Black Economic Empowerment and Individualism?

In thinking a little further about the whole Yebo Yethu thing a thought struck me – I know it doesn’t happen often, and when it does happen its not always that profound but just try stick with me on this one…

I’ve been doing a huge amount of thinking and research into the whole subject of community and even doing the odd talk on the subject recently. This has all been in the context of ecclesiology – my study of the church – which, for obvious reasons, is quite high on my priority list at the moment. An issue that I continually bump into is the rampant individualism of the modernist west and how it has saturated our lives, thought patterns and the structures in which we work, live and have our being. But thinking about the Yebo Yethu issue got me thinking about Black Economic Empowerement (BEE) in general in South Africa. I wonder, just wonder, if the reason that so many white people can’t stomach BEE is partly because they’re wrapped up in an individualist worldview.

So a white, individualist might look at something like Yebo Yethu and conclude that it is discriminatory in nature because it doesn’t allow HIM/HER, the individual, to invest in Vodacom shares. The collectivist (whatever colour he/she is) on the other hand looks at Yebo Yethu and sees that THEY, the collective group of non-whites who make up the majority of the country and who have often in the past had limited opportunity and know how in the area of investment, are being given a chance to invest and learn more about investment. A collectivist could then look at the whole situation and conclude that South Africa as a nation (white/black/coloured/indian etc) will benefit from this programme. Now obviously there would be a number of caveats I’d have to include – so for example if these programmes were attempting to build up the nation at the extreme exclusion of a minority group then I think it would also have a problem, but as I see it whites in this country still have plenty of investment opportunites – so I don’t think the exclusion can be described as extreme. And I do think that ultimately it is for the good of the collective.

So my my thought is: I wonder, just wonder, if western individualism is stopping us from building this country into the country it should be. Maybe I’m just a naiive optimist who hasn’t in any way, to date, incurred loss due to BEE or affirmative action – or maybe I’m right. What do you think?

Stetzer on the Kingdom of God

Ed Stetzer is amazing in how he blends, so effortlessly, his conservative theology with serious contextualization and missionary endeavour. Today he has some warnings for us who would reclaim the use of ‘kingdom’ langauge. Here’s a preview:

“It would be a tragedy if we failed to learn that the last group that used the Kingdom of God to talk of justice often forgot to talk of Jesus.“

A Gospel that Speaks to China and Burma

We could sort out every last person on this planet. We could show them that their self-declared autonomy from God has, and continues, to wreck this world on so many levels. But then we’d still have Burma and we’d still have China – we’d still have an earth revolting in the pains of childbirth. We need a Gospel that both puts an end to autonomy and liberates a broken world. We need God’s story of redemption. A story of creation redeemed. And that story must change how we live now. The creation is waiting for God’s work in us.

My Little Experiment – Part II

“It’s pointless shining the brass on a sinking ship“

That’s a sentiment that many evangelical Christians have applied to social justice, mercy ministry, racial reconciliation, transformation, upliftment, work and calling, environmental issues and a whole lot of other issues relating to this current world and its inhabitants. The ship is going down so don’t bother. The alternative? Well, just do evangelism, that’s all that really matters – in other words – get people into the life boats. Now based upon the many answers to the first post I must take issue with a philosophy of evangelism only. Surely Christians do not continue their existence in this world simply to evangelize the lost. I think we can see this if we draw an analogy from the previous post.

Many of you gave answers, some of which I might not necessarilly go with, but I’m not here to sort out your doctrine of personal godliness, rather I want to make an analogy. Consider the following answers that were posted:

“We are already righteous before the Lord if we are Christians because of the cross and if that is our status we should be living like God’s holy people, striving to live out our status.”

“God has brought you out of darkness into light: therefore live as children of the day.”

“We are to pursue godliness despite attaining it in this world because (1) it serves as a proof of the initial work God has begun in us; (2) God is in the business of redeeming us now, and while we await our final redemption/salvation, it has been inaugurated in a unique way on the cross and through the resurrection (and by the Spirit)”

“I am just trying to live out the reality of who I am, “in Christ”.”

