The Tenderness of Conscience: African Renaissance and the Spirituality of Politics
... In its engagement with the state, the Church should adopt what Allan Boesak (2005) calls, "Critical Solidarity." This is where the Church collaborates with the political authority when government engages in progressive projects that enhance life. ...
... These initiatives by the ELCZ can be interpreted through the prism of "critical solidarity" that I referred to earlier (Boesak, 2005), a concept where the Church can relate to the state for the common good-as long as it does not involve silencing of the Church's prophetic voice on issues of injustice. In this case, the ELCZ has partnered with the government in the provision of health and education services. ...
This chapter focuses on the appropriation of the Bible in the Zimbabwean narrative by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) (see also Chapter 1 by Gunda in this volume). The context of this appropriation was the 40th independence celebration of Zimbabwe in 2020 and the number 40 was theologised in relation to these celebrations. The primary document for this appropriation has been the Pastoral Letter which was referred to as the 21st-century oracle by the
21st-century prophets. The chapter explores the significance of the Bible in the public space in Zimbabwe and lessons that can be drawn from this appropriation by the Second Republic. The chapter concludes that the 40th independence was an opportunity for a reflection of the past, a window for a new beginning for Zimbabwe and a reconfiguration of the country’s narrative.
... What this means in the context of theological education, is that the latter is founded on the perception that the overall character of much of theological education in Africa is overwhelmingly Western and Eurocentric. In other words, it is argued by advocates of an African Renaissance in theological education, such as Boesak (2005) and Botman (2008), that much of what is taken for theological education in Africa is, in fact, not African, but rather a reflection of Europe in Africa. The African Renaissance has also taken on a much greater significance in recent days, with the call for the recognition of indigenous African knowledge systems by scholars such as Gigaba (2011). ...
... However, in assuming the indigeneity of culture, the call for an African Renaissance in theological education does not connote a detachment from political radicalisation and mobilisation. In fact, proponents of the African Renaissance in theological education (Boesak 2005, Botman 2008, Bowers 2007, Carney 2010and Steinke 2011 would rather claim that the influence of Western Eurocentric culture on Africans needs to be forcefully arrested by all critically conscious African theological educators in the struggle for the establishment of an African identity in theological education. This will entail countering the colonisation of the African mind by forces emanating from the excessive mono-cultural domination of Western and European forms of knowledge and languages, as well as the asking of critical questions about the knowledge included in theological education and the languages spoken and used as mediums of instruction. ...
The purpose of this book is to engage challenging issues that are called into question during ministerial training. This is a volume presenting eleven contested issues that attend to concerns related to structures, processes, knowledge and practices within theological education. Contributors offer keen insights about how to think differently and more complexly about these matters within a changing South Africa. It is an affirmation of the multiple voices, locations, identities and positions within South African theological education, as a starting point for transformative theological education. It is hoped that these reflections can enable future ministers to confront the question of how to be in the world with the required competence, integrity and professional identity to meet the needs of church and society.
... As a Black Christian theologian, political activist, community leader, and "accidental politician", Allan Boesak (2009) has, over many years, distinguished himself as a leading voice in the South African liberation struggle. Along with many others, most notably, the anti-apartheid activists, civic and student leaders, as well as theologians associated with the United Democratic Front (UDF) -Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Catholic Archbishop of Durban, Dennis Hurley, and respected activists from the 1950s such as Albertina Sisulu, Helen Joseph and Oscar Mpetha, Boesak sought to apply the main ideas, principles and values of Black theology and the liberation philosophy of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM), to the oppressive political, social, and economic conditions of apartheid South Africa. ...
... Boesak conceptualises innocence as a function of Western theology's deliberate and systematic ignorance of the realities on which liberation theology is based, namely "realities of rich and poor, of [W]hite and [B]lack, of oppressors and oppressed, of oppression and liberation from oppression" (Boesak 1977:3). He proceeds to assert that these realities move through history with a bland kind of innocence, hiding these painful truths behind a façade of myths and real or imagined anxieties (Boesak 1977:3). ...
As a Black theologian and political activist, deeply committed to the cause of freedom, reconciliation and justice in South Africa, Allan Boesak has embraced the philosophy of Black consciousness as a legitimate moral-political foundation for the development of national unity. Boesak is of the view that post-apartheid South Africa is still deeply plagued by a racist legacy of moral-political “innocence”. I explore the validity of Boesak’s position from the perspective of his fundamental claim that the philosophy of Black Consciousness represents a legitimate framework for addressing the legacy of “innocence”, construed by him as an epistemic condition that refuses to engage with the historical “truth” of race thinking.
... The public is important for the church and theologybecause as Allan Boesak puts it "the Christian faith in Jesus Christ is public. It is publicbecause Jesus of Nazareth, took on public form when he became ah uman person, and because his life was livedi np ublic servanthood and vulnerability in obedience to God." (Boesak 2005,3 )B yg overnance we mean: ap articular set of initiativest os trengthen the institutions of civil society with the objective of makinggovernment moreaccountable, moreo pen and transparent,m oredemocratic (Minogue 1997, 21). ...
... (p. 7) Boesak (2005) points out that this Confession helps us to: ...
The Reformed tradition, emerging in the 16th-century Reformation, consists of a variety of sources that often lead to complex and differing views about beliefs, doctrines and ethics. However, this tradition and theology have always stressed the significance of social justice and diakonia as important aspects of faith and ministry, even though its great sense of diversity has often nuanced and stressed different levels of understanding and engagement of social justice. This article aims to show that social justice and diakonia are integral to Reformed tradition and practice. Using mainly the methodologies of literature review and contextuality (the author’s context), this article establishes that social justice is grounded in the history, theology, spirituality, confessions and polity of the Reformed faith. The latter aspects are also contained in the notion that to be Reformed is to be ecumenical. In this sense, Reformed tradition is concerned about the whole world and all creation.
