— Tim Cantrell

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

In Muslim parts of Africa, fierce persecution rages against Christians, even betrayal from their own relatives.  But for those of us living in countries (like South Africa) that enjoy religious freedom, what if my unsaved family has not cut me off?  Should I ever cut them off?  

God’s Word shows that He loves for His salvation to spread through families – from Noah’s family saved with him in the ark, to the gospel reaching entire households in Acts, to an unsaved spouse or child “sanctified” by one believer in the home (1 Cor. 7:14), to sibling evangelism with Andrew bringing Peter, and James and John together following Christ.

Paul counsels us, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Col. 4:5-6).  How then can we “make the most of the opportunity” in witnessing to our lost loved ones?  Here are 10 ways we can build bridges to reach unsaved family for Christ.  (For my full audio seminar on this, go here.)

— Evan Cantrell

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

On 4 February 2026, a pregnant woman was gunned down in a home invasion. Her murder also caused the death of her unborn child, due to be delivered next month. If caught, however, her killer will be charged with only one murder. The reason for this goes back to the case of the State v David Best. 

On Valentine’s Day 2006, Melissa Shelver and her boyfriend, David Best, were on their way home from her 38-week scan with the gynaecologist when, in an apparent hijacking, Best was shot in the shoulder, and Shelver was shot twice through the side of her stomach. Two teams of doctors performed emergency surgery on the mother and child, attempting to save the baby by an emergency caesarean section. Shelver survived, but the doctors were unable to save baby Jenna-May. Her spine had been shattered by the bullets fired into Shelver’s womb. 

Best later confessed that he had plotted to stage the murder due to his relationship with another woman. He was arrested and charged with the murder of his unborn child. In his trial, the judge recognised that baby Jenna-May experienced her murder no differently than a child the same age outside of the womb would have.

Watch John Huss video here

Along with Peter Waldo and John Wycliffe, John Huss stands among the greatest of the pre-reformers, Protestant leaders that criticized the Roman Catholic Church and paved the way for the 16^th century Reformation led by Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli.  

John Huss’s life and teachings influenced the church long after his death. From the Bohemian Reformation came the Moravians, named after the easter region in the Czech Republic. The Moravian Brethren also influenced George Whitefield and the Great Awakening and helped ignite the missionary movement in the 18^th century. Thus, God used John Huss as a central tool to impact the three great revival campaigns of the last five-hundred years in church history: the Protestant Reformation, the great century of missions, and the Great Awakening.

–– Lennox Kalifungwa

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

The Church must cultivate rituals distinct from those of the surrounding pagan cultures. This can only be achieved when Christians anchor their identity in Christ above all cultural affiliations. Such allegiance inevitably sets them in conflict with the world, and faithful believers must be prepared to embrace that enmity and endure its costs.

There ought to be a visible and tangible difference between those who are in Christ and those who are not. Where no such distinction exists, it is usually because Christians are bowing to the same idols as the wider culture. The resemblance is a giveaway, betraying a shared—though false—object of worship.

–– Tim Cantrell

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

If Christ is Lord of all of life, He is Lord of all learning and education.  The “first and greatest commandment” is not only to love Him with heart and soul, but also with “all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).  Both Deuteronomy and Proverbs provide detailed examples and much instruction on the role of parents and teachers in the formation of young hearts and minds:  “Hear O Israel…”, and “Listen, my son….”.

Yet here in South Africa, the battle rages for educational authority.  Recent headlines show ongoing efforts to implement the controversial BELA bill that indoctrinates children with sexual perversion, undermines parental authority, and, in the name of neutrality, promotes aggressively the religion of secular humanism.  Previous TARIFs have warned about the BELA agenda and made a clear case for Christian education.  But what further lessons and examples does church history offer us for Christian education in our African context today?  

Voices of Virtue delves into the lives of historical Christian figures, focusing on the key values that marked each of their lives and uncovering profound lessons for today.

From the purity of Augustine to the courage of John Knox, and even the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, each narrative is a powerful testament to God’s grace working through ordinary men.

Video available here

Church history studies the gathering and growth of God’s people. It begins after the death of Christ and the dawn of the Spirit’s work through the New Testament church. Clement of Rome was the first apostolic father of the Church.

He was a contemporary with some of the apostles and, like most of Jesus’ disciples, he died for his faith. In present day, we revere Clement for the letter of admonition he wrote to the believers in Corinth, an epistle through which God used him to correct his beloved brothers.

–– Tim Cantrell

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

Cultures vary greatly in the food, music, and fashion they enjoy.  But the love of titles seems universal.  South Africa is a beautiful ‘Rainbow Nation’ of cultural diversity; yet our religious landscape is littered with ministerial titles, with pastors and bishops dying by degrees and drowning in flattery.  You can’t leave your home without seeing a poster advertising the next conference, featuring “Reverend Doctor Umfundisi Apostle Prophet  Major 1 Moruti So-and-So”!   

Raise any concern about this idolatry and you will be told, ‘Touch not the Lord’s anointed.  Leave our high and mighty Man of God alone!’  These arrogant, unapproachable false teachers are surrounded by their bouncers, luxury cars, jets and mansions, wearing their fancy clothes, seated at separate tables or thrones, waiting to be served, not to serve.   

–– Seth Meyers

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

The South African Constitution guarantees that any baby can be murdered under certain circumstances. Specifically, Section 27 reads: 

“Everyone has the right to have access to health care services, including reproductive health care…” (emphasis added)

This phrase “reproductive health care” is intentionally deceptive because the actual names would be far too offensive. But we can be very sure what they mean by this diabolical term. In a crude video titled “Abortion, Un-pregnant” this term is used to describe a 15-year-old who wants to murder her and her boyfriend’s baby. She and her friends gather on a “merry-go-round” as if they were mere children to discuss how best to do this without her parents’ knowledge.