“I am a child of God, therefore it is my desire to live as a true child, not so I can get a big reward, but purely because it is who I am through the work of Christ.”

“Because the grace of God teaches (instructs or trains) me (with the intent of forming proper habits of behaviour).’(Titus 2:11-12 with additional comments from Louw & Nida). Sometimes I put in very little effort at all, I’m simply being propelled by the good news concerning Jesus.”

There’s a common thread running through those comments. It is the idea of living in the light of future expectation – and its a certain expectation. Be holy because you are holy and you will be made holy. We’re very good at applying this to personal godliness and so, like me, you can probably count off hundreds of sermons that you’ve heard about personal praying, reading your bible and displaying the fruit of the Spirit. Be patient, be joyful, be kind etc. etc. The only time spirituality seems to become other person centered is when the sermon is on evangelism. I’m often left wondering if there isn’t anything more to the picture. Does being gospel-centered equate doing evangelism and personal godliness? Or is it more than that?

What if we were to explore our future expectation and discover that God has more in store than simply making us completely righteous in his sight and whisking us off to heaven? What if God’s plan rather was to institute an entire new creation that exists in complete submission to his lordship? What if this new creation was made certain by the cross? What if Colossians 1:20 really means what it says and that God is in the business of more than just redeeming individual souls? What if we’re leaving out large parts of the gospel?

Residence in the new creation is secured for those who trust in Christ (how that will eventually work out I have no idea), surely that must change how we deal with social justice, mercy ministry, racial reconcilliation, transformation, upliftment, work, enviromental issues and a whole lot of other issues relating to this current world and its inhabitants now. My guess is that as we do this there will be plenty, if not more, opportunities for evangelism and the public proclamation of the gospel which is the only thing by which men are saved as far I’m concerned. But we must do it if we are to live in light of our secured future expectation. We shine the brass in the current creation because we are secured residents of the coming new creation – and so shine we must.

What do you think? Is this a fair analogy?

Why Being a Follower of Jesus is not Enough

I’m fascinated by the amount of posts I read by people calling themselves followers of Jesus. As I scan through various blogs from all corners of the Christian tradition I’m increasingly finding people wanting to attribute such a title to themselves. It has a nice ring to it – ‘Follower of Jesus’ in fact I described myself the exact same way when I filled in the ‘religion’ category on my Facebook profile. Are you a Christian? No, I’m a follower of Jesus – it sounds awfully ecumenical, tolerant and free from so many tags and labels that so many of us as younger evangelicals wish to be rid of. Yet in many circles it seems to be taking on a life of its own – a life that may, in reality, be pointing away from the Jesus it claims allegiance too.

When I probe behind the phrase on so many blogs (yes I know I’m being mystical about which specific blogs and posts I’m referring to but I’d rather keep it that way because it has been a general impression of a number of blogs rather than one aimed at a specific post or blog) I discover something that is rather disturbing. It is disturbing by its omissions rather than by what it affirms. Usually these posts speak about Christ’s calls to uplift the poor, look after the marginalized, love one’s enemies, turn the other cheek etc. etc. And at this point I’m loving it and rejoicing in the supreme moral vision of our Lord Jesus that extends to so many of our current issues in this broken world. It’s affirmation and cheering on all the way from my point of view and one finishes such a post feeling convicted to go out into the world and tackle contemporary issues as a follower of Jesus. But step back and take a closer look – what’s missing? When I step back what I don’t often see is a cross, I don’t see nail pierced hands, I don’t see a thorn scraped brow. Ultimately I don’t see the glorious substitution of Christ in my place whereby I can truly call myself a follower of Jesus – because he has purchased me with his very own blood. Rather I see an ethical Jesus, a Jesus who knows right from wrong but has no way to deal with a problem that stretches so much deeper than right or wrong behaviour. I see a moral first century Rabbi inspiring people to be more moral – and it’s deeply disturbing.

A Jesus without a cross is a Jesus that will not transform or cause anyone to benefit from his amazing moral vision. My deepest fear is that people who pursue this type of Jesus will be found one day to not be a follower of Jesus at all – and that would be tragic.

