Who has the ability to choose?

i was involved in a Whatsapp conversation with a really amazing group of people who have the most hecticest [it’s a word] race conversations. Usually i can’t keep up with them [diverse group of leaders mostly from Joburg side that i connected with at the beginning of last year at a live Race conversation] and so i jump in every now and then to glean some gems, of which there are many.

But this time one thing the one man said jumped out at me:

Something profound started happening in the Church of Acts; some disciples on their own accord sold their lands and brought their proceeds to the Apostles. In fact Luke puts it this way in Acts 4.34b; “…because all those who owned lands or houses sold them…” 

So even though we don’t read about Jesus’ orthodoxy on economic justice issues, we no doubt encounter a rather radical orthopraxis by His followers.

This however is far flung from our post modern age. What is blatant however is that the orthopraxis of Jesus’ disciples today has very little concern for economic justice, if at all. It is in this context that we need to challenge each other profoundly about these issues constantly. [Vezi]

To which i replied:

i love that Acts passage so much and maybe that is what it is going to take – some spontaneous significant moments of people with great wealth stepping away from it and sharing it with others to show a different kingdom is possible…

i know some people who have done that to some extents in terms of where they choose to live and work and church and how much money they choose to live on etc but don’t think it’s been enough of a wave to be noticeable and start the wave…

To which Zandile added [and this is the key part for me – smash through the face, bones broken]:

I think the operative word here is choose. To have the luxury to choose is what economic freedom is about. I don’t know about what kind of wave it creates nor how it creates wealth and choices for those who don’t have, but we need to create more opportunities for black people to choose where they work, live and church. 

Sho. Drop the mic. So simple and yet so completely profound. And i don’t think i had thought of it that way before.

“We need to create more opportunities for black people to choose where they work, live and church.” [Zandile Ndhlovu]

Question is, how do we begin…?

[Well one place we can begin is the first ever Justice Conference happening in South Africa March 17th and 18th in Cape Town wrestling with questions of where Jesus and Justice intersect. Tickets are starting to fly so make sure you book to avoid disappointment. You do NOT want to miss this.]