Reconciling All Things in South Africa
Written by Des Morgan
I live in a deeply divided society. I have not lived long enough in any other part of the world to know for certain whether this is a unique problem for South Africa. What I do know is that on any one day in South Africa, newspaper reports alone make one acutely aware of the deep divisions in South African society, whether it be between one race group and another, or between one gender and another, or between one socio-economic group and another.
Whether I care to acknowledge it or not, I am a product of this deep division, having lived the first 42 years of my life under the political ideology of apartheid (separateness). In its essence, apartheid taught that only separateness, in every possible way, between one racial group and another, would allow for peaceful co-existance in South Africa. Although from an early age, I was not convinced of the validity of this, one does, to a degree at least, accept that this is "how things are". An investigation into societies in history, and certainly as we look at countless national situations throughout the modern day world, may tempt one to conclude that there is an inevitability about societal division and conflict.
South Africa certainly has had its fair share of societal division and conflict over the years. The history of tribal warfare between indigenous African groups is well documented. When the British arrived in significant numbers some 200 years ago, they came with their "divide and rule" policy, which was exacerbated by their belief that they had a right to colonise the planet as they were bringing "civilisation" to these colonies. The wars between indigenous tribes and Dutch trekkers, and then between these tribes and the British and then finally between the British and Dutch settlers are all a part of South Africa's 19th Century history. The aftermath of these wars were still being felt decades after their conclusion with deep seated anger and bitterness a tragic consequence. That was the South Africa I grew up in; it was personal to me as I saw my father suffering under the indignity of discriminatory legislation which existed in his workplace.
The divisions run deep. Is there an alternative? The New Testament writer, Paul certainly suggests that there is - "For Jesus himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ... His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility." (Ephesians 2:14 - 16)
Societal division has as its foundation a belief system that views all who are not of my "tribe" or "in-group" as foreigners and/or aliens. Biblical revelation has a different perspective - when one becomes a Jesus follower, no people can be any longer be considered as "foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household" (Ephesians 2:19). We are now building on a different foundation where Jesus is the cornerstone that holds all the parts together and provides the plumbline with which all are aligned.
In the event which facilitates the transition from the age which Jesus introduced, the age of the manifestation of the Kingdom of God, to the church age where this kingdom is lived out, known as Pentecost (see Acts 2), an amazing societal change occurred. The Spirit falls on the large group present, and people of many varied cultural and ethnic backgrounds are supernaturally brought together and empowered to bear witness together to a new order of things inaugurated by Christ's death and resurrection. Anthony Smith in an article entitled - 'Practicing Pentecost - Discovering the Kingdom of God and Racial Fragmentation" writes - When we avoid practicing Pentecost, racially and culturally speaking, we are a people who desparately cling to the old age and refuse to participate in the dawning of a new world begun by Christ.
The true wonder of Pentecost is that all humankind is now given the opportunity of hearing the declaration of the wonders of God in their own language. The new language of the Jesus Christ community is one which supercedes social position, culture ethnicity, sexuality, and nationality etc etc - the Message translates Colossians 3:11 thus "All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ."
This is the powerful language of reconciliation. It is a dominant theme of the New Testament which promises that the way things are is not the way things have to be. Paul gives us the key to how this becomes a reality - "So from now on we regard no-one from a worldly point of view." [II Corinthians 5:16] It is when we fail to do that, that division results. Paul then highlights another antidote for division - "not counting men's sins against them". I can so quickly identify what is wrong in other people, thus separating myself from them. Jesus reminds us - "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" [Matthew 7:3]
The Key to recondiliation is - "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. [II Corinthians 5:18, 19]
Reconciliation is a journey. That has certainly been my experience. In Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice's book "Reconciling All Things", they write - The vision of reconciliation as a journey stands in stark contrast to seeing reconciliation primarily as an achievement, an event, a strategy or a program. Furthermore, to see reconciliation as a journey with God is to let go of control.
My journey in reconciliation began 40 years ago with an encounter with God. It soon brought me face-to-face with the reality of the injustice that characterised the system that controlled South Africa. My experience on this journey is that events, strategies and programmes have at best had limited effect. One can look back and face the fact that all too often so little has been achieved. What has been discovered that although reconciliation is a journey, most often the road map has very few road signs and all too often they are unclear and hard to decifer. It is a God-event, which I need to ackowledge I cannot control.
The world's logic teaches us that it takes power, strength, money and influence to effect change, a point which Katongole and Rice bring into clear focus. However time together with faith-in-God commitment is what will win through, at the end. The journey of reconciliation is one of sacrifice; as Katongole and Rice point out - It involves a serious determination to name and resist the privileges, ungodly desires, patterns of life, identities and loyalties that have come to be regarded as normal simply because they are part of our racial, cultural, national or tribal identity.
This may be seen as a tough choice; but it is foundational to the community that God is building that will live out what the people in Jerusalem, were introduced to on the Day of Pentecost those 2000 years ago. It is where we are going that should inspire us rather than be discouraged by where we have been.
