Isn’t all this talk about social justice and reforming society simply just the social gospel all over again? The threat of the social gospel has among evangelicals often been used as a dismissive tactic to equate any talk of social justice with a lack of gospel fidelity. In this episode we explore if this is in fact a fair reaction; discuss what exactly the social gospel is and examine the over-spiritualized evangelical response known as the “Great Reversal” and its destructive legacy in South Africa. Finally we ask, can the Kingdom of God exist outside of the Church? And isn’t pursuing social justice a slippery slope to loosing the gospel?
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In part two of our Redeeming Reconciliation series (watch part one here) Ryan Saville sat down with One Mokgatle and Jennie Tsekwa to talk about the practicalities of reconciliation. How do we actually practice reconciliation when our country and our churches remain so divided and divisive? How do we work towards deep and meaningful reconciliation in a context saturated with cheap concepts of reconciliation? What do meaningful acts of reconciliation actually look like in our churches, families and communities? Crucially how do we practice restitution and repentance, integral aspects to the process of reconciliation?
O, Father, you know my heart, you know my fears and worries, you know my disappointment, my temptation to give in and give up.
You are the Creator of these people, in this, your world; you are the Creator of me, in this, your world.
You ordain steps, and you’ve brought us here; and yet you know my heart full of questions. You hem me in, behind and before, and your hand is upon us (Ps. 139:5).
My two-year-old has recently learned the word MINE – “It’s not yours it’s MINE”. He says this with such conviction, snatching away anything you might have dared to touch – even if the item actually belongs to someone else. He’s developed an obsession with possession. Dare to mention the sh word… ‘share’, and a meltdown might ensue. Even when there is objectively more than enough to go around.
As a parent, my child’s self-centered behavior mortifies me. But I know his brain is still developing; it’s normal for a two-year-old to behave this way, and so I attempt to show him patience and grace. Being confronted with the daily onslaught of I, me, my, and mine, has made me realise how often we as adults – even adults who profess a Christian faith, continue to behave as toddlers do.
Continuing our intermittent Stories of Hope series, Alphonso and John sat down with Brandon Weber from Hope Africa Collective to talk about their work in youth development and community transformation.
Listen in as they discuss the holistic, multidimensional nature of poverty; the role which our history and our context play in the narratives we believe about ourselves and each other, and how these narratives continue to entrench and perpetuate poverty. The effects of perpetual stress disorder on the self-perception of value among young people. The role of the church in extending the rule and the reign of God to restore all that has been distorted in society. What would it mean to create a pipeline of value with churches and NGOs working together to serve the marginalised and change the structures of inequality in our country?
