Category Archives: The Africa Review In Five

The Christian and Cryptocurrency

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–– Charles Russell

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

Bitcoin has recently hit new all-time highs, breaching $120,000 per coin last month. R10,000 invested 5 years ago would have been worth R103,000 today. In comparison, an investment in the JSE all-share index and the S&P500 index would have only yielded R18,000 and R19,000, respectively.

As a Christian, what should we be doing with this information? Could a significant investment in Bitcoin have solved many of the problems Africa faces today? Could it have solved your own financial problems?

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The Logic of Anselm (Ep. 13)

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Watch Anselm Video Here

Around the time of the Middle Ages, a group of educated Christian leaders began to emerge called “schoolmen”.They sought to discover how reason (the power of the mind to think) and faith could work together. They wanted to use their minds to think deeply about why God exists and who He is. The “first of the schoolmen”, and perhaps the greatest, was Anselm of Canterbury. 

Anselm entered the world during a time when the church had been in decline spiritually and culturally for hundreds of years. The leaders of the church were sometimes more ignorant than the common people. One of the sparks of hope in an otherwise gloomy world was Anselm, sometimes called the “Second Augustine”. He became a godly saint that not only served Jesus with his heart and hands, but also with his mind.

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Women’s Rugby?

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Scroll through the BBC’s Africa home page and you’ll find a cesspool of articles promoting violent women’s sports. A cage fighter from Nigeria poses for the camera, her fists up, growling: “I am the queen of the cage.” A video promotes women’s arm wrestling by displaying two ladies with arms the size of #2 pencils—one shrew-sized participant straining for victory while wearing a burka. 

Another article promotes a woman named Peace for becoming the first Ugandan national to sign for a women’s super league rugby squad. Is this wholesome? Should Christians encourage their daughters to play lock and flanker on a rugby team? The implications of our answer go far beyond this one sport but to the very nature of men and women. 

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The Surprising Scarcity of Self-Supporting Churches

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Receiving services and material for free is a serious problem in Africa. For decades, foreign aid has flooded into Africa, though the continent remains the poorest in the world. NGOs grow in Africa like the frogs multiplied in Egypt. Shouldn’t someone shut off the tap and call the annual billions sent to Africa a colossal mistake? Not according to many, where politicians from South Africa still complain about the cutting of USAID, which accounted for 17% of South Africa’s health budget. Other African leaders insist on debt forgiveness. 

What is a church?

Sadly, this mindset has trickled down to the church. Is it healthy that many African congregations are kept afloat through foreign donations? To answer this question, we must first define our terms. The local church is a body of believers that has covenanted together to preach God’s Word and administer baptism and the Lord’s Supper. 

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Cross Purposes About the Cross

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–– Richard Peskett

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

Do you ever, like me, struggle to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with black Africans? I speak often to men and women about Christ—on the streets and in the stores—and even though we are speaking the same language, and they smile, and they agree with me, and they take a tract when offered to them, yet  I usually come away convinced that we were speaking at cross-purposes. I failed again to effectively share the gospel. 

“Speaking at cross purposes” means talking with someone about different things without realising it.

Most Africans are “incurably religious people.” They mention “God” more often than the Europeans with whom I grew up. Africans praise “God” for the rain, and for good health. “God is good,” I might say, and people reply, “All of the time.” But how many of these same people actually know God — the One who reveals Himself in His creation, in the Scriptures, and most clearly in the person of Jesus Christ?

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The “Big Man Syndrome” in Today’s African Churches

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–– Brino Kumwenda

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

The big-man syndrome has dominated the philosophy of leadership in many African churches today. But it doesn’t have to be this way. 

A concerned member of Grace Community Church once asked his pastor, John MacArthur:  “What’s going to happen to Grace Community when you are gone?”

MacArthur answered, “There are people asking me, ‘What’s the replacement plan around here?’ Well, whatever happens to me, this church has many great, gifted, dedicated, highly motivated, and passionate preachers coming behind me that there will be plenty of them to take my place…”

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Should Christians Own Guns? 

