Preliminary Thoughts on Research into Right Wing Christianity
in Post-1994 South Africa

Stephen Martin
Research Institute on Christianity in South Africa

The demise of the old apartheid order ... appears to have given new impetus to Right Wing Christian Groups. The spider web of right wing Christian intrigue and mystery continues to conceal itself behind frenzied denunciations, vitriolic attacks and narrowly concealed spiritualities. (Roger Arendse)

Right wing religion in a new context

Though questions remain outstanding, the political and ideological context of Right Wing Christian Groups (RWCGs) has been variously explored with reference to the pre-1994 situation. The geo-political dimension to such groups has also been investigated. The existence of RWCGs may have been thought to be explicable in terms of the previous government and its need for religious legitimisation. Their continued existence and transformation in the new context belies such simplistic reductions, however. What is perhaps even more puzzling is their reported recent growth amongst the previously disadvantaged.

The current socio-political context in SA can be characterised as "transition"-though this term is not unproblematic. The destabilisation of the 1980s (in which RWCGs played a well-documented role) has given way to re-stabilisation with a new framework of legitimacy. In such situations, the new framework is most strongly contested and vulnerable to subversion, as indicated perhaps (and I underline perhaps) by the refusal of sectors of conservative Christianity (including the ACDP) to affirm the new Constitution.

The religious context is also characterised by the term "transition". Denominational realignment is taking place in light of the imperatives of the new dispensation (e.g. the Uniting Reformed and Presbyterian Churches). Moderate conservative and charismatic groups are considering associating themselves with the broader ecumenical movement (represented by the Church Leaders Forum and the SACC). Indeed many have done so. More radical conservative groups are seeking to legitimise themselves through associations with popular sentiment, such as fear of crime (cf. "Victims against Crime") and the outrage over the abuse of women (cf. "United Christian Action's" presence at Womens' Day 1999 celebrations in Cape Town). The banner of "religious freedom" stands behind the activities of "Africa Christian Faith in Action" in Sudan (http://www.liaafrica.org/), which likely also involve covert military activities. The presence of RWCG's in opposition to the Termination of Pregnancy Bill in 1997 is also well documented. While not necessarily to be equated with fundamentalism, elements of the home schooling movement express similar ideological concerns, especially with reference to the public education system.

Whether the broadening of their agenda is mere opportunism or an extension of their worldview to a perceived new context (i.e. a re-contextualisation) is an important research possibility to be picked up below.

What is the base-material and ideological-for these groups, if not covert state-funding and "national security" as in the past? This is also a question of interest(s). While their agenda certainly coincides with that of American groups like the Christian Coalition, and such groups did support the old regime and its "divide and rule" policies, the question is whether there are formal links with such groups, and whether such links constitute a danger to the interests of the post-1994 dispensation.

What is also interesting is the question of an association of such groups with the Parliamentary ACDP on the one hand and the extra-Parliamentary right wing political groups calling for Afrikaner or Anglo-Afrikaner Volkstats. Whether these are new associations or extensions of the old "spider web" of intrigue remains to be investigated by future research. With reports of growing interest amongst residents of black townships, alongside this kind of intransigent apartheid thinking, RWCGs have strange bed-fellows indeed.

Something that makes this research difficult is the fact that RWCG's are varied structurally: lobby groups (e.g. United Christian Action), church denominations (e.g. Congregational Church of South Africa) and political parties (ACDP) can each be referred to as a "Right Wing Christian Group". Sociologically, what are we talking about when we use the term? Any research will have to grapple with this question. Another question concerns their nature compared with other fundamentalist groups operating with an ambivalent relation to the constitution and drawing on religion for legitimisation, such as Pagad.

Another definitional issue concerns the relation of terms like "right wing", "fundamentalist" and "conservative" with reference to these groups. How do they identify themselves? Do they themselves accept the term "right wing"? What are the ideological nuances and differences amongst them? We return to these issues below.

Are these groups are simply apartheid reincarnate, or perhaps founded on a nostalgia for the past? Perhaps this latter question raises the concern of the research: how to account for the continued existence of such groups in a transforming South Africa. But perhaps there are other questions of interest (and of interests) that arise. These depend upon who is asking the question.

Moral reconstruction

President Mbeki has gone on record as holding that faith communities have an important responsibility for the moral reconstruction of the nation. Can RWCG's, which have been characterised as having a "soul-less theology", fulfill this role? If not, why not? Should they be categorised with other faith communities? or are they of a different ilk? RWCGs speak the language of renewed morality. Why is their call to moral renewal different to that of other bodies, including government?

Moral reconstruction, of course, is a contested sphere. Whose morality? And reconstruction in what name? This raises perhaps a more fundamental question: the question of loyalty.

The loyalty issue

Government will no doubt be particularly interested in the loyalty issue. Can RWCG's be trusted to be as loyal to the new regime as they were to the old? This is complicated by the fact that RWCG's were not represented at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's faith hearings. It was there that conservative Christianity was given an opportunity to declare its commitment to transformation and the process of reconstruction.

