An Unlikely Conversation Partner

Gustaf Aulén’s Connection with Reconciliation in South Africa

Abstract

This contribution provides a conceptual analysis of "reconciliation" as one of the guiding concepts in Christian discourse in South Africa. It is abundantly clear from available literature that reconciliation is understood in very different ways. This is observed from publications as early as the 1960s, a period generally referred to as the "church struggle" against apartheid. Since that time, it is often used to offer theological reflection on social conflict in the country. In this paper, I propose a framework in which one can identify, describe, and assess at least three distinct ways in which the reconciliation concept is understood in theological literature emanating from the South African context. I categorize them as: (1) Justice through reconciliation in Jesus Christ; (2) Justice and reconciliation after liberation; and (3) Reconstruction requires national reconciliation. The famous Christus Victor typology of the three main "types" of atonement developed by Gustaf Aulén is used as a background to these approaches. The purpose of this contribution is to aid continued theological reflection on the basis of a conceptual analysis of creative ways in which the reconciliation concept is used in a Christian context.