I perceive that Churches have become increasingly racist in South Africa since the fall of apartheid. Perhaps I should say, increasingly cultural. The only reason that I am tentative in saying this, is that what I personally know may not be representative. I find it tragic, because of the love that is lost. There is a simple explanation for it I think. There is a revolution in a country. Everything gets turned upside down. Where now does one find a cultural haven? One creates it in the Church. Also, where apartheid made segregation excusable in Churches, other dynamics now emerge. OBSERVATION: I consider that two Church doctrines from America have not done us any good: the homogeneous unit principle, and target group strategy. In practice, they support a new apartheid. In my view, this kind of doing Church may jeopardise people's eternal salvation. Luke 14:25-35. But when I speak of a new segregation, I speak of a segregation which may lie behind appearances. Behind a smokescreen. See also Drawing The Line.
2 comments:
The homogeneous unity principle is fine for evangelism; where it went wrong was the notion that the people evangelised must form homogeneous churches, See here, for example: Makhalafukwe | Khanya
Hmm, I'm not convinced. There obviously are commonalities (such as language) without which (traditional) evangelism cannot happen. But while I haven't thought about it too closely, I sense that it goes wrong from the start if one evangelises only one's own. At the end of the day, though, if this is not an evasive manoeuvre: it's where the Spirit leads. I read your post. Very interesting.
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