south african theological response to lausanne iii

By Kevin G. Smith

South African Theological Response to Lausanne III

Johannesburg, 1-2 November 2011


ORIENTATION


The Meeting

A group of 22 Christian leaders gathered on 1-2 Nov. 2011 in Johannesburg to explore a theological response to Lausanne III for the South African church. The meeting was initiated by TEASA and organised by SATS. The participants included theologians, pastors, and Christian leaders from several missional organisations.


The Purpose

The delegates spent the two days discussing the major themes of Lausanne III with reference to the South African context. The purpose was to address two questions:

1. How do the key issues raised by Lausanne III apply to the South African context?

2. What critical issues in the South African context were not addressed by Lausanne III?


The Format

The meeting devoted one session to each of the major themes of Lausanne III, and an additional session to two specially chosen themes (Pentecostalism and Prosperity Teaching). Each session began with a plenary address, and concluded with a time of discussion. In some sessions, a formal response followed the plenary address.

The Plenary Speakers• Dr E. Mbennah (TWR)

• Prof. N. Botha (UNISA)

• Prof. F. Jabini (SATS)

• Dr E. Mahlangu (UP, AoG)

• Mr P. Tarantal (OM)

• Prof. L. Kretzschmar (UNISA)

• Dr E. Mathole (GBC)


The Other Delegates

• Rev. M. Ntlha (TEASA)

• Dr K. Smith (SATS)

• Pst. T. Ntlohola (Vineyard)

• Dr F. Shayi (ICBM)

• Dr C. Peppler (LVC)

• Mr P. Vumisa (INSERV)

• Dr M. Mzondi (Back to Basics)

• Mr R. Botha (James 127)

• Rev. C. Molebatsi (EBC)

• Rev. M. Sono (GBC)

• Pst. P. Veysie (AE; Ridgeway)

• Pst. T. Tselapedi

• Pst. D. Slabbert (WENSA)

• Dr N. Schluter (JBC)


OUTCOMES


Introduction The points that follow:

• are not summaries of the papers that were delivered;

• are not presented in any particular order;

• do not necessarily represent the consensus of the meeting or the views of the organisers;

• are based on notes taken by Drs ZL Erdey and KG Smith.

The slides that follow present some of the issues that were raised at the consultation.


Exegetical Approach

• Our theological response to contextual issues must be an exegetical-hermeneutical approach. We cannot build evangelical theology purely or primarily by reflecting on praxis.

• Our practical or contextual theology must engage with present praxis, but it must formulate an exegetical response.


Research

• There was a sense that something may be very wrong with the church in South Africa, and a balancing sense that our perceptions may not be based on a true understanding.

• We need to be engaged in ongoing research to ensure that we rightly understand the condition of the church in South Africa, and that we hear the perspectives of all segments of the church.


The Truth of Christ

• We must bear witness to the true Christ in our pluralistic world. Many are preaching ‘christs’ other than the Lord Jesus Christ revealed in the word of God.

• There are many distorted portraits of Christ being propagated by well-meaning but ill-informed preachers (e.g. Christ the vending machine).


Apologetics

The growing influence of pluralism in our country raises the need for ongoing, robust, contextual apologetics.

• We need more advanced training in apologetics for pastors and theologians within the African context.

• Pluralism is not only a force in society; it is also a force at work in the church. We need to think through the growing trend towards theological and ecclesiastical pluralism.


Theology of Power 1

• African Christianity needs to develop a biblical theology of power.

• Issues of power, especially economic power (who controls the purse), are important factors in issues of justice and peace (reconciliation).

• The shift of Christianity towards the global South is not yet reflected in its international power bases.


Theology of Power 2

• Those with power often do not exercise their power to help the poor and the weak. The portrait of Jesus as the Suffering Servant needs to be recovered in the South African church.

• Prof. Botha called for a ‘power analysis’ (praxis and theology), leading to a theology of power and authority.


PropheticVoice

• We may have lost our voice because we have lost ‘the moral high ground’, i.e. lost credibility.

• We can only speak with credibility when we demonstrate that we are taking the lead in the area of reconciliation.

• We need to be prophetic in terms of understanding ‘the signs of the times’.

