Protestantism in South Africa

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Former Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu (1931 - 2021), seen here speaking at the German Evangelical Church Assembly, was a prominent theologian of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Protestantism in South Africa accounted for 73.2% of the population in 2010.[1] Approximately 81% of South Africans are Christian and 5 out of 6 Christians are Protestant (c. 36.5 million people). Later censuses do not ask for citizens’ religious affiliations.[2] Estimates in 2017 suggested that 62.5% of the population are Protestant.[3]

History[edit]

Christianity arrived in South Africa with settlers from Europe in 1652, when the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (the Dutch East India Company) authorized Jan van Riebeeck to establish a post to resupply food and fuel to ships traveling between the Netherlands and Southeast and South Asia.[4][5] Many Dutch (Boers) followed and settled in Cape Town, opening the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church) which they granted exclusive rights and protection to until 1806.[4][6]

The first Christian mission at Genadendal, South Africa.

In July 1737, the Moravian Brethren send Georg Schmidt to South Africa as a Christian missionary.[5] He began working with the Khoi-Khoi tribe and in 1742, he baptised five Khoi-khoi slaves. The Dutch Reformed Church believed that baptised Christians must be free citizens and could not be slaves and forced Schmidt to leave South Africa.[4][7][8] Protestant mission work did not start again until 1792 when the Moravian Brethren returned.[5]

At the start of the 19th century, Christian missionaries arrived from England, Scotland, France, the US and the Netherlands[8] to work in South Africa and to travel on to the rest of the continent.

Protestant churches in South Africa[edit]

Christian denominations
in South Africa
South African interchurch
Catholic
Anglican
Holiness and AIC
Pentecostal
Protestantism, Other
Reformed

According to the CIA Factbook, while the majority of South Africans are Protestant, no individual church predominates. The largest Protestant denomination in the country is Pentecostalism, followed by Methodism, Dutch Reformed and Anglicans.[9]

Protestant denominations in South Africa include:

See also[edit]

Sources[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Religions in South Africa | PEW-GRF".
  2. ^ US State Dept 2022 report
  3. ^ World Atlas website
  4. ^ a b c Philip Harrison (2004). South Africa's Top Sites: Spiritual. New Africa Books. pp. 11–16. ISBN 978-0-86486-564-9.
  5. ^ a b c Marie-Claude Mosimann-Barbier (2014). From Béarn to Southern Africa or The Amazing Destiny of Eugène Casalis. Cambridge Scholars. pp. 10–12. ISBN 978-1-4438-6081-9.
  6. ^ Erwin Fahlbusch (2008). The Encyclodedia of Christianity. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 131–134. ISBN 978-0-8028-2417-2.
  7. ^ The first missionary arrives at the Cape South African History (2011)
  8. ^ a b Carol Ann Muller (2004). South African Music: A Century of Traditions in Transformation. ABC-CLIO. pp. 191–192. ISBN 978-1-57607-276-9.
  9. ^ "South Africa's people". Pocket Guide to South Africa (2011/2012 ed.). Government of South Africa. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.

Further reading[edit]

  • Stephen Offutt, New Centers of Global Evangelicalism in Latin America and Africa (Cambridge University Press, 2015) focuses on El Salvador and South Africa. online review

C. Jeannerat, D. Péclard & E. Morier-Genoud, Embroiled. Swiss churches, South Africa and Apartheid, Berlin: LIT Verlag (Coll. “Schweizerische Afrikastudien/Études africaines suisses”), 2011

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