Category Archives: The Africa Review In Five

How to Answer: “The Bible Never Says Abortion is Sin.”

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Abortion marches on in Africa, as technology has made infanticide easier than ever before. 

But the groundswell of so-called “women’s health medicine” is not the only pusher of abortion. The church has largely been silent on child murder and silence means consent. When is the last time you saw a march in Africa in defence of unborn murdered children? Are stories like secret forced abortions more common in Africa than well-reasoned articles in opposition to it? Is it surprising that Africa’s most famous modern bishop—Desmond Tutu—was pro-abortion? Are Christians able to spot poor arguments for abortion, even when they are coming from the church?

Recently, the following tweet came out from a well-known influencer on social media: “The Bible never says abortion is sin. Period.” 

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To Speak or Not to Speak –– When Should Christians Publicly Condemn Sin?

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–– Evan Cantrell

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

Introduction:

On 26 July 2024, the Olympics opened with a parade of sin and decadence, including a drag parody of the Last Supper. Many South African pastors and churchgoers have taken to social media in response – either to condemn this event or to berate fellow Christians for their tone in condemning this event. In today’s article we will consider the Christian response to cultural sin and public mockery of God. Should Christians respond publicly, from the platform of social media or wherever else we have a voice? Does God need Christians to take care of His honour? Or should Christians be quiet and merely “expect unbelievers act like unbelievers”? Today we consider two questions which will frame our understanding of this controversial topic.

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A Word of Wisdom on the Worth of Women

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–– Richard Peskett

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

Last week South Africa celebrated “National Women’s Day.” It is a public holiday which commemorates a group of women who took a stand against oppression—on the 9th of August 1956, the women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against the government’s unjust pass laws. National Women’s Day is thus “a reminder of the important contributions women make to society, as well as a time to ponder the advances in women’s rights.” 

Women’s Day also highlights the mistreatment of women in South Africa at the hands of men. God has made men to protect women, not to abuse them. Furthermore, God has given marriage as the hallowed place for physical intimacy between a husband and wife—it is therefore wickedness when men sleep around with women, sometimes forcibly, selfishly fulfilling the passions of their sinful flesh and leaving women to live with the consequences of their immorality. It is right to act against such abuse of women.

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On Women’s Boxing and Other Abominations

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

A brouhaha has formed in the women’s boxing division of the 2024 Olympics. Imane Khelif, a boxer from the North African country of Algeria, defeated Angela Carini from Italy in 46 seconds. Carini withdrew after just two blows, saying she had never been hit so hard. She cried: “It’s not fair!”

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Am I Gay?

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–– Tim Cantrell

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

“Unlike the rest of the African Continent, South Africa is worlds apart when it comes to being classed as an LGBTQ+ welcoming destination.”  This is the opening line on a popular gay travel website.  According to the South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and other studies, approximately 5-10% of our South African population supposedly identify as homosexual in some way.  Every year in the church I pastor I hear of more friends and family of our flock being drawn in by the aggressive gay agenda in this land, and I must be ready to minister the gospel to any repentant sinner who walks through our doors or seeks biblical counsel.  Here is one example of how my wife and I have sought to minister to youth and young adults who are tempted by same-sex attraction. 

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Why Don’t Men Go To the Rural Areas?

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–– Seth Meyers

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

Have you ever met a man who preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and taught the Scriptures honestly and consistently on the Lord’s Day in one of Africa’s 2,000 black languages? Years ago I had the privilege of speaking to a black leader of an African denomination that had more than 400 churches, and he told me that the churches in his group are, generally speaking, all using English. At a different meeting with dozens of African pastors from several countries, I could not find a pastor ministering in a black language. If you have not met a man like this, that indicates relatively, that men are not commonly going to the rural areas. 

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Should the Government Provide Free Healthcare for All?

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–– Mark Christopher

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

Over the last 10 years, there has been a great deal of discussion and debate concerning the recently adopted National Health Insurance (NHI) legislation here in South Africa. One of the many overriding concerns of the NHI bill is its hefty price tag and how to pay for it in a country with a limited taxbase. According to a recent article, every tax-paying South African will have to add an additional 30,000 rands in annual taxes to implement NHI. 

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Good Theology Builds Economies: God’s Blueprint for Societal Flourishing

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–– Lennox Kalifungwa

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

The world has grown accustomed to economic turmoil. Despite the veneer of progress, inflation, high taxation, currency instability, unemployment, debt, and dependency have become entrenched as normal. Numerous efforts to mitigate these economic challenges through policy, democracy, government intervention, aid, debt restructuring, and wealth redistribution have yielded persistent issues with incremental devastation. 

An economy mirrors the values and beliefs of a culture or society. At the core of every economy lies a belief system that is fundamentally theological. Everyone lives based on their beliefs about God, which influence their thoughts, emotions, and actions. As beings designed to be governed by what they worship, humans live every aspect of their lives within theological frameworks, whether they recognise it or not. Theology is inescapable, shaping the lenses through which we perceive the world. 

