On September 1985, the Institute for Contextual Theology (ICT) in Johannesburg produced the Kairos Document to give a theological response to the moral and spiritual crisis caused by the brutal repression, which characterised the Apartheid state of South Africa.  Finally, on 25 September 1985, at the offices of the SACC in Johannesburg, at a meeting chaired by a UCCSA minister, professor Bonganjalo Goba, the Kairos Document was made public.

The document was seen by many in South Africa as a theological watershed. It called for Christian action against a state “having no moral legitimacy” and which had become “an enemy of the common good” The Kairos Document:  Kairos being the Greek work for “moment of truth” has been developed by a growing number of theologians, “ordinary Christians” and some more radically oriented church leader in response to the intensifying political crisis in their homeland. The first discussions originated in July 1985 in Soweto, the sprawling black township outside of Johannesburg, which has been the scene of much unrest over decades. Its authors, who are predominantly black clergy and lay spokespersons, explain that it is issued “not as a final statement of the truth but as the direction in which God is leading us at this moment of our history.” What the present crisis reveals, the group claims, is that the established church is divided. There are Christians “on both sides for the conflict – and some who are trying to sit on the fence. Both the oppressor and oppressed claim loyalty to the same church.”  

If the church and its leaders miss the present opportunity to take decisive action towards siding with the oppressed, “the loss for the church, for the Gospel and for all the people of South Africa will be immeasurable,” warns a theological statement issued in late September 1985 by individuals representing a broad range of Christian denominations.

The critique calls for non-negotiation with the white government in which has been described in the past as “the Afrikaner church at prayer”. Since its apartheid system constitutes a tyranny for the majority black population, the theologians content it, therefore, has no “moral legitimacy”.

They also forcefully reject the possibility of true Christian reconciliation under present conditions because it would be “a total betrayal of all that the Christian faith has ever meant. Nowhere in the Bible or in Christian tradition has it ever been suggested that we ought to try reconciling good and evil, God and the devil. We are supposed to do away with evil, injustice, oppression and sin - not come to terms with it.” To plead for reconciliation and peace would be false in view of “the clear proof of the total lack of repentance on the part of the present regime,” say the signatories, of more than 150 persons of all races and creeds. The group takes a harder line therefore, than such church leaders as late bishop Desmund Tutu and the reverend Allan Boesak, who had been open to pressure through negotiation, in order to preserve the peace while working for progress and justice.

It also criticised not only the Afrikaner church as hiding behind a “state theology” for its own preservation, but also the mainly English speaking churches which have participated in consultations with the white government of PW Botha. 

“The assumption seems to be that changes must come from whites or at least from people who are at the top of the pile… it appears that one must simply appeal to the conscience and the goodwill of those who are responsible for injustice in our land and that once they have repented of their sins and after some consultation with others, they will introduce the necessary reforms to the system.”  Although this kind of appeal by the established church may have “contributed marginally” to the introduction of some reforms, the document declares that “reforms that come from the top are never satisfactory. They seldom do more than make the oppression more effective and more acceptable.”  God’s justice, it continues, demands a radical change of structures which can only come from the oppressed themselves. However, whether it is recognised or not, the church is “already on the side of the oppressed because that is where the majority of its members are to be found”.   Chief Albert Luthuli may not have ever used the term kairos. However, Luthuli perceived the signs of the times and thus intuitively understood the concept of a kairos as an opportunity that is, through broad, not indefinite. In alluding to a kairos, Luthuli warned in his autobiography, ‘Let My People Go’: “It is not too late for white Christians to look at the Gospels and redefine their allegiance.  But, if I may presume to do so, I warn those who care for Christianity, who care to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” In South Africa, the opportunity is 300 years old. It will not last forever. The time is running out. 

The Kairos Document recognised that the churches in South Africa had a major role to play in dismantling of apartheid, and in the reconstructions of a social order established on the principles of justice, democracy and peace. Therefore, the salutary nature of the Kairos Document lay firstly, in the challenge directed to the churches and, secondly in the urgency. It was the urgency of the challenge which the churches could no longer ignore. The time has come. The moment of truth has arrived. A prominent theologian, Allan Richardson stated Kairos is, “the appointed time in the purpose of God and in Paul Tillich’s theology, it appears to mean those crises or turning points in history which demand specific existential decision while the opportunity is still present.” The prophetic theology demanded by the Kairos Document is a theology which responds to the particular historical context in which people live, suffer and die at the hands of an oppressive regime.  The prophetic theology would not allow Christians and the churches the luxury of taking a neutral stance.  What was called for was an unambiguous sand against oppression and the oppressors.  This would be a message of hope: The church should not only pray for a change of government, it should also mobilise it’s members to begin to think and work and plan for a change of government It must also challenge people with a message of hope and to make sacrifices for justice and liberation. Albert Nolan, one of the leading Kairos theologians, talking about the original Kairos Document, said that a response was needed at the time to the claim that the apartheid security forces were shooting children to maintain apartheid in the name of Christianity.  “That caused a moral and spiritual crisis for Christians. Many are saying we are in crisis again today, with rampant crime and many people still poor under the new political dispensation. People are frustrated by the non delivery of a better way of life under the post-apartheid government, and are asking why the churches are not being effective in responding to our present crisis, such as poverty and violence,” said Nolan. One of the major challenges facing us, as the church is, what role are we called to play in this new situation?  Surely, one of the contractions of our new political situation is that we see more and more people being killed and the unacceptable increase of crime in many of our communities.  

At a time, we should be promoting values that seek to bring moral integrity to many of our communities, there is a breakdown of the moral fibre of our society.   There is an increase in divorce, sexual abuse and harassment of both women and children in many of our societies. There is a complete breakdown of discipline as more and more of our young people turn to the drug culture or join gangs. 

In other words, at a time when we should be celebrating our nationhood our society is in deep moral crisis. For example, the issue of sexual promiscuity, pornography and abortion on demand pose a serious challenge to the whole Christian community not just to organise campaigns of protest but to engage in the basic task of providing sound moral education and develop clearly defined goals to encourage educational programmes whose main emphasis is the teaching ministry of the church.  

The challenge is to promote the Christian values of righteousness, justice and love accompanied by a deep understanding of the sinful human condition and the need to be open ourselves once again to the power of the holy spirit and God’s grace.