Abstract
In 1962, the differentiated Dutch Reformed Churches of South Africa united in one General Synod. This was done on the basis of a mutual Church Order. The Dutch Reformed Church experienced this as a distinctive moment of significance in its history. The “Message to all the members of the Dutch Reformed Church” reflected the Synod’s complacency. The General Synod was envisioned as the new flagship of the Dutch Reformed Church, which at that time, was aware of the high flourishing in its existence and influence in the country. Functional value was assigned to the new church order. However, there was a small minority of pastors and theologians, most notably W.D. Jonker, who assessed the role of the Church Order differently. For them, it had to be an instrument to reform the Church, a document to bring its theology and ecclesiology to account. The Church Order could, for that matter, address the theological justification of a policy of separation. This article deals with the way in which the Church Order was accommodated in the pragmatic, functional theology of the Dutch Reformed Church. The opportunity to deploy it as a core document for the sake of reformation in the Church’s life was lost.
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