This is a crucial question, raising a cluster of other issues, including the question of the nature of loyalty and what the state can and should legitimately expect from any religious group operating within the norms set out by the constitution governing a pluralistic society. Anyone commissioning this research must take into account the fact that religions such as Christianity and Islam have sacred centres inside and outside of South Africa, and also profess a higher loyalty than to that of the state. This is inescapable. Elements in these religions can mobilise around this "outside" centre, however, using it to unite with the agendas of transnational (or multinational) faith groups. Hence the question of international links emerges again.

Is the research being commissioned (if it is being commissioned) to test loyalties? or perhaps to separate out and clarify agendas? (i.e. what is a "religious" and what is a "political" agenda? and in the case of the latter, what is legitimate and what is subversive? and what is legitimately subversive from a theological point of view?) Should the state be able to dictate to religious groups, however abhorrent their ideological affiliations, their "proper" bounds?

Or perhaps the question concerns the best way for the state to position itself vis-à-vis RWCGs. What are the limits of tolerance?

Pastoral issues

It is dangerous to write-off right wing religion as "the lunatic fringe". Because of their simplistic answers to complex questions, their emotive appeals and Christian rhetoric, RWCGs find a ready audience amongst conservative and fearful churchgoers-and a significant proportion of churchgoers fall into this category. If the question is asked on this level, then a cluster of pastoral questions arises. What is the need to which such groups appeal? What is missing in mainline religion that these groups can appeal to? How can this need be met within the given structures of faith communities?

Possible research areas

• Exposing the web. If there is a web of intrigue that RWCGs operate within, the question remains of the need to expose that web. One possibility would be to look at one group, such as Africa Christian action which is at the nexus of many of the activities of RWCGs, and to trace its associations. This could not of course be the purpose of the research (i.e. to expose one group), but rather to identify the many different agendas under which RWCGs can be said to operate. This would mean adding RICSA's expertise in the theological and ideological bases of RWCGs to the investigative efforts of a good journalist, and would therefore depend on the availability of funding for such a journalist.
• Pluralism and legitimacy. An issue that arises from a consideration of right wing religious groups concerns their legitimacy in terms of the constitution. Even though such groups are ambivalent about the constitution, their right to exist and propagate themselves is guaranteed as long as they operate within constitutional means. The question of whether in fact such groups are operating legitimately is open. But defining these boundaries might be a fruitful avenue which would benefit especially government looking for a way to respond to such groups.
• Contexts and continuities. Right wing religious groups are notorious for disappearing and reappearing under new names and in new guises. One avenue of investigation would concern links between old and new groups, and an examination of the way agendas are recontextualised. This is perhaps the "time" aspect of contextualisation. A "space" aspect would investigate the new constituencies within which these groups operate. How has this affected the form and the context of their message? A larger "time" and "space" concerns the post-modern, post cold war transformation of RWCGs. This might be something RICSA within its vision and mission could take on. It would extend the research RICSA has at its ready disposal (e.g. the material from Worsnip) into the present.
• New texts and associations. A new set of associations is evident in the appropriation of progressive agendas. e.g. when in a tract opposing pornography an Andrea Dworkin quote is placed alongside biblical quotations, outdated American studies and local anecdotes (like the man who was inspired by Scope to rape). An interesting line of research would be to examine the inter-textual associations of right wing Christian literature. This would tie-into possible projects on textuality in South African religions.

Bibliography

"Africa Christian Faith in Action", focussing on Sudan. www.liaafrica.org/

"Contenders for the Light/ Ligstryders" is a website with links to Frontline Fellowship. They are concerned with issues such as communism, pornography, abortion etc. ligstryders.webjump.com

"Gospel Plow" is an American web page with links to information on Frontline Fellowship and includes "A Christian Guide to Small Arms Online". http://www.frii.com/~gosplow/

"Homelands", a set of web pages that focus on volkstaat type issues. http://www.visi.com/homelands/index.html

"It's Christians vs. Christians over abortion bill", Mail and Guardian 18 October 1996; "Pro-lifers will fight to the death", Mail and Guardian 1 November 1996. The latter article discusses Peter Hammond and United Christian Action.

"The International Freedom Forum" hosts websites for "Orania" and "Saxia", with funding links to the US. It explictly dissents from the South African Constitution. www.tou.com/host/iff/

"Why the ACDP voted against the Constitution, on http://mzone.mweb.co.za/residents/breedt/acdp.htm.

Arendse, Roger "Right Wing Christian Groups", in James Cochrane, John de Gruchy and Stephen Martin eds., Faith Communities Face the Truth (Cape Town: David Philip, 1999), 97.

Cochrane, James, Martin, Stephen and Walters, Gillian, "Constructing a Language of Religion in Public Life", Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 103 (March 1999).

Fordred, Lesley, "Sacred Nation, Holy War", unpublished Honours dissertation, University of Cape Town, 1990.

Speech by President Thabo Mbeki at closing of parliamentary debate, 30 June 1999. Available at www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/mbeki/1999/ tm0630.html.

The Theocentric Education Homepage on www.grobler.co.za provides an example of alternatives to public and constitutionally established institutions and their basis (in this case, schools).

Worsnip, Michael, "Low Intensity Conflict and the Christian Church", Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 69 (December 1989), 82-94.

Worsnip, Michael, The Gospel of National Security, unpublished manuscript in the possession of RICSA, Dept. of Religious Studies, University of Cape Town