Category Archives: The Africa Review In Five

The First and Second Commandments in an Age of Materialism

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–– Neil Kruger

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

James K. A. Smith, in his book You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (2016), observes how shopping malls have become modern-day cathedrals that subtly train our desires, shape our worldviews, and teach us what we ought to value as most important. The South African landscape is littered with these ‘centres of culture’ that promote consumerism and convenience. 

If we add to the mix the sort of modern urban lifestyle that thinks of idolatry as the superstition of a bygone era of unsophisticated people, devoid of the advances of the scientific revolution, who bowed down to images made of stone, wood and metal, that means we have a pervasive cultural context wherein Christians should thoughtfully consider how the first and second commands of the Decalogue address the issues of materialism.

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How Christians Should Date In Today’s World

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–– Matt Floreen

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In today’s African dating scene, many single Christians find themselves caught between cultural expectations, modern pressures, and the timeless call to holiness. From Johannesburg to Lagos, the pursuit of love often feels more like navigating an overcrowded marketplace than building covenant relationships, as this recent article laments. The church has often lacked in providing biblical counsel on how to overcome the challenges. How should single Christians approach the issue of dating and finding a spouse?

Why are single Christians often confused about dating relationships? Here are three reasons:

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An African Denomination Fights for Its Life Against Feminism

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–– Paul Schlehlein

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Recently, Die Gereformeede Kerke in Suid-Afrika (GKSA) opposed another push for female leadership in their denomination. In their decision, they wrote: “The GKSA are convinced the Holy Scripture does not permit women to serve in the office of minister of the Word and/or elder.”

The GKSA, sometimes called “Doppers,” is a Calvinistic, Protestant denomination that was established in 1859 and includes over 370 congregations across several southern African countries. They are the most conservative of the three, Reformed “sister churches” in South Africa. The other two, the NGK and the NHKA, have long ago succumbed to female church leadership, making the GKSA’s stand all the more remarkable. 

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Should Christians See the New Michael Jackson Movie?

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–– Tim Cantrell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Parents and pastors are being asked this question, which begs a few prior questions:  ‘Should a believer be a fan of Michael Jackson at all?  Should Christians even listen to secular pop music?  What does it mean for Christ to be Lord over all my entertainment choices?’

So far, the Michael movie is a huge hit here in Africa and globally, expected to gross over $1 billion.  As a father and pastor, I am burdened to help those under my care to honour Christ in these realms of life too easily treated as off-limits, like art, music and leisure, so that we learn to give Christ “first place in everything” (Col. 1:18).  None of life is neutral; all of it is full of meaning that must be discerned:  “Whether then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

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The “Quick Riches” Trap: What the Betting Industry Won’t Tell You

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–– Charles Russell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Another weekend passes by, packed with hundreds of sporting events on which to gamble away hard-earned income. Whether the vice of choice is English Premier League, PSL, IPL, Super Rugby, Racing or Golf, statistically speaking South African’s gamble away more than R28 billion every week, or R1.5 trillion annually, having grown 550% in the past 4 years. This now represents ~20% of SA’s GDP and is one of the country’s most burning social issues.

Looking at this dilemma through a Christian lens, we observe several problems:

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Persevering through Petrol Price Hikes

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— Joe Shoko

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

The Zimbabwean economy is somewhat of a roller coaster, maybe even a conveyor belt of never-ending outward hardships and trials. One recent addition to the pile was the expected but untimely increase in fuel prices. In Southern Africa, Zimbabwe’s fuel prices tower above those of its neighbours, and what is further perplexing is that the economy is more unstable than those of said neighbours. 

The hiking of fuel prices affects numerous factors. Not only is one limited in travel, but all other commodities increase in price because goods and people use fuel to move around. Despite the increase in costs, one’s income rarely follows the same inclinations and often can be reduced, owing to major companies having to adjust their own payrolls.

