For Such a Time as This: The Belhar Confession 40 Years Later

R ecently, we were privileged to be part of a delegation of peace and solidarity in South Africa. There are many exciting opportunities that came out of this visit, but we want to focus on the Belhar Confession, which was commissioned 40 years ago in Belhar, South Africa, but continues to be relevant today.

As we traveled around South Africa, hearing the stories that came out of apartheid, we kept thinking that we were there “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).

The Belhar’s origins in South Africa

The Belhar Confession was first drafted in 1982 by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church in response to apartheid in South Africa. The confession was formally adopted in 1986, and apartheid ended in 1991. The confession’s theological confrontation of the sin of racism has made possible reconciliation among Reformed churches in southern Africa and has aided the process of reconciliation within the nation of South Africa. Even though apartheid has officially ended, the remnants and suffering still exist.

The Belhar, with five statements of belief and rejections of particular unbiblical doctrines, focuses on unity of the church and unity among all people, reconciliation within church and society, and God’s justice.

The Belhar and the Reformed Church in America

In 2009, our denomination—the Reformed Church in America—adopted the Belhar Confession. The following year, on June 10, 2010, after more than two-thirds of the denomination’s classes (groups of churches) approved the amendment to the constitution, the Reformed Church in America incorporated the Belhar Confession as its fourth doctrinal standard of unity. While some people questioned its relevance and said it was too focused on the situation of another time and place, I (Laura), as a newly ordained minister, recall being very excited for its adoption into the confession and creeds of my denomination.

In the report to General Synod (our denomination’s broadest assembly) in 2010, the Commission for Christian Unity stated “that a confession only has value if it is embraced and used.” After years of study prior to 2010 and now that initial enthusiasm has seemingly waned after adoption, the question becomes: where is the Belhar? For many, unfortunately, the confession has moved out of the forefront and joined other creeds and confessions on a shelf or digital resource library.

The Belhar and the United States

When we were visiting with the leaders of the Dutch Reformed Church and the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa, the Belhar Confession came alive. We heard the passion of those involved in the carefully crafted confession. No longer was this a document from another time and another place. Issues of race, justice, violence, reconciliation, and unity are not isolated challenges. These are shared among us, and we can learn much from each other.

Currently, the United States is dealing with issues like Christian Nationalism and white supremacy; our colleagues in South Africa have experience with this. They know what the outcome looks like, the division and pain it will cause, and the result. With intentionality, the Belhar Confession can be more than a historical document. It can be the catalyst for renewed relationships, leading to multiple ventures in which denominations work together in unity for reconciliation and justice within their own contexts and beyond.

Related: Justice and reconciliation devotions based on the Lord’s Prayer

The Belhar and its global relevance today

While the Belhar Confession has its roots in the struggle against apartheid—an Afrikaans word that means “apartness”—it is a more broad “outcry of faith and call for faithfulness and repentance.” As the confession states: “This unity must become visible so that the world may believe that separation, enmity and hatred between people and groups is sin which Christ has already conquered, and accordingly that anything which threatens this unity may have no place in the church and must be resisted.”

We believe that different denominations from different contexts and continents working together in unity would provide a bold, visible witness and hope for a world divided. The Belhar Confession is needed today in our settings. Our churches, our communities, and the world need it. There is deep suffering globally, and this confession in all it intends to teach is a beautiful response to broken relationships and an outcry for unity in Christ. 

Walking through the apartheid museum in Johannesburg, there seemed to be similarities to the United States’ Civil Rights Movement in the mid-1950s through the late 1960s. We feel that the Lord is groaning for unity among his people, and we are not there yet—unified—as a society. There are daily fights, shootings, and hate because of differences. Scripture and the Belhar teach us to act differently.

Related: What does the Bible say about racism?

This year, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Belhar, we are called:

• to justice and reconciliation in a time of deep division today.
• to oppose apartheid, reject racial discrimination, and embody an inclusive love.
• to community and belonging.
• to be faithful witnesses to the gospel. 

Pictured above: the delegation, including Rev. Dr. Nathan Busker (far left) and Rev. Dr. Laura Osborne (far right) at the site where the Belhar Confession was adopted in South Africa

During our travels in South Africa, we heard convicting talks on how important the Belhar Confession was and how important it still is! We had the honor of hearing Rev. Dr. Allan Boesak, a South African cleric and anti-apartheid activist, who persuaded members of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches to declare apartheid a heresy and to suspend membership of the white South African churches. Rev. Dr. Boesak said to our group, “The church stands where God stands. Belhar is a defining moment. The church needs to be a defining presence.”

We were challenged to stand up in the face of injustice, to stand where Christ stands, to let the Holy Spirit move, and to recognize that the church—and the world—is in need of repair, restoration, and healing. We extend that challenge and call the global church to let the Holy Spirit and the Belhar be our guide in the work of racial reconciliation and pursuing unity in Christ, for the Belhar is truly needed for such a time as this.