A native of
Pretoria, South Africa, de Gruchy studied at the
University of Cape Town,
Rhodes University,
Chicago Theological Seminary and the
University of Chicago. He has two doctorates, one in theology and another in the social sciences, and a number of
honorary doctorates. For many years, he was
Robert Selby Taylor Professor of Christian Studies at
University of Cape Town. He remains an
emeritus professor at the University of Cape Town and holds a post as an
extraordinary professor at the
University of Stellenbosch. A
feschrift was published in his honor in 2002. Some of his earliest works were written in the midst of
apartheid in
South Africa, speaking out against the legislation and engaging the theology of
Dietrich Bonhoeffer to argue for the liberation of the oppressed. After apartheid legislation was abolished in 1991, de Gruchy wrote a number of works speaking about the theological role of art in society and advocating for a
theology of reconciliation. == Works ==