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Our dating culture needs rescuing too! 

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–– Malamulo Chindongo

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

Bible-believing Christians share a conviction about the primacy of marriage in God’s purposes. Sadly, such convictions are fading among many professing Christians. God gave us marriage as a gift; it is the very foundation of every society. Marriage lies at the core of every civilization. No group of people can flourish without healthy marriages. The Devil hates marriage, period—why? It is a unique relationship, a covenant between one man and one woman, existing solely for the glory of God. When done right, marriage brings many of God’s blessings to those who engage in it.

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Africa’s Absent Fathers: Working Away from Home and Family

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–– Warrick Jubber

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

Among Africa’s many problems, one of its greatest is the absence of fathers from the home. The Human Sciences Research Council reports that in South Africa, over 60% of children do not reside with their biological fathers, with only 20% seeing their biological father bi-weekly. 

The importance of a father’s role in the family and especially the development of children has been the subject of extensive global research. The National Fatherhood Initiative reported that children living in father-absent homes are almost four times more likely to be poor and twice as likely to drop out of school. Children raised without the influence of a father are also reported to face significantly higher probabilities of being abused or indulging in crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and sexual promiscuity. 

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Have We Looked at All the Fields? The Forgotten Majority: 800 Words for 800 Million

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–– Seth Meyers

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

The population of the world now lives more in cities than in rural areas—approximately 57% to 43%. But that number is reversed for Africa where more than half still live in rural areas. 

A brief comparison of urban and rural areas

If the numbers are accurate, 1.4 billion people live in 54 countries on this continent meaning 800 million are in the rural areas. It is very difficult to determine what the word rural means precisely, but I have commonly used the tripartite metric of jobs, tar roads, and use of English. As these three become more rare, the area deserves the title rural more and more. 

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Good News for African Girls: Child Marriage & Christianity

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–– Tim Cantrell

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

Amidst all the world’s bad news, good news was heralded from Sierra Leone last week about the outlawing of child brides, where one-third of girls are forcibly married off before the age of 18, leading to a high number of maternal deaths (because of premature pregnancy).  Child marriage is a longstanding, pagan practice in many African countries, with West and Central Africa currently leading the world with nearly 60 million child brides.  In East Africa, fathers in the Maasai tribe can give away a 12-year-old daughter, against her will, to a polygamist old enough to be her grandfather.  In the Muslim country of Mauritania, it is common in villages to find brides as young as 10 or 11 years of age. 

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Clarity On Christian Unity: Defining the Essentials and Non-essentials

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–– Andrew Zekveld

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

The Apparent Confusion About Christian Essentials

Christian unity keeps popping up as a topic of serious consideration among the masses who consider themselves Christian. 

This year, from our own continent in Burkina Faso, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was themed around the greatest two commandments of love for God and love for your neighbour. Emphasising the virtues of charity, mercy, justice, and unity was presented as the key to uniting Christians around the world.Already the World Council of Churches is planning next year’s Week of Prayer for Christianity Unity, and the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea with the theme of “believing” and “affirming the faith” is heralded as the key to unity among Christians in 2025.

No doubt, that theme for 2025 will cause some disunity, since it appears that the Catholic Pope thinks it is not necessary to “affirm the faith” as composed in the Nicene Creed of 325 AD, but calls instead for world peace freed from religious persuasion.

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Kenya’s Eco-Tax Revolt: A Christian Response

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–– Mark Christopher

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

Over the course of recent weeks, a violent anti-tax protest erupted in Kenya beginning in the capital of Nairobi before spreading to other municipalities. At the time this article was written, protestors stormed the parliament building and set it ablaze. All of the Kenyan parliamentarians safely escaped through an evacuation tunnel. It has been reported that police have opened fire with live rounds. So far, 39 people have been reported killed, while dozens were injured. It has also been reported that some 50 people are missing and are thought to have been abducted by Kenyan police. The president of Kenya, William Ruto, has sought to ease tensions and bring some measure of calm to the uprising. 

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Ancestor Worship in the Church

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Recently while preaching in Namibia, I visited a far-northern town near the border of Angola. I took my sons to a village cemetery to visit the grave of a famous missionary buried there. We looked through the overgrown grass and horizon of headstones and spotted two men kneeling before a grave, bent over in humility, lips moving silently in prayer. After some minutes they moved to the next grave marker, then the next, and the next. They confided later that they were praying to their ancestors. 

Defining Ancestor Worship

This is not uncommon in Africa. Veneration of ancestral spirits permeates traditional African culture as commonly as drumming and dancing. In the thinking of Traditional African Religion (ATR), the ancestors demand respect and remembrance. Honouring them will lead to blessing. Neglecting them will cause misfortune. 

