Preaching reveals, amongst other things, the state of the heart
of the church – whether it be healthy or ailing. Sermons from
the South African apartheid era, taken from the official mouthpiece
of the Dutch Reformed Church (Die Kerkbode), as preached during the
years 1960 to 1980 reveal a church sickened by an ideology that had
a devastating effect on the country as a whole. In this book, these
sermons are analyzed in depth, following a method of “close reading”
that not only takes the linguistic detail of each sermon very seriously,
but also the theological perspectives conveyed by these details. These
analyses bring to light the way preachers made use of biblical texts to
sanction national ideals, to create and perpetuate selective God-images,
and to stabilize a certain identity during a time of crises. It is saddening
and shocking to read and relive these sermons, even after 12 years of
democracy in South Africa. But it must not be erased from our memory
too quickly. The church cannot do without remembrance. It watches
over the state of her heart.