THE CHRISTIAN AFRIKANERS - The Works of F. N. Lee

people in South Africa. The South African Reformed Church is opposed to the tongues movement.But it is not afraid to preach about the true blessing of Pentecost."This feature of Reformed church life in South Africa each year, should be publicised abroad. Idoubt if such a spiritual phenomena could be found anywhere else in the world. Here is a people,the Afrikaner nation, numbering just two million souls out of a total White population of 3 1/2million -- dedicated to the belief in an infallible Bible; of strongly Calvinistic leanings; withwidespread emphasis on discipline at both ministerial and lay levels. It holds annual ten-dayPentecost meetings, where the results challenge the entire Reformed Church throughout the land."Such a Church, with such an emphasis... could become the spearhead -- for national revivalthrough a revived church. South Africa could well become the key to African evangelisticexpansion; and the Reformed Church of South Africa could well be the key to South Africanrevival."If keen overseas evangelical Ministers or Laymen could make their way to Stellenbosch duringthese ten days of Pentecost meetings, it could furnish them with inspiration and challenge them togo home and seek to reproduce in their own country what they had seen in South Africa.Participation through an interpreter, or in English, would inspire them further."Not only the inspirational side of the Reformed Church's activities, but its missionary outreach andits theological and university training is of first-rate importance. Very large sums of money areannually given to promote missionary work among the Black Africans. The bias of theologicaltraining is very strongly conservative and very scholarly. Students are rooted and grounded in theinfallible Word of God. Ties with Holland are weakening and not as intimate as they once were. Itwould appear that South Africa is much more conservative, on the whole, than its DutchMotherland."One practical step which could spread the fire and the scholarly grasp of Scripture of the SouthAfrican Reformed Church, would be the invitation of key men to lecture and to preach overseas.Dr. Willie Marais, for example -- sometimes called the Billy Graham of South Africa -- could wellgrace any convention platform anywhere in Australia. Likewise, Rev. Malan of Krugersdorp, andRev. Cruywagen of Leopard's Vlei. Dr. Swart of Johannesburg, Dr. Vorster of Cape Town, Dr.Geldenhuys of Pretoria's University Church (with the pastoral oversight of two thousand students),and Professor Dr. du Toit (Head of the Reformed Theological Seminary of Pretoria) -- could welllecture at any of our Theological Colleges. By having these men of sound evangelical convictionvisit our shores, for example -- it could stimulate us as Evangelicals, and encourage interchange ofPreachers between the two countries."Of course, not every country would look with sympathy on such a move -- because of SouthAfrica's involved race problems. Indeed, the Reformed Church of America has a traditional attitudeof hostility and opposition to South Africa in this regard. At the same time, visiting South Africanspeakers could come -- not to air their government's policy, but to preach the Gospel."It is significant that everyone I have met who has actually spent some time in South Africa as atourist, has invariably become more sympathetic to that country's problems. But my interest isespecially in the potential for revival which I found in South Africa."Here, I must say that South Africa shows more real potential than any other country I have evervisited. Its very isolation has tended to keep it protected to some extent from the inroads ofliberalism (which always militates against Scriptural revival because of its false view of Scripture).Even the outworking in national affairs of the [South African] Reformed Church's attitude to