The message of national reconciliation as a challenge to the church in Namibia

Abstract

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Chapter four looks at the role which the Black Lutheran Churches have played in the history of Namibia both during the leadership of the missionaries and after indigenous people have assumed it. The Black Lutheran Churches are blamed for identifying with colonial powers and for their disengagement from the issues affecting the earthly life of their constituencies. But that was during the leadership of missionaries. The Black Lutheran Churches are also praised for their unselfish engagement in the struggle for liberation and self-determination with the progressive forces in Namibia which resulted in a healthy relationship between them and the SW APO government

A warning is also sounded. Whereas a sound relationship, cooperation and mutual support between the churches and the government of the day is most welcome, care should be taken that the church is not co-opted by the state. This dissertation recommends that the church should be independent and maintain a critical solidarity with the state. This will help her to continue her role as the conscience of the state. But disunited church is less effective

Crucial to this dissertation is the theology of reconciliation. The Biblical concept of reconciliation is tackled in chapter five. It is shown that like 'shalom', the term 'reconciliation' is multidimensional and should not be confined to a religious use only. Biblical authors, particularly the apostle Paul, used it to express God's act of reconciling sinful humanity to himself through the death of Jesus Christ, thereby adding a religious meaning to its secular meaning

This dissertation argues that true reconciliation has its root in God's unconditional acceptance of the sinner. God is a fellowship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and has planned to have fellowship with his creation if it fulfils his will as set out in his law. But human beings are incapable of fulfilling God's law. The law and human incapability to fulfil it became an obstacle to the actualization of God's plan. Consequently, God suspended (not abolished) his requirements of acceptance and welcomed human beings in his fellowship in spite of the fact that we have not fulfilled and cannot fulfil his demands to be holy as he is

Our unconditional acceptance by God into his fellowship has far reaching consequences for the policy of national reconciliation. Firstly it means that we are granted our true humanity and identity which was destroyed over the years. Secondly it means we are liberated from whatever enslaved us (e. g. apartheid). Thirdly our liberation means that we join God in his ministry of reconciliation through doing justice and transforming oppressive structures. These acts of transforming evil structures should not be confined to secular structures, but should be extended to religious institutions such as the churches. We speak of our involvement in God's redemptive mission through which we become available to others as God is available to us

Finally, the dissertation emphasises that our commitment to national reconciliation should be transformed into concrete action and results. A balance between a change of heart and a change of structures should be stricken at all cost, other wise it becomes cheap reconciliation against which this dissertation has argued strongly. True reconciliation should lead to equal educational opportunities for all, equality before the law, equal access to economic opportunities and resources, equal access to land, to education and accommodate affirmative action and programmes of empowerment. The ultimate objective of reconciliation should be the improvement of human living standards through development projects aimed at capacitating the local communities to sustain themselves