Reformed Christianity and the Confession of Accra: a conversation about unavoidable questions in the quest for justice

Abstract

In their quest for justice grounded in the Confession of Accra and, of course, the Confession of Belhar, Reformed churches worldwide – and in South Africa, in particular – will be faced with a set of unavoidable questions. The purpose of this article is to examine/consider some of the unavoidable/inevitable questions that arise among those seeking justice for all, but particularly for those who have been adversely affected by neoliberal capitalism, namely poor people – and the very earth itself. First, can the Confession of Accra be regarded as something that “fell from heaven”, or is a proper historical perspective necessary to undertand something of the journey traversed by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC)? Second, does it matter whether Accra is regarded as a declaration or a confession? Third, what justice is Accra talking about? What justice was the Kairos Document of South African Christians talking about in the mid-1980s under apartheid? Fourth, are unity and justice like twin sisters, or can they be separated; is there a connection between the two? Fifth, is the search for justice based on Accra sustainable without the search for an ongoing praxis? These questions are presented as unavoidable in the quest for justice and they also highlight the very complex nature of the quest for justice.