Moet die Afrikaanse Kerke skuld bely oor apartheid?: Wat leer ons uit die Duitsers se worsteling met skuld?

Abstract

Should Afrikaans churches confess guilt for its share in apartheid? What do we learn from the German discussion? This article asks the question whether the Afrikaans-speaking churches should confess guilt publicly for their support of the apartheid-state. A short summary is given to different opinions in South Africa. The main focus of the article is on the German discussion. From this discussion we learn that people, some in a more horrible way than others, do make themselves guilty in history. For believers it is a matter of course to confess their guilt in a church service. Guilty people, unfortunately, always try to justify themselves and to point to the guilt of others. Some people are always more guilty than others, but people become guilty collectively. To prevent evil, the church has the responsibility of preaching the doctrine of original guilt. This would also enable believers to handle guilt from the perspective of the doctrine of justification.