A New Dawn

In the morning, the sister publication of the Philosophical Society of England sees a new dawn. Philosophical Investigations is to be re-launched after its host went down on the first of this month. During the month of its "pre-dawn", the publication has already been exceeding 100 page-views a day.

NOTE: Although there is not too much competition at this early stage, it is good to see (5 May) that two out of three "Top of the Pops" essays are mine.

Admixture Of Works

A Bible study last night discussed the assurance of salvation, as its focal topic. In my experience as a minister, and in conversation with Bible study leaders, the vast majority of those who call themselves Christian (say nine out of ten) do not have the assurance of salvation.  This need not mean that such Christians do not have salvation, but it should prompt them to take a closer look.  The Bible is clear that assurance is possible -- as well as suggesting that some may not have it even where they are true Christians.  A lecturer of mine once helpfully said that a lack of assurance always happens when there is some admixture of works or deeds: "Have I done enough?  Have I done well enough?  Have I done too little?  Have I done too badly?"  Yet grace does not permit any such admixture, when it is fully understood and received.  Sometimes all that is needed is some "back to basics" reminders.

Uncapped Capped

I live in a small cottage in what is essentially a student complex. At the centre of our complex is a router, which connects us all to the Internet. One of our small community -- the landlord is keeping mum as to who -- persistently downloaded movies, so blowing all the rest of us out of the water.  E-mails, research, banking, networking were all sunk. Then our telecommunications giant Telkom stepped in, stating that "the general performance of our (their) network" was affected, and they capped the uncapped service. That is, they cut us all off. OBSERVATION: It makes an interesting study in human behaviour.

My Pleading

I recently blogged that the police had made false statements about charges against me (10 April 2015).  Above all, they claimed that this had never happened.  A few days ago, I was surprised to receive a letter from a Senior Prosecutor. Yes, he wrote, it had all happened.  But his letter proved something else.  It was one of my accusers -- in failed and lately disowned charges against me -- who then took charge of my parting payout from the Church.  And his first condition was that I should communicate with him and him alone.  I pleaded with the Church: Please don't do this to me. But they did.  OBSERVATION: I would add that the police are now addressing the matter of the false statements, which is good. The letter from the Senior Prosecutor further answers an important item I had on my wish-list to police.

Opportunist Style

Some Churches turn over fast, particularly in urban settings. They don't have to, but I believe they are doing it right if they do (that would be the subject of another post). With this in mind, I myself developed an "opportunist" style of effecting the Biblical priesthood of believers (ministry by all). Here's an example. I had a membership interview, and I asked the candidate, a young woman: "Do you have any special gift?" She said decisively: "Singing!" I said: "What kind of singing?" She said: "Choir singing -- or if there aren't enough people, a quartet." I said, "Solo?" She said: "Yes, that too." I said: "Would you sing on Sunday? It would introduce you to the Church." She said: "Yes. I could sing in Chichewa. I could sing in English." I said: "Both?" "Yes," she said. And so it came to be. OBSERVATION: I met her recently, and she was excited to see me. Such things forge bonds, too.

3D Movie

Thanks to wife E. for putting a photo of me on the Internet viewing a 3D movie (apparently with a Jack Nicholson caption). I am returning the favour with a photo of her and her friends -- watching a 3D movie. OBSERVATION: My father and I, about thirty years ago, invented a 3D home movie system. We used polarised light, which worked well. Our concept was published in Silicon Chip magazine some years ago. I don't remember who in fact watched our movies. If you remember it, do drop a comment on my blog.

Work In The City

I have often encountered in ministry the stories of young people who have come to the city for work. It is more than just a change of location. It may be a huge cultural shift. I myself have an aunt who, when she was young, lost her hair through the distress of a related experience. Here's the story that one young maid told me. Her impoverished family sent her to the city to earn some money and send it back home. She was fifteen at the time. She suddenly found herself, for the first time, without the close communal living of home. Instead she was put in a small, lonely room, with a door that closed. They didn't have doors back home. At home, too, she used to "talk with her body", she said. But in the city, they talked with words, and found her body-talk offensive. She said that she felt desolate.