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Trump’s Intervention: God’s sovereignty and Africa’s Shame

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— Brino Kumwenda

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Christians in Northern Nigeria have been facing perennial persecution. According to a report by Intersociety, over 52,000 Christians have been murdered and 18,000 churches and 2,200 Christian schools have been attacked by Islamist militants in the last 14 years.  In 2025, Donald Trump, the president of the most powerful nation on earth, the USA, threatened to deal with the jihadists if they did not stop killing Christians. 

On Christmas day in 2025, Africa woke up to the news from Donald Trump on Truth Social “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!…”

How should Christians in Africa react to Trump’s intervention in Nigeria?  In this article, I propose two reactions.  

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What About Gay Christians?

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— Ntumba Katabua

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Ever since the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in 2008 in South Africa, social activists have been pressuring the church to do the same. 

This raises the question: Does the category of “gay Christian” have biblical warrant?  Is some form of homosexuality acceptable in the church?

A 2020 survey in the USA noted that among religious LGBTQ+ adults, 77% identified as Protestant, Roman Catholic or other Christian.  Statistics for South Africa are unavailable, but are not expected to vary wildly from the USA statistics.

This discussion is important because, within the evangelical church, there are some who are desperate to make peace with the moral revolution and are looking to endorse the acceptance of openly gay individuals and couples within the life of the church.  Sadly, many denominations have since accepted same-sex ideology and are even promoting it.

Here are three considerations when discussing the idea of homosexual Christians.

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Divorce Disqualifies Boshoff & Co.

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— Tim Cantrell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

“Stay out of my private life!”  We expect to hear that in the world, but not in the church.  Unsaved professionals might live a two-faced, double life – shining in public, while masking a home life in shambles.  But if there is any one place, amidst this world of lies, where we expect integrity and honesty, it is God’s house, “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).  

That’s why we are rightly angered and dismayed every time we hear of hypocrites in the pulpit.  In recent years in Africa, there have been an appalling number of public scandals of high-profile preachers who are now biblically disqualified by divorce, yet they refused to step down or soon returned to the pulpit: Ray McCauley; Chris Oyakhilome; Enoch Phiri; Joshua Iginla; Aloysius Bugingo, and the shameful list of villains goes on and on.

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International Alliances and Christian Discernment: South Africa, Iran, Russia, and China

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— David de Bruyn

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In every age, God’s people have lived within political orders not of their own making. The prophet Jeremiah instructed the exiles to “seek the welfare of the city” (Jer. 29:7), even when that city was Babylon. Likewise, Paul commanded prayer “for kings and all who are in authority” (1 Tim. 2:2), even when Nero occupied the throne. Christians, therefore, are neither anarchists nor idolaters of the state. 

Today, South Africa’s growing alignment with Iran, Russia, and China requires sober Christian evaluation. South Africa is a leading member of BRICS, alongside Russia, China, and others. In 2024, Iran formally joined this bloc. These relationships are often claimed to be an attempt to balance Western dominance and expand economic opportunity.

In principle, it is not sinful to diversify a nation’s trade relationships. Yet Scripture teaches that alliances are never morally neutral. Psalm 1 warns against walking “in the counsel of the wicked.” 

Christians must ask: What kind of regimes are we drawing close to? What moral visions animate them? 

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Africans Must Learn to Keep Their Word

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— Lennox Kalifungwa

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In the African mind, words are often treated as polite suggestions—harmonies of sound fit for appeasing an audience.

For this reason, words written into law, inked onto contracts, and spoken as verbal commitments are frequently treated as non-binding.

In this theatre, words are not really meant to be believed or lived by. They are not expected to be crafted with precision so as to communicate certainty. The premium placed on words is low as books remain unread and unwritten, as avenues of instant gratification displace libraries, and as illiteracy incrementally becomes institutionalised.

Despite Africa’s growing obsession with education—believing it to be the saviour from peril—it persists in its failure to take words seriously.