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Gun-ownership in the United States is the highest in the world, with a rate of 120 guns per 100 people. Yes, that’s more than one gun per person. Gun-ownership rates in Africa, however, are tiny (at least among non-criminals), with almost non-existent rates in countries like Malawi, Benin, Ethiopia, and Niger. 

In South Africa and South Sudan, there are less than ten gun-owners per one-hundred people, even though (as of 2024), South Africa has the fifth-highest crime rate in the world. 

South Africa is a very dangerous place to live. According to recent crime statistics from the South African Police Service, 453 homes are burgled every day in the country. This despite each home being clothed in a robe of steel burglar bars and shiny razor wire. 

This raises the question: are Christians allowed to defend themselves? If Jesus said to turn the other cheek, may His followers use dogs, walls, and fists to protect their lives and property? If so, are weapons like guns and knives valid? Consider the following four principles.

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Execution of Justice: Should Believers Desire the Death Penalty?

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–– Evan Cantrell

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

In 2020, Tafadzwa Shama and Tapiwa Makore (Sr) killed and dismembered Makore’s nephew, 7-year-old Tapiwa Makore (Jr). The killing was part of a pagan ritual intended to ensure the prosperity of their cabbage growing business.

In 2023, the men were sentenced to death for their horrific crime. However, in December 2024, Zimbabwe repealed the death penalty, almost 20 years after its last execution in 2005. As a result, Shama and Makore had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. 

When faced with brutal crimes like the murder of little Tapiwa Makore, our hearts cry out for justice through the ultimate punishment. However, activists argue that the death penalty only breeds more violence, and is ineffective and unproductive. They hold up Zimbabwe to the rest of Africa as an example of what should be done in abolishing the death penalty. 

What does God’s Word say? Is it right for believers to desire that the death penalty be carried out, or does this stand in conflict with the command to “love our enemy”? 

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Family Overreach in Marriage

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–– Joe Shoko

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

Ubuntuism is a good thing. What makes it unique is the emphasis on communal living. Not too long ago, African communities were distinctly community-oriented. It was as if Acts 2:42-47 was being re-enacted, but without Christ as the focal point. Whenever someone was sick, they didn’t run out of aunties, uncles, brothers and sisters to lend a helping hand. 

In such times, high yard walls were still very much a vague, futuristic half–baked concept and the only thing that separated you and your ‘neighbour’ was the closed doors and windows at night. This was the ideal scenario, until it was time for prospective couples to wed. 

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Reading the ANC’s ‘Bible’: A Christian Response to the Freedom Charter

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–– Tim Cantrell

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

Last month was the 70th anniversary of South Africa’s Freedom Charter, once called the ANC’s “Bible” by former president, Jacob Zuma. Hailed as the true ‘voice of the people’ for liberation since 1955, it is often elevated to the status of religious dogma, and exalted above our national Constitution. As image-bearers of the Almighty, God has placed this cry for freedom and human dignity in all of our hearts, as we’ve often argued here on TARIF. Muzzling the consent of the governed and trampling on human rights is abominable in God’s eyes and must be opposed.

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Four Principles for Overcoming Prejudice and Racism

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

These days, it seems the word “bigotry” could be applied to almost any behaviour. Criticise a Zulu’s English and you’ll be accused of racism. Complement that same Zulu’s English and you’ll be charged with implying that other Zulus can’t speak English well. 

To be sure, Scripture is opposed to every form of prejudice, racism, and bigotry. But it is important to properly define these sinful behaviours. Favouritism is the unfair treatment of certain people. It refers to preferential actions toward one group over another for no good reason. 

But does this mean we treat everyone the same? And isn’t it true that the world seems to call everything racism these days? How do I avoid jealousy of other groups unlike mine, and how do I navigate the idea of prejudice in a way that honours God? 