The Plateau

Many times, I have referred to "the plateau" on my blog. It is where my wife grew up. Here is another photo of the plateau, which is perhaps 50km north-east of the Tsitsikamma rain-forest. It is the place where I sought her hand in marriage. Called Suuranys or Zuuranys, I doubt that one would find it on any map.

World Economics

I am planning new chapters for my recently published metaphysic. With this in mind, I asked a banker tonight (ex Lloyds, among other things): Is there anything which ails the global economy? He said: It's a system which the rich exploit to get richer, while the poor get poorer. I asked him for the solution. His answer surprised me: It will happen through a major disaster.

Launching A Publication

The "sister publication" of the Philosophical Society of England, Philosophical Investigations, is re-launching on the 1st of May (this coming Friday). I have been "lending a hand" in creating the new website. A fair amount of the website's functionality, and of the pages which lie behind the main menu, are my doing. It's a democratic process, done incrementally through consensus. Two of my articles are up there now -- a third in the pipeline, on African philosophy: what it is. The "un-launched" website already has more than 3 000 views.

Looking Back, Forward

This is a re-post, now five years old: "At the end of 2008, on this blog, I looked to the year ahead (see The Year Ahead). A repeat post is overdue. Looking back, I did complete my Master’s degree (a strong finish after five long years), I did supervise a candidate for the ministry (a fruitful year), and I did forge ahead with writing papers (I put in determined work, making excellent progress). However, I did not enrol for a doctorate (although I was effectively accepted), and the Church did not go through recapitalisation (which is a relief, personally). I turn 50 this May. What might the year hold? The time has come for me to make an original academic contribution, which I have prepared for for a very long time (decades, rather than years). However, it may be a very different year in the Church. For nearly thirty years, Mirjam and I have ministered as “a great team” (see the photo). There is a big question mark over whether this will continue -- due to her cancer. There is a big question mark over what kind of reorganisation may be required in the Church, and where life may lead. OBSERVATION: I am conscious that I always think too small about God’s love and His intentions for us."

Cyber-Attack

Since midnight, my Pageviews counter (top right) has ticked over, in spurts, uncountably fast -- many times per second. At midnight, the counter stood at 240837. This quite possibly indicates a cyber-attack. The US Department of Defense cautions that "drastic traffic changes" are the first sign of an attack. OBSERVATION: This would probably qualify as a modest attack. Full-scale attacks are incredibly fast (and expensive).

Re-Opening A Case

Elsewhere on my blog, I describe a raid on my personal papers (see Searched). I said at the time: This is a professional job. But there were two things happening at that time, which strangely I did not combine in my mind. Perhaps because they happened in locations far apart. I had made an official claim on some police papers in town (19 November). The next day, the raid on my personal papers in the country was reported to me: thousands of papers lifted. The day after that, the police in town asked to see me. When I saw them (24 November), they told me again and again and again and again (and again and again, if not again): You've got nothing. By and large, I didn't reply to that. The same day, an investigator was appointed in the country, in the case of the stolen papers. Three days after that, he closed the case (part of the notification is pictured above right). OBSERVATION: Let the reader make of this what they will. I thought twice about posting this, because it is a post which has no answer. Here is what I make of it:  It looks like too much of a coincidence. This week, therefore, I requested that the case of my raided papers be re-opened. In fact my attorney advised me long ago to do that.

Third Marriage

I went for lunch with a businessman who regularly travels the world. Our conversation turned to his third marriage. He said: "Married three times. I feel a bit ashamed about that." However, his third marriage has been happy, and unlike the first two, it has lasted long. I asked him what had changed. He said: "I worked on it." I asked him what he meant by that. He said: "I used to walk away from troubles. But I learnt to face up to them. I learnt how to talk about things. And I learnt that the grass isn't greener."

Perplexing Questions

Wife E. is studying theology through a prestigious seminary. However, the undergraduate questions so often have me flummoxed, as an "advanced student". I jokingly referred to my own Fuller Theological Seminary as "paint by numbers", since they were so precise with their questions and guidelines. But wife E.'s seminary will ask such things as: Describe the types of sacrifice in the Bible, or Describe the place of God in the Bible. I can only wonder: What type of type? or What kind of place? and so on.

