses does not mean that participants were equally divided – or even that those preferring one option were unwilling to consider an alternative. The fact is that responses favorable to considering the Belhar Confession in some substantial way were by far in the majority. There is a strong conviction among many participants that the Belhar Confession raises deep issues reflected in our biblical faith and understanding of what the core gospel is about.
Finally, the focus group discussions also dealt with questions raised about issues that might flow from the use of the Belhar Confession. For example, the statement “that true faith in Jesus Christ is the only condition for membership of this church.” Does such a declaration exclude consideration of a member’s ethical and moral life-style practices? IRC believes that such statements need not to be interpreted as excluding all other considerations. In fact, at the 2008 synod meeting of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa it was suggested that the Belhar Confession demands the inclusion of all people into the membership and offices of the church, including those committed to same-sex relationships. It is noted, however, that the synod firmly rejected this suggested interpretation as flowing from the Belhar Confession as adopted in 1984.