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The Mess of Minimum Wage (Part 2)

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

The unemployment rate in South Africa stood at about 7% in the mid-1970s. It rose to 13% in the mid-90s, 25% in the late 2000s, and stands at about 33% as of the first quarter of 2025. In a recent survey of 24 developed countries, South Africa had by far the highest unemployment rate. Other worldwide surveys confirm that unemployment in South Africa is among the worst in the world.  

While there are many solutions to unemployment, one obvious answer is removing Minimum Wage Laws (MWLs)—one of the greatest causes of a jobless society. An MWL is when the government makes it illegal to hire someone at a lesser rate than it has decreed. 

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Wokeism: When the Cure Is Worse Than the Disease

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–– David de Bruyn

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

Africa receives some American errors that are quite beneficial. For example, before the NBA finals, the Super Bowl or the World Series, sports merchandisers produce memorabilia of both finalists winning, so as to be able to immediately sell when the final is over. Unfortunately, half of that merchandise represents an alternate universe, where the team that lost actually won. What happens to the champions-that-never-were T-shirts and caps? Many of them are donated to African third-world countries, where needy folks wear shirts displaying an event that never happened. 

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Independence—A Call for African Churches to Support African Missions

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–– Joe Shoko

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

The current call in African countries is for the “Decolonisation of Africa!” One African country, Zimbabwe, gained its independence from British rule on April 18, 1980. It’s neighbour, South Africa, was one of the last countries in Africa to see the end of racial segregation in what is known as apartheid, and to be declared an independent, “democratic” country.  

Currently, there are 54 fully independent countries in Africa. Independence is something that many young university students long for. The dream of being able to come home without the curfew alarm going off, or being frantically called by a worried mother is what many aspire to. When we think of independence, what comes to mind is being able to stand on your own two feet. This is when boys become men.

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The Mess of Minimum Wage (Part 1)

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Most nations around the world utilize minimum wage laws, which make it illegal for employers to pay less than the government-specified price for labor. Politicians and labor unions are notorious in their calls for higher minimum wage. These regulations, however, vary significantly. 

The per-hour minimum wage in USD is about $19 in Luxembourg, $13 in Germany, $7.25 in the US, $2 in India, and $1.50 in South Africa. Some African countries are so poor (like Sudan, Burundi, and the Gambia) that monthly salaries work out to under $1 per day, or just a few cents per hour.  

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Fanon Still Fanning the Flames: Exposing the Lies of Marxism

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–– Tim Cantrell

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

Recently, one astute analyst of South African news went beyond the usual reporting to identify competing ideologies.  Since our national crime and violence have been recently exposed on a global stage, what’s at the root of such ugly fruits? 

Turns out that a 1961 book still exerts an enormous influence on the Ramaphosas and Malemas of our day (just as it did on the Gaddafis, Mugabes and many other tyrants), a kind of Marxist ‘Bible’ for many – entitled, The Wretched of the Earth, by French psychiatrist, Frantz Fanon.  

Thanks to Fanon’s influence, hate and crime (or utterly failed policies like BEE or Eskom) can be justified as long as they are done in the name of liberation.  Instead of believing that mankind is universally evil and needing to be civilised, we’re told man is basically good but oppressed, so Western civilisation must be deconstructed and rebuilt by the liberators.

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10 Theses on Helping the Poor

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Calls for helping the world’s poor are ubiquitous. These cries arise from church pulpits, university professors, school textbooks, media channels, and especially government officials. Indeed, poverty exists all around the world. 

For example, Africa is by far the poorest continent globally. In 2023, twenty-three of the world’s twenty-five poorest countries were in Africa. In 2025, the country with the highest per capita GDP was Luxembourg at $141,080. The nation with the lowest per capita GDP was Burundi at $157, nearly 900 times less than Luxembourg. 

According to Visual Capitalist, South Africa has the greatest wealth inequality in the world. This means that, more than any other country, princes and paupers live side-by-side—or, more realistically—within distant sight of each other. But this is misleading, since the “poor” in South Africa are far wealthier than the middle class of, say, Malawi, where the per capita annual earningis $448 compared to $6,517 in South Africa. 