Unbiblical Betrothal

Before I was married (about) two years ago, I paid a dowry, in keeping with local African tradition. This is the Biblical tradition, too. Called מֹ֫הַר in Hebrew, it was central to all Hebrew marriages, according to the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. Some, however, have the curious notion of exchanging rings, which naturally is thoroughly unbiblical, a vain idea copied from an emperor -- not to speak of the pagan superstition that it has to be the ring finger, the so-called vena amoris. A couple might even regard rings as a kind of insurance policy, if an engagement should be broken off -- for which there is a convenient word in Hebrew: נאַף or adultery. Christians today would further seem to have lost the plot by marrying for love, where match-making is the norm in the Bible. OBSERVATION: I have written a more serious piece on lobola (the African dowry) on this blog. The photo is one of my favourites: preparations for the lobola celebration on the same night the negotiations for my engagement were successful.

Tumult At The Cathedral

I took this photo on 29 August 2007. I had turned in at Cape Town's cathedral with a mere 0.3M (VGA) camera in my pocket -- yet it's one of my favourite photos. There was a mass protest over “the health crisis”. There was indeed a crisis (and still is), from my personal experience as a minister. The atmosphere was thrilling, and the chanting deafening -- one could not but be moved by it all. I pushed my way through a great tumult to join the press corps, at the side of the altar. You may click on the image to enlarge to VGA.

Church Dance

I took this fourteen-second video in a South African Pentecostal Church earlier this month. The circular dance is typical of African Indigenous Churches in general: a line of dancers following a circular path, in a counter-clockwise direction. This has ancient origins in Africa, although few if any churchgoers will be aware of it. See Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Plot In The Mist

This tranquil, atmospheric scene is our plot in the village Tesselaarsdal. Our small cottage is on the left, a wood cabin on the right, and another wood cabin barely visible in the mist. A flood plain (centre) runs through the middle of the plot, which makes it of little utility -- yet it is unique for the small poplar forest, and a perennial river off the photo to the right.  The plot extends to the edge of the trees in the background, but behind the camera narrows almost to a point.  OBSERVATION: In 2013, the biggest flood in living memory rose as high as the buildings right and left. The cabin in the background took a serious hit.

Communist Mural

Cape Town has some impressive murals, among them this one. I would estimate it to be a huge eight by six metres / yards in size. I took the photo on Salt River Road -- a part of town which houses various unions.  There are some obvious references here to the Communist Manifesto -- a document long banned in South Africa, yet now published here. The Communist Party wields much influence in South Africa. Nelson Mandela himself was a Communist Party member, and served on its Central Committee. You may click on the image to enlarge.

Access To Information

There is in South Africa an Act of Parliament called the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA). The purpose of the Act is "to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public and private bodies". But in reality, the Act doesn't (really) work. According to the PAIA Civil Society Network, there is "a significant failure in the implementation of PAIA". The situation is "dismal", comments Independent Newspapers. One must be prepared to invest large sums of money to hold people to it if they should oppose an open society, which is essentially what they are doing when they don't comply. OBSERVATION: But even if an organisation clams up, if information should be refused, or if it should be provided with pages missing (all of which have happened to me), this in itself may "speak volumes".

Other People

Still with the previous post in mind, I stopped my car in the street in my old "parish" recently (pictured), for wife E. and a friend to jump out and buy some firewood. In the time that it took them to buy the wood, seven people stopped me and another two (that I noticed) stared at me: "We miss you!" "It's not the same!" and so on. OBSERVATION: The photo is in 3-D.  To see the 3D, lazily squint your eyes until the images overlap and snap together. Your eyes need to be in line horizontally for this. Click on the photo(s) to enlarge for enhanced 3D.