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Does the Minimum Wage Protect Workers?

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–– David de Bruyn

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

Because of Africa’s history of slavery and racial discrimination, African governments often believe it is their duty to protect labourers from exploitation. They believe one of the ways to do this is to enact and enforce minimum wage laws, forcing businesses and employers to pay labourers no less than a stipulated amount. 

On the surface, this seems fair. After all, shouldn’t governments stop greedy businesses from exploiting desperate people? 

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Perilous Tax Protest in Kenya 

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–– Gideon Mpeni

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

This past week has been marked by shocks, frustration, and what the Kenyan citizens may term as palpable failure in nation-building, state construction, and development. When the protests, dubbed “Occupy Parliament”, began on Tuesday the 18th of June, Wycliffe Muia reports that it all looked peaceful. However Anti-tax protesters in Kenya are in shock after a 29-year-old man was killed during the nationwide demonstrations against a new finance bill. Rex Kanyike Masai, who was protesting on Thursday in the centre of Nairobi, died of gunshot wounds, as reported by a doctor from a hospital in the capital, as per a local newspaper. Police fired tear gas and water cannons at largely peaceful protesters near parliament as lawmakers were debating proposals to bring in new taxes.

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The Myth of Neutrality: Recognising the Ideological War that Rages in the World

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–– Warrick Jubber

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

According to the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, there are currently more than 35 armed conflicts on the African continent, taking place in regions like Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

Whatever the state of political and military tensions on the African continent may be, Christians need to recognise that the world is engulfed in a war that involves all of humanity. It is not a physical war but a spiritual one that rages for control of our morals, of what we believe to be true, and ultimately of our worldview. However, many believers are ignorant of this ongoing war because they have embraced the myth of neutrality. Perhaps one of the enemy’s greatest tactics is to keep Christians ignorant of the war, or at least naive to the scale of the conflict.

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Sullen Shepherds: A Word of Hope to Discouraged Pastors

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–– Malamulo Chindongo

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

I’ve spoken to some pastors over the years, who have come close to quitting their ministry. They have felt this way due to the stresses and pain of betrayal in ministry, financial trouble, slander, gossip, and challenges in leadership. Other experiences in ministry that cause anguish may be a lack of growth, discontentment with our own preaching and dealing with our own besetting sins.

The work of pastoral ministry is not for the faint-hearted. We read in Philippians 1:29 that “it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.”  

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Free Money – The Fake Solution for Real Poverty

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–– Titus Cantrell

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

South Africa could become the first country in the world to implement a Universal Basic Income (UBI) grant, according to recent articles by Business Tech and Yahoo Finance. 

The University of Witwatersrand defines Universal Basic Income as an “unconditional cash transfer paid regularly to all on the basis of citizenship.” A prominent supporter of this economic policy defined it as, “A cash grant to all, no questions asked, no strings attached.”

The basic tenet of UBI is that the government can accomplish its goal of eradicating inequality by offering a guaranteed income to everyone. Proponents of UBI, such as the ANC (African National Congress), argue that it could “effectively eliminate poverty in society.” 

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Is Islam a Religion of Peace?

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Recently two evangelists in Uganda were left in a pool of blood by Muslims demanding they renounce Christ. Just in 2024 alone, we read in horror of Muslims ambushing Christians in Kenya, murdering evangelists in Uganda and burning homes of recent converts. Some estimate over a million Christians have been martyred in just the first decade of the 21st century. 

As the blood of Christian martyrs paints Africa red, how then can Islam be called a religion of peace? In answering this question, let us consider four aspects of Islam: her followers, her faith, her founder, and her flags.

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A Tale of Genocide Ignored

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–– Mark Christopher

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

As a result of the current war between Israel and Hamas, charges of genocide have been levelled against Israel by South Africa and the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Israel has been accused of intentionally targeting Palestinian civilians in Gaza as they seek to defeat their long-time enemy Hamas. Any loss of civilian life is always tragic and regrettable during a time of war. Yet, the matter in this war is exacerbated by Hamas using women and children as human shields, which is a tactic long used by the Iranian-backed Hamas.   

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Are Career Moms Better Off?

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Should more mothers participate in the workplace? Will mothers who seek careers enjoy more peace and fulfilment? According to an article by Stellenbosch Business School in South Africa, women are unrepresented in today’s workplace, and businesses throughout Africa face gender imbalance, essentially punishing mothers for “having children”. 

Legion are the articles written by African mommies trying to balance a career and children. One Nigerian career mother fired seven nannies in one year. Another mum from Uganda argued that children cared for by strangers are no worse off than those cared for by their mothers. What are we to make of this?

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May I Marry Any Christian?

