Op 17 September 2018 skryf Nelis Janse van Rensburg, moderator van die NG Kerk dat die homoseksuele oriëntasie ’n gawe uit God se hand is (kyk Nelis Janse van Rensburg erken hy is progay).

‘n Dag daarna, op 18 September 2018, reageer Chris van Wyk daarop in ’n Faceboekplasing en sê onder andere:

Indien jy steeds oortuig is daarvan dat seksuele oriëntasie ’n gawe van God is, sal jy pedofilie – seksuele aangetrokkenheid tot kinders – ook op soortgelyke wyse moet aanvaar. Pedofilie word tans as ’n seksuele oriëntasie beskryf deur sielkundiges. ’n Mens sou pedofilie dan ook as ’n goeie gawe van God moet beskryf. Iets wat moeilik in ’n geloofsgemeenskap gedoen kan word.

(Kyk My gewete is gebind deur die Bybel en ons belydenisskrifte.)

Ook in September 2018, kla Hennie Pienaar vir Chris van Wyk by die MRK aan op grond van sy uitlating hierbo.

Op Vrydag 9 Oktober 2020, laat vaar die gelykheidshof die saak teen Chris.

Vir meer agtergrond oor hierdie saak, kyk Opsomming van klag van haatspraak teen Chris van Wyk.

Hieronder volg ’n baie veelseggende en sterk bewoorde persverklaring deur Chris van Wyk se regspan.

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Press release

Statement on behalf of Dr Van Wyk for Die Kerkbode, Dominee Nelis Janse van Rensburg, NG Theological Training Centres, “Rapport” and Die Burger.

The South African Human Rights Commission (the SAHRC), has confirmed their withdrawal of the unfair discrimination case opened up by the Commission against Dr Chris van Wyk in the P.E. Magistrate’s Court (sitting as an Equality Court) a year ago.

The case flowed from a complaint laid with the SAHRC by a group calling itself “Queers without borders”. It arose from a theological exchange in Afrikaans between Dr van Wyk, pastor at the NG Church in Summerstrand, and Rev Nelis Janse van Rensburg, the Moderator of the NG Church.

In a nutshell, in response to Rev Nelis Janse van Rensburg’s assertion that “sexual orientation is a good gift from God’s hand which we may receive with gratitude and cherish with care”, Dr Van Wyk said in effect (to illustrate Rev Janse van Rensburg’s fundamentally flawed, and bizarre logic) that if one accepted this line of reasoning, that could mean a sexual orientation such as paedophilia could be understood as a gift from God to be celebrated. It is inconceivable how the SAHRC concluded from this exchange that Dr Van Wyk was comparing a same-sex union with paedophilia.

Thus, from the outset “Queers without borders” and the SAHRC maliciously accused Dr van Wyk of saying something he patently did not say. Furthermore, in its Court papers the SAHRC attached an incorrect English translation of the said Afrikaans theological exchange.

At an informal meeting in P.E. on Monday 28th September, Dr van Wyk’s Counsel once again tried to explain to the SAHRC why their application was fatally flawed. As a last resort, Dr Van Wyk sent the SAHRC a letter saying what he had not said in the theological exchange, and that it must respond by Wednesday 7th October otherwise Dr van Wyk would launch a counter-application.

After this meeting Dr van Wyk’s attorney sent the SAHRC a final letter, which he concluded as follows:

“It was also agreed between the parties that the SAHRC would respond by this coming Wednesday. We also informed the SAHRC that if it persisted with the application despite our client’s multiple attempts at giving the SAHRC an opportunity to withdraw, we reserve all our rights inclusive of launching a counter application and seeking a costs order against employees of the SAHRC in their personal capacities. In this regard part of our evidence of bad faith will be the flawed translation upon which the application was launched. Here we again must stress that not only was it flawed but the said employees failed to provide the necessary certificate required by the law to state that it was an accurate translation. Thus in this regard as well, the application is fatally flawed. What makes the employees conduct worse is that even after pointing this out to them, by affidavit and in various letters and at the meeting last week, the said employees simply persist in their harassment of our client.”

The SAHRC has now confirmed in writing that they will be withdrawing their application against Dr van Wyk. This notwithstanding, the NG leadership, and indeed all South Africans, ignore the following observations at their own peril:

1. The manner in which the SAHRC, a Chapter 9 institution in terms of the Constitution, allowed itself to be used to further the agenda of “Queers without borders” is deeply disturbing. Central to such an institution is total independence from all agendas and a diligent resolve to protect the dignity and freedoms of all South Africans. In this regard, South Africans need to take heed of the following words of Martin Niemoller – a paraphrase is:

“First they arrested the Communists – but I was not a Communist, so I did nothing. Then they came for the Social Democrats – but I was not a Social Democrat, so I did nothing. Then they arrested the trade unionists – and I did nothing because I was not one. And then they came for the Jews and then the Catholics, but I was neither a Jew nor a Catholic and I did nothing. At last they came and arrested me – and there was no one left to do anything about it.”

2. The manner in which the press reported, or rather misreported, this matter also is deeply disturbing. The chief culprit here is the Rapport. The Rapport out of expediency did not independently apply its journalistic mind to Dr Van Wyk’s case. It mindlessly simply accepted the narrative of the SAHRC, the NGK leadership and “Queers without borders”. It too needs to be very mindful of Niemoller’s words, for today it allowed itself to be used against Dr van Wyk, for expedient and politically correct reasons. But tomorrow it may well find itself the victim of the same abuse.

3. However, without a doubt the most disturbing feature of this saga, is the complete failure of Rev Nelis Janse van Rensburg, much of the leadership of the NG church, many leading NG academics and Die Kerkbode to come to the assistance of a brother in Christ and a long standing colleague, who has given his all to that denomination for the past 30 years. (It is reminiscent of the apartheid days when the leadership of the NG church, once again for politically expedient reasons, failed a person such as Dr Beyers Naude. The same would apply to the Rapport newspaper.)

At all times this NG leadership knew that in the said exchange, Dr van Wyk never said what the SAHRC, and indeed the Rapport, were accusing him of saying. This notwithstanding, the said leadership did absolutely nothing to intervene on behalf of Dr van Wyk and defend his reputation and integrity. This was a cowardly act of betrayal of a brother in Christ in desperate need of help. Nothing short of a full confession of their sin in this regard, accompanied by an unreserved public apology to Dr Van Wyk and the NG church in general, will do. This leadership also best reflect deeply on Niemoller’s words.

Robin O’Brien
Keith Matthee SC
Dr van Wyk’s attorney and counsel
14th October 2020