South Africa

Plot

This work approaches the South African scene from a particular angle - the biblical world-view. As we view the South African scene from this angle, we are able to discern the gods behind the scenes, the forces beneath the surface, to see, behind the facade, the incarnation of invisible powers in visible social structures; political, economic, cultural, etc.This work was published in 1989. The Struik publication was the second, following an earlier in house publication from the beginning of the 1980's. It arose from a series of sermons delivered to a predominalty white congregation grappling with the growing tension and violence in the country. During that period the Apartheid State controlled most of the mass media, so that most white people were effectively managed in their perceptions. How was one to open the eyes of such a community to what was really happening? The series of sermons, quite controvertial at the time, which led to the publication, was my attempt to answer this challenge.Since then of course Apartheid has fallen, a new democracy has been born, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has revealed the true pain of our country. At the time, all such outcomes where a distant hope.After the work on this publication I served on the national board of the The Evangelial Alliance of South Africa (TEASA), a covering body for all evangelical denominations and structures in South Africa. As a result I was tasked with the responsibility of representing TEASA in our statement to the TRC. I well recall that Desmond Tutu chaired the commision that day. My statement, which followed the primary statement delivered by Moss Nthla, the General Secretary, is found in an appendix.While the particular ideological struggle of South Africa is now mostly a matter of history, the world is still full of dangerous ideologies. The form of biblical analysis found here may well be useful to Christians in other contexts.