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The Scandal of the African Church

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–– Seth Meyers

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

The scandal of the African church is that there is not much of an African church. Most of the 54 countries in Africa claim to be Christian by more than 50% of their inhabitants. That works out to be nearly half of the 1.5 billion Africans on the continent. 

Number of Churches

Using South Africa as a test case, can we estimate the number of Christians in the country? If we estimated there were 50 Sola 5 churches with 200 members each in South Africa, that would be 10,000 members. That is more churches and more members in each church, but just as a thought experiment, let it stand. Now add in an estimated 50 assemblies from the Afrikaans Baptiste Kerke with 200 members each, and there is another 10,000.

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The Contours of Godly Speech: A Biblical Evaluation of “Kill the Boer”

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–– Mark Christopher

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

The contentious issue of struggle songs in South Africa has sparked considerable debate, consternation, and division for several years now. Last week, President Trump showed a 5-minute video of Economic Freedom Fighter leader, Julius Malema, singing what is called the “Kill the Boer” song at several rallies. 

As a result, the issue has dominated the headlines for 8 days straight. The South African delegation, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, awkwardly squirmed as Trump had the video played and the world listened to “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer … shoot to kill, shoot to kill … Brrr pop, Brrr pop.”

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Biblical Medicine for Moms & Miscarriages

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Miscarriages worldwide are quite common, occurring in nearly 20% of pregnancies. Most of the countries with the highest miscarriage rates are in Africa, such as Ethiopia, Niger, Mozambique, and Zambia. The majority of us know women who have experienced at least one miscarriage. 

A miscarriage, sometimes called a spontaneous abortion, refers to the premature death of the baby in the womb. As opposed to abortion, which actively murders the child in the womb, a miscarriage is the end of a pregnancy before 20 weeks’ gestation. The death of a baby after 20 weeks is called a stillbirth, whereby the family often holds a funeral. 

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Some African Traditions Must Die

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–– Lennox Kalifungwa

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

What would you do if embracing Christianity demanded the death of a cherished cultural tradition? Though posed as hypothetical, this is a pressing question that every Christian, sooner or later, must confront.

In the wake of British and European colonial withdrawal, many African nations turned enthusiastically to postcolonialism—a postmodern creed animated less by a hunger for self-determination than by a visceral loathing of Western thought and custom. What followed was an era obsessed with the preservation of all things deemed authentically African. In the fevered rush to cast off colonial vestiges, Africans began re-engineering every corner of their cultural landscape—from attire and rituals to language, politics, and ceremonial pomp.

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How Government Hurts Business and What to Do About It

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–– Charles Russell

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

The ANC has been in power for 31 years and makes several empty promises every 5 years. In fact, President Ramaphosa addressed the World Economic Forum in 2019 specifically on the topic of ease of doing business, promising change. 6 years later, there are no noticeable improvements. The party is simply not committed to growth and business-friendliness.

Recently, South Africa was ranked the most difficult place to do business according to the Daily Investor, the last of the 49 countries included. 

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A Judas of a Mother: When Greed Masquerades as Opportunity

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–– Gideon Mpeni

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

The mother of a South African girl, who disappeared aged six more than a year ago, has been convicted of kidnapping and trafficking her daughter.

Kelly Smith and other suspects were arrested after her daughter, Joshlin, went missing from outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town, in February last year. The drama unfolded as court proceedings were conducted. Evidence unmasked the depraved heart of the once dear mother, now caught up in the demonic act of child trafficking. 

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Abortifacients and the Church’s Alarming Silence on “Christian Abortion”

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Who could be responsible for the majority of worldwide killings? The answer may surprise you.

Today’s greatest global holocaust comes not from Muslim fanatics against Christians, or gun-toting killers against their victims, or even abortion doctors against babies. The most common murders may come from mothers, sometimes Christians, against their own children through abortifacient birth control. 

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Should Christians Celebrate Ancestor’s Day?