Contribution: The diverse and complex nature of Reformed tradition and theology often creates a sense of confusion on how Reformed Christians understand social justice and diakonia. This article offers a significant contribution to establishing that social justice is an integral aspect of Reformed tradition. By firmly grounding social justice in the history, theology, spirituality, confessions and polity of the Reformed faith, the author makes a significant contribution to a debate that has pervaded Reformed churches over many centuries.
... From a historical perspective, the Church in Africa has played a role in the development of social services in advancing education especially in marginalized areas, medical care, shaping society culture and philosophy, and also an influential player in religion and politics (Boesak, 2005). However, in the recent two decades that influence seems to be fading with many African countries recording political unrests and skirmishes (such as in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, Nigeria among others), increased droughts and famine, the democratization of corruption, deteriorating medical care and increased mental illness and suicidal cases, increased drug abuse among youth in Africa among other such increasing issues affecting Africa (Perkins, 2007). ...
Over the past few decades, urban cities of Africa have experienced a rise in social, economic, political challenges. Poverty, hunger, ill-health, terrorism, political unrest, and violence are some of the issues still rampant in many African cities even today. Collaborative leadership entails bringing urban churches and other pertinent stakeholders together in collectively addressing the issues facing urban cities of Africa. In this article, we conduct a qualitative systematic review of the existing literature on collaborative leadership and church influence in Africa to elaborate on a theological model on urban church influence. After reviewing several journals articles, books, and pertinent non-journaled cases of collaborative leadership in the context of the urban church in Africa, we identify critical collaborative leadership practices necessary for urban churches in Africa to have successful influence and be a pertinent player in defining and resolving Africa's urban challenges. These practices include shared control and power, leadership development, and the discipleship experience. We also identify a series of collaborative leadership benefits that are crucial in urban churches in Africa. These benefits include a greater sense of diversity, solidarity, inspiration, and collective strengths. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of adopting collaborative leadership principles for church leaders and practitioners in the context of urban church influence in Africa.
KEYWORDS: collaborative leadership, urban church influence, theological model
... South Africans of all races should note that theological dialogue on race defuses potential abruptions or ethnic cleansing. The rationale for this is clearly set out by Boesak (2005): ...
South Africa is historically a nation of binaries. The most significant been the binary of black and white. In this case, black refers to all people of African and Asian descent or origin. Historical racism is examined in the light of white fragility, supremacy and normativity as ideologies that make it difficult for people to live together in one united democratic nation upholding the culture of human rights. The objective of this article is to propose dialogues on racism that, although triggering a range of defensive actions, feelings and behaviours such as anger, fear and silence should generate hope. Literature study is widely used for both definitions and methods of the research findings regarding white fragility, supremacy and normativity to suppress opportunities of dialogue. In order to address these anomalies, theological dialogue on the race problem is invited to follow five steps. These are looking back to move forward or come closer, moving from reaction to interaction, moving from exclusion to participation, moving from isolation to integration and, finally, promoting the fact that self-giving and openness are the ideal theological approach. Racism is a sin against God and against humanity. Despite the apparent persistence and legacy of racism, there is hope. Through dialogue, there is an understanding of another person’s struggle, which brings some valuable perspectives.
Contribution: The key concepts of white fragility, racism, supremacy, and normativity inform the reader of the problem faced by social scientists such as theologians, but proposes a solution that comes through dialogue which follows the five steps to address the problem of racism.
... The theological justification of apartheid in South Africa emerged from the Afrikaner traditional churches, the NGK or the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC). Boesak (2005) is apprehensive about 'the claim by the Afrikaner that apartheid could be morally justified as a Christian policy' (p. 117). ...
This article pays tribute to Vuyani Vellem’s work on the relevance of Black theology of liberation (BLT) post-1994 in South Africa. Firstly, this article provides a synopsis of the political and economic ‘transition’ of South Africa before and after democracy. Secondly, the article seeks to provide a candid ‘reflection’ on the BLT trajectory, especially its critique of white racial theology. Thirdly, the article attempts ‘rethinking’ the location of the Bible and the black interlocutor in the post-liberation context. Fourthly, the article attempts to ‘reimagining’ the relevance of BLT post-1994 with a focus on proposed contemporary theologies.
Contribution: The manuscript is responding to a special issue honouring the legacy and scholarship of the late Prof Vuyani Vellem who contributed immensely to Black Theology of Liberation (BTL) in the South African context. The manuscript attempt to dialogue with Vellem on key issue that he raised, especially racial issues and the role of the recognition of the black interlocutor. The VukaniBathoTsohangBatho special issue is dedicated to this great son of the soil who distinguished himself through research in the area of BTL challenging issues affecting the majority of black people, issues like racism, land, unemployment and economic inequalities in South Africa. This manuscript engages with some of these issues hence its relevance to the journal. The manuscript argues that as long as social and economic injustices exist, Black Liberation Theology (BLT) will remain relevant post 1994 dispensation.
... It cannot keep silent while humanity, carrying imago Dei, is abused in the hands of corrupt politicians. I seem to agree fully with Allan Boesak (2005) that: ...
