Ordination in ELCSA-SED 25 June 2017

What a joyful event. The South Eastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa got 13 new pastors on Sunday 25 June. I was privileged to be part of the service, which took place at the Diocesan centre at Umphumulo. This might be the last ordination service that Bishop P P Buthelezi leads. He will retire later this year. On this occasion he was surrounded by two other bishops namely Bishop Emeritus S P Zulu (one of his predecessors)  and Bishop Emeritus Dr M Biyela, former bishop of the Eastern Diocese.

Five of the candidates I have taught – either at the Lutheran Theological Institute (LTI) or at the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics (SRPC) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The main reason for my presence was however the ordination of Rev. Selom Klu. The first time I met him was in Kalmar in the South of Sweden. I think it was in 2010. He lived in Blomstermåla and was very active in Ålem Parish, where my wife worked as Parish Educator.

We moved to Pietermaritzburg in South Africa 2013 and in 2014 Selom also moved there. He lived at the LTI and continued his theological studies at UKZN. He was my student in homiletics and liturgy. When we moved back to Sweden in 2015 Selom remained in South Africa and last year he was accepted as a candidate for ordination into priesthood.

Selom is originally from West Africa and is now a full pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa after a number of years in Sweden. The common feature here is of course the Lutheran Church. Selom was born into the Lutheran Church in Togo, became active in the Lutheran Church in Sweden and now in Southern Africa. With this blog post I want to share some highlights of the ordination service.

The first youtube clip is part of the Nicene Creed, which the candidates confess together.

Thereafter Bishop P P Buthelezi asks the candidates a few questions and they all answer yes.

Central in any ordination service is when the candidate gets the stole laid on her or his shoulders. (In Church of Sweden the bishop always literally does that part.) On the other hand priests in Church of Sweden do not get a bible, an altar book, a chalice and a paten. (One has to mention that the chalice and paten is just there as symbols. The rest is given to the candidate. This means that every candidate keeps chasubles in every liturgical colour. In Church of Sweden the chasuble belongs to the Parish and is kept in the church.)

The laying of hands is also a central part of the liturgy. In this case it is the bishops and the deans that lay hands on each candidate.

Each candidate is introduced to the congregation. It is the deputy bishop, Dean N Myaka, who introduces them and he describes Selom as a missionary with links to Church of Sweden.

Here follows some photos from the ordination service.

Rev. Selom Klu

Bishop Emeritus M Biyela, Bishop P P Buthelezi, Bishop Emeritus S P Zulu.

Directly after the ordination all the newly ordained walk in a procession to meet their congregants.

All the 13 newly ordained. Eight of them are self supporting ministers and the other five are full pastors. Among them are some of my students. Second from the left is Selom Klu. Sixth from the left Ntuthuko Nkosi. Next to him Nokukhanya Mngoma and thereafter Njabulo Madonsela. The tall pastor fourth from the right was also my student: Msizi Mkhathini. I was very happy to be there and 

participate in their ordination.

#FeesMustFall

To understand this hash tag, one has to know about another hash tag:

#RhodesMustFall

I have written about this in a few blog posts last year. The students at the University of Cape Town (UCT), together with teachers and other staff members demanded that the statue of John Cecil Rhodes, in the centre of the UCT campus, had to be taken away. This was also done, after a short time of protests. The undercurrents were South Africa’s reflection on the colonial era and also a need for renewal of the reconciliation process. Even the role of Nelson Mandela (whose name is linked with Rhodes, in the Mandela Rhodes Foundation) was questioned.

The last month or so South Africa has seen similar protests, yet quite different. This time – and it is nothing new – the fight is about tuition fees. South Africa does not have extremely high fees but for most of the population they are still not affordable. According to what I hear, the country could afford free tertiary education. The ANC-government has, however, not opted for this route. It claims that the nation first has to roll out a social security system. The critiques say that this is not happening anyway. Many billion rand disappear into mismanagement or corruption. (Read more about this on the blog of my friend and colleague, Hans Engdahl).

This time the different universities had informed students about an increment of fees for 2016. About 6 %, which I think is equal to the inflation. The students did not want this. So, students took to the streets. In almost every university town! This Thursday and Friday the University of KwaZulu-Natal therefore decided to close the University.

Rico and Clint ( in the middle) are discussing strategy with the students.

Some of UKZN-colleagues were marching with the students and yesterday evening I got first-hand information from the protest march in Pietermaritzburg. It had been a very peaceful march. The police had been there and acted in a helpful manner. A few minor incidents happened. Like some students who started to through empty plastic bottles over a fence onto the Provincial Legislature Building. Those were directly stopped by the organisers, who directly expressed that this was a peaceful demonstration.

There is a widespread support in South Africa for the students this time. The ANC has promised free education long ago and it does not happen. The minister of Education, Blade Nsimande, really made a mistake by trying to joke and say that the students must fall. By the way, he is the General Secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and he is now the target of the revolution.

Well known, high profile leaders, like Senior Vice-President of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), Frank Chikane, Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba and even the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Town (UCT), Max Price, support the protests. Maybe it is because their own children take part in it. All three have sons who have been arrested.

News24 writes that the son of the UCT VC was arrested. IOL-news reports about the sons of Makgoba and Chikane and especially about the reaction of Makgoba:

Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba broke down on Thursday as he reacted to his son’s arrest during the student protest at Parliament against university fee increases.

