Xenophobic attacks in Gauteng are rocking the press and media world here in South Africa – I think its been reported on CNN as well. This morning I was listening to SAFM and a bunch of guys talking through the whole issue. One phone caller made a rather outlandish comment which I think begs some discussion. This particular caller suggested that the xenophobic attacks we are witnessing are a result of the failure of the church to hold the government morally accountable!? Do you think this is the case? Are we the government’s moral watchdogs? In what ways can we be proactive in this instance?
This is a difficult discussion because categories like ‘the church’ are rather slippery and used differently by different people. When this particular caller used that category I think he had in mind the likes of Frank Chikane and Desomond Tutu. The other difficulty is the root cause of the xenophobia – is it outright xenophobia or simply reaction to unbearable economic pressures?
What do you think…?
***UPDATE (13:50): Tutu has come out quite vocally this morning against the violence pleading for it to end. It would seem to me that Tutu has been, for the most part, a constant moral thorn in the government’s side, irrespective of who the ruling government has been.***
I wonder what the caller wants “the church” to do? Object that worldly politicians have worldly agendas? Protest that the parties they voted for are fulfilling the humanist agenda they promised? Christians will influence government when they pray for those in authority, when they vote for political parties whose policies line up with Biblical principles, and when their professional lives are devoted to serving God and their fellow men (rather than themselves) as distinctively Christian politicians or directors or artists or commentators or teachers or whatever influential role they may have.
What is the root cause of the xenophobia? Short answer – same as always: sin. Long answer: a complex mix of jealousy, covetousness, hatred, pride, defiance and folly (on the part of the governed) and an equally sinful cocktail on the part of those who govern. The first group jealously protects their homes, jobs & benefits from the threat of outsiders, covets what the foreigners do manage to scrape together, hates them for being different, blames them for their own deficiencies, defies the law and foolishly allows itself to be carried away by rumours and mob action. The second group has failed to govern justly, being more concerned with feathering their own nests and scratching the backs of their political allies, than providing for the poor and marginalised or protecting society from criminals.
What should the church do? Right now, instead of letting foreigners run to police stations and government offices, perhaps Christians should open their homes and church buildings to shelter the victims of xenophobic attacks.
You took the words right of my mouth, Susan. I too find it shocking that Christians are shocked by the moral absence within humanistic governments. The remedy: the church, instead of yapping at them and nipping at their ankles like a harmless but incredibly annoying Maltese Poodle, should get on with reforming society from within. The way we will do so is by producing quality disciples of Jesus Christ (under God), who have an all-encompassing and thoroughly, robust, biblical worldview- along with the ability to ably defend and be a credible spokesperson for that view- and who are being influential in every sphere and on every level of society. That’s not to say that our (or Tutu’s) yapping and nipping doesn’t have any effect- it’s just that guilt is not a great motivator for action- but a renewed perspective is.
It always surprises me when Christians expect the world and government to be different and have God-honoring values or promote biblical values. The church is God’s chosen instrument of change and of building his Kingdom in this world. So where should dealing with xenophobia begin – in the church, among his people and in his community. Before we start moaning about the government, other people etc perhaps we should be making a special effort to invite foreigners and aliens into our homes and churches and reaching out to them, especially at this time. Perhaps we should initiate something like “get to know a foreigner/alien/refugee” weekend. Or “take a refugee to dinner evening”. (Seems silly at first – but maybe there is something there?) But as always it needs to be bigger than that… Bring it home – how much do I really care about the plight of those refugees/aliens that are in my sphere of influence? God wants me to do more than speak out, I also need to act out.
Yea its good to ask what is the church of God doing in SA when such things are happening. Such situations are what I call challenges for the church to demonstrate the kind of Jesus and God they worship. The God of the bible is always biased towards the oppressed and victimised (Exodus story) and the Jesus of the NT is the one who was deeply involved in the lives of the people and cried with them. Now any church that fails to open up its door for the victims and cant do anything to help in one way or the other, should have its door closed coz its a dead church and worship not the Jesus and God we know. The God of the bible is a revolutionary God and he wants the church today to fully take part in protecting the oppressed. Protecting the victims should be the church and christian responsibility and not leaving this to government. If you can not protect those victimised then why should christians go to church sunday anyway? Its useless for the church to play double standard in this case. the church and entire christian body should take up the challenge to do something and stand between the gap rescuring the perishing and taking care of the dying. Unless this is done, churches will continue to be just another form of sunday social clubs with no meaning at all before God. QEKO