This article identifies public theology as reflective endeavours and tasks of the Christian community seeking to address the societal ills and concerns. The aim of public theology is to bring hope to the culture that is increasingly cynical about common human future. The historical sketch of South Africa since 1994 as a secular state helps to understand the impact of pluralistic ideology in formulating the laws of the land. In many cases, these laws are at loggerhead with the needs of the masses who become unheard and unseen. The current status quo in hierarchies of societies had become a concern to be addressed from theological perspectives. Realpolitik had become elevated and vox populi become relegated. It is herein argued that the Christian faith in South Africa is silenced by the powers of secularism and majoritarianism within the civil structures. The role of public theology is explored and expanded to include uniqueness, prophetic role, critical role and public initiatives that lift up the dignity of humanity in the face of pluralistic influences. The call is made for theology to enter the journey of transition from stoical passiveness towards communal, formative, critical and public activism as demonstration of the love of Christ incarnate. Parochialism and defeatism are not the ideal options for the public theology. As an epistemological discipline, an appeal is made for theology to become significantly and visibly public in civil matters despite the pluralistic penchants and predilections.
Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article challenges public theology to take a lead in addressing human misery in pluralistic society of South Africa.
... 252. Boesak (2005). ...
... In making the connection, theologically, between regeneration and society, I further find it helpful to consider a vision of urban regeneration in (South) African cities against the broader vision of Africa's regeneration as outlined in the article, 'Native Union', published by Pixley ka Isaka Seme in 1911 (Karis & Carter 1972). Boesak (2005:64-66) describes Seme's vision in a very sensitive manner. Seme (1911) envisioned the regeneration, or reawakening, of Africa and its people, and described it as an 'entrance into a new life', or, 'a new civilisation', which will be 'thoroughly spiritual and humanistic' (cf. ...
After describing the challenges, myths, exclusions and opportunities of urban regeneration, this article explores the potential interface between faith-based action and different forms of urban regeneration. Focusing on different South African cities, it considers how faith-based action could participate in regenerative urban work. Faith-based action will refer to the varied responses of churches and faith-based organisations to urban challenges and transitions. It interrogates whether faith-based action only represents many similar approaches that address urban problems superficially without mediating long-term, systemic change, or whether it indeed contributes to urban transformation in the sense of radical inclusivity and socio-structural spatial justice. Finally, it considers socio-theological sources that could potentially ground urban faith-based action theologically – such as an urban spirituality, an understanding of regeneration as integral liberation and mobilising socio-spiritual capital – whilst making a distinctive contribution to the processes of socially inclusive urban regeneration.
... (p. 7) Boesak (2005) points out that this Confession helps us to: ...
The Protestant Reformation is one of the greatest turning points in the history of Christianity. In some senses, it is described as a ‘theological revolution’ which led to the emergence of the Protestant movement and the separation of the Church. This research explores some of the theological themes that became the turning point of Christianity. These themes are sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus and Soli Deo Gloria. This article attempts to briefly explore these essential theological principles of the Reformation and assess its relevance for today in light of new realities, encounters and theological developments. It pays particular attention to the realities of the Global South, mainly South Africa, and shows how these can form a basis for renewal and transformation of Reformed theology and practice today. In this sense, the article establishes that the ‘theological revolution’ continues into the 21st century bringing about ecclesiastical, social and cultural change.
... In this study, I have shown that a comparison between the Israel-Palestine conflict and the South African apartheid 16.For more information on the TRC in South Africa see Megan Shore (2009). Also see the work of Allan Boesak (2005). ...
I first attempt to draw a comparison between the Israel-Palestine conflict and the South African experience of apartheid. Drawing on other established sources and personal experience,I conclude that,while there may be some differences between the two contexts,in essence,the similar experiences of colonialisation and racialisation makes the apartheid comparison compellingly relevant. I then proceed to theologically explore the themes of justice and reconciliation and what it may mean in the context of Israel-Palestine whilst extracting from the South African experience. The article also offers some reflections on the role of the Church in addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict.
... It is argued that often, in post-conflict societies, some form of communal redistributive justice is required, with post-apartheid South Africa as a case in point. Such scholars believe that while the South African TRC may have succeeded in preventing the country from imploding as a result of racial and political animosities, it failed to empower the marginalised black population in economic terms (Boesak, 2005). The potential for TRCs to achieve social justice results, has however been acknowledged (Verwoerd 1999;Asmal 2000;Arbour 2007;Janesick, 2007). ...
Truth and reconciliation commissions (TRCs) as transitional justice and conflict resolution mechanisms, have gained international prominence, especially following South Africa’s much publicised TRC experience. Among other things, TRCs are expected to contribute to democratic consolidation by correcting the historical narrative, acknowledging past human rights violations and fostering a human rights culture in nascent democracies. This was the spirit in which Ghana’s National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) executed its mandate from 2002 to 2004. However, a decade after the commission issued its final report, this article reflects on the failure of the Ghanaian state to disseminate the report. It is argued that the failure to disseminate the NRC Report could jeopardise the commission’s potential contributions to sustainable reconciliation, human rights and democracy in Ghana. This article accounts for the failure to disseminate the report, and makes corrective recommendations as well as suggestions for future research.
... (p. 148) Duncan has made the call for an African Renaissance together with advocates, such as Boesak (2005), Botman (2008), Maluleke (1998) andWa Thiong'o (1993), who state that much of what has been taken for theological education in Africa is in fact not African but rather a reflection of Europe in Africa. The inference here is the distorted view that Africans possess little or no indigenous knowledge of value that can be utilised in theological education, where the English language is sacralised, and the internalisation of bourgeois European values is seen as the index of progress (Sefa Dei 2013). ...