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–– Tim Cantrell

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

Traditional leaders and political voices in South Africa keep calling for 8 May to become a public holiday, “Ancestor’s Day”, so as to decolonise the Christian calendar with pagan celebrations.  How should the Christian respond to such proposals?  Why do many professing Christians in Africa still worship the ancestors in times of trouble or to ward off evil?  How do believers handle family pressure to join in blood sacrifices to appease and honour the forefathers?  God’s Word offers solid answers to these burning questions.

Christian, could you explain the difference between the blood required by pagan religions compared to Christianity?  The Book of Hebrews often tells us how the blood of Christ was “better”, better than the blood of Abel, better than the blood of bulls and goats, better than the old covenant.  But how is the blood of Christ also better than African Traditional Religion (ATR) sacrifices? 

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Ten Types of Hypocrisy Parents Should Look for in Their Kids

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Some worldwide statistics say two out of every three teens leave the church after high school. In countries where Christianity is growing, parents are tempted to dismiss these numbers as not applicable to them. For example, among the twenty countries where Christianity is growing the most, seven are in Africa: Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Mozambique, and Tanzania. 

Christians usually enjoy immense freedom of religion in places where Christianity is growing. While this is a blessing, freedom of religion can also be a detriment. Hypocrisy among Christians is much less common in countries where believers will be persecuted for following Christ.

For example, how many fake Christians do you think live in the Muslim areas of Uganda, where a Christian couple was recently poisoned by a Muslim woman? Or how about Burkina Faso, where Christians face attacks by militant Islamists? Then there is the Congo DRC, where a batch of seventy and then another forty-seven Christians were just recently murdered by devout Muslims. 

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‘Whites Only’ in this Town—A Christian Response

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–– Seth Meyers

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

A small town about 250 kilometers from Bloemfontein does not allow black people to live in it. Recently, an articulate black woman named Katlego discussed this phenomenon. Other men are trying to promote the idea of Afrikaner preservation as well. 

Do ethnic groups have a right to self-preservation? Can a people group self-segregate? Do they have a responsibility to integrate with all the people around them? Is it kind, loving, or Christian to block people out? Or is it good to make a special place where your values and heritage can be passed on? 

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Is Abortion Ever Justified?

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

In light of President Trump’s recent cuts of abortion aid across Africa, questions continue to rise about the morality of infanticide.

Abortion is unconditionally legal in only a few countries in Africa, including Benin, Tunisia, and South Africa. Most other African nations allow for abortion under certain circumstances, such as rape and fetal impairment. 

This prompts questions. Is abortion ever justified? Is it ever valid or morally permissible under certain circumstances? If so, which exceptions are reasonable? 

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The Fair Works of False Prophets

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–– Brino Kumwenda

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

Shepherd Bushiri, also known as “Major 1,” is a prominent self-proclaimed prophet from Malawi. He is the founder of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG), a non-denominational charismatic church headquartered in Lilongwe, Malawi. The church has grown into a megachurch with branches across Africa and beyond, attracting hundreds of thousands of members. 

Some false prophets today have enough guile and craft to manoeuvre their way in ministry without scandal. Bushiri has found himself lacking in this area and has left a trail of damning controversy in his wake. However, he makes use of an age-old tactic to cover up his flagrant sin, and this brings hordes of his followers to defend his image. 

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Zimbabwe Shuts Down – Yet Again!

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–– Joe Shoko

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

Recently, Zimbabwe was plunged into yet another shutdown. What is meant by shutdown is when a country comes to a standstill. The usually noisy streets were empty and quiet, the central business district (CBD) resembled a ghost town, and in a sense, being in the middle of it on that day was scary.

For decades, Zimbabwe has been on a downward spiral morally, economically, and politically. The country is no stranger to grabbing international attention through its myriad problems. Imagine a country where state-run hospitals have neither running water nor basic medication such as painkillers. As if that were not enough, extortion, bribery and “back door deals” are the order of the day. It’s normal to see street vendors fleeing from police in the CBD and the outskirts on a daily basis. 

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