Johannes Du Plessis

Johannes Du Plessis (* 1868, † 1935) was a South African theologian and missionary. He sat down in his role as professor of theology for the social balance between population groups in South Africa.

Life

His academic training you gained Plessis at the Theological Seminary of the University of Stellenbosch and later at the University of Edinburgh. He closed his studies with a doctorate degree from. Then he took long walks in sub-Saharan region of Africa.

In 1894, you received Plessis ordination in the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC ), and in 1903 Secretary General for missionary work. Between 1913 and 1930 he taught at the Theological Seminary of the University of Stellenbosch missionary work, and New Testament theology.

In 1921, he co-authored with ten leaders of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC ), a manifesto ( The Dutch Reformed Church and the Native problem ) in which the position of his church was defended against the charge of Davidson Don Tengo Jabavu, after which it positions represented against the indigenous black population.

On an inter- religious conference to missionary work in 1923, afrikaanische church representatives, English -oriented missionaries and leading black religious figures agreed on common positions. Du Plessis led this group submitted a list of demands in this respect with its central criticism of the unjust social relations in what was then South Africa publicly named and the South African government. During this process, you increasingly lost its ecumenically oriented Plessis influence in the DRC. Representative of his church accused him of heresy. Influential black personalities turned away from the previous price of the leading missionaries. Within the DRC began in 1929 a new ideology, "apartheid " called to spread.

In 1929, Du Plessis participated in the founding of the South African Institute of Race Relations, the future has established itself as an institution that feeling of understanding between the ethnic groups in South Africa committed.

His liberal attitudes, especially for the Genesis, which he did not wish to be understood literally, took him with the Calvinist influenced representatives of the DRC in a long controversy. His controversial remarks as a liberal theologian produced in the DRC Synod critical backlash. The Western Cape Synod of the DRC finally explained the evolution of heresy. As a result of this conflict, one suspended him and he later lost his job as a professor at the University of Stellenbosch. Against this decision you complained Plessis and won the case. Thereafter, however, he could take no more teaching responsibilities and died in 1935 embittered.

Works

  • A thousand miles in the heart of Africa; a record of a visit to the mission- field of the Boer Church in Central Africa. Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier, Edinburgh 1905
  • A history of Christian missions in South Africa. Longmans, Green and Co., London, New York [etc. ] 1911
  • Origin and Meaning of the name " Hottentot. S. A. Association for the Advancement of Science, Cape Town 1917
  • The life of Andrew Murray of South Africa. Marshall, London 1919
  • Het leven van Andrew Murray. Zuid Afrikaanse Bijbelvereniging, Cape Town 1920
  • The evangelization of pagan Africa. A history of Christian missions to the pagan tribes of central Africa. J. C. Juta, Cape Town and Johannesburg in 1930
  • The Kerksaak tussen Prof. J. Du Plessis en Ned. Geref. Kerk in Suid -Afrika. Cape Town 1932
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