Faith and the Fragility of Justice

Responses to Gender-Based Violence in South Africa

Meredith Whitnah

• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9781978838635, 9781978838642
• eBook ISBN: 9781978838659
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: African Politics

South Africa has repeatedly made international headlines because of its high rates of gender-based violence. In the midst of a wide range of responses to the problem, an important voice has been largely absent. Why are the religious groups that had famously protested the racial violence of apartheid faltering in their response to gendered violence in the democracy? Faith and the Fragility of Justice answers this question through a deep dive into the public discourse of three Protestant Christian organizations that had been adamant about a theological mandate to challenge apartheid, but have varied in their responses to gender-based violence in the democracy. The central argument of the book is that the organizations' theological convictions intersect with their posture toward various social groups to shape their actions. In making this argument, Meredith Whitnah demonstrates that religious beliefs are a central dimension of institutional processes that sustain or challenge social inequality and violence.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part I: the Formation and Reproduction of Theological Cultures
• Part II: the Power of Theological Cultures for Gender-Based Violence and Gender Justice
• Conclusion
• Appendix A: Key Features of the Theological Cultures
• Appendix B: Sources, Case Selection, and Standpoint
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• References
• Index
• About the Author