Rev Dr Mvume Dandala on the Church as the hope for South Africa in the next decades

This year, 2014, marks 20 years since the dawn of participative democracy in South Africa.  There is little doubt that 1994 heralded the dawning of a new era in South Africa. We are better off in so many ways - all of our citizens have equal status before the law. We have made positive gains in health care for all, education for all, and in general South Africans have a higher life expectancy and even have better economic prospects.  See the OECD Better Life Index report for more details [1].

The reality is, however, that even though we are doing better, we are not nearly where we should be as a nation.  We have some serious problems - HIV and TB continue to have a huge impact on the average South African.  Moreover, South Africa has the highest GINI coefficient (we have the highest rate of inequality between the rich and the poor) in the world.  This means that unemployemt remains a problem, crime is difficult to manage and the majority of South Africans are still living in poverty [2].

All of this is compounded by ongoing human rights abuses and continuing corruption in government and the private sector.

My paper on Thursday will discuss these issues in detail using some of the most recent statistics from early 2014.

I will, however, also focus on the role of the Church in addressing these economic, social and political issues. South Africa remains a largely religious society, if the Church is doing its work we should be engaging the moral character of our citizens, and positively engaging issues justice.  I will post my talk once it has been delivered and published.

Dr Dandala did an excellent plenary talk this morning.  He spoke very strongly about the African nature and character that is required of the Church in South African society.  His talk was an acceptable challenge.  I recorded it and got his permission to post it here.

You can download Rev Dr Mvume Dandala's talk at the Stellenbosch University, Ekklesia / Beyers Naude Winter School on 10 June 2014 here (45MB MP3).

If you use or distribute the talk would you mind please referencing Dr Dandala and linking back here to www.dionforster.com?

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[1] OECD, OECD Economic Surveys: South Africa 2013 (OECD Publishing, 2013); OECD, How’s Life? 2013, How’s Life? (OECD Publishing, 2013), 17–31, http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/economics/how-s-life-2013_9789264201392-en#page1.

[2] Please see the World Bank report on global inequality here:  http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI South Africa has a GINI coefficient of 63.1, which was the highest in the world at the time of the report in 2009.

Please pray for Mvume Dandala - vote of no confidence in Jacob Zuma

This evening I received a text message from my friend and former Bishop, Mvume Dandala, as I'm sure many others did.  In the text message he indicated that he would be proposing a vote of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma in parliament tomorrow.

I would request your prayers for Mvume and for our nation.  What is certain is that South Africa is at a particularly low moral ebb at the moment.  I couldn't believe it when I read in News 24 this week that Mr Zuma had spoken out in defence of the ANC Youth League President, Julius Malema.

Mr Zuma has been under the spotlight numerous times for various moral and ethical issues relating to sex scandals (which include rape, as well as fathering children outside of marriage, not to mention the fact that he has multiple wives), corruption, and helping known criminals.  I worry that where there is smoke there may be fire.  How is it possible that such a person could be elected as the President of South Africa?

Mr Zuma, the ANC and our nation are a cause of frequent prayer.

So, I would ask you, regardless of your political affiliation, please pray that South Africa will have the moral courage to seek a higher calibre of leadership, not only for the sake of our current dispensation, but also for the sake of future dispensations.

Here are some words that may guide you as you pray:

God, we praise You for Your goodness to our nation, South Africa, giving us blessings far beyond what we deserve.

We know that amidst the blessings there are challenges.

We ask that a profound moral and spiritual renewal will come upon our nation so that our children may grow up in safety, so that our mothers may live without fear, so that our fathers may be men of integrity and that our leaders may be true servants of those whom they are leading.

In times like these, help us to turn to You in repentance and faith.

Set our feet on the path of Your righteousness and peace.

We pray today that our nation's leaders may rise up in greatness of spirit to set the example to our children, that our nation's leaders, and all who gather in the dignified Houses of Parliament and our courts of Justice may become the moral bastion of all that we wish to see happen on our streets, in our homes, in our neighbourhoods, and in our nation.

Give Parliament and our courts the wisdom to know what is right, and the courage to do it.

Lord, may our great House of Parliament conduct its affairs with malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are doing; to bind up this nation's wounds and to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among all who live in this land.

 
Clothe our leaders with righteousness; Let Your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, as a precious gift to the far corners of our land; May safety and security spread across our country like a warm blanket May poverty be forever banished from our shores May our children live till a ripe old age

O God we implore you to show us Your mercy, and to grant us your salvation.

Thank you!

Past Presiding Bishop could be South Africa's next President! Rev Mvume Dandala - new leader of COPE

I was greeted by this great news this morning when I got back from my cycle! I know Mvume very well, he is a man of impeccable integrity, with a heart for the poor and marginalized. He was my Bishop for many years, and has also served as the Patron for Transformation Africa (one of the organisations in which I serve) for some years now! This image was taken in Korea a few years ago, from left to right are myself (Dr Dion Forster), Rev Dr Mvume Dandala, and Rev Trevor Hudson.

Well, this surely bodes well for a good opposition in South Africa! Just over a week ago we had a chance to interview Mr Lekota, who himself is a formidable individual. But, Mvume is a man of such deep faith a integrity. I may just be changing my vote this year!

