The church in Namibia: political handmaiden or a force for justice and unity?

Abstract

The role of churches in Namibia had investigated by researchers who aimed to docu-ment the history of various churches, as well as those who highlighted the role of black churches in particular, as mouthpieces for the disenfranchised majority in the struggle against apartheid. This article aims to shed light on a matter that had received relatively little attention, namely the church as an instrument of social justice and peace. An assessment of the role of various churches reveal to what extent these institutions were handicapped by ethnocentric concerns, which militated against the promotion of ecumenical cooperation. Except for a brief period in the 1970s and 1980s when the Council of Churches in Namibia served as an instrument for inter-church cooperation and promotion of social justice projects, little had arguably been achieved in establishing workable, enduring ecumenical ties. An attempt will be made to account for this state of affairs.