The Ragged People

The "ragged people" receive me with enthusiasm in my old ministry area (the Atlantic Area). I sometimes needed to be tough with them, so it is good to see that there is still much affection there. Yesterday I met a vagrant who now owns a dog. He said: "I woke up in the street one morning and it was lying asleep next to me. A dog puts love in your heart." OBSERVATION: The last time I heard (quite some time ago), there were about 700 vagrants in the area.

Two Essays On Mind

This week I had twin essays published on (click here) Aspects of Mind, in the sister publication of the Philosophical Society of England. The essays are on Mind and Matter, and Consciousness and Attention. While it seems unlikely that anyone will lay these subjects to rest any time soon, I believe I bring a fresh approach which could give the debate a fillip. OBSERVATION: I postponed a third essay in the series, on Reason and Contradiction.

Sputtering Xenophobia

I first posted this five years ago. It is a re-post: "I am so fed up with so-called xenophobia. In the most recent incident, a young congregant was ordered to get out of his room because the other tenants didn't want foreigners in this country. They seized his cell-phone, but he managed to save the rest of his property. However, a cellphone is a crucial tool for a refugee, and he lost half a month's rent, with no savings in reserve. OBSERVATION: If there were not extraordinary ministry pressures, I might seek a meeting with the offenders. As it is, I have asked for the name and number of his landlord. The Bible says: 'Love the alien as yourself' (Lev 19:34). I took the photo of displaced refugees at the height of the xenophobic violence in 2008."

POSTSCRIPT: I did in fact go to meet with the offenders, arriving just as they confronted some foreigners. What I witnessed was frightening, and I abandoned my mission.

Fourfold Emphasis

Generally speaking, I have a fourfold emphasis in ministry. One finds it grouped together in various places in Scripture: who God is, what He does, His creation, and His people -- and all the various aspects of the same. An example of such fourfold emphasis is found in Psalm 150, which speaks of His surpassing greatness, His acts of power, His mighty heavens, and His sanctuary. OBSERVATION: The four points are not to be taken for granted. In some Churches, one or the other may not receive much attention at all.

A Philosophy Of Gestures

I had an article (re) published this morning (click here): A Philosophy of Gestures. It is one of my more whimsical pieces, yet a theme of some importance. I make special reference to a small gesture of economist Piero Sraffa, which changed the course of history -- and theology. The article explores the fact that much of the way in which we communicate values is gestural. A bouquet of flowers, for instance, or President Kennedy's visit to West Berlin. And the dying Kant made one final great gesture when he stood up to receive his doctor ...

Congratulations

Congratulations to my niece A. (pictured) who just won gold at the New York Film Festival for an animated movie she did as part of a team of seven. OBSERVATION: Her mother (my sister) is a freelance artist who started out as a graphic designer. There have been other artists in the family. See Cartoon Book.

My First Proposal

My first ever proposal as a minister (in a leadership meeting) was that the Church should purchase a photocopier. It seemed a sure thing for a first proposal, and I had carefully rehearsed the reasons why we needed one: we had plenty of money, we needed the copier, we were outsourcing for copies -- and then I read out a passage by an eminent Church growth expert on the vital need for copied communications. But my proposal was turned down unanimously. It was unceremoniously dismissed. I was traumatised. What had happened? OBSERVATION: Perhaps my proposal wouldn't be accepted even if I repeated it today with hindsight.  However, I would do a few things differently now. Today, I wouldn't be so formal about it, but I would "argue" the matter in a personable way. Back then, I felt that a minister's dignity did not permit "bartering in the marketplace". I wouldn't feel today (as I did then) that the proposal was so important. There are many things a Church doesn't need to succeed -- and decision here or decision there, the Holy Spirit does His mighty work. I would also see more clearly, today, that a decision about a photocopier is dependent on deeper things, such as spiritual vision -- and it is those deeper things which need the work. And while I am not a fan of lobbying, I might have stirred people's minds a little with well-placed questions. Ultimately, in this case, someone else (not me) proposed that we purchase a photocopier, as if it was their very own idea. The proposal was accepted unanimously!