Here's the first story from 'The Times':

Now here’s a surprise. The SABC has reported that Cope’s election list is headed up not by Mosiuoa Lekota or Mbhazima Shilowa, but by the head of the Methodist Church, Bishop Mvume Dandala. It’s yet to be confirmed, but it hasn’t been denied.
Wow.
It’s a bit of a shock given the high profile that Lekota and Shilowa enjoy within the party, but it could give Cope a totally fresh hand to play: Moral leadership. The Reverend vs the sexually deviant corruption accused. Might play well with middle South Africa.
As one caller to John Robbie’s Radio 702 talk show this morning put it: Does that mean that Mosiuoa Lekota will start another party?
From the SAPA story:

The head of the Methodist church of Southern Africa, Bishop Mvume
Dandala, has been nominated as the presidential candidate for the
Congress of the People (Cope), SABC news reported on Thursday.
In its Thursday evening news bulletin, the public broadcaster
announced that it had “reliably learnt” that Dandala came out on top of
the party’s national list.
But party spokeswoman Palesa Morudu would not be drawn to verify
this on Thursday night, saying “a formal announcement will probably be
made on Friday”.

Technorati tags: Mvume Dandala, COPE, Elections, Dion Forster

Can we afford to be ignorant? The recolonization of Southern Africa.

Every now and then while I am doing my devotions, I am 'arrested' by something that someone has said, this happened to me this morning so I decided to go back and find my little notebook from 2004. I always carry a little Moleskine notebook with me (I use the Moleskine folders to keep cards, notes etc, and then cut the small, cheap, ruled notebooks to put into the first folder - here's a picture of one of mine).

The notebook that I was looking for in this instance dates back to November 2004 - I was at the Methodist Church of Southern Africa's Mission Conference in Umtata. At that conference the President of the all Africa Council of Churches, Rev Dr Mvume Dandala, was speaking.

This picture was taken in South Korea, in it is Mvume Dandala in the center, Trevor Hudson on the right, and myself (about 10 kg's heavier than I am now!) on the left. Ah, those were the days.

Back to the point, in his keynote address Mvume said something to the effect of, "If we [Southern Africans, and particularly the Churches in Southern Africa] do not wake up to the crisis of HIV / AIDS we shall be re-colonized within the next generation".

I was shocked by that statement, but there was truth to it. He went on to say that AIDS is killing so many young people, skilled, gifted African women and men, that we shall soon have very few people between the ages of 20 and 60, and much fewer skilled persons between those ages. When that happens we will be colonized once again. However, this time we shall not be colonized by a nation state (such as America, China, or England), rather we shall be colonized by multinational corporations who wish to exploit the natural resources of our fair lands. If we have gold, oil, platinum, coal, and a host of other precious commodities , yet there is no-one left to extract, refine, and use these resources, those who have the power, the money, and the skill, from elsewhere in the world will do it for us, and eventually, they will do it in spite of us.

This colonization is a concern, but of greater concern is the reality that we are loosing a whole generation of people because of poor choices, hidden truths, and a lack of knowledge.

I worry about such things... Perhaps it will never happen in the way Mvume described it, but if I can do anything to stave the spread of this disease, and in some small and insignificant way help Africans to benefit from the blessings of Africa, I need to do so!

Then it struck me, I can make a difference - the difference that I can make is in the sphere of Education! I see this magnificent sign at least once a week when I go onto the University of South Africa (UNISA) campus. It is a picture of our past President, Nelson Mandela, the caption reads: "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world". I believe it! What we need is education that does a number of things:

• First, we need a very basic and simple form of education that teaches persons their value and dignity. Education that helps people to realise just what a gift they, a gift from God to the world. Life is precious and must be guarded and valued.

• Second, we need education that helps people to survive in the face of great challenges - in particular we need to help our young people (and our old) to make wise choices for life. It scares me to death to think that when I was at school, if I had a sexual relationship with someone the worts that could happen is that she could fall pregnant. Now, however, my daughter or son could die from just one bad choice! We need education to prevent such tragedies!

• Third, we need education that helps people not just to survive, but to truly live. This is the kind of formation and development that helps people to rise above the ordinary, to become the best that they can be; moral leadership, intellectual leadership, all matched with exceptional skill.

Perhaps what I am asking is that those of us who have some measure of influence should ask God to give us the courage to use it for the common good. If you write, write about what matters, when you pray, pray about what matters most, as you work spend your energy not just in pursuit of gain and pleasure, but spend yourself to bring healing and transformation to individuals and society.

I shall say it once again - if you are the best, the very best, if you're a lawyer, a doctor, a journalist, a parent, a gifted thinker, a passionate feeler, if you can do anything in the whole world, then do it for God!

Let's counteract ignorance with love, and spend our lives in service of Christ's mission to heal and transform the world - petty theological arguments, minuscule points of difference, differences in taste, these things should not stop us from being effective for Christ.

Technorati tags: ignorance, colonization, education, Mvume Dandala, Trevor Hudson, UNISA, AIDS, HIV, mission, calling

My chapter has been published!

Here's a picture of a BRAND NEW book entitled "44 Sermons to serve the present age" edited by my friend Angela Shier-Jones, and Kimberly Reisman.

I have written chapter 23 in it.

The aim of this body of work is to present John Wesley's 44 sermons in an accessible format for contemporary readers that are facing contemporary issues in their own context.

My own chapter interprets the use of money and resources from a Southern Africa Liberation theology perspective. I am so proud to be in the book with other authors such as Angie Shier-Jones, George Freeman, JC Park, Trevor Hudson, Mvume Dandala, Paul Chilcote, Theodore Jennings, Brian Beck, Richard Heitzenrater, Leslie Griffiths and a host of others! This is my first international publication! How cool is that!?

Mvume Dandala - World Methodist Council keynote address on Reconciliation

Dr Mvume Dandala, a past Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, now the President of the All Africa Council of Churches, delivered an extremely challenging keynote address.

He pulled no punches, addressing issues such as exploitation of Africa by rich and powerful nations, the pandemic of HIV / AIDS and the Church's lack of concern for true unity and reconciliation.

You can download the address here: Mvume Dandala's Keynote address (22.5MB's).