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

I guess the best way to describe Smuts, is to call him an "off-beat" Christian who had fallen awayfrom Calvinism. He continued to read his Greek New Testament. But he did make accommodationsto the doctrine of evolution. In fact, he became one of the greatest proponents of the theory ofholism -- or rather of "Christian holism" -- in the whole world. He also helped launch the oldLeague of Nations -- and wrote the Preamble of the United Nations Charter. He had a tremendousfollowing throughout the world, and especially in Britain -- but a much lesser following in SouthAfrica.If it had not been for Smuts getting the Welsh coal miners (who were on strike) to go back to workin World War I, conceivably the Germans would have won that war. For the British would not thenhave had the coal to smelt the iron to make ammunition to fight and to defeat the Germans.Smuts was a great botanist, and has had many species of plants named after him. He was also amountaineer -- until his old age. (When boys, we ourselves often climbed Table Mountain. Once,our group there encountered General Smuts -- and accompanied him to the top.)This man was opposed to the imposition of severe penalties against the Kaiser at the signing of theTreaty of Versailles -- where he represented the British against Germany. It was Smuts who alsonegotiated the Peace Treaty between Britain and Ireland -- after Dublin communists had capturedthe O'Connell Street Post Office in the Great Irish Rebellion. He became Rector of St. Andrew'sUniversity in Scotland -- though living full-time in South Africa. He was a Privy Councillor in thehighest echelons of the British Government, a Field Marshall of Great Britain and the BritishEmpire, and Churchill's right hand man in World War II.Believe it or not, there was also a second great man born at the same time in the same small villagein South Africa as General Smuts -- Dr. Daniel Francois Malan (1874-1959). He too was born inRiebeeck-West in the Cape. He too was a fellow student with Smuts at Stellenbosch, before Malanwent to Holland to earn his Doctorate in Theology.Malan became a Preacher of the South African Reformed Church (N.G.K.), preaching in a towncalled Montagu just forty miles away from the village where my own parents live. He lambasted hisall-White congregation on one occasion -- for giving too much wine to their poor Colouredemployees. Then he moved on to become Pastor of the Church at Graaff Reinet -- the town wherethe great Rev. Dr. Andrew Murray had been born.One day, after reading his Bible in 1912 or 1913, Malan hit upon First Corinthians 10:31 --"Whether you eat or whether you drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." He thengot up on his pulpit, and gave his farewel message. He claimed that God had called him out of thepulpit into politics, and that he must go into politics -- to do politics to the glory of God.Thus he became editor of "Die Burger" (a major Afrikaans daily newspaper). He attended thesigning of the Peace Treaty with Germany at Versailles with Smuts -- where Malan requested,unsuccessfully, independence for South Africa. He pioneered the South African Nationality Actand the Flag Act. For many years a Member of Parliament first for Calvinia and then for Piketberg,he became Leader of the National Party in 1932 -- and of the Reunited National Party in 1939. Hewas instrumental in the 1938 Voortrekker Centennial -- and in the revival of CalvinisticAfrikanerdom. As the Encyclopaedia Britannica puts it: "Doggedly, patiently and with great skill,Malan welded together a reunited National Party."Malan was Prime Minister of South Africa from 1948 onward. He brought together all those whomhe felt belonged together through internal conviction. He was the first foreign head of any countryin the world ever to visit the new State of Israel.