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

Then there are Christian criminologists at various South African universities -- such as ProfessorP.J. van der Walt. Indeed, Professor Swanepoel of Potchefstroom is also an Elder of the ReformedChurch -- and never misses a General Assembly.Frankly, Christian theologians in South Africa are almost too numerous to mention. They are allmore and more playing an important role in the further development of South African thought.There is a relatively new science in South African universities which I have not seen taught on afaculty basis anywhere else in the world. That science is called cultural science or culturology. Tomy knowledge, this subject is taught only at the Potchefstroom University for the Promotion ofChristian Higher Education. It was pioneered by my old promoter, Professor Dr. Klaas Venter.Venter died just before, under him, my own work for my Master of Cultural Science course wassubmitted. But his protege, Professor Dr. Elaine Botha, was kind enough to evaluate the work I haddone for Venter.Now Professor Venter had written many works. These include writings on socialism in SouthAfrica and how to counteract it; works on the relationship between national life and culture; andworks on our new republican citizenship. He was a great fan of Professor Dr. Schilder, and rathercritical of Kuyper at those points where Schilder clashes with Kuyper.Venter had in his backyard the most enormous ram that I had ever seen. He believed it was his dutyto cultivate sheep to the glory of God -- apart from just lecturing at the university. And thisenormous male sheep, he told me, weighed some 308 lbs (if you can just imagine it).The development of State Social Services in South Africa Venter regarded as by and large asocialistic usurpation of the diaconal work of the Church. He had said so repeatedly, appealing timeand again to the Heidelberg Catechism and the other Reformed documents.He had also written a work called: A Calvinistic View of Culture (in the Compendium called TheAtomic Age in Thy Light). Venter is at pains to distinguish culture as the human work performed bymen, from cultural products as the result of that human work. To him, our culture here and nowwould still yield eschatologically permanent fruit."Even if and when and where our present cultural products might prove to be transitory," saysVenter, "nevertheless the work of our producing culture in this life does something to us andchanges us. And the change in us is preserved for all eternity -- and for a life of ongoing culturalproduction on the new earth to come."Venter has remarked that "the Christian believer's cultural vocation and his ultimate culturaldestination consist of the Christian faithfully executing his baptismal promises -- and living out inpractice the Christian faith which he professes in his culture." This is extremely interesting.From a culturological viewpoint, Venter says one is introduced to Christian culture at one's infantbaptism. There, one is set aside in the Name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit to be the TriuneGod's great prophet, priest and king on this earth. As the child grows up, and as the parents and theteacher of the child discover the different cultural gifts in each of their children, and as theyencourage the development of these specific gifts especially in terms of an education becoming allthe more specialised and tailor-made to develop the specific gifts one discovers in a child -- so isculture developed even by this child. Thus he increasingly understands the cultural implications ofhis own infant baptism.