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Pray for Madagascar: How God is at Work Amidst Suffering

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— Tim Cantrell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

As if last October’s coup was not bad enough for impoverished Madagascar, now this month brings more disaster through two devastating cyclones.  In recent weeks, our church also enjoyed a special visit from a Malagasy pastor bringing good news of all that the Lord is doing there in His Church and through their suffering.  God has raised up Faly, his church (where he is an elder) and his ministry in the capital city, Antananarivo, to build a healthy church, to train up faithful pastors, and to plant and strengthen churches and serve believers across that island in a myriad of ways.  

Through Faly and others, God has given our church in Johannesburg a twenty-year close friendship with beloved Malagasy believers, and a burden for the Lord’s work there.  I have been there many times, and I always come away deeply encouraged.  Here are some ways you too can rejoice and pray more intelligently for the cause of Christ’s kingdom on that beautiful-but-beleaguered island.

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Christianity – Not a white religion

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— Charles Russell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Our Bible study is currently going through a book on evangelism. One of the young men asked me how to respond when, while sharing his faith, was confronted with the accusation that he had been spending too much time around white people. “Don’t you know… Christianity is a white religion”, his accuser asserted.

Like a punch to the gut, he was at a loss for words and overwhelmed with doubt. “Have I got it all wrong? Have I been lied to?” he thought to himself. “If this assertion is true, then the gospel that I am attempting to share is worthless”. This accusation is deeply emotive at its core. If the “white man” came to South Africa in 1652 with his “false gospel” and his subsequent display of heinous racism expressed through apartheid, then I have fallen prey to his indoctrination!

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Crippling Debt versus Godly Contentment

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— Richard Peskett

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Ayana (her name has been changed to protect her anonymity) was so grateful to her boss for her Christmas bonus that she knelt on the ground to thank her. Yet before the end of the month, all this extra money had been spent on “things” that she delighted to boast about on social media. One month later, and she was in debt again.

The debt that Ayana experiences is like a dark hole from which it is impossible to escape. Such personal debt enslaves a person; it brings sorrow, anxiety, and even despair. And it is all too common in Africa. 

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Helping the Poor: Wealth Creation or Wealth Redistribution

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— Tim Cantrell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

What a stark contrast between the two G20s: November 2025’s G20 here in Johannesburg prioritised climate change and redistribution of wealth to reduce inequality, which has never worked.  All this is driven by the socialistic, flawed philosophy of globalism.  

2026’s G20 will focus on “economic prosperity by limiting regulatory burdens, unlocking affordable and secure energy supply chains, and pioneering new technologies and innovations” – prioritising wealth creation instead of redistribution.  Which approach will prove more helpful to the poor?  

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A Religion of Fear

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— Brino Kumwenda

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

There is pervasive fear among Africans, including professing Christians.  It is fear that is based on the African Traditional Religion and the misinterpretation of Scripture.  This is why modern-day prophets run the lucrative business of inflicting or solidifying fear in people and presenting themselves as men and women of God, who have the power to set the people free from their slavery of fear. 

The people run to them and are more than willing to “sow a seed” and buy their anointed objects like water and oil so that they can be set free. The business is thriving because traditional Africans have these fears and believe that mediums such as witchdoctors can set them free from them. 

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The Politics of Blame

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— Lennox Kalifungwa

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

There is a sense in which complaint is the resignation and abdication of responsibility. This unqualified assertion will likely prompt the retort that affliction and pestilence are commonplace, and that people should be free to express their discomfort without fear of moral shaming.

Yet this expected retort ought to earn the response that trouble neither nullifies nor exempts a person from responsibility; in fact, it provides an opportunity for duty to be constructively exercised and applied.

To begin an article with such philosophical dialogue may not be ideal in some books, and yet it is necessary to confront the unfortunate spectacle that has been enshrined in the dogma of this modern world.

We live in a world that not only promotes, normalises, and celebrates irresponsibility but has effectively politicised and institutionalised it.

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Why Don’t Nigerian Black Lives Matter?

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— Paul Schlehlein

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

The organisation known as Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a violent, dangerous, Marxist movement. It is fiction, a sham, and a lie to believe that BLM really cares about black lives. Consider just two examples to support this claim: BLM’s outspoken support of abortion in the US and their deafening silence concerning the murder of black Christians around the world. 

