Johan Heyns
Encyclopedia
Johan Adam Heyns was an influential Afrikaner Calvinist
Afrikaner Calvinism
Afrikaner Calvinism is, according to theory, a unique cultural development that combined the Calvinist religion with the political aspirations of the white Afrikaans speaking people of South Africa....

 theologian and moderator
Moderator of the General Assembly
The Moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a presbyterian or reformed church. Kirk Sessions and Presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator....

 of the general synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...

 of the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk
Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk
The Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk is a Reformed Christian denomination in South Africa. It also has a presence in neighboring countries, such as Namibia, Swaziland, and parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe...

 (NGK). He was assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...

 at his home in Waterkloof Ridge, Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...

. Although his murder was never officially resolved it is widely believed that it was directly related to his criticism of Apartheid and his liberal theological views that led to the acceptance of the pro-gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

 thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...

 of Dr. Hendrik Pretorius that shocked clergymen and congregations alike. Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...

 paid homage to him as a martyr for his country and a soldier of peace.

Early life

Johan Adam Heyns was born on the farm Bloemkraal at Tweeling
Tweeling
Tweeling is a small town situated 22 km from Frankfort in the Free State province of South Africa. The adjacent black township is named Mafahlaneng, or "place of twins"...

 in the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...

, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.

His father, Flip Heyns, wanted to become a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

, but could not afford to do so and became a farmer instead. His mother, Maria Beukes, was exiled to Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...

 during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...

. Her marriage to Flip Heyns was her second. Since her first marriage did not produce any children, Maria promised God that if he would bless her with a son, she would raise him for His service. Although she did not tell Heyns about this promise until years after he had already been ordained as minister, Heyns would later admit that his mother had played a significant role in his eventual decision to become a cleric.

Being an Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...

 was important to Heyns since his schooldays. His interests in politics started early, and he became a leader of a youth group in the Ossewabrandwag
Ossewabrandwag
The Ossewabrandwag was an anti-British and pro-German organization in South Africa during World War II, which opposed South African participation in the war...

 while still in primary school. (During breaks he would hold meetings and make speeches - an activity which was stopped by the school principal
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....

). Despite his father being the leader of the local branch of the National Party
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...

 and Heyns’ early affinity for politics, he would never formally join the ruling party. Although he maintained a strong pro-national stance, his views were tempered through his ability to maintain a unique critical perspective
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...

 – an asset which would later become a hallmark of his work.

During his high school years the family moved to Potchefstroom and operated a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...

. His love for the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

 and his faith in God was noted by several theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

 students who were lodging at the Heyns’ residence. At school Heyns was an average student, and showed little interest in the subjects at hand. He did however display a flair for debate and independent thinking on complex topics - after one such discussion (regarding Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...

's evolutionary theory
Darwinism
Darwinism is a set of movements and concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or of evolution, including some ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin....

) one theology student voiced his concern to Heyns’ parents that the young man might be losing his mind.

Higher education

Johan Heyns completed his undergraduate studies at the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education
Potchefstroom Campus
The Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University was formerly known as the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education...

 where he formed a lifelong friendship with Hendrik G. Stoker
Hendrik G. Stoker
Hendrik Gerhardhus Stoker , born in Johannesburg, South Africa, was a Calvinist philosopher who taught at Potchefstroom . He studied at PU and the University of Cologne, and he completed his doctoral dissertation on "Nature and the forms of conscience" under Max Scheler.Stoker taught at PU from...

, the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n Calvinistic thinker and a central advocate of the Philosophy of the Cosmonomic Idea
Reformational philosophy
Reformational philosophy is a Neo-Calvinistic movement pioneered by Herman Dooyeweerd and D. H. Th. Vollenhoven that seeks to develop philosophical thought in a radically Protestant Christian direction.- Historical overview :...

. Stoker’s reasoning had a marked influence on the rest of his academic career.

Heyns completed his training as a minister at the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...

