"Poverty and privilege": Re-hearing sermons of Beyers Naudé on religion and justice

Abstract

This paper attempts to identify some ethical dimensions in the preaching of Beyers Naudé, as being representative of a structural-contextual-ethical mode of moral discourse. Cognisance is taken in particular of sermons preached shortly before the first general elections were held in South Africa, and sermons preached in the aftermath of this historical event. This is done to determine whether any fundamental changes took place in Naudé's thinking on justice during these times of transition. A brief discussion of different theological discourses on restorative justice in South Africa is given. The paper concludes with some observations on the continuous relevance of Naudé for the current debate on restorative justice in South Africa.