Appeal over theology dean

2009-10-31 09:31

Cape Town - An Anglican bishop has urged Stellenbosch University to look beyond the Reformed church tradition in appointing a new dean for its theology faculty.

Merwyn Castle, bishop of False Bay, made the appeal in a letter, released to the media on Friday, to rector Russel Botman.

"If you appoint another Reformed candidate, the ethos that needs profound change will just continue in its old myopic way reluctantly serving the confessional needs of only one tradition," he said.

The university has historically had links to the Dutch Reformed Church, though Botman himself was a minister in the NG Sendingkerk.

The current dean, Elan Mouton, comes from the Reformed tradition. Her term ends at the end of this year, when she will take a sabbatical before returning to teaching.

Castle said in his letter that black theological students in South African mainline churches had suffered relative deprivation in the past.

Until recently, he said, the Reformed churches had had five theological faculties in the South African university system, and this situation "to a large degree still obtains".

But the Lutheran, Anglican, Congregational, Methodist, Moravian and Roman Catholic churches were compelled to train their clergy outside the university system in their own colleges.

Stellenbosch, historically a white Afrikaans-medium university, has also in recent years come under pressure over language policy - it now offers teaching in English as well - and the demographic profile of students and staff.

- SAPA