Bock on the Difference Between McLaren and Me

 

“Is Jesus a social, economic, and political revolutionary? Is the mission of the church primarily to confront society’s structures so they can be transformed? Or is its primary goal to confront individuals within these structures and pursue change in individuals that impact the structures they serve?” – Darrell Bock commenting on Jesus’ sermon in Luke 4 (Baker’s Exegetical Commentary on Luke 1:1-9:50, p.400)

Ok so the heading is a little misleading, but after reading this quote I couldn’t but help think that it does a good job of summarizing the difference between Brian McLaren’s view of the church’s purpose and my own personal view. As far as I can see McLaren and I want the same thing – we’ve just got radically different suggestions on how to get there.

Looking for Justice?

Jeremy Carr points out what looks to be a valuable resource for Christians wanting to know how to apply the biblical call for justice in a practical manner. Maybe you’ve heard sermons or talks about ‘doing justice’ but not sure what that looks like in everyday life then perhaps this is a resource you should check out. As Jeremy says,

“Above all, may we be sure that we truly seek justice and do not stand to the side with our hands in our pockets as we ramble off multi-syllable theological words.  After all, “No statement, theological or otherwise, should be made that would not be credible in the presence of burning children” (Irving Greenberg, writer on the Holocaust, quoted in David P. Gushee, The Righteous Gentile of the Holocaust).”

For more on justice and fighting injustice check out the International Justice Mission.

Tim Chester on the Kingdom of God

As always Tim Chester is extremely helpful on something I’ve been trying to get my head around. In chapter 5 of ‘Good News to the Poor‘, Chester discusses the relationship between social involvement and the kingdom of God. One of the fundamental questions he tackles is whether or not the kingdom of God is to be identified with social advances within history. Chester argues that no, it shouldn’t be. And so he says:

“…if we are to be true to the bible, we must maintain that salvation does not exist in history beyond the church and that in the New Testament the kingdom of God comes only as Christ is acknowledged as king.” (p.74)

Much of social advancement today is being tagged as God at work growing his kingdom. Like Chester I’m not convinced this is the most helpful way to categorize it – nor do I think it is consistent with the New Testament. If the kingdom is to be manifest then Christ is to be installed as King – without the King there is no kingdom. I would argue, as Chester alludes to later, that social advancement in this world that takes place apart from Christ being acknowledged as King is rather a case of the common grace of God being manifest.

Now this thinking might run contrary to lot of thinking in ‘missional’ circles – even in evangelical missional circles (that’s why in one sense I’m glad Tim Chester, a recognized missional voice, said it first). However at the moment I remain unconvinced by the text of accepting a wider view of the kingdom that embraces social advancement that takes place apart from the acknowledgment of Christ as King. I would maybe suggest that the ethics and ideals of the kingdom of God can be spread into areas that may not necessarily have entered into the kingdom. This will happen as kingdom members – Christians – live out the kingdom within close proximity of those who are outside of the kingdom. I think this spread is unavoidable, in a theoretical sense, since all Christians are called to live by kingdom ideals and ethics.

Chester concludes the chapter with the following words:

“Some Christians see advances in social justice in history as the coming of God’s kingdom, but in the New Testament the kingdom comes through the gospel as people submit to God’s word. God’s kingdom will be supreme over all things when Christ returns, but in the meantime it comes secretly and graciously through God’s word. The social dimension of salvation is anticipated in history in the life of the Christian community.” (p.81)

An Atheist is Probably Right

Kevin Parry, the author of the blog, Memoirs of an Ex-Christian makes an interesting observation about the amount of Christians responding to Gareth Cliff’s recent statements. He says:

It’s amazing how many different denominations join forces and mobilise with such efficiency when something like this happens. Church groups join together to draw up petitions, preachers call on their congregations to boycott the media, churches march in protest, etc, etc. I often wonder how effective the Christian church would be if they put as much energy and zeal into fighting more pressing problems. I know some churches do good work in in improving society, but imagine if the same kind of mass mobilisation from different denominations was used to fight issues such as crime, unemployment or poverty. Imagine the difference it would make!

Brian is that REALLY fair?

