The Circa History Guild is a wonderful link to the unveiling of the past. Not only does the website reveal truths about our nation but examines the world in the same revelatory light. I recently had the pleasure of listening to an old Chalcedon “easy chair” with the theologian RJ Rushdoony and historian Otto Scott. It was one of the many incredible sit downs that RJ Rushdoony had with many Christian men and women back in the 1980’s. As a member of the Chalcedon Foundation (www.chalcedon.edu) I have access to over 1000 mp3’s that cover all aspects of Christianity. Chalcedon is a Christian educational organization founded by Rushdoony in 1965. They are devoted to research, publishing and promoting Christian Reconstruction in all aspects of life. They are yes, addicting and of unbelievable insight.  This one was recorded in the 1980’s after Otto had returned from a trip to South Africa. He wrote “The Other End of the Lifeboat” in which he detailed the history of Christianity in South Africa.

The Chalcedon colloquy as they are called reminded me of the Calvinist Boers who first settled South Africa. Their conversation discussed the fact that in the 1980’s South Africa at the time was one of the last, if not last, official Christian nation on our planet. The most dramatic of events occurred in the 1830’s. The Boers trekked into the South African veldt to escape the pesky British. The event is known as the Great Trek and its participants the Voortrekkers.

South Africa was discovered Bartolomeu Dias in 1488. The Portuguese were the first nation that sent out explorers to search for the riches of Asia. Dias who was sailing down the west coast of Africa discovered a beautiful land at the tip of South Africa. Later in the 16th century the Dutch arrived with the landing of Jan van Riebeeck in 1651, a member of the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch who settled South Africa were strong followers of John Calvin and the Reformed faith. They belonged to the Calvinist Reformed Church of the Netherlands and were devout followers of the Reformation and strong believers in the sovereignty of God. They followed the Dutch Reformed Confession established at the synod of Dordt. They were also accompanied by the French Calvinists also known as the Huguenots. These staunch French Calvinists had been persecuted by the French monarchy for over a hundred years. There were also numerous Germans who professed the reformed Heidelberg Catechism among the trekkers.

The most dominant group though was the Dutch, also known as the Boers, Dutch for farmer. The Boer nation that developed in South Africa was intensely Calvinistic. In the early 1800’s the English arrived and began settling South Africa, clashing with the proud and independent Boers. At the same time the Boers were experiencing border wars with the Xhosa and other tribal nations. The Boers had finally decided that they needed to migrate away from the English and Xhosa and thus began the Great Trek. The Great Trek as it was called was led by the Voortrekkers. The Voortrekkers were those Boers (mainly from the Eastern Cape) who decided to leave the Cape and ventured to central South Africa. These hearty farmers wanted simply to be left alone to cultivate the land and practice their Calvinistic faith in peace.

The Trek was difficult and full of twists and turns. Led by various Boer leaders such as Piet Retief and Andries Pretorius they advanced towards what would become the Orange Free State, Natal and the Transvaal. Retief negotiated with the Zulus but they turned on him, murdering him and 500 other Voortrekkers.  God’s sovereignty as always triumphs and at the Battle of Blood River in 1838, the Boers defeated the Zulu. They killed thousands of Zulu while taking no losses to their Boer fighters. This battle opened up South Africa and established the short term Boer Republic in Natal. The British continued to harass the Boers and they retreated further behind the Drakensberg. It was not until 1902 at the conclusion of the Second Boer War that the Boers were defeated by the English.

A monument stands to honor the Voortrekkers and the Great Trek. The monument was inaugurated in 1949 by Prime Minister D.F. Malan. It is a unique Monument which commemorates the pioneer history of Southern Africa and the history of the Afrikaner. The Afrikaners are the Dutch speaking people who arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. The Voortrekker Monument honors those brave men who from 1838-1854 ventured into the wilds of South Africa to establish a Christian nation. The Boers were finally defeated by the English at the turn of the century yet their culture and strong Calvinistic faith still survives today. I have attached several philatelic images that are wonderful reminders of the spirit and faith of the famous Voortrekkers.

by Tom Tarabicos