Times Of Swaziland: PICTURE ON THE GROUND TELLS ANOTHER STORY

PICTURE ON THE GROUND TELLS ANOTHER STORY
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Editor on 11/10/2020 14:59:00


Madam,
Our present situation is characterised by a profound and desperate feeling of
doubt, pride and ignorance. We are a nation that prides itself as God-fearing
but the picture on the ground tells another story. We are a people who mouth the
right theological language but who have nevertheless substituted orthodoxy of
belief for existential commitment to God. We are hasty to tell anyone that we
are the pulpit of Africa, pointing to the absence of war as one peaceful
country. But a sane person knows too well that peace is not limited to the
absence of war. There is no sanity in shouting peace in a nation where the
preached god is money. Our age is but one in which the power of Christianity
grows faint, a period of decadence. It is my conviction that our Christianity is
in desperate need of new bedrock upon which to build its faith.
It is undoubted that we lack the best knowledge of who God is. Those who profess
to know him too well are failing to give His portrayal in words, actions and
symbols. Symbols here should not be confused with idolatry but be identified
with myths. The institutional church of our age speaks of God just to make
people Christians, stressing upon belonging and fellowship, tithing and
free-will. It has assumed the position of making declarations about the
inadequacy of other lords instead of revealing the true God.
If our churches were fertile, I would not be bringing myself to air all the
dirty linen of our age, the infighting in churches, the corruption in
government, poverty, crimes and immorality.
For until humankind is in a position to understand God as the ground of being
and Lord, few of them will become Christians in anything but name. A lot of
emaSwati are suffering a form of religious schizophrenia. Church leaders should
make an introspection and determine if they are still honest to their calling.
Right now it is very hard to be a Christian in our age in which religion has
been watered down so as to embrace everyone.
Christianity is now accepted as nothing but a cult of joy and material pleasure.
It has become another form of affirmation hence it has lost its power to
transform and remake the world.
It is again my conviction that no one knows God because there is no way from
humankind to God. Through Jesus Christ He revealed himself to humankind, not
calling people to a new religion but to life. This is crucial.