Africanisation refers to a renewed focus on Africa, a reclaiming of what has been taken from Africa, and forms part of a post-colonialist and an anti-racist discourse. Africanising the curriculum involves developing scholarship and research established in African intellectual traditions. The idea is that this education will produce people who are not alienated from their communities and are sensitive to the challenges facing Africa. However, the idea of Africanisation is highly contested and may evoke a false or at least a superficial sense of ‘belonging,’ further marginalisation, or it may emphasise relevance. This article discusses the possibility of Africanisation and takes further the argument of Graham Duncan of how Africans can reclaim their voices in the space of theological education. It unpacks the idea of Africanisation within higher education in general, examining the rationale behind the calls for Africanisation, followed by a discussion on the implications of Africanisation for theological education.
Keywords: Africanisation; theological education; transformation; Graham Duncan
... Allan Boesak (2005) argues very strongly for the recognition of the role religious faith played in the struggle for liberation in South Africa. Contrary to the views of some academics and politicians, Boesak posits that religion, »even more, religious faith« was seen as central throughout the struggle for freedom and human dignity by the oppressed themselves (ebd.: 103). ...
... A sense of 'arrived-ness' emerged in the circles off the ecumenical churches after the goal of dismantling the apartheid rule was achieved (Phiri 2001:137). Boesak (2005) voices this mode of thinking as follows: ...
The way in which the full spectrum of Christian communities are challenged to realign themselves in addressing the impact of corruption on the contemporary South-African society can be a relevant indicator of civil society’s state and functionality in a post-apartheid democratic context. Utilising the interpretative and normative tools of practical-theological research, the researcher attempts to point out markers for Christian communities towards orientating themselves regarding their role in a complex landscape and in an asymmetrically shaped public sphere. The discussion includes an analysis of the current shape of civil society, an interpretation of the complex landscape of perceptions regarding corruption and an overview of the dilemmas faced by some of the major Christian church traditions in the post-apartheid South African context concerning their truthful presence in civil society. The discussion concludes by making a case for the need to anchor the realignment of the prophetic voice and the revitalisation of the transformative presence in a profound and far-reaching theological reorientation. Tension fields that involve critical and constructive action in a situation of endemic corruption cannot be negotiated without ridding the own presence from potential corruptive elements like hidden exclusivity, half-hearted concern and compromise. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Making use of the interdisciplinary results of social sciences and civil-society studies, the author provides an overview for Christian communities and their leaders in theologically orientating themselves for an appropriate angle of approach in entering the public sphere with a view on authentic and impactful participation in anti-corruption dialogue and actions. The key finding of the research amounts to the following: Tension fields that involve critical and constructive action in a situation of endemic corruption cannot be negotiated without ridding the own presence from potential corruptive elements like hidden exclusivity, half-hearted concern and compromise.
The Socratic method of questioning and answering as a learning and teaching strategy has been used widely over time, for it effectively stimulates meaningful learning. Its learner-centered and transformative nature promotes ongoing dialogue. Since cultural differences influence the nature of questions asked, induction of the Socratic method is inevitable so that faith formation leads to thinking theologically where faith becomes a contextual form of thinking and thinking a form of contextualized faith. Some mainline churches in Africa have adopted catechisms with pre-asked and pre-answered questions formulated in Europe between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. The challenges of time, culture, and geographical contextual differences create a gap between the church’s faith formation and context-based spiritual quests. These gaps demand asking the right questions that challenge and inverse wrong attitudes that foster deep reflective self-evaluation, interpretation, and understanding, shaping appropriate perceptions to address the contemporary spiritual quests of Africa. Using the qualitative literature review methodology, this article discovered that there are some gaps between questions and answers in catechisms used in mainline churches and contemporary spiritual quests of Africa. This article aims to discuss the means of closing the gap between questions and answers in catechism and context-based spiritual quests. It recommends induction of the Socratic method so that the questions and answers in catechisms are contextual, communicable, assimilable, and appropriable in African contexts. This study contributes to faith formation by recommending the induction of the Socratic method so that the questions and answers in catechisms are contextual, communicable, assimilable, and appropriable in African contexts. Keywords: Inducting, Socratic Method, Faith Formation, Questions and Answers Communicability, Assimilability, Appropriateness
The African National Congress (ANC) has been the governing party of the ‘Rainbow Nation’ from the first democratic election held on 27 April 1994 to date. During the same period, different Christian leaders (theologians) played diverse roles and expressed their perspectives related to governance and the moral dilemma of the ‘Rainbow Nation’. Thus, the article explores distinct roles and perspectives of Christian leaders (theologians) related to governance and the moral dilemma in the ‘Rainbow Nation’ during the era of the past three presidents of the African National Congress, namely, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Gedleihlekisa Zuma, and the current presIdent of the ANC, Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa. It excludes Kgalema Motlantle as he was not an ANC president but only an interim president of the ‘Rainbow Nation’. The article uses a case study method to answer the question: How have theologians and Christian leaders played their roles and expressed their perspectives about of governance and the moral dilemma of the ‘Rainbow Nation’ in the period under review?