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Gender-Based Violence: A National Disaster?

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— David de Bruyn

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In the run-up to the G20 conference, various lobbyists in South Africa were calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare Gender-Based Violence a “national disaster”. Eventually, this was conceded, and the Department of Social Development posted the announcement on its website

What is meant by this declaration? What difference will it make? And what does it say about the beliefs of a large number of South Africans?

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Might Your Phone be the Problem?

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— Richard Peskett

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

There is an old spiritual song called, Give me Jesus. Here is the first verse:


In the morning, when I rise,

In the morning, when I rise,

In the morning, when I rise,

Give me Jesus.

When most Christians wake up in the morning, their mantra is not, “Give me Jesus,” but rather, “Give me my mobile phone.”

Did you know that the average mobile ownership in Africa, according to a recent survey of 34 African countries, is 84%? Telcom operators are targeting Africa with affordable phones to increase their use. Furthermore, it has recently been reported that South Africans spend more time on their screens than any other nation in the world. How much time is this? The report states that the average South African spends 58.2% of their day in front of screens, “with 22.5% of their day dedicated to scrolling social media.” Can this really be true? A recent guest in our home averaged over 10 hours a day on their phone.

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South Africa’s Unemployment Crisis

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— Charles Russell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

According to the recently released quarterly labour force survey, South African unemployment stands at a staggering 33%. Using the expanded definition (i.e., including those who have abandoned their search for employment due to discouragement), the rate is 43%. Nearly 1 in every 2 people looking for a job cannot find one (for the 33% and the 43%).

Not only is this the worst rate in Africa, where the average unemployment is around 9%, but it is also the highest in the world, equal to eSwatini at 34.4% at Dec-24). South Africa is in a crisis.

Before the Christian is tempted to panic, as many of us are, God is still in control – even in this unemployment pandemic.

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Can a Christian Vote for the DA?

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–– Evan Cantrell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

On 13 October 2025, the Democratic Alliance, also known as the DA, participated in the “Joburg Pride” march, celebrating what the DA’s Rainbow Alliance called “the beauty, resilience, and strength of Africa’s LGBTQIA+ community”. 

The largest party in South Africa is the ANC, whose policies and actions have brought South Africa to its knees. The party most known for resisting the ANC in ways that have achieved practical results for the good of South Africa is the DA. The DA stands for the free market and against the ANC’s hyper-racial and socialist policies. 

However, the DA does not oppose abortion, allowing the murder of innocents to continue unabated. It proudly supports homosexual relationships in every form, contributing to the breakdown of the families which form the bedrock of society. Scripture clearly describes these positions (also endorsed by the ANC) as bringing God’s judgment on a nation. The DA government in Cape Town also distinguished itself in the Covid-19 era by stringently enforcing “lockdown” measures. 

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The Danger of Date-setters

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–– Paul Schlehlein

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Recently, a man from South Africa named Joshua Mhlakela predicted that the rapture of the church would occur between September 23-24 of this year. He made this claim after supposedly receiving a vision about Christ’s return. In his TV interview, which has since received hundreds of thousands of views, Mhlakela claimed to be a “billion per cent sure” the Lord would return on those dates, though the dates continue to change. South African singer-turned preacher Danie Botha made a similar false claim about the Lord’s return.

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The Evil Extortion Epidemic

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–– Joe Shoko

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In most African countries, when citizens see the police, they turn the other way or pass them begrudgingly. Instead of feeling safe and secure around their supposed protection unit, people would rather risk driving into the drainage ditches, fleeing from their assailers. This is the reality that every Zimbabwean, believer or non-believer, must live with: the fact that they are likely to be arrested, extorted, and harassed on trumped-up charges.

It is no secret that Zimbabwe is one of the most corrupt countries in Africa. The logic follows that a country with leaders who selectively apply the law is policed by lawless men and women. In 2017, for example, the head of police was arrested for failing to prove how he acquired his seven-million-dollar mansion and other properties, despite being a mere civil servant. 

