The Challenge of South African Apartheid

This chapter explores the evangelical contribution to the debate over U.S. relations with the apartheid government of South Africa and the global anti-apartheid movement. It talks about some members of the Southern Baptist Convention that joined progressive religious groups in order to protest U.S. involvement with the regime. It also describes why many evangelicals urged the Reagan administration to refrain from imposing sanctions on South Africa or pursuing disinvestment strategies. The chapter analyzes the evangelical groups' claims that the policies would have dire effects on the fragile human rights situation in South Africa and expressed concern about the potential for a communist takeover. It discusses the evangelical antisanctions rhetoric that employed a paradoxical blend of human rights language, religious beliefs, and anticommunism.