The aim of this article is to point out that Black Consciousness and Black Theology are conceptually and philosophically comrades in arms, fighting side-by-side for the liberation of the oppressed masses, especially the black people emerging from apartheid South Africa. Through the literature review, the two philosophical disciplines are historically sketched, defined, and compared. The Setswana idiom, Di ya thoteng di bapile (comradeship), like many African proverbs and idioms, is philosophically employed as a way of decolonising theology. The idiom is used to demonstrate the symbiotic relationship between Black Consciousness and Black Theology in fighting against structural injustices in societies. Historical evolvement of the two disciplines is narratively presented to demonstrate how the two philosophies can continue to fight together towards the liberation of the marginalised masses in post-apartheid South Africa. The article concludes by sketching some strategic initiatives that can be undertaken to create the space for these two disciplines to symbiotically lead to the liberation of people living under the new form of political, cultural and socio-economic marginalisations. The strategic initiatives include the enhancement of self-reliance, prophetic role, and dialogical processes that lead to emancipation of those who sense self-pity, dependency syndrome, and loss of sense of quality life. These initiatives can be achieved through symbiotic cooperation of Black Consciousness and Black Theology, eventually leading to human liberation from any form of oppression.Contribution: There is a symbiotic cooperation of Black Consciousness and Black Theology, eventually leading to human liberation from any form of oppression.
Defining technology according to Aristotle’s idea of “techne” refers to both a practical skill and the systematic knowledge or experience that underlies it. Technology can be described as a means to achieve specific objectives. This article will investigate the role of the radio during the missionary era and the accompanying colonial project. Firstly, the study will consider the genesis of radio broadcasting and its relation to the church and its mission. Furthermore, the study will focus on the ambiguous relationship between the radio during the colonial and apartheid periods in Southern Africa. The article presupposes that the World Council of Churches enabled the African National Congress to operate radio freedom through its Programme to Combat Racism and Special Fund. The article concludes with an overview of how radio served as a tool of social control during apartheid by briefly discussing the battle of the airwaves between Radio Republic South Africa and Radio Freedom.
Social injustice and inequality create existential worries and social instability. Public theology, as a method rather than as a discipline, developed as a response to fortify Christian witness in the public arena and to answer to issues such as social injustice. This article builds on this theological method for social engagement and on the inherent social capital that religion holds to produce the common good in a secular environment. As part of reflecting upon the significance of theology in the public sphere, I first will examine the role theology can play to shape our social vision. Secondly, I will examine how the notions of covenant and neighbourliness could be providing a turning point regarding social justice. Thirdly, I address the search for the common good as God's tool to inform alternative and humane associational life. Fourthly, the article will explore theology's role to inform and create a vibrant civic society. The dialogue partners in the article are intentionally chosen to formulate a theological pedagogy distinctive from defensive, and at times violent, postures witnessed in social justice dialogues. I aim to create a space for a more objective examination of habits and practices in search of a fuller description and embodiment of God's Kingdom in Southern Africa. The article explores the following question, how can theology, through pursuing the common good, become a significant social capital generator to influence social justice in Southern Africa?
This study investigates the role and understanding of race, particularly "Coloured" identity on the formation and life of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church. Particular focus is given to how the DRMC has dealt with and responded to the colour issue since its inception. An attempt is made to indicate how the history of the DRMC and "Coloured" identity in South Africa are inextricably bound up together. More emphasis is placed on "Coloured" being perceived as neither White nor Black and how the initial critique from the DRMC comprised of "Coloureds" being "less" than White, but superior than Blacks. The study concludes with the influence of Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement on the DRMC.
Allan Boesak developed his ethics of the Black Messiah in the 1970s while he wrote his dissertation in Kampen, The Netherlands. These ethics said no to slavery, colonialism, apartheid, racism, and poverty as a consequence of oppression. Behind these ethics lies the Christological problem. Jesus Christ is truly God and truly human being, which is the universal Christian creed. What is the relationship between the universal confession to Jesus Christ as true God and true human being and the contextual confession to the Black Messiah? The Black Messiah is black for the black people for identification. Is the true humanity universal and the color contextual? The article gives a possible solution. Keywords: Allan Boesak, Black Theology, Black Ethics, Black Messiah, Black Christ, Christology
Faith communities are challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic to urge their members to take a decision to vaccinate or not to vaccinate. The relationship between religion and medical sciences, especially with regard to vaccination, has not always meant that they complemented each other, but there is general agreement amongst religions that vaccination is acceptable to save lives. The purpose of vaccination is to secure herd or population immunity, but the spread of misinformation about vaccines and conspiracy theories, some based on religious beliefs, puts all vaccination efforts at risk. It ultimately influences the decision people should make to vaccinate or not to vaccinate. The question of mandatory vaccination for all and vaccination based on an individual decision according to conscience seems like a paradox, but the comprehensive, second-level normative ethical approach or ethic of responsibility proposed by De Villiers (2020) can be helpful to address this dichotomy. This is in line with an ethics within an African context that is indigenous, interdependent, and holistic. The article follows an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates contributions from the fields of medical science, religion, and ethics. A comprehensive, second-level, normative ethical approach provides contextual appropriateness and an adequate continuity with ethical traditions that are helpful to address vaccine hesitancy and create therapeutic alliances to address challenges presented by the pandemic.
This book explores the relationship between race and class among middle-class Christians in South Africa. The book provides a theoretically sophisticated and empirically rich study of middle-class Christians in contemporary South Africa, as they seek to live good lives and build a good society. Focused on the city of Cape Town, drawing upon ethnographic research in conservative and progressive multi-racial Protestant churches, furnished with critical analysis of South African literature and popular culture, this timely study explores expressions of ambition and anxiety that are both spiritual and material. Building upon debates over middle-class identity and morality from sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies, this book analyzes congregational attempts at social unity through worship music and creative youth ministry, discussions on white privilege and shame, and the impact of middle-class black activism in South African churches and society. This book will be of interest to researchers of South African culture and society, religion, anthropology, and sociology.
