Abstract
In the midst of oppression and extreme suffering, believers often question God’s omnipotence, omnipresence and loving presence. Their situational questioning constitutes the theodicy problem – a term comprising two Greek words: theos (god) and dike (justice). John Bowker (1980:81) formulates the problem as follows:
In its classical form, if God is all-loving he would surely not be able to tolerate the appalling suffering that is evident in the created order; and if he is almighty, he would be able to do something about it. God turns out to be impotent or deficient in love, or more simply, so far as humans are concerned, non-existent. The problem was raised by Paul himself, and it has remained central ever since.
The administrator of Glo die Bybel, Daniel (www.glodiebybel.co.za), defines it in the form of a trilemma:
- How can an all-powerful, loving God allow evil to exist?
- If God is so good and loving, why is there so much suffering in the world?
- Why do believers sometimes suffer the most terrible things?
For people of colour the theodicy question became acute during the apartheid era. They had experienced life under that system as an onslaught on their belief because the ruling political party purported to be Christian. Justifying God as still being all-powerful and loving was therefore an antidote for their crisis of faith.
The purpose of this article is to understand the religious overtones of these voices from a systematic-theological point of view. Gustavo Gutiérrez (1973:11) explains as follows: “Christian faith is – at least ought to be – real charity, action, and commitment to the service of men (sic). Theology is reflection, a critical attitude. Theology follows; it is the second step”. Methodologically this implies that the ways in which suffering people themselves articulate the question of and complaint against God, must be taken seriously.
The apartheid policy, with specific reference to the role of the Reformed tradition from 1652 onwards, is the historical context within which the theodicy question is brought here to the fore. In addition to grappling with the theodicy issue specifically during apartheid in blunt or subtle ways, it took place within different religious traditions. Voices in the form of Afrikaans poems, drama texts, aphorisms, art and songs are explored here. I choose a few interpreters of each genre and also make use of video recordings, prints of artwork and YouTube-videos. Finally, “political prayers” are viewed critically.
Life,
How often have we yearned to own you
to feel you in our dry bones
crawled on fours in prayers heart-rending
and called, oh Lord, give us life.
Despair,
no, we shall not
whether they call us communists or ban us
because we know our Lord lives,
and He says: I live, thou shalt live.
Thus Ntoane (1983:2) articulates his belief in a life-giving God as caring in the midst of the reality of suffering and despondency. But still the subtext arises: How can God allow believers to suffer an existence of desperation? As will be shown below, the theodicy question constitutes a core element of South African “struggle literature and art”. However, it is necessary to say something more about the historical and theological context of that development.
Racial division had already been precipitated in the Reformed state church. Adonis (1982:22,193–206) states in his doctoral dissertation, Die afgebreekte skeidsmuur weer opgebou, that after the Khoi woman, Krotoa (Eva), was baptized in 1662, the church did little or no organized missionary work. After all, it stood under the control of the United East India Company, which focused on profiteering. Reggie Nel (in Carstens and Le Cordeur 2016:62) argues that the company’s objective was to serve the economic interests of the Netherlands and broadly Europe. The role of social relations, as well as culture and religion, was seen as merely functional.
Baptized Khoi-Khoin and slaves were indeed taken up and served in the church, but were forced to sit away from their masters, at the back or on the balcony. Their inferior status in society eradicated the element of equality contained in Christian baptism. Ecclesiastical separation was therefore a precursor to apartheid. From 1806–75, both the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) and the Anglican Church stood under the authority of the British colonial government.
Adonis (1982:56) notes that already at the DRC’s synod of 1824, it was decided that a separate office for missionaries would be established. It finally led in 1857 to the decision, based on some members’ supposed weakness, that a separate building of worship for “the heathens” became necessary. Nel (in Carstens and Le Cordeur 2016:65) states that skin colour and other phenotypic features were thus merged in a quasi-theory in order to justify and perpetuate the economic exploitation of indigenous people by European colonial powers.
As examples of how some poets, playwrights, artists, songwriters and theologians had wrestled with the theodicy question, I evaluate the work of Adam Small, Peter Snyders, Patrick Petersen, Ronald Harrison, Willie Bester, Gibson Kente, John Knox Bokwe, Allan Boesak and Desmond Tutu. Kent’s musical drama, How long? (1973), powerfully portrays our theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKIES8Y5vjg).
How long must we suffer this way, o Lord
How long all this misery each day, o Lord
How long the tears
How long the fears
Tell me, Lord, how long?
Lord – how long?
Why pick on me
when I’m hopeless and down
why pick on me
why all the suffering and pain
How long must I pray
till I’m old and grey?
Tell me, Lord, how long.
During the eighties Allan Boesak called for a day of prayer for the downfall of the apartheid regime. The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu confronted the current government on 5 October 2011: “I’m warning you out of love, I’m warning you like I had warned the Nationalists … one day we will start praying for the downfall of a government that misrepresents us … the defeat of the ANC government.” (YouTube: “Tutu – ANC government worse than apartheid”, https://youtu.be/A_12Q4kC3Qg?si=r5UOxpyCxY3eyXop)
Keywords: Afrikaans speakers; apartheid; arts; Black Consciousness; faith; justification; oppression; prayers; protest; religious; suffering; theodicy; undertones; vindication