Abstract:
This article examines the possible influence that a church’s understanding of ecclesiology could
have on its approach to homosexual people, with special reference to the Netherdutch Reformed
Church of Africa (NRCA). By referring to recent debates in the NRCA concerning the prominence
the Church awards to the tenet of an ‘ethnic church’ (‘volkskerk’) in its ecclesiology, it is argued
that the Church’s understanding of the confession of the one, holy, apostolic and catholic church
is not reflected in the NRCA’s own ecclesiology and that this has direct implications for the
Church’s understanding and accommodation of homosexual people. It is concluded that if the
Church maintains an inclusive character as it is meant in the Creeds, the Church has to design
and incorporate models of being church that adhere to this character and the abovementioned
confession.
