Ekklesiologie en Etiek: Die werk van Etienne de Villiers in die lig van die ekumeniese diskussie oor ekklesiologie en etiek

Abstract

Ecclesiology and Ethics: Etienne de Villiers’ work in the light of ecumenical discussions on ecclesiology and ethics. In honouring Etienne de Villiers, this article discusses the latter’s contribution to a deepening of the notions of church and ethics, as well as the mutual relationship between these notions in the South African context. De Villiers’ work in this regard is compared with that which has been done by the World Council of Churches (WCC). The article therefore highlights the manner in which De Villiers, in line with the WCC, analysed the moral deformation, but also the transformation and formation in which especially the Dutch Reformed Church was involved in in South Africa since the middle of the 20th century. Although De Villiers mainly works in the field of Christian ethics, it is clear that the latent ecclesiological views to which his ethical contributions are related, would also, to a considerable extent, be in line with those that have been and are being developed by the WCC.