Ryan Saville talks to John Scheepers, the director of Isiphambano about his journey with burnout and chronic fatigue. John will also share what he is learning about self-care, rest, and joy in the work of justice, and what the way ahead may look like for Isiphambano.
Reconciliation has become something of a dirty word in South Africa, synonymous with a cheap reconciliation and a superficial notion of societal change. A concept which asks much of black people whilst asking relatively little of white people in return. A concept which deals with individual forgiveness but leaves unjust structural systems largely untouched. Nowhere...
The evangelical church, as a whole, failed the test of apartheid. These failures to stand up against the injustices of the apartheid state were widely acknowledged by evangelicals during the TRC. What was most significant in its absence from these submissions before the TRC was any sustained reflection on the role in which evangelical theology might have played in their failure to engage prophetically with the apartheid regime. In this…
In this paper, John Scheepers investigates the role which evangelical theology, and in particular their Great Commission paradigm of the mission, had played in the evangelical failure to engage prophetically with the injustices of the apartheid regime.
I confess that this current moment of racial awakening in white society and in "evangelical" churches has me deeply conflicted. I have never seen so many prominent white or multi-ethnic (with white leadership inevitably) "evangelical" churches addressing issues of race and injustice concurrently. Of course, we have traditionally had the bi-annual sermon or workshop on racism or caring for the poor but nothing like the sheer volume of sermons, panel…
Isiphambano recently hosted a Round-table Discussion with previous and current cohort participants. Below is an outline of the text and questions which we used to guide our reflections.
Interpretation is, in the words of David Bosch, always a creative tension between text and context. There are no neutral or abstract interpretations of Scripture. How then do we read and interpret Scripture in the context of a county like South Africa, with such a rigidly racialised past and a vastly unequal economic and racial present? In this post we will explore the doctrine of Creation, grounding our theology in…
Racism has both an individual and a structural element and as such is intricately linked to systems of power and privilege. This talk probes us to examine the intricate link between power and prejudice within both society and the church. And then, building on the work and example of Christ in Philippians 2, invites us to consider what a biblical theology of power and privilege could look like as we…
For years the church has debated which is more important social justice or gospel proclamation. What if both are equally important? Join us for an introduction to a biblical understanding of justice and the mission of the church. In this talk John Scheepers will briefly trace the importance of justice throughout the biblical story and call us to rediscover a cross centred justice movement at the heart of the gospel.
Isiphambano exists because the fierce urgency of now is upon us. It is past time to stand up and declare that the gospel is a word which speaks to the injustice and the inequalities of our land in a way that no other system is able to nor wishes to. It is past time that we examine our addiction to power and privilege. It is past time that we begin…
Isiphambano Centre for Biblical Justice is a study and training centre dedicated to developing a holistic, theological and cross-centred response to racial and economic injustice within the South African context.
This pilgrimage through the Cape Town CBD explores the role of the church as both an agent of oppression and injustice as well as an instrument of liberation and hope. The pilgrimage includes historical commentary, Scripture readings, and time for individual and communal reflection. Our pilgrimage route comprises the following stops: The Castle of…
We are a non-profit organization that is fully-funded by individual gifts and ministry partnerships. Your contribution will go directly toward the production of more gospel-centered, church-equipping resources.