Abstract:
Dr Perold de Beer was a missionary pioneer who contributed as both a church leader and a
theologian to the Reformed Church in Africa (RCA). This research recorded his contribution to the
RCA as this church navigated political issues during apartheid, multireligious positions and the
challenges accompanying church unity; all of these ended up in the Laudium Declaration (LD)
which De Beer drafted and was then accepted as the church’s official position. In addition to De
Beer’s views, other, differing positions from his colleagues and contemporaries were used to reflect
on the eventual decisions and theologies developed in the RCA. The article’s social and scientific
value lies in both recording and reflecting on the work of a missionary pioneer not yet investigated;
it addressed and informed issues that are still relevant today (racism, pluralism and unity) and
which are still heading the church’s agenda. Both literature study and interviews were employed.
INTRADISCIPLINARY AND/OR INTERDISCIPLINARY IMPLICATIONS : While this article investigated
missiology (mission theology, social justice and church unity), it also contributed to religion
studies (interfaith dialogue), church history, and polity (the history and documents of the
RCA) and systematic theology. It offered insight into the history of a specific segment of South
African society during apartheid.
