Race, Inequality and Division
Getting to the heart of the matter
What is it like living in South Africa? Depending on who you ask, you are going to get dramatically different answers.
Division and inequality along ethnic lines seems to pervade every sphere of our society. Many times we may feel overwhelmed and hopeless by them, casting dark shadows of hopelessness into our shared future in South Africa. Or we may try to downplay the realities, minimizing the lived experiences and shutting our ears to brothers and sisters. How are Christ-followers to engage with these big issues? How are we to understand the visible issues of racial tension and the invisible realities of our heart condition? These resources are intended to give believers tools, paradigms and insights to pursue diversity and overcome division in their lives and communities.
Join us on this journey of exploring the past, engaging the present and examining our hearts as we seek to glorify Jesus in our relationships and churches.
Common Understanding - our starting point
One of the most important things we need to do at the start of this resource is to clarify the words that are used throughout pieces you’re about to engage with.
What is race, really?
Race. We can’t talk about these issues without this word. But what does it actually mean? What are the roots of this four letter word? And what does it have to do with power?
By Isiphambano Centre for Biblical Justice
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The idol of race
“Reconciliation between people is a measure of our reconciliation to God. ” Read this in-depth article by Ryan Saville, who explores how we position ‘race’ within the Christian faith, and how our faith shapes our response.
God, the Bible and Diversity
An Exploration of Gods Heart for Diversity and Unity in the Bible, by Richard Lundie.
What it's like to live in Cape Town
A collection of diverse voices from across the city, completing the sentence: “If I could show people of other ethnicities what it is like for people like me to live in Cape Town, I would show them… “
The Danger of a Single Story
There is a danger of believing something about people that is based on only one story. Watch Novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi unpack this crucial concept.
Let's Talk: Cross-cultural friendships
Want to make your friendship circle more diverse? Here are some interviews of people of how you can do just that.
How am I doing?
It is easy to point out others who are obviously racist or prejudicial. But how is your heart?
Blog post by Nkulu Madonko
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Say Something
We’ve all been there – the family dinner table, a friend’s braai – when someone we know (and probably like) says something racist or prejudiced that stops us dead in our tracks. What do you do? What do you say?
The Laws and the Legacy of Apartheid
This article will explore some of those past laws and the significant ways in which they have shaped our current realities.
