In 2016, the General Assembly of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika (Netherdutch
Reformed Church of Africa, or NHKA) passed a resolution on homosexuality. In one section,
Resolution 42 (2016) it is claimed that “Jesus Christ, through the Spirit, helps people to live
in the presence of God as complete human beings, including their sexuality. This is also true
of people with a homosexual orientation. Therefore, the Church believes that all Christians,
irrespective of their sexual orientation, are members of the body of Christ with full participation
in the sacraments. This is an expression of the unity of the Church.”
Unlike the extreme discomfort with similar resolutions expressed within and by other
churches, the resolution elicited relatively little resistance from church members in the NHK,
and to date there has been no legal consequences with respect to the decision. In this article
we will discuss Resolution 41 (2016) in terms of the governing principles of reformed church
polity, with some remarks on its legal implications. In the presbyterial-synodal (reformed)
system of church government, there are guiding principles which must be considered when a
synod reflects on a particular matter. First and foremost, the principle that Christ governs the
church through his Word and Spirit determines all aspects of church governance. The contents
of resolutions are determined by five principles (in order of importance), i.e. the Word of God,
confessions and creeds, church order, previous resolutions of assemblies, and customs or
practices of the church. Resolution 41 (2016) will be assessed with reference to each of the
above principles. Each of these guiding principles is discussed by engaging in dialogue with
Resolution 41 (2016), to determine how and if it conforms to the guiding principles of reformed
church polity.
The discussion also includes some remarks on church polity and church governance as
an ius sui generis, which is different from civil law. The unique character of church polity is
explained in terms of the presbyterial-synodal form of church governance, typical of reformed
churches all over the world. In the reformed tradition, the Word of God entertains a central
position as the authority and norm for Christian doctrine and life (sola Scriptura). It is pointed
out that the Word of God as guiding principle is neither self-evident nor unproblematic, due
to different views of what constitutes the Word of God as well as diverse hermeneutic approaches
to the Bible text. It is also argued that a sixth guiding principle should be considered, i.e. administrative
justice. Although ecclesiastical law is an ius sui generis, it does not exclude the general
principles of justice, fairness, equity, etcetera. Quite the opposite. It is the church’s Christian
duty and responsibility to ensure that all decisions are taken in a spirit of fairness, with
consideration of due process. The integrity of the ecclesiastical process and procedure should
be of the highest ethical standard. In such an approach, synod resolutions, while heeding the
Word of God, simultaneously take into consideration the Bill of Human Rights and the
Constitution of South Africa.
Resolution 41 (2016) represents something of a “third way” in terms of ecclesiastical
decisions on homosexuality, avoiding hard or extreme points of view. This reconciliatory nature
of the resolution is probably the reason why it was met with little opposition from church
members. Even the media and members of the public responded positively to the resolution.
Een van die ingrypende, traumatiese en emosiebelaaide kwessies waaroor kerke in die laaste
twee dekades besluite geneem het, is homoseksualiteit en die toelating van gay mense tot die
amp van predikant.
Hierdie bydrae handel oor Besluit 41 (2016) wat die Algemene Kerkvergadering van die
Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika (Hervormde Kerk) oor homoseksualiteit geneem
het. Besluit 41 (2016) word terugskouend, op grond van tersaaklike kerkregtelike beginsels,
beoordeel en herwaardeer, met enkele opmerkinge oor die regsimplikasies daarvan. Tradisioneel
moet kerkvergaderings die Bybel, belydenisskrifte, kerkorde, besluite van vorige vergaderings
en usansie in gedagte hou wanneer daar oor ’n saak besin en besluit word. In hierdie bydrae
word geredeneer dat die beginsel van administratiewe geregtigheid ook ter sake is, nie net uit
vrees dat howe ’n kerklike besluit ter syde kan stel nie, maar omdat dit ’n inherente deel van
die Christelike kerk is om mense met liefde en billikheid te behandel. Daarbenewens is die
plek en die funksie van die kerkorde as onderlinge kontrak ter sake. Dit beteken dat ook die
kontraktereg ter sprake kom wanneer die hof kerklike besluite hersien. So voldoen kerklike
besluite nie net aan die eise van die Woord nie, maar ook indirek aan die bedoeling van die
Grondwet van Suid-Afrika.
