The Bible, South Africa, the Church and the Israel Palestine conflict.

On Tuesday the 21^st of November in the year of our Lord 2023, the South African National Assembly will vote on a motion sponsored by the Economic Freedom Fighters, to have the Israeli Embassy in South Africa closed down, and to some degree for South Africa to cut all ties with Israel as a result of its continued bombardment of Palestine. When this motion was first tabled in Parliament, leader of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) Reverend Kenneth Meshoe brought forward a Biblical argument in favour of the continuation of diplomatic relations between Pretoria and Jerusalem. We zoom into this argument ahead of that ‘all important vote’.

 

While defending his country from invasion by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Jewish guerrilla leader Judas Maccabeus sought to prevent the imposition of Hellenism upon Judaea, and preserving the Jewish religion, undoubtedly a quest for self-determination. In his narration of the events of 163 BCE, Maccabees tells us that “the king spoke to them deceitfully in peaceful terms, and they believed him. Then he attacked the city suddenly, in a great onslaught, and destroyed many of the people in Israel. He plundered the city and set fire to it, demolished its houses and its surrounding walls. And they took captive the women and children, and seized the animals.” (1 Maccabees 1:30-34). Ironically, today the world stands in awe, watching similar atrocities by Israel on Palestine, divided in opinion and ideology. In the context of South Africa, Reverend Kenneth Meshoe advanced an argument that suggests that he (by extension the political party he represents) is in support of the atrocities of Israel against palestine. Most interestingly he submits to Parliament that "God gave Abraham the very war torn piece of land, long before Christianity" (K. Meshoe, 17 November 2023, https://youtu.be/LQNn9-OFSKM), from this statement we can deduce that Reverend Meshoe relies on Genesis 12:1-3, which reads “the Lord says to Abraham, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3 NIV). Interestingly, this blessing included ‘land that, at the time the promise was made, belonged to other people, the Canaanites’. We know that the Canaanites are best known from this biblical account that portray them as a hostile, pre-Israelite indigenous population residing in the “promised land”, the land situated in the territory of the southern Levant, which today encompasses Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, and the southern portions of Syria and Lebanon. We therefore pose a theological question aimed at understanding Reverend Meshoe’s theology in this regard “if the Israelites later came to occupy an already occupied land, who then is the original people of this the land”?

 

The theological question need not be answered because the aim of this inquiry is not really about the theological correctness of the statement or the conflict in Gaza, but rather about the contemporary realities of the world and what he understands the current situation in the Middle East is, as a politician who happens to be a theologian. There is a genocide taking place in Palestine, men, women and children are being wiped off the face of the earth before the eyes of the world. Therefore, we needs to distinguish between Reverend Kenneth Meshoe speaking as a politician and as a priest, perhaps more especially as a politician during the silly season of elections, one of the hotly contested elections that promises to change the political landscape of South Africa. Ordinary South Africans, Christians included, and the international community will be closely watching the vote in Parliament, most certainly the Biblical argument which Reverend Meshoe has advanced are likely to form very little part if not at all in their considerations of the reality in the contemporary.

Perhaps what comes out most glaringly in Reverend Meshoe’s submission is the deafening silence of the Church in the matter, even if the argument may be countered, one cant help but realise how quiet the local Church is. Theologians and Christians alike may argue as to whether that argument hold water in the contemporary, or if it was just another politician speaking, but the silence of the Church remains deafening. The very congregant that sits in the church pew is the same person that will be lining up at the polling station in 2024, the very congregant that applies the teaching of scripture in their daily lives, South Africa's silence is just too deafening. It is my considered view that the voice of the citizens should not only be heard through political statements in Parliament or a political party marching on to the Israel embassy. The church at local level must raise its voice through prayer, preaching, lobby and demonstrations. Many a time a voice of a politician has proven to be a double edged sword that even when the intention of the message is of a good nature, political considerations including diplomatic protocol may easily dilute the message.

    

We continue to pray for the people of Palestine, the many women and children that have lost their lives at the hands of the Israeli military forces and its leadership, may God the almighty extend his hand and save the children of Palestine, extend his wisdom into the hearts and minds of Jerusalem and its supporters, to enable the world to speak sense and bring peace to it.

