The self destruction of the African National Congress (ANC), and the political power of Baptism

Megie and I are baby sitting a friend's little boy. As Megie was bathing Liam I watched the SABC 3 with this cute little 8 month old asleep on my lap.

I was horified to see the reports of another act of thuggery by ANC members. An ANC organizer was stabbed several times by suspended members, who then cut the tires on his car to stop him from getting to the hospital. This just a few days after the ANC Youth League President suggested that his members would take up arms and shed blood to protect ANC party President who is facing charges of massive corruption. The news report indicated that this was the third stabbing of this nature in recent weeks within the ANC.

What the heck is going wrong with this party that was once the champion of justice and human rights? It would seem that thugs and thieves are threatening the good name of the ANC - a scary thought for those of us who will live under the party's rule in decades to come...

As I've mentioned on more than one ocassion in this forum, I have been a long time supporter or the ANC, never having voted for any other in either a ward or a national election. The party will however have to do a lot of damage control to win my vote this time around! I think there may be others who share my reserve and change of heart.

Today as I was driving between meetings I was listening to one of my favourite audio books (I know some people call it reading, I still think it is just listening) - 'A generous orthodoxy' by Brian Mclaren. In chapter two he reminds me why I so love the work of John Howard Yoder, the Mennonite (Anabaptist) theological ethicist. Yoder proposes that Christians must follow the ethics of Jesus, not just accept his beliefs (doctrine), but that we must work, non-violently, for the Kingdom community of Chirst to be established here on earth. In this Kingdom of peace, God's loving, gracious, and hospitable love welcomes all who will come. In the process of drawing near to God the person and the community is healed (literally made whole).

I was challenged tonight on two points. On my lap was an 8 month old child - his future is my responsibility. I take the promises of the baptismal service seriously! It is my responsibility to create a community in which this child, and all other children, can grow the know God's love and experience the joy of God's gift of life. I think that we have often thought that the promises relate to the kind of community that we would create within the Church building. How stupid is that!? Are we truly so misguided that we think God cares more about what happens in 'that' building that is occupied by 'those' people for 'those' 3 hours on one day of the week!? Heck no! The promise is to extend God's grace into the community so that the water from the font flows into the streets! That promise is fundamentally a political choice - it is intended to change the world, not restructure the Church! It means that I will pray about who I vote for, that I will hold the elected officials accountable, and that I will expect nothing but the very best for the future of my children! It means that I will make sacrifices to bring about God honouring, Kingdom establishing, changes in my local community and the nation state. For some of us it means that we will stick around in South Africa, even though we have choices to leave. It means that we will do everything in our power to convince others to embark on the 'revolution of hope'! I believe in redemption, not just an overly spiritualised redemption of the individual human soul. No, I believe that God wishes to redeem the whole of creation. Every person, every family, every town, every city, every province, every nation, every continent, the whole world (and more). God's love for the world is lavish!

This lead me to my second thought... If we took this notion seriously (us 79% of the South African population who indicated that we're Christians in the last census) then things should be getting better! If we're not just playing games with God, blowing God off with a few easy words, mouthed as part of a liturgy (as if God doesn't hear, and even if God does hear, who cares whether we take God seriously or not....) The promise means something! It means something to God, and it MUST mean something to us. Each generation that follow should experience greater blessing, more peac, deeper harmony, and fuller provision than the last....

Something's wrong with this picture. Perhaps the party must self destruct... It seems to have lost its way. What is sure is that it has lost me.

However, I wonder about the Church... Sometimes I fear that the Church is loosing me too. Perhaps I'm too wild and it is too tame?

Comments

[John van de Laar]

Hi Dion,

Some good thougths here - honest, challenging of both the ruling party and the Church. It's so necessary that we make these challenges heard more and more in our world and in our country. That's what responsible citizenship and Christ-following is, in my view.

Perhaps just one thought I'd like to offer in response. I agree that faith and community building requires more than just having services once a week in a building somewhere. I like your statement that "the waters from the font [must] flow out into the streets".

But, I can't help but be concerned that there is a growing negativity about the church as meeting place (building) and what happens there. I can't agree with what I understood you to be saying - that God doesn't care about what happens in the building. In my view, God cares very much about what happens in the building - as Jesus cared about what happened in the Temple. If we abuse, neglect or misuse the ministry within the building, we develop a community that fails to understand the message and calling of Jesus - or worse, we fail to build any community at all. Too many people are leaving the church (and other spiritual buildings/communities) to pursue an individualist spiritual journey that becomes introspective, self-gratifying and narcissistic.

However, if we can begin to revive and renew what we do in the church, it can become a creative and motivational source for some real life- and social change. This is what the Wesleys understood - so even when they went out of the Church, they still held worship services in the open air - because through the music, the prayer, the liturgy, and the preaching, lives were changed, and people became significant forces for good in their society.

Rather than abandon the broken and misguided Church, wouldn't it be better to heal, restore, renew and revive the Church, including its buildings and the practices performed in them, so that the water truly flows from the font into the streets - rather than just do away with the font altogther?

For what its worth....

John