Brian McLaren on Christianity in the west:

“We have been arguing about the origin of species while an unprecedented extinction of species occurs on our watch; we’ve been fighting endlessly (and unproductively) about unborn children while achieving precious little for the already-born children in Darfur or Congo or Malawi or downtown Cincinnati. These stale expressions of bad faith have left many of us gasping for the fresh air of good faith.”

Hmmm…I better tell all those wonderful missionaries and Christian aids workers in Congo, Malawi and Darfur, that I regularly meet, to give up because they’re wasting their time – no one notices. I suppose I should tell that lovely couple, those friends of mine, not to bother with their ministry to children at risk on the Cape Flats because they should be picketing against abortion. Maybe I should suggest to my girlfriend that she give up working for a homeless organisation because us Christians don’t do that sort of thing, we debate evolution! Am I being facetious? Yes Iam, but come on Brian is that comment REALLY fair? Or is that the comment of someone who came from the most conservative twig on the most conservative branch of the most conservative tree?

Church Planting in Durban

Many of the readers know that my aspirations lie in the direction of church planting in my home city of Durban, South Africa. Today, just thinking about it, I read through the wiki entry on the city of Durban and I just felt so burdened by some of the great needs and challenges of this beautiful city. So I’ll share them with you:

Durban is full of people being the 2nd most populous city in South Africa according to the 2001 census (In 2001 it was 3.2 million). That’s a lot of people.

Although 68% of the population is supposed to be Christian my own experience in the three years that I worked in church circles there was that you can count the churches that have a strong gospel commitment and bible teaching commitment with you fingers and toes. A large percentage of the ‘Christian’ population is made up of adherents to Shembe and African Independent Churches that resemble very little of orthodox Christianity.

63% of the population speak Zulu. My Zulu is almost non-existent other than a few phrases here and there. Pray that I’ll learn the langauge and be fluent in it.

The number of people living in informal settlements rises daily. People are flooding the city looking for work but end up in low-paying jobs which don’t provide enough for them to move out of the informal settlements. Recently informal settlement dwellers have been clashing with police over rights to certain areas.

Some parts of the city have an unemployment rate of 20% of the population or higher.

The suburbs are heavily racially polarized. Integration between Blacks, Indians and Whites is a long slow and painful process.

The affluent white community is highly materialistic and displays all the vices of the self-absorbed, individualistic west.

Pray for Durban. Pray that God might be pleased to shine his gospel truth in this city. That people might hear it and be transformed. Pray for the faithful gospel ministers who are hard at work there already that they might be encouraged to persevere. Pray for more workers to come to the area to proclaim the name of Christ. Pray that I might take up that challenge and immerse myself in it.

Do Good to the Church do Good to All

“Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” – Paul (Gal. 6:10)

I’ve written before about the apparent lack of exhortations in the New Testament Epistles calling on believers to help and care for those outside of the people of God. Here in Galatians is one of the few exceptions to that general trend – yet even here we see Paul put emphasis on the ‘family of believers’. Does this mean that Paul only had a secondary concern for those outside the church? I don’t think so. Rather I think that Paul knew that if we work hard at caring for those in the believing community when ‘we have opportunity’ then we will far more naturally care for those outside of the church when ‘we have opportunity’. The person who already doesn’t care within the believing community is never going to give a care for those outside. Similarly the person who’s always at work caring for the believers will naturally care for those outside too.

In this way I think the New Testament epistles presume we will be doing good and caring outside of the body if we’re already persevering in caring for those inside. With that taken into account we should be, along with Paul, urging the believers in our communities to really love and care for each other. Not only should we be urging but we should be modeling it too. If this mini-thesis is correct then the sooner we get at that the sooner we will get at actually caring for those outside and being instruments of transformation in the broader community.

Less than $1 a Day…

Poverty in South Africa has doubled since 1996. Currently there are over 4.2million people living on less than $1 a day here (approx. R7). That’s enough people to fill a large city, the size of Durban for example, and still have a million left over!