K. Phejane

Writing in my personal capacity as an active world citizen

Letter to the men of the Anglican Mens Fellowship and Evangelism Guild: A clarion call of the reawakening of a glorious Christian movement

 

 

It was at exactly 15:45 on the 28^th of October in the year of our Lord 2023, when the Anglican Mens Fellowship and Evangelism guild in the diocese of Johannesburg, presented its report to the 66^th Synod of the diocese. The president of synod, the Right Reverend Doctor Steve Mosimanegape Moreo made a request to the representatives of guilds and organisations to deliver what he termed ‘high level presentations’ in no more than three (3) minutes. This meant that the detailed report that was submitted into the synod Agenda book needed to be summarized but maintain the important details that needed to be brought to the attention of this august house, the church’s highest decision making body. It was during this three-minute presentation that I came to realise how dire the situation of the guild is, in particular ‘the declining membership’. This decline is not only seen in the diocese of Johannesburg but can be extended to the province and the church in general (a topic for another day). Most alarming in this decline is ‘the decline of male membership’, it is for this reason that I pen down this clarion call to the men that have declared their allegiance to this guild before God.

 

At its fourteenth (14^th) Provincial Conference held in the diocese of Highveld in November 2022, the AMF & E provincial leadership reported that ‘there was a general decline in membership across all dioceses’, even though this report did not give a specific demographic analysis of the guild, it is a known fact that the number of female members exceeds that of male members, an irony which left members of the 66^th synod of Johannesburg amused, a rather embarrassing moment for the one who presented these numbers and certainly for members of this guild who were seated in the audience. Affiliation numbers in this diocese for the year 2023 were reported as follows, 277 women and 79 men, in a guild which was formed fifty-five (55) years ago, by men, for men, as envisaged by the founder and first president of the guild, Reverend S.R. Manentsa in 1967. In an effort to try to explain the prevailing situation, the presenter made mention of the reality which many members of the guild in this diocese are shying away from, that ‘there are affiliated and non-affiliated but active members of the guild’, for various reasons the latter could not affiliate in the year 2023 and among others is the open secret that relates to those who’s grievances were not resolved leading up to Pentecost. However, it is my conviction that non-affiliation for any reason cannot be acceptable, by virtue of the oath of allegiance taken by members at the time of being robed into the guild, unless this oath did not mean anything to the individual member. Out of a total of 356 affiliated members, the report shows that seven (7) are clergy, six (6) of whom are males and one (1) female. It is at this point that the idea of this clarion call was birthed, in the absence of a mandate from either cabinet or the President, the presenter in his capacity as a member made a clarion call to the priests (including the President of synod) who had not affiliated or are non-active members of the guild, to ensure that they affiliate in the year of our Lord 2024 and come back to the guild which they took oath of allegiance to. This background paints a picture of the elephant in the room that needs to be dealt with in order for this guild to awaken the spirit and vision of reverend Manentsa and all the forefathers of this guild, including the elders that remain loyal to this day, the likes of ntate Madlala from St Mary Magdalene (Protea South), ntate Rajwili from St Hildas (Senaoane) and others, members who to this day remain loyal to their yearly affiliation.

 

One Joshua Maponga makes a point that ‘the church ought to be honest to itself in order for it to progress’ (Maponga. J. September 2023), but the truth is that the church has the tendency to quietly walk away instead of dealing with uncomfortable subjects. It is my considered view that such a situation is currently at play in the AMF & E guild in the diocese of Johannesburg. The growing number of women in the guild and the continued decline of men is course for concern, the question is “how does the future of a mens guild look like without the presence of men in it”, and that is the elephant in the room that requires those who have pledged allegiance to the guild to come together and address. On December 15^th in the year of our Lord 2020, the then ‘Mens Lekgotla’ executive in this diocese met at St Francis Moroka and resolved that the guild shall move forward with a theme that says “Retain, Revive and Recruit”. Another Mens lekgotla meeting was held on the 6^th of August 2023 (three years later) at Khutsong Chapel, the meeting discussed and resolved on the same matters and theme “the revival, recruitment and retention of men in the guild”. Now as we march towards the 2023 diocesan conference in Munsieville, one cannot help but wonder if the prevailing numbers and morale will help us achieve the set goals of revival, renewal, recruitment and retention of male members, including clergy?. Therefore, it is my considered view that the answer to this question lies in the hearts and minds of both categories of members I earlier referred to “the affiliated and the non-affiliated members”, solely by virtue of the oath they took before God, pledging their allegiance to this guild.

