The distinction of Clint Le Bruyns’ Kairos theology in South Africa

Abstract

This article, contextualised within the commemoration of 50 years of scholarship at the Research Institute for Theology and Religion of the University of South Africa, examines the enduring contributions of Clint Le Bruyns to the development of the Kairos brand of public theology in post-apartheid South Africa. Le Bruyns engages contemporary imperatives of a transformative framework, including economic justice, gender equity, environmental sustainability, decolonisation and political responsibility by synthesising insights from theology, development studies and social ethics. He critiques the persisting inertia of faith communities in passive theological reflection rather than prophetic action, wherein the church remains a pivotal agent of social justice and human flourishing. Le Bruyns’ theological framework (dual role as a scholar and activist), intensely articulates the communal dimensions of Kairos theology anchored in the foundational tenets of the South African Kairos Document and complemented by insights from global decolonial discourses that include Palestinian Kairos and Latin American Liberation Theology. He uses this background in his ecumenical dialogues to equip grassroots movements to transcend denominational divides in grappling with the complexities of moral renewal and social transformation in South Africa. Kairos theology serves as both a historical artefact and active, engaging scholarship and praxis (i.e. robust public theology) from an interdisciplinary perspective in view of historical injustices of colonialism and apartheid.

Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article concludes that Le Bruyns provides an integrative, dynamic and enduring approach to navigate complex socio-political landscapes that can be used to affirm the indispensable relationship between faith and social responsibility.