• The prosperity movement may be raising questions and meeting needs that we have not recognised.

There was extensive discussion about regaining the church’s prophetic voice in society, so that the church is able to speak into societal issues and concerns.


Two Portraits of Reality

• We need to listen to a statistical picture of what is happening in South Africa, but we must also balance that portrait with a narrative approach that listens to the stories of ordinary Christians living out their faith in extraordinary ways.

• An ideologically-based interpretation of the situation (e.g. reconciliation) runs the risk of skewing the stories that do not fit its framework.


The Threat of Secularism

The primary ‘other faith’ in South Africa seems to be secularism. Islam, Hinduism, Judaism are small minority groups, but secularism is growing amongst all people groups.• The South African Constitution is overtly a secular

constitution.

• The young, urban South African population is heavily influenced by secularism as a philosophy and value system.

• Pluralism is waging war against religion, especially Christianity.


The Next Generation

• Robert Botha advocated an alternative approach to healing a nation: focus on the next generation. He argued that we spend too much energy trying to heal adults (therapeutic approach) and too little trying to shape the minds and futures of the children.

• We should focus more on those whose minds are not yet formed. If we can reach them, we can bring about positive and lasting change.


Radical Discipleship

• We recognise the deficiency of transformative discipleship as a factor that permeates many of the problems facing the church today.

• Integrity, simplicity, and humility lie close to the heart of discipleship.

• Christians can only lead out of a place of wholeness, and minister effectively from the basis of a biblical worldview.


Strategic Audiences

• The poor

• Foreigners

• Women and children at risk

• People of other faiths

• Oral learners and non-readers

We need a well-developed theology and strategy for living and ministering among the following groups in our society:

Question: What role should foreigners play in integrating other foreigners into the church?


Issues of Christian Identity

• The critical issues of humility, simplicity, and integrity, together with their antitheses—pride, materialism, and hypocrisy—are closely related to people’s sense of identity.

• We need to understand the forces that shape the way believers think of themselves (e.g. issues of race, gender, and past experiences).

• Proper identity is vital if people are to live and lead out of a place of wholeness.


Pentecostalism

• Pentecostalism was identified as an important sub-movement of the evangelical church in South Africa, but one that has often been misunderstood. We need to correct many popular misunderstandings about Pentecostalism.

• We need a proper understanding of Pentecostalism’s potential contribution to evangelism and missions in South Africa. The Pentecostal church needs to contextualise its mission.


Prosperity Teaching

• We need to develop and promote a biblical theology of prosperity, which provides hope but avoids manipulation.

• We need to teach the younger generation the dignity of work and the value of education, inspiring them to become professionals with a biblical worldview.

• In the face of rampant secularism, materialism, and consumerism, it is critical to teach the church about simplicity and contentment (Matt. 6; 1 Tim. 6).


African Models of Mission

• Several participants expressed frustration with the South African church’s over-dependence on western models of mission and ministry.

• We need to develop distinctly African alternatives. In some cases, we have already developed African approaches to mission and ministry, but we have not published and disseminated them as viable alternatives.


Spiritual Forces

• We need to revisit our theology of the spirit realm, and the role of spiritual forces in breaking down society, assaulting the church, and promoting violence and crime.

• The biblical perspective surely lies between Western theology’s disregard for the spirit world and African traditional religion’s obsession with it.


Contemporary Abuses

• Selling indulgences (healing oil; prayer cloths)

• Distorted concepts of ‘the anointing’

• Pastors as kings in their chiefdoms– Pastors with armour-bearers– Pastors with lofty titles (Apostle; King)

• Poor people, smart cars (mammon-based identity)

• Lack of accountability structures (e.g. offering deposited into pastor’s account)


Islam

• Islam is a growing force in Africa, and is seeking a gateway into South Africa, which is the key nation in Southern Africa.

• We need a deeper social understanding of Islam. We need to move beyond teaching theological students the basics about Islam, and help them to understand the social forces of Islam more deeply.


THE END

south african theological response to lausanne iii

Documents

south african church

south african context

exegetical response

lausanne iiiresearchthere

lausanne iiijohannesburg

formal response

lausanne iiithe formatthe

major themes of lausanne