A history of the Dutch Reformed Church in Zimbabwe : with special reference to the Chinhoyi Congregation
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Authors
Pretorius, Shirley Frances
Issue Date
1999
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Afrikaners , Afrikaans language , Boers' religion , Christian National Education , Christianity in Zimbabwe , Civil War in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) , Dutch Reformed Church , Zimbabwe , Education in Rhodesia , Evangelisation , Missions , Piety , Pietism , Protestant religion , Andrew Murray , Rhodesiese Christelike Vrouevereniging (RCW) , South African reformed religion , Voortrekkers
Alternative Title
Abstract
This history which spans the period 1836 -1995, gives a picture of the Dutch Reformed Church in Zimbabwe which evolved from the missionary endeavour of the mother church in South Africa into an independent autonomous church. It is a story of Dutch (Afrikaner) piety in which the most important components are
evangelisation, education and language, the whole of which was, and is still, influenced by the evangelical piety of Andrew Murray. With regard to the education of their children, the Dutch Reformed members believed that Christian education in the mother tongue was the ideal. This world view, together with the Protestant principle, that people should read and interpret Scripture for themselves, resulted in the establishment of three churches in Zimbabwe. Firstly, the Dutch Reformed Church (Synod of Central Africa), that ministers to the Afrikaans and English members of all races. Secondly, the Reformed Church
of Zimbabwe that ministers to the Shona people, and thirdly the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (Synod Malawi) that ministers to the migrant workers from Malawi.
Of the three components in Dutch piety, evangelisation is regarded by the members
as the most important in their missionary endeavour. This is the search for a contextual identity and illustrates how the Afrikaners in Zimbabwe experienced the reality of God in their lives. It is also a description of the interaction of the Dutch Reformed Church in Zimbabwe with the society in which it found itself. This interaction is observed to be of four types, namely, public witness, social upliftment and empowerment, the increase of social strength and the establishment of the community.
Description
Citation
Pretorius, Shirley Frances (1999) A history of the Dutch Reformed Church in Zimbabwe : with special reference to the Chinhoyi Congregation, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15819>