South African Mindset

South Africans have been known for a long time for not having much mental agility or finesse. Their minds are fairly set. I experience it like this: a South African mind likes to work out in advance what will be discussed and what will be decided. Relatively speaking, there is little flexibility, and little sense of working things out in the process of them being worked out. OBSERVATION: These are of course broad generalisations (yet all of language generalises, more or less). There will of course also be benefits to the South African mindset.

Modern Art Moth

I took this photo in the country near Cape Town, of a moth, resting in the morning light. I am told that this is quite a common critter. The species pre-dates abstract art:  the Lord invented this before we did. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 220k.

Age And Focus

One of my first visits in ministry left a lasting impression on me. I went to visit a cheerful old man named Sam Sale. He said something like this: "Things look very different from where you are. You are a young man. I am an old man. Consider how it looks from here." OBSERVATION: My own experience is one of increasing focus -- and some development to accompany it. This does not mean that the scattered attentions of one's younger years are in vain. Mine were crucial. And I myself was fortunate to know my calling or callings as a young man.

Move Over Hillsong

I began a hobby back in 2012, to discover the loudest Church on the planet. I thought that Hillsong had stopped my hobby in its tracks with a "staggering" sound reading, effectively (for some of those present) 120 decibels plus -- about the noise of a 747 on take-off. Earlier this month, after attending a service of the Gospel Messengers, I asked the sound-man how loud the service was. It was equivalent (for some of those present) to 130 decibels plus. This is called "the threshold of pain", louder than the front rows of a rock concert, and about as loud as a gunshot or a direct lightning strike. My ears are still ringing a week later. The photo shows a Gospel Messengers lead singer.

Military Mind

It is interesting that there is no so-called "military mind" when it comes to military commanders. Instead one finds a wide range of qualities which could as well be you and me. But one thing above all sets them apart. They have had to take grave decisions on (more or less) partial and uncertain information -- under pressure, and in danger. In a word, they need robustness. They need to withstand the shocks of war. They don't have the normal breaking strain. The same is true of ministry -- in particular urban ministry. There are important differences, however. In my (Congregational) tradition, the minister is not a commander except to command that all believers should be regarded equally (the commander against commanders, as it were). Yet while the minister does not carry the authority of the commander, in "real life" he or she carries the responsibility of the commander. Which leads us to a second difference.  The minister's capacity for robustness typically has a different source to that of the military commander. It has its origin in God. This having been said, for those who might read this post without recognising such robustness in themselves, if God has called you, then not to worry, He will create it in you. The minister is not meant to be bullet-proof anyway -- in fact the opposite, if one goes by Biblical examples. (Perhaps I shall give one or two examples of "robustness" in a future post).

Eyethu Driving School

A driving school instructor (mainly truck driving) was keeping only a fifth of the money he brought in for his company. So he launched out on his own. This, however, meant taking upon himself all the costs and responsibilities of a business (not least a truck). After a tough start, his new driving school is finding its feet. He asked me last week whether I would design him a logo. For better or worse, here's my attempt -- combining text with image, and incorporating aspects of our national flag. Eyethu means Our Own.

Teeming With Life

I have blogged before about the desertion of our affluent suburbs after sunset, in comparison with the townships, which are teeming with life. Yet a short video (just four seconds) would say it better. I took this video last night, just after sunset, in Thembalethu. Goodness knows what the child in the foreground is up to.

Police Corruption

I have decided to put the following information on my blog -- or rather, to point to information which now lies off my blog. Around the time of my resignation from urban ministry, a detective constable charged me with a criminal offence. The charge sheet to prove it is at Charge Sheet. I was exonerated by the Senior State Prosecutor, three days before trial. Then, the police denied that it had ever happened. A high-ranking police captain denies it at Police Denial. There would be serious consequences for the police, said the captain (millions in damages), if I were right. I laid charges against the captain, for obstructing the course of justice. OBSERVATION: The difficulty has been much broader and deeper than I here suggest, but I don't need to put it all up here. All in all, confining matters to "the channels" has just meant going round and round. For everyone's good, this needs to be squared up to. I hope, too, that this information may lead people to think again, where other denials have been made. The silver lining is that the police have been determined to disown any charges against me.

