​While in the past the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa (DRCSA) confessed the authority of the Bible as the Word of God, many within the Church today do not see the Bible as authoritative on all matters. Prevailing views on the Pauline epistles is a prime example. In many ways, Paul is viewed as “a product of his time who could only describe the awesome reality of God’s saving presence in limited (patriarchal) language”

The well-known South African theologian Andrew Murray, himself a member of the DRCSA, reacted as far back as 1862, shortly after the midway mark of the 19th-century, to the large-scale rationalism that had been advocated in Dutch theology faculties and warned against the influence it may have had on fellow ministers in the DRCSA. This battle where the authority of Scripture was at the centre became so severe that it was not able to escape the Cape courtrooms.

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​Generally speaking, good churches who are considered to be “like-minded” are split down the middle as it involves their view of women as deaconesses. Some say “absolutely not,” while others say “sure, why not.” We as Stellenbosch Bible Church have since our founding in the month of May, 2015, opted for the latter view when the church was constituted by one elder (yours truly) and three other families. Perhaps some might have been led to believe that we do not allow women to be deaconesses because of the absence of women deaconesses in our church. However, their absence in our current detachment of deacons has purely been for circumstantial reasons, in particular personal readiness and qualification of women who have since the church’s founding been identified and approached as potential deaconesses by the elder (1 Tim. 3:8-13).
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Things have not changed since our founding days. So, in order to help those of you who were not members with us during that pioneering first year of our church, I’d like to briefly offer you the reasons for our acknowledgment of the legitimacy of deaconesses.

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Many of the southern states of the United States have their own unique way of speaking American English. This creates somewhat of a common bond among these states, at least linguistically. Anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon Line you would be exposed to amusing expressions that are unique to this part of the world.

Take for instance the common address, “ya’ll.” When translated into regular English it basically means “you all.” Then, of course, if there was ever the slight possibility of leaving anyone out, or to be misunderstood by anyone already included in your former address, you can intensify matters by employing the term “all ya’ll.” One of my favourites is the very descriptive “fixin’ to,” or “fixing to.” Nearly anyone of a particular generation in the southern states who was about to take some course of action was “fixin’ to” do it. According to this reasoning, whether it is planning to do something as simple as taking out the rubbish, or something as complex as performing open heart surgery, one can be “fixin’ to” do so…

So here is something that we as a church should be “fixin’ to” do this year, as we remain firmly committed to all other ways we are commanded in Scripture...

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