Die Afrikaanse Protestantse Akademie Biblioteek

Abstract:
On the surface, Church and Society's new social theology desires to maintain faithfulness to a classic Reformed, culture-transforming worldview. It fails because it adopts a futurist eschatology and an individual based social-ethic system. This it borrows from contemporary theologies which are similar to the Radical Reformation in these two respects. Like modern futurist theologies, C&S' church centered ecclesiology and eschatology cuts itself off from a literal creation. Furthermore, like modern theologies, C&S is influenced by a non-covenantal and a non-Trinitarian dualistic philosophy. This it shares with medieval, neo-orthodox, and Radical Reformation Theologies. In addition, C&S rejects the classic Dutch reformed definition of biblical infallibility and the Heidelberg Catechism's view of justice based on biblical law. Instead, it adopts a humanist philosophy of rights based on United Nations humanistic norms. The result is a covert radicalism seeking to realize a postulated future, holistic kingdom in today's social structures. In conclusion, the classic covenantal perspective based on biblical law and the philosophical presuppositions that C&S shares with the above mentioned dualist theologies cannot be fused as C&S attempts. This dissertation, like C&S rejects apartheid. However, unlike C&S it still acknowledges a covenantal worldview founded on the infallible Word, literal creation design-norms, and a long-term optimistic hope. This alternative social theology allows for self-determening ethno-cultures under God in both church and civil arenas. At the same time, this dissertation holds to the ideal of visible structures of unity church and civil unity, modeled on the Trinity. This biblical alternative also provides for social compassion and impartial justice for all, including aliens and the poor. In addition, this dissertation proposes mandatory biblical norms for evaluating whether ethno-churches make or break the unity of Christ' body in the new covenant. It suggests a structure for a visible federation of ethno-churches and non-ethnic based churches.
Lastly, this dissertation contrasts two models for transforming culture: an updated classic, Reformed model and a neo-Racial model advocated by neo-orthodox theology and Theologies of hope. This dissertation concludes that the NGK has embarked on a long process of falling away from a biblical view of the relationship of Scripture and church to social systems. It is an anti-Reformational paradigm shift.