Tanquility in the face of death : calvinist spirituality in war

Abstract

In this essay, I discuss the diary of Rensche van der Walt, which she wrote during the Boer War (15 March 1901 to 31 December 1902) in the Bethulie concentration camp. The essay first of all considers the situation in which the war was waged, and the underlying spirituality of the situation. It then describes the diary and the author’s Calvinist background before going on to focus on its spirituality (ie how the author experienced her faith in the direst of circumstances).