Editing Paul Kruger (section)

===Forming the "Dopper Church"===

Kruger considered [[Divine providence|Providence]] his guide in life and referred to scripture constantly; he knew large sections of the Bible by heart.{{sfn|Meredith|2007|p = 76}} He understood the biblical texts literally and inferred from them that the [[Flat Earth|Earth was flat]], a belief he retained firmly to his dying day.{{sfn|Meredith|2007|p = 76}} At mealtimes he said [[Grace (prayer)|grace]] twice, at length and in formal Dutch rather than the South African dialect that was to become [[Afrikaans]].{{sfn|Meredith|2007|p = 168}} In late 1858, when he returned to Boekenhoutskloof, he was mentally and physically drained following the exertions of the past few years and in the midst of a spiritual crisis. Hoping to establish a personal relationship with God,{{sfn|Meintjes|1974|pp = 47–48}} he ventured into the Magaliesberg and spent several days without food or water. A search party found him "nearly dead from hunger and thirst", Davenport records.{{sfn|Davenport|2004}} The experience reinvigorated him and greatly intensified his faith, which for the rest of his life was unshakeable and, according to Meintjes, perceived by some of his contemporaries as like that of a child.{{sfn|Meintjes|1974|pp = 47–48}}

Kruger belonged to the "Doppers"—a group of about 6,000 that followed an extremely strict interpretation of traditional Calvinist doctrine.{{sfn|Hexham|Poewe|1997|p = 126}} They based their theology almost entirely on the [[Old Testament]] and, among other things, wished to eschew hymns and organs and read only from the [[Psalms]].{{sfn|Meredith|2007|pp = 76–77}} When the 1859 [[synod]] of the ''[[Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NHK)|Nederduits Hervormde Kerk van Afrika]]'' (NHK), the main church in the Transvaal, decided to enforce the singing of modern hymns, Kruger led a group of Doppers that denounced the NHK as "deluded" and "false" and left its Rustenburg congregation.<ref>{{harvnb|Hexham|Poewe|1997|p=126}}; {{harvnb|Meredith|2007|pp=76–77}}</ref> They formed the ''[[Reformed Churches in South Africa|Gereformeerde Kerke van Zuid-Afrika]]'' (GK),{{sfn|Hexham|Poewe|1997|p = 126}} thereafter known informally as the "Dopper Church",{{sfn|Meredith|2007|pp = 76–77}} and recruited the Reverend [[Dirk Postma]], a like-minded traditionalist recently arrived from the Netherlands, to be their minister.{{sfn|Hexham|Poewe|1997|p = 126}} This act also had secular ramifications as according to the 1858 constitution only NHK members could take part in public affairs.{{sfn|Meintjes|1974|pp = 47–48}}