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–– Tim Cantrell

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

A recent study showed that South Africa is one of only three countries in the world where religious involvement has increased in recent years, with over 85% of the country now claiming some kind of Christianity.  But this raises the immediate question, “What kind of Christianity is it that is growing?  What kind of gospel is being preached?” It also raises pastoral questions such as one I’m asked by young people: 

“May I marry anyone who claims to be a Christian?”   

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Whiteness, Worship, and the Myth of African Freedom

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–– Lennox Kalifungwa

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

Analyzing and Confronting Africa’s Self-Imposed Chains

In the tapestry of African history, the notion of freedom has often been miscast—a concept disconnected from truth and moral goodness. A pervasive belief has taken root, convincing many that true liberation equates to emancipation from whiteness and Western ideologies rather than a comprehensive freedom from sin and tyranny. This fixation on whiteness stems from postmodern Marxist theories that perpetually position white individuals as oppressors. This perspective has blinded many Africans to the stark reality: they remain unfree, and this bondage is self-inflicted. The pursuit of freedom, in its truest sense, has been supplanted by a fervent desire to eradicate whiteness and Western thought.

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Dewey’s Deadly Doctrines: A Review of the Public School System

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–– Gideon Mpeni

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

As one walks through the corridors of our public schools, runs through the sports fields, and then enters into the chambers that have cabinets full of trophies and memories of the achievements, you would be stunned and left with a sense of awe and wonder by the heroic records that have stood for years, achieved by those who lived in times past. But behind this veneer of successes on the sports fields is the corruption and destruction that can be likened to that of termites which are internally damaging the trusses of a once-magnificent building. The owners are busy painting them but soon the structure will fall as the trusses cannot withstand the wind, the storms, and the weight of the tiles. An education system’s relevance lies in its Curriculum, and no curriculum is atheological, or neutral. 

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“Brother, the Woman You Are Looking for Doesn’t Exist”

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–– Joe Shoko

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

I have been a Christian now for 10 years, 5 of which have been spent on the mission field preaching, teaching, pastoring, discipling and observing. Apart from the rampant charismaticism we see these days, there is not a more perplexing and bewildering issue as single Christian men looking for a marriage partner. 

Marriage was instituted by and is a gift from God. It was God Himself who said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18-24). When we read the Bible we quickly observe that God’s intention was that mankind even after the fall was not meant to be alone. The most famous Apostle, Paul, makes this clear in his first letter to the Corinthians where he points out that each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband (1 Corinthians 7:2). For many single Christian men, searching for a woman is an arduous task, not a joyful, hopeful exercise.   This is because I believe that the woman they are looking for doesn’t exist. There are three possible reasons I would say so. 

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Take Note Before You Vote

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–– Malamulo Chindongo

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

In a few days, South Africans will head to the polls to cast their votes in the National elections; making a mark on that ballot paper, for the political party they believe should run the affairs of the country at the national and provincial level. How should Christians be thinking amidst the many discussions regarding the upcoming elections?

What we will consider here does not apply to the elections in South Africa alone but to all other nations considering elections as well. God’s people must carefully explore our role in the way national leaders are appointed and how we can relate with them. Some of our frustration with our political leaders stems from the fact that we ask from them that which only God can supply. Christians ought to relate to the civil government biblically. If we can apply biblical principles and instructions we will do our souls a great deal of service and escape unnecessary grievances against our politicians. We must change, from being those who are antagonistic toward civil government to those who love and “seek the prosperity” of our nations. (Jeremiah 29:7).

In spite of all the evil we see in politics and with our politicians, we must bring to remembrance these three facts about civil government, especially as we go to the ballot in the coming days:

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Potholes and Pitfalls: When Christians Stumble

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–– Tim Cantrell

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

Potholes have been a way of life on roads in Africa for a long time; with South Africa now attributing 25% of all road accidents in the country to poor road conditions.  Fail to spot a pothole and you’ll pay for it in lost time and replacing that tyre!  How much more crucial then in our spiritual lives that we learn to spot potholes and pitfalls, where eternal souls are at stake and everlasting consequences await us?

Jesus warned His disciples often about stumbling blocks to be avoided in the minefield of this enemy-occupied territory, a Satanic system of darkness and deception.  Jesus said, “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks!  For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!” (Matt. 18:7).  Believers toy with temptation and stumble into sin because they don’t see the stumbling blocks.  Our Lord plainly shows that Heaven and Hell are at stake, as He urgently pleads with us about this life-or-death struggle against sin (Matt. 18:8-10).

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Mercy or Murder? Thoughts on Euthanasia

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Should doctors or family members be allowed to help a person die if they have a painful or terminal illness? Some first-world countries would answer yes, as euthanasia is legal in a handful of nations like the Netherlands, Portugal, Australia, Ecuador, and Spain. In 2024, eight South African doctors published their opinions in a national medical journal in hopes of persuading the nation’s High Court to legalize euthanasia. Should more societies follow suit? 

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