, and decided to continue his theological studies at the Free University
Vrije Universiteit
The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...

 in Amsterdam. In 1953 he obtained a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

 under the supervision of G. C. Berkouwer
Gerrit Cornelis Berkouwer
Gerrit Cornelis Berkouwer was for years the leading theologian of the Gereformeerde Kerken in the Netherlands . He occupied the Chair in systematic theology of the Faculty of Theology, Free University in Amsterdam.Berkouwer was born in The Hague. He was raised in Zaandam...

 with a thesis titled Die Grondstruktuur van die Modalistiese Triniteitsbeskouing (The Basis of the Modalistic Trinity View).

In 1961 he obtained a second Ph.D. (in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

) under the supervision of Stoker. His thesis was titled Die Teologiese Antropologie van Karl Barth vanuit Wysgerig-Antropologiese Oriëntering (The Theological Anthropology of Karl Barth
Karl Barth
Karl Barth was a Swiss Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas...

 from a Philosophical
-Anthropological Orientation).

Career

In 1954, after completion of his theological studies in Amsterdam, Heyns became an ordained minister and served at the Ysterplaat
AFB Ysterplaat
Air Force Base Ysterplaat is an airbase of the South African Air Force. It is located in Cape Town, on the southwestern coast of South Africa.The name Ysterplaat is Afrikaans; it means Iron Plate in English....

 congregation of the NGK. Towards the end of 1960 he transferred to Rondebosch
Rondebosch
Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It is primarily a residential suburb, with a medium-size shopping area, a small business district as well as the main campus of the University of Cape Town.-History:...

 where he counted several Afrikaner politicians amongst his flock (including Hendrik Verwoerd, John Vorster, and PW Botha).

Heyns' academic career started in 1966 when he was appointed as lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...

 in dogma
Dogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...

tic subjects at the University of Stellenbosch. In 1971 he succeeded A.B. Du Preez as professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 at the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...

 where he stayed until his retirement at the end of 1993.

During the more than 20 years that Heyns served the NGK as a professor, he exerted an enormous influence on the church. He was distinguished by a large number of publications and he filled many public positions in the church, causing him to be regarded as one of the best known theologians in the NGK.

Views on Apartheid and sexual ethics

In the 1980s and the early 1990s Heyns became a central figure in the struggle to change the NGK’s stance on Apartheid, leading to the church’s eventual rejection of that policy. In 1982 Heyns publicly rejected the notion that Apartheid was the will of God, and caused a furor at that year’s synod by openly supporting multiracial marriages. For a year he stayed out of favor with the church hierarchy, but reemerged in 1986 to become moderator
Moderator of the General Assembly
The Moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a presbyterian or reformed church. Kirk Sessions and Presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator....

 - the highest position in the church. He immediately tried to persuade the church that there was no biblical foundation for Apartheid.

Following the NGK Synod of 1986 (at which Heyns presided), tens of thousands of church members and congregations broke away to form the Afrikaans Protestant Church. In September 1989, at a time when the government indiscriminately crushed all protest marches, mediation by NGK leadership under Heyns convinced the government to allow peaceful protests. This heralded the first swing away from the armed struggle to a strategy of non-violent confrontation.

Characteristic of the winds of change that swept through the NGK
Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk
The Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk is a Reformed Christian denomination in South Africa. It also has a presence in neighboring countries, such as Namibia, Swaziland, and parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe...

 during the time of Heyns’ prominent influence on the church, was his acceptance in 1990 of the pro-gay thesis of Hendrik Pretorius titled Homosexuality in Context approved for his Baccalaureus Divinitatis degree conferred on him in 1990. Pretorius was awarded the degree after he established that the content of the thesis had been found biblically acceptable, says the moderator of the NG Church
Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk
The Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk is a Reformed Christian denomination in South Africa. It also has a presence in neighboring countries, such as Namibia, Swaziland, and parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe...

, prof. Johan Heyns.
This was in accordance with the theological views of the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland who recognised homosexuals – in the pulpit as well as in the pews, including same sex marriages. Most theses gather dust on the shelves in libraries of universities, but this thesis would come back years later to haunt Heyns when it was published as a book titled Being gay: punishment or blessing? This ethical question, along with the burning issue of Apartheid, stirred up agitation among the populace who demanded an explanation from Heyns on the circumstances under which he approved the thesis that clearly went against the grain of the church’s official rejection of homosexuality as a sin.