This article gives some historical development of Black Consciousness, Black Nationalism and Black Theology during the colonial and apartheid eras. The three worked symbiotically to address the racial injustices of the past. Each tenet is historically explained and ideologically defined. Black Consciousness and Black Nationalism are still prevalent in the South African sociopolitical landscape. This is expressed through the current political parties that are the minorities in the National Assembly. However, the ruling party, African National Congress (ANC), as a ‘broader church’ also possesses some constituents and adherents who are the Black Consciousness and Nationalistic aspirants. South Africa is developing into a peasant society regardless of capitalistic embraces of development. Poverty and equality are visible in societal structures. Those who were formerly equality aspirants are now in sociopolitical and economic circles and had forgotten their aspirations of justice and equality. Corruption, maladministration, bad governance, etc., are the menaces that cause imbalances and create a wider gap between the rich and the poor.
Contribution: Black Theology is invited to lead dialogical deliberations to assess and ascertain how to bring justice into the volatile situation where people’s security and safety is uncertain and warped ideologies such as ethnic cleansing are promoted. Black Theology should resort to the theological mandate of speaking for the poor and oppressed and promote the sense of the New Testament spirit of communality.
This chapter engages with Adam Ashforth's notion of “spiritual insecurity” and the concept of “ordinary ethics” developed by Veena Das and Michael Lambek to explore examples of spiritual and class insecurity in South African culture and literature. Theorized as unmanageable danger resulting from belief in the impact of the spiritual on the material, Ashforth's notion of spiritual insecurity has resonance with Jean Comaroff and John Comaroff's notions of “millennial capital” and “occult economics.” Spiritual and class insecurity is illustrated in this chapter with reference to white religious revivalism, black occult allegations, and the financial schemes and ambitions of black youth seeking instantaneous wealth and status. Analyzing the literary fiction of Niq Mhlongo, the chapter also argues such insecurities are a continuing part of middle-class black life and culture. It is also argued that a fraction of the black middle class are fundamentally reimagining traditional African religion in a recognizably New Age manner, as positive spiritual solutions to material and political problems.
There is an upsurge of renewed interest in South Africa in Black Consciousness, Black theology and consequently in the work of Steven Bantu Biko who remains a central figure for a movement that now seems to inspire a new generation, especially pertaining to the raging debates on Africanity, decolonisation, and Africanisation. This author believes that this resurgence presents an historic moment that calls for a serious re-examination of Biko’s thought. Even though Biko’s reflections on Black theology per se were sparse, they are extremely important in my view, and open up new avenues for Black theological reflection and praxis as regards the fundamental questions of integrity and authenticity in global struggles for freedom, equity and dignity. It is my view that in these struggles Black liberation theology is not only relevant but necessary. This article discusses the contexts within which modern South African Black theology came into being, explores Biko’s definitions of Black theology, and the ways in which Biko’s understanding of Black theology searching for “a fighting God” and Black theology as “not a theology of absolutes” opens up the possibilities for enriching the meaning and relevance of Black theology today.
Corruption in high places of societies is known everywhere around the globe. This phenomenon is not something new among God’s people. The book of Micah shows that corruption among leaders of all sectors of the society existed in ancient Judah. This article looks at the book from the perspective that the powerful men in Judah were perpetrators of corruption. The poor and needy suffered in the hands of these men. Surprisingly, these men claimed to be religious. The prophet Micah as a concerned citizen preached against these men and their corrupt practices. This article reveals that the corrupt behaviour of “powerful” in ancient Judah pertains in African societies. It challenges the Church in Africa to stand up to preach against these men and their evil deeds. It finally shows that evil attitudes of the “powerful” bring down societies.
This article reflects on the need for revival and unity in Reformed churches. It explores issues which prevent this from happening and offers suggestions as to how some of these challenges can be addressed. In attempting to do the latter it draws from the work of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. The article also especially recognises the work and contributions of Dr Allan Boesak as a Reformed theologian and scholar.
In this article I will give specific attention to the reciprocal relationship between Black Theology and Allan Boesak based on his lived experience of apartheid from a theological-historical perspective. It is my presupposition that Boesak's experience of apartheid made him prone to the influence of Black Theology and that he in turn adapted American Black Theology so that it could be made applicable to the South African context. Black Theology unlocked an entire new theological paradigm for Boesak which enabled him to speak prophetically to the challenges and injustices that occurred under apartheid in South Africa. Attention will be given to the emergence of Black Theology in South Africa, how Boesak was challenged by it and how Black Theology, through Boesak, impacted the theological landscape.
This article reflects on the challenges to systematic theology that arise from students' struggles against capitalism in Brazil and South Africa. It suggests an understanding of the social, political and economic reality, emphasising that these struggles are part of the new social movements that struggle against capitalism. Epistemologically, a kairos and decolonial theology is suggested as a meaningful theological response to the contemporary struggles. Lastly, it affirms that a decolonial theology may help to create hope in struggles to overcome capitalism. It suggests ways to embody this theological approach in political praxis, in a creative way trying to overcome capitalism. 2018 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
This article proposes three reflexive movements. The first one offers an introduction to Fees Must Fall, pointing to some aspects that allow us to understand it as a social movement and some of its basic features. The second movement is a theoretical one, constructing the notion of emancipatory politics. It is based on the distinctions suggested by Jacques Rancière between ‘police and politics’ and by Michael Neocosmos between ‘excessive and expressive’ politics. It will also present the Freirean notion of ‘conscientisation and dialogicity’, emphasising the learning experience from the political praxis within emancipatory social movements. The third movement offers, as conclusion, an apocalyptic politics as suggested by žižek, envisioned through the lens of Christian eschatology, as a critical approach to social movements towards the radical transformation of society.