NOTE: Following the above, the police launched an internal investigation. The correct title for the prosecutor is in fact Regional Control Prosecutor. I have deposited further evidence at Context, in light of suggestions that I quoted an officer out of context. I did not, and that is sure. Here also, the officer correctly states: "There was no case." This was the position of the investigator, too.

Vanished Tableware

On Easter day, I attended a Church function. The Church hired plates, knives, and forks for 150 people. After the function, four plates, five knives, and eight forks were missing. The Church lost its deposit. I said: "One wouldn't think that this would happen at a Church function." The reply: "In fact, things go missing at Church functions more often than they do at any other."

Confidentiality

Watching the controversial acquittal of a young woman for murder recently, I wondered who she might go to for counselling now if she really did it. She couldn't – unless the counsellor would not talk. As a minister, I have on various occasions counselled people in criminal situations, among them assault, intimidation, fraud, even murder. OBSERVATION: I recall no damage having been done as a result of confidentiality. In my experience, the biggest problems have arisen where the counsellor and counselee have developed any conflict of interest, great or small -- which may happen more easily than one thinks.

Church Organist

Perhaps you remember organists as they used to be. They sat on a wooden bench and played Renaissance music on a pipe organ. Here's a five-second glimpse of the new generation of Church organist (above). OBSERVATION: There was such activity in the Church worship that no one paid any attention to me walking up to the organist to get this video. Yet note the conservative dress with the progressive music.

Easter Morning

On Easter morning, I was staying in a South African township. In the small hours of the morning, through a stunningly loud public address system, the Zionist Church announced: "Arise, for the Lord has arisen!" They continued this on and off for hours. Then, as soon as the sun rose, they fell silent. OBSERVATION: Perhaps they all went back to bed I joked, while the rest of us got ready for Church.

(Dis) Connected

South African townships often have water, electricity, and reception -- yet something which I sometimes find patently lacking is (practical) access to the Internet. Some of us, if we needed to travel to another suburb to connect (as I am doing now) would consider themselves disadvantaged in this connected world.

Ten Preachers

I attended a Good Friday service in Pacaltsdorp yesterday. Ten ministers sat on the podium. I encouraged myself with the thought that they could not possibly all preach. They did. The service lasted 5½ hours. OBSERVATION: It was a joyous service, well attended by both old and young, and followed by Holy Communion. The message was perhaps twofold: God's spiritual and material provision for the saints -- or perhaps rather, those who have faith. This being Good Friday, the spiritual provision was the atonement, God's provision for our sin.

Good Friday Prayer

In two days' time, it is Good Friday. One of my favourite prayers is a traditional Good Friday prayer. Here is a part of it: "O God of mercy, in shame we call to mind: The evils of the world which brought the Lord of Glory to humiliation. Cruel mockeries, and the agonies of the Cross; The spirit that loved darkness rather than light; The worship of ancient law, and the blindness to the glory of new truth; The selfishness which cloaked itself under religion; The building of the tombs of the prophets and the readiness to persecute new messengers sent from God; The foolishness and hatred of those who professed to be teachers of wisdom and love; The fickleness of the crowd; The treachery of the betrayer; The frailty and cowardice of the other disciples; The weakness and carelessness of those responsible for justice; The sins and follies -- of men like ourselves. Grant, O Lord of righteousness, that as we gaze upon our Lord, on Whom was laid the burden of men's transgressions, we may be moved with true penitence, lest in our own day we crucify afresh the Lord of life and the King of love."

Tenebrae Service

Most years of my ministry, we have held a Tenebrae Service on the Thursday evening before Easter. It is an ancient custom of the Church, and a very simple service, as the order of service shows. You may click on the image to enlarge. OBSERVATION: A Tenebrae Service is held on the eve of Good Friday, as darkness falls. One begins with a simple meal, say soup and rolls, then moves to the sanctuary for the service. It is a service of readings, and begins with readers seated at the altar, each with his or her own candle. Tenebrae has typically been a small occasion, with about a third of the usual congregation participating. However, it is always warmly appreciated.