Tag Archives: Paul Schlehlein

A Christian Perspective on Male Circumcision Schools

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Male circumcision schools are as common throughout sub-Saharan Africa as they are dangerous. Recently in Zambia, for example, forty-eight boys were rescued from a circumcision school after parents complained that their children had been abducted. In Malawi among the Yawo people, this rite of passage is called jando, marking a new era of sexual freedom.

Among the Tsongas in South Africa, it is called madlala. I have watched nearly two decades worth of coming home ceremonies, including the days I lived at the chief’s kraal when the boys were met with cheers from the community and dances from hordes of topless women. The father of a strong young Christian in our church tricked his son by capturing him in a vehicle and forcing him to attend the school. 

While differences in this practice vary widely between tribes and countries, I’d like to give a broad biblical perspective on male circumcision schools. 

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For Richer or Poorer? Thoughts on Formal and Informal Prenuptial Agreements

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

In South Africa, as in many countries around the world, there are two kinds of marital regimes: “in community of property” or “out of community of property”, the latter of which usually takes the form of a prenuptial agreement. We’ll argue in this article that both formal and informal prenuptial agreements are inappropriate for Christians.

Two Marriage Regimes

“In community of property” means that all the assets and liabilities collected by either spouse before or during the marriage become jointly owned. This means that if Sally comes to the marriage with six figures of student loan debt, her husband, Steve, will incur this financial obligation. If Joseph blows the family savings at the horse races or increases his financial portfolio by 500%, Mary his wife of 30 years feels the pain or pleasure of his decisions. 

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Capitalism and Christ-like Competition

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Here’s a bit of good news from the southern region of Africa. Visa applications in South Africa that had previously moved at a snail’s pace have recently picked up to breakneck speed. For decades applicants for visas have endured the dawdling movements of the Department of Home Affairs, sometimes waiting years for simple paperwork to return. 

Not anymore. The phones of visa applicants are ding-ding-dinging, informing them their papers are ready for pickup. What changed? What’s been the secret? The answer is good old-fashioned competition. 

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The Pitfalls of Paternalism: Why Foreign Funds Kill African Churches

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

What would happen if foreign funds to African churches suddenly stopped? Suppose that tomorrow God shut off the massive monetary pipeline flowing from the West to the pastors and Christian workers on the Dark Continent? Would the church sink or swim?

The immediate consequences would be severe because wealthy nations have pumped billions of dollars into Africa for decades. It has become a way of life. None of the top 30 foreign aid contributors come from Africa, though six of the top fifteen recipients of foreign aid are African nations. In 2017, the United States gave $34 billion in foreign aid, including $1 billion to Ethiopia, $887 million to South Sudan and $600 million to South Africa. 

Wealthy foreign nations have failed to learn that foreign aid will never help a country if the conditions for economic growth do not exist. This is why the cycle of giving never ends. Sadly, wealthy churches have not learned this lesson either. Though the numbers are not as high as foreign aid, churches from the West drive millions of dollars into African churches to support their pastors and ministries. 

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What Bill Gates, Spurgeon and Muslims Teach Us About Bible Memory

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

The religion of Islam produces learners capable of quoting the entire Quran, their holy book about 10% the size of the Bible and about 80% of the New Testament.  

A town in Nigeria has yielded at least 10,000 students who have memorized the entire Quran from the same parchment. Hour after hour they pour over the book, reciting it before their teacher, many of them between 12-15 years old. Since paper can sometimes be a luxury in Africa, these hafiz (Quran memorisers) learn it by ear or on wooden tablets.  

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Feminism and Valuing Women as Stained Glass Windows

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

What do the following three worldwide occurrences have in common? 

First, daycare centres across the globe have experienced explosive growth. In the Netherlands, for example, 85% of children under age four attend formal daycare. Every day in South Africa, more pre-schools and creches are being added to the already existing 43,000 early childhood development centres, with one company calling daycare the strongest target for business entrepreneurs. 

Second, as of 1 June 2024, 27 countries have women serve as Heads of State, a significant rise from years past. Worldwide, over a quarter of all parliamentarians in lower houses are women, up from 11% in 1995, the highest percentage being Rwanda at 61%. Currently, the world boasts well over a dozen female defence ministers, including four in Africa—Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Togo, and South Africa. 