This article reflects on the need for revival and unity in Reformed churches. It explores issues which prevent this from happening and offers suggestions as to how some of these challenges can be addressed. In attempting to do the latter it draws from the work of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. The article also especially recognises the work and contributions of Dr Allan Boesak as a Reformed theologian and scholar.
Although no conventional biography of Allan Boesak has been published, either by himself or others, as far as we are aware, we have enough data and information in various places to make small beginnings of the long overdue task. Boesak's phenomenal contribution to political theology, black theology and ecumenism both in South Africa and internationally, deserves deliberate acknowledgement. In this essay, we attempt an appraisal of the contribution of Allan Boesak to politics and theology by focusing on key milestones and reflections in his life. We take our cue from Boesak's own self-definition of being a theologian and a political activist and proceed to explore some of the roots and sources of his theology and political activism.
Although no conventional biography of Allan Boesak has been published, either by himself or others, we have enough data and information in various places. This is especially true since the 2009 publication of his Running with Horses. In this essay, we attempt an appraisal of the contribution of Allan Boesak to politics and theology by focusing on key milestones and reflections in his life. We take our cue from Boesak’s own self-definition of being a theologian and a political activist. While this article is not a thorough-going theological, the roots and sources of his theology and politics will be explored.
This study seeks to probe Nico Koopman’s Christological approach through the lens of the theological framework spelled out in the Kairos Document (1985), and in particular its understandings of church theology and prophetic theology, critically re-appropriated in the current socioeconomic context of South Africa. Four essential aspects of Koopman’s Christological perspective are examined: (1) the Reformed view of the lordship of Christ as the basis for the public vocation of theology; (2) Trinitarian and Christological foundations of human dignity; (3) Jesus as the epitome of divine and human vulnerability, and (4) the organic connection between the threefold office of Christ and the public calling of the church. In conclusion, I argue that Koopman’s Christ, albeit displaying an African veneer, upon scrutiny, appears to be unfamiliar with and unconcerned about the problems faced by most South Africans today, and thereby fails to constructively engage with African (especially black African) contexts of our day. This is due to four major factors, namely (a) Koopman’s choices regarding theological references; (b) his cursory and un-nuanced treatment of African theological notions; (c) his a-pathetic mode of theologising; and (d) his inability (or lack of willingness) to engage with structural (especially macro-economic) issues. I further suggest that my conclusions concerning Koopman’s “global Reformed Christ” may be (at least tentatively) extrapolated into a number of approaches developed by South African theologians under the umbrella of “public theology”. I also point to some promising ( prophetically-loaded ) insights coming from the chosen public theologians, including Koopman himself, as a way of illustrating the tension between civic spirit and public anger, inherent in this mode of theologising.
This article traces the historical impact of the church in transforming, developing and changing society. It looks at how the church in selected periods in history, mainly in the reformation era, worked towards the transformation of society and communities. Extracting from these the author attempts to show how this can be applied to the church in the South African context. Further, the author explores the changing dynamics and characteristics of being church today and establishes that it is not so much about what the church believes, but in what it does that matters most in this day and age. The author, with the latter thought in mind, expresses that community transformation has to be an integral part of the ministry of the church today.
“It is not enough,” says John Calvin in his commentary on Isaiah 58:6–7, “to abstain from acts of injustice, if you refuse your assistance to the needy.” In other words, it is not just about not doing injustice as if that is the fulfillment of God’s commandment, Calvin says. It is about two things: the undoing of injustice and the doing of justice. Moreover, it is not about those we find acceptable for some reason; it is about all God’s children, created in God’s image and therefore our flesh and blood:
By commanding them to “break bread to the hungry,” God intended to take away every excuse from covetous and greedy men, who allege that they have a right to keep possession of that which is their own… And indeed, this is the dictate of common sense, that the hungry are deprived of their just right, if their hunger is not relieved… At length he concludes—And that you hide not yourself from your own flesh. Here we ought to observe the term flesh, by which he means all men universally, not a single one of whom we can behold, without seeing as in a mirror, “our own flesh”. It is therefore proof of the greatest inhumanity, to despise those in whom we are constrained to recognize our own flesh.1
It is a compelling insight, and for apartheid South Africa, driven as it was by a racist, oppressive, and utterly exclusivist ideology that claimed to be Christian and, more specifically, Reformed in the tradition of John Calvin, entirely indispensable. These are words my heart could sing to, and a Reformed theology I could aspire to, but I did not meet or come to know this Calvin in the Dutch Reformed Church theology I was taught in South Africa. It would be years before I could claim this Reformed tradition as truly mine.2
In its 2008 General Synod the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa considered a report on “homosexuality.”1 That was a moment, in my view, in which this church, who had declared apartheid, its biblical and theological justification a heresy, and led the ecumenical movement in doing the same; who in formulating in 1982, and adopting in 1986 the Belhar Confession as a new standard of faith, was confronted with yet another kairos moment in South Africa.2
The gift of a kairos consciousness, I have argued above, is that it gives us the possibility to discern the signs of the times, to recognize a situation as a crisis that could be, or is in fact, devastating for the community. In many ways, the crisis is precipitated, created by the greed and indifference of the powerful. The crisis is to their benefit: they profit from it, hence they refuse to recognize it as a crisis. The prophet of God, on the other hand, recognizes the situation as a crisis because of her kairos consciousness, which allows her to see the situation through the eyes of the suffering, the weak, and the defenseless and as a result of her walking humbly with God. In this chapter the tower from the story of the Tower of Babel serves as a metaphor for the powers and principalities with which prophetic witness has to contend. The crisis presents itself in contradictory terms, such as T. Walter Herbert calls the Iraq war: a “catastrophic success,” a devastating crisis for the citizens of Iraq but hugely profitable for those who instigated and waged this war, yet with long-term moral consequences equally as devastating for them.1
South Africans who stand in the prophetic tradition of the Kairos Document that came out of South Africa in the dark days of the anti-apartheid struggle and the first state of emergency in 1985, are the first to admit that the Palestinian Kairos called them to a moment of awareness of that prophetic tradition they seemed by and large to have forgotten. It was a reawakening of kairos in a community where the prophetic voice has not only been scarce, but even when hesitantly raised, also not gladly heard since the birth of a democratic South Africa in 1994. This holds true, I suggest, for the church in the United States as well, and perhaps elsewhere.1 It seems that every response to Kairos Palestine begins with some confession of guilt.