In 1990, speaking for the NGK, Heyns declared Apartheid a sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...

. His theological contributions had a large impact on changing the thinking of the Afrikaner government.

Assassination

On Saturday evening, November 5, 1994, Heyns was playing cards with his wife and three grandchildren (then aged 2, 8 and 11) at his home in Pretoria. He died instantly when an unidentified attacker using a .303 caliber rifle delivered a single gunshot through a window. The bullet entered at the back of his neck and left near his eye, leaving a wound as big as a man's fist.

Although the police would not speculate on a motive, many were convinced that Heyns was killed by extremists. Shortly after his assassination a secretary of Die Burger
Die Burger
Die Burger is a daily Afrikaans language newspaper, published by Naspers. By 2008, it had a circulation of 91,665 in the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa...

, an Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...

 newspaper, received threats that three Afrikaans-speaking cabinet members would be next. The caller told the secretary that he had already lost everything as a result of affirmative action
Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment
Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment is a form of Economic Empowerment initiated by the South African government in response to criticism against Narrow Based Empowerment instituted in the country during 2003/2004...

: "We belong… I belong to no organization. And this will not be the last one." Subsequent threats followed, indicating that Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...

 was also a target.

Motives

Three theories are generally regarded to have contributed to the assassination of Heyns:
  • His political standpoint regarding Apartheid that led to the schism with and founding of the Afrikaanse Protestantse Kerk
    Afrikaanse Protestantse Kerk
    The Afrikaanse Protestantse Kerk , commonly abbreviated APK or AP Kerk is a South African conservative Reformed Church federation with about 44,000 adherents...

     and the declaration of Apartheid as a sin;
  • His ethical standpoint regarding homosexuality
    Homosexuality
    Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...

    that led to the public controversy with Dr. Hendrik Pretorius between 1990 and 1993, a conflict that directly resulted in Pretorius declaring of the anti-gay doctrine of the church as a sin. The controversy was driven to breaking point when Pretorius, in analogy to Martin Luther
    Martin Luther
    Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...

    , nailed his Twenty Theses to the door of the chapel
    Chapel
    A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...

     of the University of Pretoria
    University of Pretoria
    The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...

     on Friday, June 7, 1991. The chapel was known as the Church of Saint Alfons Maria de Liguori, after Saint Alfons, the founder of the order of Ligournians, or Redemptoriste, who was declared a saint in 1839. His demands for political and theological reform was addressed to both state and church alike. This event is widely regarded as the primary catalyst for the Gay Liberation Theology Movement, a Christian reform movement
    Reform movement
    A reform movement is a kind of social movement that aims to make gradual change, or change in certain aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes...

     in South Africa
    South Africa
    The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

     that started on that day.
  • A combination of the two factors that was experienced by some as an act of treason against the political and ethical values and aspirations of the Afrikaner.


Heyns' assassin left very few clues, and no arrests have been made.
In the book "The Tall Assassin: the darkest political murders of the old South Africa" it is claimed that he was killed because he was a double agent.

External links

Parts of this Article were translated from additional information available in the Afrikaans Wikipedia-article "Johan Heyns"
  • "Theological Development in the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa" from Theological Forum, Vol. XXIII, No. 4, December 1995, with a description of Heyns's contributions
  • J A Heyns en die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk en Apartheid - D.Th. thesis by Henry Hofmeyr Williams at the University of the Free State
    University of the Free State
    The University of the Free State is situated in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State, South Africa. The university also has a satellite campus in Qwaqwa that was, until 2003, part of the University of the North.-Academic Divisions:...

    . It contains an extensive analysis of Heyns' Theological viewpoints and accomplishments, and includes significant information on his background as Afrikaner and the role he had played in the eventual declaration of the Dutch Reformed Church that Apartheid was sin. In Afrikaans
    Afrikaans
    Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...

    .
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