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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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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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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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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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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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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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Does Systemic Racism Exist in Africa?

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Dis-Chem, the second-largest retail pharmacy chain in South Africa, has faced significant criticism over the past two years over a leaked memo that prohibited any further hiring and promotion of white people. Is this an example of racism or systemic racism and what’s the difference?

Systemic racism refers to laws and policies in a society that discriminate against people based on their race. The Cambridge Dictionary defines systemic racism as “policies and practices that exist throughout a whole society…that result in and support a continued unfair advantage to some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others based on race.”  

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Should Christians Have More Kids?

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Galatians 6:7 teaches an important principle: you will always harvest what you plant. This concept is especially pertinent regarding the falling birth rates worldwide, including in Africa. 

When a society ignores God’s directive to be fruitful and multiply, its death rate will surpass its fertility rate and that nation will begin to die. For example, researchers estimate that the population of Japan–currently at 125 million–will more than halve to 53 million by the end of the century. Russia, Ukraine, and Italy face a similar problem. These nations thought they were smarter than God and now they are reaping the consequences. 

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Can Education Be Neutral? An Argument for Christian Schools

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Satan has always tried to wrest the role of education from parents and place it into the hands of the State. In a 1933 speech, Adolph Hitler said: “When an opponent declares, ‘I will not come over to your side,’ I calmly say, ‘Your child belongs to us already.’”

Recently South African political leader Julius Malema encouraged a gathering of low-income men and women to bear more children. If you can’t afford them, he said, there’s nothing to worry about. That’s why government exists. He promised his political party would take care of their children by doubling the child-support grants.

When it comes to Africa’s educational problems, the solution is not more government intervention but less, and not less Christian influence but more. 

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A Christian View on Plagiarism and ChatGPT

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Recently the University of Fort Hare in South Africa has been ensnared in controversy. One of its professors has been charged with ignoring the plagiarism of nine postgraduate students under his supervision. This comes over two decades after another infamous plagiarism case in South Africa, where a doctoral thesis was submitted to the University of Witwatersrand, having been copied word-for-word from another student’s post-graduate thesis. Upon discovery, the professor was fired from the university and his PhD was invalidated, a reminder that plagiarism remains one of academia’s most serious offences. 

Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else’s ideas or work and passing them off as one’s own. For centuries this has been a worldwide problem and today’s Africa is no exception. 

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Choose Your Love: Steps for Young Men in Finding a Wife

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–– Paul Schlehlein

Podcast edition here:  YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

For centuries breeders have tried to predict the fastest racehorses. Secretariat, a thoroughbred that won the 9th American Triple Crown, is considered by many to be the greatest racehorse of all time. He set and still holds the fastest time in all three Triple Crown races. The average thoroughbred’s heart weighs almost 4 kg. Secretariat’s heart weighed nearly three times that. For some years now, yearlings have been selected on the basis of heart size, as judged by ultrasound measurements.  

We can also predict the weather. The old adage is often true. “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.” Jesus said a similar thing in Matthew 16:2-3: “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is read and threatening.’”

But forecasting the weather and fast racehorses seems somewhat trivial compared to predicting who will make a godly wife. Every Christian man wants to wed a virtuous woman, but how can he know? Is it possible for a man to predict who will be a godly wife?

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Marching to Zion? An Overview of Southern Africa’s Largest AIC Church

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

The Zion Christian Church (ZCC) has been in the international news recently. On Thursday, 28 March 2024, a small town in Limpopo South Africa was the scene of a horrific bus crash that took the lives of at least forty-five people. The bus was travelling from Botswana on the way to an Easter gathering as part of the annual ZCC festivities. 

The driver lost control and the bus careened off a bridge and fell 50 meters below where it burst into flames. Everyone on board was killed, except for an 8-year-old child who remains in serious but stable condition. 

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A Biblical Perspective on Witchcraft

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Witch hunting is a serious problem in Africa. If locals suppose their neighbour is a witch or engaged in witchcraft, they may injure that person, or even kill them.

Traditional African View on Witchcraft

According to Samuel Waje Kunhiyop, the common traditional African view is that since God does not allow or ordain evil and there is evil in the world, it must come from demons.