If the parables Jesus told should be read as “subversive speech” and the Jesus telling them as “pedagogue of the oppressed” as William R. Herzog holds1—and I think he is right—then the inner-city ministry of Dr. J. Alfred Smith Sr., pastor emeritus of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, California, ecumenical leader and public theologian, is itself a parable of prophetic ministry. It is a ministry imbued with what above I have called a kairos consciousness. However, a kairos consciousness is a subversive consciousness which in turn is rooted in a subversive piety. I see in him, as I do in Archbishop Desmond Tutu, such a subversive piety,
springing from a spirituality of combative love that took him from the pulpit and the quiet of his prayer room to the struggle and from the crucifix on the wall to the streets where his people suffered on the crosses of racist oppression.2
It is a piety of liberation, rooted in God’s compassionate justice for the poor, the oppressed, and the suffering, and a deep and abiding love for all God’s children. But because it is a piety characterized by combative love, it is always subversive. It subverts the unjust status quo upheld by the powers of oppression and destruction. This piety is subversive because it is neither sentimentalized nor privatized. It is not captive to ideology or obeisant to earthly powers. Rather it is captive to God’s inclusive love and compassionate justice, and the sacrificial solidarity and resistance of Jesus of Nazareth.3
This chapter contains the text of the open letter I wrote in 2001 to Prof. Kader Asmal, then Minister of Education in the Cabinet of President Thabo Mbeki. So a word about context might be in order. I have found the open letter a very efficacious form of getting a point across, especially for an audience outside the church or one’s own congregation where a sermon might have served the same purpose and the issue is one that concerns society as a whole. I have used it before, when in 1979 I wrote such an open letter to the then Minister of Justice in the cabinet of President P. W. Botha, Alwyn Schlebusch, responding to his threats to the churches of the South African Council of Churches who, having passed a number of resolutions regarding civil disobedience had put themselves on a direct collision course with the apartheid regime. The minister was also responding to my call, at the same conference, on the churches not only to support individual acts of civil disobedience, but also public acts of mass protest; to challenge not just individual draconian laws, but the whole system of apartheid as inherently unjust, inherently violent, and inherently evil.2
It will not be surprising that in our reflections on the meaning of kairos, prophetic preaching, that particular, extraordinarily difficult and dangerous calling of speaking truth to power, would loom large. And rightly so. Once kairos discernment turns a crisis into a kairos moment of conversion and commitment, prophetic witness and intervention are called for. For the poor and vulnerable the social, political, and economic crises caused by the abuse of power, rampant greed, and political indifference are not mere momentary disturbances. They do not appear and torture and then leave of their own volition or are magically removed by some benevolent source. They are the life-long condition of the oppressed and the downtrodden.
In this article, two lenses are used to engage the task of African Biblical Hermeneutics. The one lens is derived from African wisdom, i shavha i sia muinga i ya fhi?, in which there is a need for people to affirm their own roots. Drawing from the wisdom of the preceding proverb, we argue that, in their scholarship, African biblical scholars have to take seriously their own African heritage and thus do justice to their contexts rather than rely heavily on Western paradigms if their scholarship is to impact communities and also contribute towards shaping the face of biblical hermeneutics as a whole. The other lens is an analogy derived from the following events in Jesus’ life: incarnation, death and resurrection. The task of African Biblical Hermeneutics has to be a three-fold process for the Bible to be ‘gospel’ in Africa: Firstly, the incarnation of the Word – the Bible as the Other has to incarnate into African contexts for it to become an African Word. Secondly, the death of the Word – this entails a critical engagement with the Word from multiple perspectives for it to be relevant to the struggles of African people. Thirdly, the resurrection of the Word – the biblical text has to be allowed to address and transform an African person in new creative ways.
During the times of 'Apartheid South Africa' prophetic preaching played an enormous part in bringing about the changes this country experienced throughout the last three decades. The prophetic preaching of exponents such as Desmond Tutu, Allan Boesak and Beyers Naudé paved the way for the relatively peaceful transitions South Africans experienced. Within Christian communities it assisted people in their search for meaning and thereby created a framework of understanding for the necessity of socio-political change. Fourteen years into the new dispensation the question remains: Does prophetic preaching still make a difference? Also: Does such preaching help Christian communities in their search for meaning in these changing times? These questions will be addressed in the paper. It will be argued that prophetic preaching could and should play a part in a new search for meaning. This should however be practiced anew and under changed conditions. It will also be argued that a 'theodramatic paradigm' provides a helpful practical-prophetic framework in the search for meaning in this regard. Such a framework will be based on the theological model (theorems) provided by classical and recent studies and expanded by applying it to the notion of prophetic performance derived from the Belhar Confession.
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