 

In his epistle to the people of God in the church, Apostle James shares his wisdom on how to deal with trials and tribulations as a people of God. He says to them “my brothers and sisters, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the rest is the ability to endure. Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4 TEV). James’ wisdom in this epistle simply deals with “action and faith, in the practice of Christianity”, he shares with us a practical but yet spiritual approach to the challenges we are facing, encouraging us to face these challenges head on by being practical in our approach. Indeed the guild is experiencing a record decline in male membership, indeed the decline is not only attributed to the challenges within the guild but the church in general, as a result of the prevailing challenges of the secular world, but God being our helper in directing us as we march into action with faith. The action of standing up as men in honour of Reverend Manentsa and all the founding fathers of this guild, especially those who lead the diocese of Johannesburg, reverend Joe Maboe, Reverend Rakale and others. It is my considered view that “it all starts at the 2023 conference in Munsieville”.

 

My clarion call is for all of us, men that have pledged their allegiance to the Anglican Mens fellowship and Evangelism guild (lay and clergy), to spring into action and ensure that the 2023 conference becomes the stepping stone towards the “renewal, recruitment and retention” of male members. Key to this conference are its deliberations on Friday the 24^th, in light of the elective provincial conference in 2024. This conference must resolve on the participation of the diocese of Johannesburg in the renewal, recruitment and retention drive of the guild in the province.

Let us learn from the wisdom of Apostle James as he tells us in verse 12, spiritual maturity leads to the greatest rewards or benefits available from living this life (James 1:12). Therefore, trials are a huge benefit for which we should be grateful.

 

Kgosiemang Phejane

Writing in my personal capacity as a member of AMF & E in the diocese of Johannesburg

11/11/203

All Souls Day, African Christian Hypocrisy and Ignorance

Every year since time immemorial, the Christian community celebrates All Saints and All Souls day on the 1st and 2nd of November respectively. A tradition said to have been established by St. Odilo of Cluny somewhere between 998 and 1030 (Wikipedia). In the contemporary, on this day a number of Catholics and protestants commemorate the faithful departed, through prayer, feasts and visiting gravesites, a day which is also known as "the Feast of All Souls", my assumption is that this is associated with the old age cultural and religious history of feasting and festivals including the Passover since the Exodus in the Bible, the ancient Roman feriae feast since the 9th century, 'the feasts of feasts' of the eastern Orthodox Church and the many African historical feasts like Timkat and Meskel festivities in Ethiopia, down here in the tip of Africa the African indigenous people's common commemoration of their ancestors in the form of imisebenzi (ceremonies) among the Nguni speaking tribes or mpho ya badimo in the South Sotho and Pedi speaking people. This piece is inspired precisely by these diverse Feasts and their relevance in the contemporary Christian environment.

 

History records that 'the tradition of offering prayers for the deceased has its roots in old writings, particularly in 2 Maccabees 12:42–46. However, the venerated Roman Catholic saint St. Odilo of Cluny is credited with creating a particular day for intercession for the deceased souls. We shall therefore not focus on Odilo and what could possibly be the age old European claim to many things including religious practices. In this text Judas Maccabeus, a Jewish Guerilla leader who proved to be a Military genius when 'he successfully defended his country from invasion by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, preventing the imposition of Hellenism upon Judaea, and preserving the Jewish religion' (Britannica), puts emphasis on the need to pray for the dead, specifically for their forgiveness of the sin that they died in, for the preservation of their souls in heaven. As a priest, perhaps Maccabeus realises this need as he constantly finds himself having to administer last rites to many of his dying soldiers at war, perhaps a concept somewhat slightly different from Odilo's idea of All Souls, equally so different from the African meaning of commemoration or Umsebenzi (mpho ya badimo). 

In the contemporary, the church presents All Souls in a number of different ways, primarily as a result of some of the theological arguments around the belief, Martin Luther's schism being one of them. Luther vehemently argued that there is absolutely no need to pray for the souls of the departed, simply because he believed that "all departed persons are saved" (Luther's Sermon of the first Sunday after Trinity 1523-24), but Odilo established the concept specifically for praying for the Souls of the departed. On the other hand, Africa has her own theological arguments surrounding All Souls and what it means to the African culture and environment. According to Catholic belief, the soul of a person who dies can go to one of three places. The first is heaven, where a person who dies in a state of perfect grace and communion with God goes. The second is hell, where those who die in a state of mortal sin are naturally condemned by their choice. The intermediate option is purgatory, which is thought to be where most people, free of mortal sin, but still in a state of lesser (venial) sin, must go. In the African Christian context, the same principle applies in the make-up of the individuals in the contemporary European or mainstream church that practices the theology of All Souls. You have those who outright reject the African Christian way, those who strongly believe in the African way within the European church and those who are willing to accommodate the two groups, the former being our area of interest, All Souls in the context of African culture.

