BB Keet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
B. B. Keet (1885-1974) was one of the few Afrikaner theologians that rejected the theological basis of separate development and apartheid policies. The others included Albert S. Geyser, Ben Marais, Ben Engelbrecht and C. F. Beyers Naudé.
Prof. Barend Bartholomeus Keet (rhymes with Fiat, not seat) was born on the 20th June 1885 in the town of Alice in the eastern Cape Province. He was the fifth of the seven children of the Reverend B.B. Keet (De Beer 1992:9,10) and his wife, Jacoba Petronella Keet (De Beer 1992:7). He attended school first in Humansdorp, were his father was a preacher (c. 1894) and later in Cape Town (De Beer 1992:10). Although Keet was an Afrikaner, English influences were by no means outside his ken. The congregation in Humansdorp had the option of attending an evening service in English twice a month and young Bennie, as he was known, was friends with the son of the local "English preacher", despite the loominmg threat of the Anglo-Boer War (Second Boer War). Keet attended the South African College School (SACS) in Cape Town during that war and then completed studies for the degree of Bachelor of Arts at the South African College, in the same city. In 1907 he entered a theological college, where he was involved in the management of the Afrikaans Language Union (De Beer 1992:10-21, 33). From January 1911 to 1913 Keet was enrolled at the Free University in Amsterdam, where he worked towards a doctorate under the guidance of Herman Bavinck (De Beer 1992:40-41).
De Beer is of the opinion that Keet's friendship with English speaking children, with their differing language, beliefs and habits, helped to develop his relatively liberal character (1992:14), (1992:15).
B.B. KEET SE KRITIEK TEEN DIE BYBELSE REGVERDIGING VAN APARTHEID. Translation of tile (and text) by Captainbeefart: "B.B. Keet's critique against the use of the Bible to justify Apartheid"
Prof. B.B. Keet- whether he is seen as voicing opinion from within the Dutch Reformed Church or the broader religious community of South Africa- was one of the first men of the cloth to deliver biblical argument that countered the use of scriptural justification of the moral validity of the policy of Apartheid. Although Keet could contemplate the existence of a practical apartheid ("apartness" or segregation) in the form of groupings based on language, culture and ethnicity, he considered institutionalized apartheid to be a form of injusice and oppression and he was utterly unable to find a biblical "answer" that related to the issue. His major criticism against those who sought jutification (of apartheid) in the Bible was that they has made erroneous use of scripture (De Gruchy 2005:56)
In my ondersoek na prof. Keet se kritiek teen die Bybelse regverdiging van Apartheid bespreek ek eerstens kortliks sy persoonlike agtergrond en watter rol dit gespeel het in die vorming van sy standpunte. Volgende kyk ek na prof. Keet se skrif- en kerkverstaan en laastens bespreek ek prof. Keet se kritiek op grond van sy publikasie “Suid-Afrika – Waarheen?” wat die samevatting van sy standpunt is. Onder hierdie opskrif sal ons ook die kritiek daarteen bespreek soos ons dit vind in verslae uit die pers, boekbesprekings en resensies.
2 Persoonlike agtergrond
Prof. Barend Bartholomeus Keet is gebore op 20 Junie 1885 te Alice, in die hedendaagse Oos-Kaap, as die vyfde van sewe kinders van ds. B.B. Keet (De Beer 1992:9,10) en sy vrou, Jacoba Petronella Keet. (De Beer 1992:7) Sy skooljare was verdeel tussen Humansdorp, waar sy pa se-dert 1894 predikant was en later die Kaap. (De Beer 1992:10). Die gemeente in Humansdorp het twee keer per maand ‘n Engelse aanddiens gehad en jong Bennie was ook vriende met die “En-gelse predikant” se seun en dit te midde van die dreigende Anglo Boereoorlog (ABO). Sy hoër-skool jare het hy aan die South African College School (SACS) spandeer, ten tye van die ABO, en hy voltooi dan sy B.A. studies aan die S.A. Kollege in Kaapstad. In 1907 begin hy sy studies by die Kweekskool, waar hy betrokke was in die bestuur van die Afrikaanse Taal Vereniging (ATV) (De Beer 1992:10-21, 33) Vanaf Januarie 1911 tot 1913 was prof. Keet ingeskryf by die Vrye Universiteit van Amsterdam vir sy doktorale studies onder Herman Bavinck. (De Beer 1992:40-41) De Beer noem dat sy vriendskap met Engelssprekende kinders, wat ‘n ander taal gepraat het, ander gebruike gehad het en selfs ‘n ander kerk bygewoon het waarskynlik die rede was