The confession of Belhar and an African indigenous perspective
A comparative engagement
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19232116 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Julius Gathogo (0000-0002-1718-0082, University of South Africa, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 82 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0259-9422 • E-ISSN: 2072-8050 |
| Publisher | AOSIS (PUBLISHER • ZA) |
| DOI | 10.4102/hts.v82i2.11258 |
| OpenAlex | W7164174104 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
A study of the Christian Statement of belief, which was written in Afrikaans as Belydenis van Belhar (The Confession of Belhar, 26 September 1986), is critically important, as it amounts to reviewing the past in order to inform the future. A reading of indigenous confessions will enrich our comparative engagement and broaden our grasp of individual and communal-inspired confessions across historical times. As a Christian witness of biblical truth in an evil era of apartheid and oppression, the Confession of Belhar called for ecclesiastical unity among diverse peoples, reconciliation and God’s justice for all. While indigenous confessions are driven by the need to: Restore social and spiritual order, respond to existential threats, and as a crucial life-stage ritual (like initiation), the article asserts that the Confession of Belhar was equally restorative and holistic. In rethinking the two models of confessions, one is driven to ask: Does the Confession of Belhar draw its parallel with African indigenous forms? If so, where do we draw their triangulation in reference to what and how both can learn from each other? Methodologically, it will simultaneously engage the two confessional epistemologies, as it strives to unveil the problem. Contribution: The article contributes to HTS Journal’s vision and mission by promoting a multidisciplinary perspective that explores a parallelism between the Confession of Belhar and the African indigenous forms, in its endeavour to address the myriad of problems bedevilling society
Complicity · Confessional · Hermeneutics · Indigenous · Spirituality · Witness · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Christian Theology and Mission · Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies
Reconstructing the history of doing Systematic Theology at UWC
African Indigenous knowledge versus Western science in the Mbeere Mission of Kenya
Breaking the silence
Inclusivism and exclusivism
The Confession of Belhar in pastoral care and counselling
Revisiting Black Theology of Liberation in South Africa
Many ways to God, many ways to salvation (A conversation on Isaiah 56
Engaging with the Nicene Creed through Contextual Bible Study
Hindu and Catholic, Priest and Scholar
How easy is it for speakers of Dutch to understand Frisian and Afrikaans, and why
Exploring the role of creeds in shaping religious identity and unity in a pluralistic society
Reasons for and Contexts of Deep Theological Engagement with Other Religious Traditions in Europe
Latin American liberation theology
Theology of African hospitality
Epistemology in Comparative Theology
The Significance of the Theological Declaration of Barmen 1934 and “Christophobia in Europe” Today
The Symbolic Structure of Augustine's Confessions
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |