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Made in the Image of God

Made in the Image of God: Some Contextual Reflections

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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…
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Destroy the Idol of Race

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Racial idolatry make promises it cannot keep, asking us to rely on that which only God can give. The idol of whiteness promises that white hegemony will produce stable, reliable and fruitful leadership but leads always to disfunction and division. Mono-cultural or homogenous churches in racialized societies perpetuate racism. Racial idols are fiercely protected by a deeper theological defensiveness.
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The Fierce Urgency of Now

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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…
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#SkaapGate, Race and Land in South Africa

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Makhanda Nxele. Remember that name Questions linger whether the inciting incident where people were forcibly removed from Clifton beach last month was an instance of racism masquerading as concern about crime or simply a misunderstood but legitimate response to crime. There are also questions whether the subsequent cleansing ceremony itself was properly done according to African customs, or whether it is an instance of the weaponization of African culture for…
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Preaching Salvation and Justice without Losing the Gospel

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Just Preach the Gospel? If the current socio-political climate of our country is anything to go by, our Christian answers to these issues might prove to be a little bit more complex. Not to mention our colonial and Apartheid past which has proven that unless our preaching is more intentional, following the example set by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount, preaching ‘the gospel’ is simply not enough.
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How Did our good evangelical theology allow apartheid

How did our “Good Evangelical Theology” Allow Apartheid?

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The theology of Apartheid may have been perfected by the Dutch Reformed Church but it was born among the English-speaking evangelical missionaries who sought to promote the evangelization of the indigenous people whilst leaving white supremacy untouched. The resolution passed by the 1857 Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church, and proposed by evangelicals, agreed that whilst it was both Scriptural and desirable to integrate indigenous believers into the existing church…
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Inequality of all believers

The (in)Equality of All Believers

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South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world. These are deep seated gospel issues, and if anyone really cares about the people of God then they will have something to say about the negative effects of varying socio-economic issues and the impact they have on the people of God.
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5 Ways to Live More Justly in 2018

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Some of us might try to fight it but there is something psychologically compelling about the somewhat arbitrary changing of the calendar year that resonates with our desire for change. Amidst all the new gym memberships, course enrollments, and best intentions here are five relatively simple ways in which you might take some steps towards living more justly in 2018.
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