(HT – Contact Online)

The Kingdom, the Church and Confusion

I must admit that after reading Michael Horton’s article I’m beginning to feel a bit confused. I’m battling to figure out the parameters of this whole discussion. These are my big questions at the moment:

1. How do we define the term ‘Kingdom of God’?

2. What is the relationship between the Kingdom of God and the Church?

3. Depending upon your answers to the above questions: What exactly is the church’s obligation towards mercy ministries?

4. Is Horton’s approach compatible with the concept of being ‘missional’?

5. Alternatively, does Horton’s approach redefine the concept ‘missional’?

Anyone want to have a go at suggesting answers to some of these questions? (Try not to make comments too long – my attention span is very short at the moment).

Are ‘White’ Christians Scared?

I watched a documentary last night about the community of Atlantis a former industrial area about 40mins drive north of Cape Town on the West Coast. The community was originally designed to be an industrial hub under the previous government pre-1994. Many factories relocated to the area and received government subsidies. At the same time the working force swelled as people flocked in, and were brought in to work in the industries. When the old government was replaced after the first democratic elections in 1994 the subsidies ceased and most of the industry pulled out leaving some 200 000 residents, approximately half of which became unemployed as a result.

In the years following and due to the high unemployment the community of Atlantis has undergone massive moral and social decay. Gangsterism, drug abuse, alcoholism and sexual abuse of all sorts abound throughout the area. As an outsider looking in the entire situation appeared something akin to anarchy to me. My heart bled as I listened to stories of families torn apart by gangsterism and violence and young children being horribly sexually molested. I couldn’t but help wonder about the responsibility of the church, as those entrusted with life giving gospel of Jesus Christ, to this dire situation.

I’ve been involved in two major denominations in this country as well as regularly fellowshipping with people involved in other Christian groups in South Africa, and whilst I don’t deny that there is much good work going on I can’t shake the feeling that we’re not even getting past the tip of the iceberg. My main issue is with the ‘white’ churches – and there are many. These churches have people, they have facilities and they have finances – why are they not launching an all out offensive on communities like Atlantis. Why aren’t they pulling up their sleeves and getting dirty, down there in the grit and grim of these scarred communities, listening to the needs of so many desperate people? Why aren’t they mobilizing others? Why aren’t we seeing church planting on a larger scale? Why aren’t we seeing mercy ministries springing up left right and center? How do so many of the members of these ‘white’ churches sleep at night knowing that in the suburb next door another world is being played out? How is it that the bearers of the news about a Suffering Servant turn a blind eye to the suffering going on right next to them?

I think they’re scared stiff. I know I’m scared stiff when I think about what’s out there. I’m one of those ‘whites’ in a ‘white’ church and I’m terrified. Atlantis is just one of a hundred other such communities in this country – it scares me to death. All I can trust is that the message of that Suffering Servant will grip my heart so tightly that I will be constrained by the love of God to pull up those sleeves…

Who are the ‘Poor’?

I spent the day doing some work on Isaiah 61:1-3. This short text is full of great gems of insight into the promise of the Gospel which comes through the Servant/Messiah, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. After all the passage is most famous because it is quoted by Jesus in Luke 4:18-19 where Jesus directly identifies himself as that Servant/Messiah. One of the issues surrounding the passage revolves around the exact meaning of the term ‘poor’ in verse one – just how narrow or broad is the term being used. Well John Oswalt, an accomplished commentator writes the following:

‘The connotation of this term is not restricted to financial or material conditions. Nor is there any justification in the context for limiting the reference to an oppressed minority of righteous persons. Rather, it speaks of all who are distressed and in trouble for any reason, including sin.’ (The Book of Isaiah – chapters 40-66, NICOT, p. 565)

I think there’s a word of caution here for us as we operate within a younger evangelicalism that is horrified at the neglect of the poor (in the narrow sense) by previous generations of evangelicals and so is busy reconstructing a theology to address the problem.  Let’s make sure we use the texts in such a way that we bring out the full meaning of terms and not just the narrow sense in order to support our personal battles – even if those battles are good and right in and of themselves.