Witchcraft, then, is the cause of most suffering in the world. If someone is hit by a car while walking to work and dies, or if a child falls out of a tree at school and is killed, in the African mind, the explanation is often witchcraft.

Why some people are more affected by witchcraft than others may be owing to their neighbour or enemy placing a curse on them. Perhaps a witch doctor is involved.

A common proof of such witchcraft is the thousands of stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. It is debatable if these stories are true. What is not disputable, however, is that the belief in these stories is true. Christians must be careful to address these issues seriously, as many people wholeheartedly accept the holistic activity of the demonic world.

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Should Churches Use Anointing Oil?

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Should Churches Use Anointing Oil?

Selling sacred oils has become big business in Africa. Not uncommon are stories of pastors who bring children back from the dead by anointing the deceased with oil.

Pentecostal churches from around the continent have flooded the market with their holy anointing oils, promising fortune and healing to those who buy their products. Not surprisingly, churches that promote sacred oil are often entangled in a host of other sins.

In the world of Prosperity Churches, nothing is free. There is always a price to pay. For example, Mathius Bhebhe, a so-called prophet at Waters of Revelation Ministries in Zimbabwe, said:

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When an Evil Nation Does Right

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Zimbabwe and King Manasseh

In February of 2024, the Government of Zimbabwe sent out a press statement strongly rejecting the efforts that foreign nations have made to ensnare its citizens into homosexual behaviour through the offers of educational scholarships.

Like other African nations such as Uganda, Zimbabwe firmly condemns Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender activities. Zimbabwe opposes the viewpoint of several neighbouring countries, namely South Africa and Mozambique, both of which promote significant LGBT protections.

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Biblical Counsel on Marital Engagement | Part 1

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By the time Maria Dyer agreed to marry Hudson Taylor, two other ladies had already rejected his marriage proposals.

The soon-to-be-great missionary had recently arrived in China when he fell in love with the squinty-eyed Maria. She was young and her parents were dead. A group of English missionaries—one of whom was an old maid—had watch care over her.

When word got out of his letter proposing marriage to Maria, they were disgusted. “The nerve…!” Maria was a lady. Taylor was a young, poor, unconnected Nobody. She was proper. He was no gentleman, without a sufficient education and without position. She was tall. He was short, a “ranter”, a Plymouth Brethren. Worst all, he wore Chinese clothes and a long pigtail like his Asian neighbours. Marriage? Maria’s guardians wanted Taylor horse-whipped.

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On Godly Men and Picking Fights

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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

Godly men are called to fight, but they must pick their fights prudently. “Fight the good fight of the faith,” Paul said (1Tm. 6:12). “I have fought the good fight,” were his last words (2Tm. 4:7). This differs from today’s 11th Commandment: Thou shalt be nice. Break this command and you’ll incur the world’s wrath. 

Consider the recent expulsion of final-year law student Shaun Christie from North-West University in South Africa. On 6 February 2024, an orientation programme was held for first-year students at the Potchefstroom Campus. Students were forced to sit for LGBTQA+ indoctrination, which opposed many of the students’ religious convictions. Christie, a Christian, publicly stood and voiced his protest at the presentation, which was captured on camera. Afterwards, the university expelled him for what they called disruption and denying free speech. Christie refused to back down.

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“I’m Wealthy and Interested in Missions. Should I Go or Stay?”

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The Dentist Leaves It All

The year was 1825. Anthony Norris Groves, an Englishman, was living what we might call “the American Dream.”

At 30 years old he had a beautiful wife, three healthy children and a flourishing career as a dentist. But the call to missions would not vacate his mind. After ten years of pleading and praying with his wife, the Groves family surrendered to missions. Mary finally submitted to give their all for Great Commission work around the world.

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Are Boycotts Biblical?

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–– Paul Schlehlein

Listen and subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Captain Charles Boycott (1832-1897) was an Irish land agent who became infamous for being ostracized by his community. In 1880, after renters had refused to pay their fees, Boycott served them eviction notices. But the community revolted, insisting Boycott’s employees quit. Blacksmiths, postal workers, farmers, and shopkeepers ignored him until he agreed to leave the country. This social excommunication nearly ruined him financially.

Soon, the term “boycott” came to mean withdrawing from commercial or social relations as a form of punishment or protest. By 1888, “boycott” was in The Oxford English Dictionary, as there was no other word in English to describe such a dispute. “Boycott” has since wormed its way into other languages, including Dutch, French, German and Russian.

