How do we use Scripture in context to make sense of the world today? This morning i was given the opportunity to do the preach for St John's Anglican church in Wynberg. Which you can listen to over here. with the rest of the service! But since i had to write it out for some of the members who can't tune in, i thought it might be helpful to some of you if i [...]
What does it mean when i suggest we need to Listen to Understand? Many of us are slow to listen but very quick to speak. This feels like a particular obstacle for white people who are used to having the mic and having our voices heard. Additionally, this feels like a problem for men who are used to having a dominant respected voice. So when you're a white man, like i am, you know [...]
A lot more people than normal seem to be exploring anti-racism, which is good. What is important is that this momentum continues. This cannot be a fad or a flavour-of-the-month or a dabble. This move towards being less racist personally and working in the spaces you find yourself to help them become less racist will likely keep us busy for the rest of our lives. This work needs to be sustained. But it really [...]
i really don't like the term 'Woke'. For a number of reasons. But the main one being that it describes an event that has happened. Before i was not 'woke' and then this thing happened and now i am 'woke'. Much like the movie 'The Matrix' where Neo choosing a pill determines his level of wokeness for the rest of his life. The truth that i am discovering every day, is that there is [...]
Time for a bit of an update from the Homepocalypse... We are living in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, in case any of you forgot. And while i know that none of you who read my blog would ever be those people, it really seems like there are a lot of them. Main road Plumstead/Southfield on the way to pick up groceries or meds from the Pharmacy gives off this impression if life [...]
How much of your life is spent on things that matter? i was on a call with my fellow Heartlines staff members this week and we were doing a bit of a check-in based on a question Seth Naicker had asked. The question related to Youth Day and the Sharpville uprising in 1976 which helped trigger events leading towards the eventual official end of apartheid in South Africa. i was 2 at the time [...]
People seem to be jumping into race conversations more than ever. Which is great. With that comes a phrase that has the power to kickstart defensiveness for so many people: White Privilege "How dare you say I have white privilege? My family grew up poor!" "White Privilege? I had to work three jobs to get to where I am today!" "Maybe in the past that was a thing, but these days with BEE..." Are [...]
They don't like swearing in the church! Well, not in a lot of churches in i know. And i'm not talking about the 'F' word either. i am talking about the 'S' word. Saying that can get you into a LOT of trouble. That's right, while 'Fund-raising' is a perfectly acceptable - some might say 'Holy' - term, and can happen through a variety of methods such as tithes and offerings or even a [...]
Where would Jesus stand on the #BlackLivesMatter movement? When you think about Jesus, the gut screams that He was an All Lives Matter kind of guy right? Absolutely. If anyone would have advocated that All Lives Matter it would have been Jesus. And you know who else believes that All Lives Matter? Pretty much everyone in the Black Lives Matter movement. But let's take a closer look. Back in Genesis we read that we [...]
What is the problem with #AllLivesMatter? This past week, we have seen the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag and movement on the rise again. A lot of people have been responding with tags like #WhiteLivesMatter or #AllLivesMatter as if this is an important and necessary counter to #BlackLivesMatter. i would love to try and explain to anyone who feels like this, why i think differently on the matter. i think it is also important to say at [...]
