The Cave of Adullam or anchor, a door of hope?

1990

ISBN O 86981 630 6

Contents

Preface                vii

CHAPTER   1

The preamble    1

CHAPTER   2

Towards a theologia evangelica     10

CHAPTER   3

Towards an ecumenical theology   30

CHAPTER   4

Towards a new understanding of the Bible    51

CHAPTER   5

In the storms    63

CHAPTER   6

Towards a new South Africa      76

List of members of faculty (permanent and temporary), 1990  83

Works consulted            86

Preface

I believe that a title should be a condensation of the contents of a book. I have chosen the title 'Cave of Adullam or Achor, a door of hope?' I believe it achieves what I intended it to do. But then it requires some explanation. The two metaphors of the title linked with an 'or' indicate that this is a controversial faculty. On the one hand there are critics who have a very negative opinion of this faculty - some of them derisively refer to it as a cave of Adullam. The cave of Adullam was the place where David assembled a gang, described in I Sam 22:2 as 'all who were in distress or in debt or discontented'. They say that at this faculty can be found all those theologians who are in some kind of moral distress or who have run into some or other creditor or who are dissatisfied with the political policies of government or the doctrinal and/or political decisions of their churches. They are discontented because they have been overlooked by the theological faculties of their own churches, and now they take shelter in this 'open' faculty where they can take all kinds of liberties - doctrinal, political and even moral. When the faculty was started thirty years ago, the founder believed that big changes must and would take place in South Africa - changes that would be as traumatic for many South Africans as was losing the First and Second World Wars for the Germans. He wanted to establish a faculty that would give the Christians in South Africa something to hold on to when the status quo gave way and they experienced disillusionment in the theology which proclaimed the status quo as the will and blessing of the Lord. This brought me to my second metaphor from the Old Testament. Achor is a valley in the mountainous country between Jericho and the Dead Sea. To many Jews it recalled misfortune and perdition. It was there that Achan and his whole family were stoned because they had sinned. And yet, when the liberated people of God returned from Babylon, they were once again refined on their homeward journey by all the tribulations of the desert, and when they crossed the Jordan River they experienced the despised Achor as 'a door of hope' (Hosea 2:15). The title ends with a question mark. When I was asked to write the history of the first thirty years of the Faculty of Theology, I endeavoured to be true to the motto of Spinoza - not to deride, not to lament and not to curse, but to understand. I have tried to give this history within its context. When you have honoured me by reading it, you may decide for yourself: Adullam or Achor? I would like to thank the university authorities for giving me permission to do research in the archives. I am grateful to Mr D P Coetzee who opened many doors for me, and to Mr De Jager and especially Mrs Van Niekerk of the archives, who supplied me with all the assistance I needed. I must mention the help of my colleagues in faculty, who shared their memories, insights and publications with me. Without their aid this task could not have been achieved. I want to convey a word of thanks to Kevin Roy and Joan Millard who did their utmost to rescue something of the English language in the manuscript. And how can I thank Annatjie Smit for transcribing everything I wrote on the wordprocessor? The Institute for Theological Research finalised the manuscript for publication. A special word of thanks to Mrs Nonnie Fouche who was responsible for the final draft for printing.