Moffat and Adoption

In light of the coming, and existing, orphan crisis in South Africa I’ve been thinking through the Christian response and the varied ways in which the church could possibly respond. Adoption would obviously rank quite high on possible options for response and something that all Christians should think about. Interestingly it is something that great Christians of the past have thought about too. Consider this excerpt from the life of pioneer missionary to the Tswana people in South Africa, Robert Moffat and his wife:

‘In addition to their own children, they also adopted two San (Bushman) orphans in 1822. Moffat had unexpectedly come across a party of San digging a grave for a woman. They were proposing to bury the orphans with her, that they might be cared for by their mother in the shades of the other world, when Moffat begged to adopt them. Rejoicing in the names Dicky and Ann, they became an integral part of his own family.’ Zion City RSA – Kevin Roy, p. 63

Does not Moffat perhaps provide us with the most natural response to such a crisis as members of the heavenly family represented here on earth as the church?

Why I DON’T Want to be Involved in Church Planting

(Following on from my last church planting post – this a list of reasons as to why I’m absolutely terrified about getting into church planting…)

I’m terrified that my work ethic is pathetic and that church planting requires people who work to the max.

I’m terrified that my life will on be on display to an entire body of Christians – I don’t want to let them down.

I’m terrified of the responsibility of having to teach the Bible with the deepest integrity every single week.

I’m terrified of displaying authentic orthopraxy.

I’m terrified of loving people, especially those who tick me off.

I’m terrified of all the massive social concerns our country faces.

I’m terrified of working with other Christians who don’t agree with me.

I’m terrified of trying to balance out a humble orthodoxy.

I’m terrified of the possible limits to which my body, mind and emotions will be stretched.

I’m terrified of building my own empire.

The Coming Orphan Crisis

***Please note that I have revised the statistics found on this post. The accurate stats can be found here.*** 

Some statistics are predicting that by 2010 there will about approximately 18 million orphans in South Africa due mainly to the loss of life caused by HIV/AIDS. Now if those figures are even in the same ball-park as what the reality is going to be in 2010 then I think its correct to suggest that in South Africa we are heading into an orphan crisis of staggering proportions. Other factors are making the problem even more acute: I recently discovered that established orphan care projects like the SOS Children’s Villages are sitting with empty beds due to the new government grant which pays out R500 (I think) a month to relatives willing to look after orphaned children. Now it sounds great in theory, the problem is that many distant relatives are now appearing on the scene and claiming the orphans just so they can benefit from the grant. Consequently the orphans are neglected and abused whilst these ‘relatives’ uses the money for their own gain and benefit.

Churches need to respond to this coming crisis by investigating alternative orphan-care programmes and centers. The problem is so big that we cannot afford not to act. Individual Christians need to think about such things as adoption and foster care, or perhaps, if one is a relative of some sort to an orphaned child, make use of the grant as it was intended to love and care for the orphan. I really think we need to see this for the crisis that it really is and then we need to get up and act.

In conversation with daylight#4

The girl in the alley kneels with exhaustion
She’s guarded by the skinny guy who limps from some infection
Behind a veil of bleached thin hair her eyes tell a story
Like a photo of berlin, december 1944
She’s looking for a handout, she’s been high for several weeks now
She’s too far gone for whoring and the money just gave out

And her heart still beats inside
And the blood runs in her veins
A remnant of life remains
Her heart still beats inside

The man finally comes to the door, i’ve seen him several times
He always looks pissed off and his sunglasses stay on
I think he got his biceps and tattoos while in prison
And it doesnt seem to bother him when he says “go to hell”

And his heart still beats inside
The blood runs in his veins
A remnant of life remains
His heart still beats inside

The thought it comes to my mind, to somehow intervene
But it could bring me trouble, and what can i do anyway?
It’s hard to be effective when it happens so often
To see a life unraveling, through drawn venetian blinds
I’m sickened by compassion, i’m stifled by my limitations
Anesthetic apathy, come take the pain away

And my heart still beats inside
The blood runs in my veins
A remnant of life remains
And my heart still beats inside

Oh god, we need you here
We’re sinking fast and we dont care
The evidence is all around me, on both sides of my door
Our hearts beat

Brave Saint Saturn – Heart Still Beats