Recently Nigerians considered boycotting a milk company for insensitive remarks they made about the death of Christ. Boycotting is not new to Africa. During the 1970s and 80s, countries around the world boycotted South African goods as a way to oppose apartheid. This is not only a Christian issue. Today, the Muslim association UUCSA is calling on South Africans to boycott Jewish-owned companies like Dis-Chem. The pro-Palestine organization BDS is encouraging South Africans to boycott Puma for sponsoring the Israel Football Association.

How should Christians think about boycotting immoral businesses? Is boycotting biblical? Consider the following six principles.

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Seven Ways A Husband Should Protect His Wife

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–– Paul Schlehlein

Podcast edition: Youtube – Spotify – Apple Podcasts

One of the central roles to which God calls men is to protect women.

Husbands and fathers should protect their families spiritually. God told “the man” not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gn. 3:17) but he failed to protect his wife from the serpent who induced her to sin (Gn. 3:6). This is why the Adam was ultimately responsible for Eve’s sin (Rm. 5:20).

Husbands and fathers should their families physically and emotionally. Men should be willing to die for their wives, not the other way around. Christ laid down his life for his bride (Eph. 5:25), similar to how husbands should give up themselves for their wives.

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Is “My Body, My Choice” a Good Argument?

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–– Paul Schlehlein

Listen and subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

“My body, my choice” is a feminist slogan used to defend a woman’s right to autonomy over her choices. Women often employ this phrase to defend their right to an abortion.

Recently, the organization Doctors Without Borders have been urging women in Mozambique to terminate their pregnancies with a simple phrase: “No one should be ashamed to get an abortion.” After all, a woman can do what she wants with her body.

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Praying to Ancestors for Guidance

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–– Paul Schlehlein

Listen and subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Despite the influence of Christianity and Islam on the continent, Africans still attach tremendous honour to their ancestors. Ancestor worship is deeply engrained into the African belief system, its influence reaching the heights of political power. 

Ancestor Worship in Africa

For example, in the early days of Cyril Ramaphosa’s first term as president of South Africa, he focused on the country’s need for ancestral intervention. He called upon the leaders of his ANC political party to visit the graves of former presidents. They did this, he said, “to ask for a way forward.” 

For millennia, Africans have done this when faced with misfortune. “We go back to our ancestors to talk to them,” Ramaphosa said. So why did the ANC leaders visit the grave of former president Nelson Mandela? “To draw wisdom,” Ramaphosa said. 

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Six Lessons I Learned from My Trip to the Darkest Region in Sub-Saharan Africa

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– Paul Schlehlein

Podcast edition: Youtube – Spotify – Apple Podcasts

We thank those who prayed for us during our latest missionary survey trip. It was successful in every way, all of this due to God’s grace and the prayers of his saints. Here are six brief lessons I learned. 

God’s People Are Everywhere

They may be few but in some of the smallest, most remote places we met believers and church leaders who bowed the knee only to King Jesus. 

We are tempted to think like Elijah: “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord” (1 Kings 18:22). 

But God has his remnant. We sat down in covert rooms and spoke in hushed voices with believers who were thirsty for God’s Word. Floating in a sea of pagan darkness, they continued to read their Bibles and preach, despite the danger, despite the discouragement. 

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Hope for Single Moms

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– Paul Schlehlein

Podcast edition: Youtube – Spotify – Apple Podcasts

As the family goes, so goes society. As the father goes, so goes the family. God made fathers the leaders of the home. They lead, provide and protect.

God chose Abraham, not his wife Sarah, to command his children to obey the Bible and do right (Gn. 18:19). The Psalmist urges fathers not to hide the truth from their children (Ps. 78:3-6). Ephesians 6:4 implores fathers to teach their children early and often.

So what are mothers to do when they have children but no father at home? This is not unusual. Almost a quarter of children under the age of 18 in the US live with one parent. Nearly a third of women in Sub-Sahara Africa between the ages of 18-60 are single with children in the household. 

Maybe her husband died, or took off, or is gone all the time for work? What hope do single mothers have that their children will end up godly? Where can they go for confidence that their children can thrive in adulthood?

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