Black Christ and Cross-Roads Jesus for white South African Christians

Abstract

How could a government that professed to be Christian perpetrate such immoral deeds and inflict so much pain and suffering on its own countrymen simply because [they] were of another race, another colour, another creed? (Harrison 2006:25) This question haunted a 21-year-old Ron Harrison towards the end of 1961. One evening 'a thought flashed through' his head (Harrison 2006):[Prime Minister] Verwoerd and [Minister of Justice] Vorster were wreaking havoc in their quest for white supremacy and Afrikaner domination, and in the process … all races that were not classified 'white' were being crucified. (p. 25) 1In his autobiography, Harrison (2006) describes the 'birth of the Black Christ':The picture of a suffering Christ at the scene of His crucifixion surged through my mind, but the vision forming in my mind's eye was rather unusual in that the figure on the cross was a black man! I realised that I could depict the suffering of the black people and equate this with the suffering of Christ. Who better [for my Christ figure] than Chief Albert Luthuli, who had just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize … I decided that the architects of apartheid also had to be brought into the scene. I had it! Verwoerd and Vorster would be portrayed as two Roman centurions, the tormentors of Christ. Verwoerd would be piercing the side of Christ, and his henchman, Vorster, would be standing with the sponge of vinegar and gall. A coloured Madonna and an Asian St John would complete the scene. (pp. 25-26) 1.For more on the historical context, see Davenport (1986), Kenney (1980) and Biko (2012).A significant factor undermining real racial reconciliation in post-1994 South Africa is widespread resistance to shared historical responsibility amongst South Africans racialised as white. In response to the need for localised 'white work' (raising self-critical, intragroup historical awareness for the sake of deepened racial reconciliation), this article aims to contribute to the uprooting of white denialism, specifically amongst Afrikaans-speaking Christians from (Dutch) Reformed backgrounds. The point of entry is two underexplored, challenging, contextualised crucifixion paintings, namely, Black Christ and Cross-Roads Jesus. Drawing on critical whiteness studies, extensive local and international experience as a 'participatory' facilitator of conflict transformation and his particular embodiment, the author explores the creative unsettling potential of these two prophetic 'icons'. Through this incarnational, phenomenological, diagnostic engagement with Black Christ, attention is drawn to the dynamics of family betrayal, 'moral injury' and idolisation underlying 'white fragility'. 'White fatigue' is challenged by stressing the Biblical nature of Cross-Roads Jesus' confrontational, 'ugly' portrayal of the systemic violence of apartheid and colonialism. It is also argued that a combination of Louw's shocking portrayal of an enraged, emaciated township Jesus with the explicit depiction of white historical responsibility in Black Christ increas...

Diagnosing and dismantling South African whiteness: ‘white work’ in the Dutch Reformed Church

“…suffering, metanoia, and kenosis) and theological movements of reconciliation (including, but not limited to, acknowledgement, lament, repentance, forgiveness and restitution). This material drew upon contextual South African engagement with the crucifixion of Christ (Verwoerd 2020).…”

“…Some participants from pre-1994 generations talked about the extensive anti-Communist indoctrination they went through at school and referred briefly to the impact of compulsory military conscription for all white men (Verwoerd 2020). The DRC played a big role for white, Afrikaans-speaking Christians in sanctifying the war against what was perceived as a 'Total Onslaught'.…”