A new year with challenges like no other?

The New Year began with the funeral of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In South Africa his words, example and presence did so much to help the progress from an apartheid state towards a democratic “rainbow nation” with justice for all.  Rightly, he was appreciated last week, for example on BBC News 24, and Radio 4.

During his life, however, the acclamation was somewhat less than unanimous especially at the time when international pressure against apartheid was needed – a pattern repeated today as Palestinians are ignored when they call for international non-violent action to challenge Israel’s apartheid – indeed Tutu compared those injustices inflicted by Israel to apartheid in South Africa. (See also Brian Brown’s new book, Apartheid South Africa! Apartheid Israel?  and the report from  Israeli NGO B’Tselem.)

SEE

Tutu saw that Christianity was misused and contorted when used to promote South Africa’s apartheid system, a system that gave rights to whites, rights denied to others.  

Quotes from him include: “I’ve never doubted that apartheid -  because it is fundamentally evil – was going to bite the dust eventually” and “Differences are not meant to separate, to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realise our need of each other.” (These quotes were used by South Africa TV during the funeral broadcast.)  "We can be prosperous only together. We can survive only together. We can be human only together."

REFLECT

The system of apartness (apartheid) was challenged by theologians in the South Africa Kairos document. This, and the later Kairos Document from Palestinian Christians, include how when wrapped in the cloak of Bible verses, once lifted out of context with the whole of Scripture, extremists can falsely claim divine authority for discrimination. 

The dangerous “’Christian’ nationalism” of the USA, is another contemporary example of this pattern.  It is a year since on 6 January the Capitol in Washington DC was invaded. A mob was seeking to overthrow US democracy in the name of a fake form of Christianity and of fake narratives about the US election having being stolen.   Trump urged them “to fight like hell”,  and is obstructing investigations into the events.   

Even here in the UK democracy seems precarious. Our government ignores international agreements and laws, such as in the "Immigration Bill”. It challenges our defences around democracy, with the weakening of the courts’ ability to hold government to account; and rides roughshod through routine Parliamentary processes (the unlawful prerogation). The UK’s “Election Bill” was proposed to “protect democracy” but is condemned by opponents as amounting to “vote rigging”. This last echoes some Republican controlled US states’ actions. These states are restricting who can vote, one tactic among others as Trump is reported to be laying the groundwork for another coup attempt, in 2024.

 ACT

As we recall Tutu, might we seek to live the values he espoused, and be alert to when these are undermined?

Bishop Michael Nuttall, at the funeral, reflected on Tutu’s life and Micah 6:8, “What does the Lord require of you but to pursue justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” 

When in Bethlehem with Sabeel I heard a comment on the above verse from Micah: “western churches do kindness thank God, but only love justice as an ideal and don’t pursue it.”

As we work for justice, can we also remember how Tutu did so? As Tutu called for international sanctions on apartheid South Africa, he loved and prayed for its leaders. He chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  He smiled and danced – may we too be ever more grounded in prayer and in deepening appreciation of the gift of Creation, given to all not to control but to share. Perhaps above all, as a friend commented to me, “Archbishop Tutu inspired because he followed Jesus.”

Mike Mineter