The Church's Struggle Against Apartheid The failure to denounce, resist and incite resistance to apartheid and rights violations of man which results from this, constitutes the failure of the Church to live up to its convictions of faith. On the contrary, the Church has often found itself drawn into its debates about legitimacy and the right to resist authorities. These debates were dominated by the question of violence and armed struggle. This actually happened in circumstances where our members were part of the armed wings of the liberation movements. Prozesky, Martin, Christianity in South Africa p 132 The churches' struggle against apartheid and a commentary on the effectiveness of this challenge. When the National Party was officially elected to parliament in 1948, they implemented a policy of apartheid. Apartheid literally means "separation", and was the careful and permanent separation of blacks and whites.[1] But we must also remember that the oppression of people of color living in South Africa did not begin with the National Party but with the white colonizers. When South Africa was colonized, black indigenous people had their land confiscated, they were deprived of their political identity, and cultural and religious identities were suppressed.[2] “It was the beginning of a form of oppression that characterizes the social structure of South Africa today. » [3] Some of the most extreme Afrikaners admired Hitler. The path to racial segregation for South Africa was not a blueprint leading to the Final Solution, it was a general policy for the country that was adapted over time to meet the circumstances of the country. to...... middle of article ......r and Gerald J. Pillay, A History of Christianity in South Africa Volume 1, page 272[20] Stanley Clayton, Methodism In Africa, page 33[21 ] Martin Prozesky, Christianity in South Africa, page 273[22] Charles Villa-Vicencio, Trapped in Apartheid, page 126[23] JW Hofmeyr and Gerald J. Pillay, A History of Christianity in South Africa Volume 1 , page 271[24] Charles Villa -Vicencio, Trapped in Apartheid, page 129[25] JW Hofmeyr and Gerald J. Pillay, A History of Christianity in South Africa Volume 1, page 272[26] Martin Prozesky, The Christianity in South Africa, page 272[27] Martin Prozesky, Christianity in South Africa, page 272[28] JW Hofmeyr and Gerald J. Pillay, A History of Christianity in South Africa Volume 1, page 271[29] Martin Prozesky, Christianity in South Africa, page 278