Mabila Mathebula
We often blame missionaries for their manipulative tendencies. It is notable that we also fall into what I call a “missionary trap”.
Last week, we saw how the uMkhontho weSizwe party and the ANC went to faith-based organisations to air their political views. I assume that they did that because they knew that would have an audience with them. Some church leaders proclaimed that they would vote for the newly established party. I regard the campaigning strategy as passé.
The aim of the church is to preach and teach the gospel. Preaching and teaching are related by not similar concepts. Preaching proclaims while teaching explains. We have seen political leaders and church leaders not proclaiming the gospel, we have, however, seen them proclaiming their political parties.
When politicians go to church – not to be transformed by the word of God but to promote their political parties – we are in a “missionary trap” where people are manipulated to subscribe to a particular political agenda.
The church of the future must free itself of the missionary shackles, casting aside ancient and false tradition, and tell the people the truth. Faith-based organisations must strike out a new path or, ultimately, lose their credibility.
People would soon realise that we are using Christ to campaign, however when we govern, we relegate Christ to the background by stealing, killing and destroying. We are trying to harmonise the kingdom of light and kingdom of darkness by creating a demilitarised zone.
The church’s role is to guide and direct the politicians and not the other way around. Faith-based organisations are like the biblical Nathan who never hesitated to tell King David where he had gone wrong.
Perhaps our politicians need the guidance of spiritualists in the execution of their task? Spiritualism teaches first that it is character and what we are, that counts, that the development of character, of the moral sense, and the increase of knowledge and wisdom are all important.
The Book of the Dead makes clear how important righteousness was to the Egyptians. The Egyptians planted the seed. Today, we are reaping the harvest but much is still to be gathered.
When our politicians are “spiritualised”, they will be in a position to visit the sick, the elderly, the injured and the mentally distressed. When politicians campaign only in churches and ignore other members of the society, such as prisoners, they do what I call “disenfranchise campaigning”. This is campaigning that leaves out other members of society. We need “holistic campaigning”.
The basic mission for which politicians exist is to solve people’s problems. To borrow Robert Peel’s wisdom, “the police are the public and the public are the police”. We may safely say that the politicians are the public and the public are the politicians. They must be seen as professionals who create order in society.
We are imprisoned in our homes, we are faced with litter, potholes and broken street lights in our communities. Our police officers expend more time responding to disorder-related problems than crime-related matters. Simply put, our police officers find themselves in a situation where disorder is over manage and crime is underled.
I hope that tomorrow, the January 8 Statement will address key concepts of productivity: effectiveness, efficiency and equity.
Author and life coach Mathebula has a PhD in construction management.
The Star