 

The African Christian in question holds a view that ‘the only acceptable way of commemorating and remembering the departed is the Odilo way, the European way’. However, African history tells us that for the longest of time Africans have always commemorated their loved ones through various ceremonies, many of which boasts elements of the All Souls custom of remembering the dead. When dealing with matters concerning kings, marriage, ancestors and God, Hastings makes a point that "even though the colonial missionaries sought to convert African kings and queens in the twentieth century, for these kings and Queens regular performance of rituals in commemoration of their ancestors was none negotiable" (Hastings 1994:311), an indication that 'like Maccabeus, the African tradition and culture were to be preserved by all means’. These traditional and cultural practices within the black African communities include ceremonies such as 'umsebenzi wamadlozi’ among the Nguni speaking tribes or Mpho ya badimo among the South Sothos of South Africa. Most notable in this custom is the unity that is displayed among families, just as Maccabeus went on to collect contributions from his soldiers to provide for an expiatory sacrifice, Morales explains expiation as ‘referring to the cleansing of sin and removal of sin’s guilt by blood of a sacrificial lamb’ (Morales 2019), they too come together to make available a sacrificial animal, in some instances a goat, a sheep or chicken depending on financial ability. In the sacrificial system of Israel, blood was collected from an animal’s severed arteries and then manipulated in a variety of ways. In the same fashion, Africans slaughter for a number of reasons including appeasing the ancestors as it is generally believed that ancestors act as intermediaries between the living and God, in the same vein for the atonement of sin. Others, using the belief of Ancestor intersession and being intermediaries, extend this feast as a form of request for blessings from God. Most importantly, the sacrificial feast is commonly an offering of thanksgiving, the community in this instance is invited to the feast, at the entrance of the family home snuff, tobacco and African beer are displayed as an indication that the ceremony is specifically to acknowledge those who have gone before, however tribes have their own individual approaches to this custom.  

 

It is for this reason that we conclude that an African Christian that rejects the African way of commemorating the dearly departed is but misinterpreting the natural extension of the concept of All Souls, by virtue of the expectations of what a relevant contemporary church looks like. Unless their view is that of a discriminatory nature, in that the European way is the only way. We know that the European conquest and scramble for Africa carried in it a branch of religious mission enterprise that was to reconstruct the cultural identity of its subjects, which then would be the only explanation as to why an African Christian in the contemporary would reject the African version of this custom. If anything, for the preservation of the African way the church ought to incorporate in its liturgy, the African way. Boaheng notes that “even missionaries had to abandon their uncompromising approach and adopt a more flexible one, which blended African culture in the gospel” (Isaac Moaheng: March 2018 Citation), it is therefore logical for the contemporary African Christian to blend Odilo’s All Souls with the indigenous African way. The church is becoming secular by day, the contemporary Christian continues to ask questions in order to validate their presence in the church, among some of the key questions is ‘the church’s effort to accommodate the African way’, it is my unreserved conviction that the church ought to infuse elements of Umsebenzi into its All Souls service, this includes preparation of a feast by slaughtering a sacrificial animal, suggesting that the church must go to the extent of including snuff, tobacco and African beer in the feast, a friend laughed her lungs out, an indication of how Africans frown at their culture in the context of Christianity.    

 

In conclusion, it is a fact that the delayed concession by the European Empire including the abolishment of the colonial rule, the slave trade and the acknowledgement of Africa’s indigenous worship and culture, was the biggest obstacle to effective evangelism, such remnants are seen in the modern world’s continued secularisation, which is a threat to the church’s potential extinction. The African Christian in the contemporary must at the least learn and appreciate the importance of the African way in worship and liturgy, adopt and acknowledge the African language and by extension culture, into the liturgical material of the European Church.

 

May the Souls of the dearly departed continue to Rest in peace, bo rrarona ba ba re eteletseng pele, bone ba mminathoko wa Setswana oreng “Modimo wa boikanyo o ba gogile mo dinageng tsa lenyora”.

 

Badimo ba rona, o khokho bethu, izinyanya zethu.

 

Kgosiemang Phejane

Writing in my personal Capacity 

#MeditationsOfTheHeart