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Can We Unite With Catholics & Mormons? Gospel Purity & Civic Duty

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–– Tim Cantrell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In preparation for November’s G20 Summit to be hosted in South Africa, an Interfaith Forum was recently held in Cape Town to unite religious leaders to “strengthen peace-making efforts” in global conflicts.  The All Africa Council of Churches accounts for some “200 million Christians” across the continent.  In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder and a conservative resurgence in the USA, there are new calls for reconciling Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, and others (especially when both the 2nd and 3rd in command are devout Catholics—Vance & Rubio).  Meanwhile, others are calling for believers to come out and be separate from any political alliances with unbelievers.

How do we resist the temptation of ecumenism yet remain engaged in society? We’ll look at legitimate and illegitimate cooperation with unbelievers, all hinging upon the purpose for which we are uniting.

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Why Boys Matter

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–– Paul Schlehlein

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

There are more boys alive today than at any time in human history. Africa, in particular, possesses an army of boys, as it is projected that by 2050, 40% of the world’s children will live in Africa. By 2055, Africa’s child population will reach one billion. By 2050, boys ages 1-18 will account for 1.5 billion of the population, more than the entire world’s population just 200 years ago in 1825. 

Add to this the 21st century’s One-Child policy—which wiped out millions of female births—and it’s clear that boys should be our priority, though not for what they can accomplish at this moment.

Despite most boys being too tender-aged for great exploits, there are outliers. Mozart wrote his first symphony at age eight. Alexander the Great started conquering the world at age eighteen. Both at age nineteen, respectively, the Marquis de Lafayette helped turn the tide of the Revolutionary War and Blaise Pascal invented a calculator.  

But the average boy simply needs steady character training today so that he will be of good use tomorrow. Let’s explore some reasons why boys matter. 

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Should a Husband Take His Wife’s Surname?

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–– Paul Schlehlein

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Mark it down as another win for feminism after South Africa’s highest courts recently ruled that a husband can legally take the surname of his wife, overturning a law that once barred them from doing so.

What has long been a common practice in Europe has now made its way to Africa, as the South African Constitutional Court decided that the previous law which only allowed male surnames in marriage, was a “colonial import” and did not promote gender equality. This came after both an Afrikaans and an English husband sued for not being allowed to take their respective wives’ surnames.

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Should God Bless Africa?

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–– David de Bruyn

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

The national anthem of South Africa begins with the words Nkosi’ Sikelele Africa – God bless Africa. Not often do people stop to ask, ‘Should God bless Africa?’ ‘Why would God bless Africa?’

The Bible describes the source of blessing for a country, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Prov. 14:34) When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. (Prov. 29:2) The king establishes the land by justice, but he who receives bribes overthrows it. (Prov. 29:4) Righteous rulers and righteous citizens mean the nation is righteous.

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The Reformation of Balthasar Hubmaier (Ep. 18)

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Watch Hubmaier video here

Here’s a good Latin phrase to know: semper reformanda. It means “always reforming”. Christians should seek continuously to be changed (or, “reformed”)—not by culture or popular opinion—but by the Word of God. 

The most outstanding theologian among the Anabaptists of the sixteenth century was Balthasar Hubmaier, who modelled well the mentality of semper reformanda, though the phrasedid not become popular until hundreds of years after his death. 

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Modesty: A Lost Virtue

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–– Joe Shoko

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

It is summertime, and that means Christian men and women, but mostly men, must work all the harder to pluck their eyes out in the face of public indecency and immodesty. Welcome to the postmodern era – where sanity, virtue, shame and dignity have all been thrown out of the window, but nudity, sensuality, and impurity of all kinds have all been embraced in the name of progressivism and inclusivity. The bible has two glaring passages that address the pertinent issue of modest dressing. 

“Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire” (1 Timothy 2:9), “but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” (1 Peter 3:4).

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