On his his blog Thabo Makgoba says:

I appeal to Bishops and parishioners in all our dioceses to support students and staff at tertiary institutions, and to pray for an amicable resolution to the crisis. Apart from holding prayer vigils, I appeal to our churches to give practical help to students in distress.

I also find a statement from church leaders on this blog. The link is here. I am sorry that I don’t see the preseiding bishop of ELCSA as one of the signatories, although there are two other Lutherans. One from ELCSA (N-T) and one from LUCSA.

Late yesterday afternoon, President Zuma informed the country that the fees will stay the same for 2016. How the government will compensate the universities is not clear. But the students take this as a victory.

If this will lead to a system with free tertiary education is still to be seen. That would, I believe, definitely be a step in the right direction.

Make safe the road from Jericho to Jerusalem!

Elmina Castle is the oldest European building south of Sahara.
A symbol of slave trade. What does it say to us today?

In the shadow of Elmina Castle, the stronghold used by European slave traders on the Cape Coast of Ghana …

A consultation of Christians, studying the Bible, praying, worshiping and listening to God and one another met in Ghana some time ago. They met to listen ...

... to the stories of individual Christians who have struggled to form their consciences and deepen their faith in churches that frequently deny the very humanity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.

I was touched by the statement that came out of this gathering. The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) was a key text that the group studied. 

The call to the Anglican Communion (but I take it as a call to the Universal Church) is to serve as ... 

... places of sanctuary for those who live under the threat of violence for working on behalf of the gospel. We understand this group to include LGBTI people, women and men living with HIV, ethnic, racial and religious minorities on both continents and those who are potential victims of gender violence. 

I was especially moved by the end of the statement (which can be found on the website of the Ujamaa Centre for Biblical and Theological Community Development and Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. 

And because we understand that the church must not only act as Good Samaritans to those who are robbed and beaten but also work at the systemic level to make safe the road from Jericho to Jerusalem that is walked by everyone who strives for just and fair societies and full inclusion in the Body of Christ, we pledge to work collaboratively in opposing the legacy of colonialism and its present day manifestations, to stand against all principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12, Romans 8:38-39), and to understand that these evils are rooted in ideologies of power and domination that have no place in the church or in our societies. 

How can we help each other to make safe the road from Jericho to Jerusalem?

Tanzania 7

Day eight. Our last day. Usually this kind of day means packing and waiting for the car to leave for the airport. Not for us.

A dance group had made contact with Penina and asked if we were interested in watching their show. Could it be squeezed in? Certainly! But before that Dag had asked if I could sit in when the Master students of the Gender, Theology and Health programmed defended their theses. And the leadership had promised that this was in order.

So, I also managed to listen to one presentation this last day in Tanzania and in Africa. One of Dag’s students defended and the theme was interesting. Something about the parental silence among Pare people, in relation to Sexual and Reproductive Health.

This programme, sponsored by Church of Sweden, with money from Sida, we also have at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. And at Stellenbosch in South Africa and EGST in Ethiopia. I have been a little involved at UKZN. But as far as I know, the students do not defend their theses there.

I will not say much about the thesis as I have not read it. But the comments, at the end, given by the Dean of the Faculty of Theology and by the Vice Chancellor of the Tumaini University Makumira were very interesting.

The VC asked the student if he had spoken about sexuality with his children. Before he could answer the VC confessed that his father never did that with him. When the student heard that he directly said that this was also his experience but that he had started to talk with his children, after he had begun to write his thesis.

Then the Dean made a comment, which I think was extremely important. She mentioned that her aunt had been the person who had spoken to her about these things and that one should not forget the contribution of other, significant adults, close to the children.

When I had left the one defense that I were present in, I joined a group of Master Students, that were waiting outside the building to hear the results of each and every student. With them I had a very open discussion about sexuality in general and LGBTI in particular. I was amazed how openly these things were discussed.

I am very glad that I also got this important experience from my visit to Tanzania.

It was with these students I had a very interesting conversation about rather sensitive issues.

Bittersweet

It is sad! At the same time it is nice. Bittersweet! I am talking about the time to say goodbye.

Two weeks ago I preached at the Lutheran Theological Institute. After the service there was a short program with students and colleagues saying nice things. And so a present. After that vote of thanks. Many hugs. Some tears.

One and a half week ago the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics arranged tea for the staff. My wife and I had baked cakes. A nice speech from the Dean, some singing and a chance for me to say a few words about the time at the School.

Yesterday I preached in the Lutheran Church at Eastwood. It has not been part of my job description to lead services there from time to time. The same with my wife, who has made other contributions to the life of the church.

The way the congregation thanked us was overwhelming. This has been our spiritual home during 2½ years. The Sunday School had prepared a drama, the youth sang. The Women’s league did that as well. After some persuasion from the oldest member, Mrs Dolphin, the fathers also delivered an item.

My colleague, Rev. Kholiwe Biyela, spoke with warmth. Yes, it was in deed touching.

We were also given very nice outfits, to wear in Sweden. These are typical modern Zulu outfits.

We really appreciate all the farewells – each one in their own right!

We often say that South Africa is our second home country. This means that we will be back!

Some dancing was necessary!

"Fruit of your work"

Last year I supervised three BTh honours students. Nkosinathi was one of them. He is now a MTh (Master) student. I am still privileged to be his supervisor. 

The relationship supervisor - student is a learning process for both. I enjoy it very much. So far I have not had the pleasure to see a Master student or a PhD student graduate. Hopefully I will be able to experience that in the future.

When somebody helped me by taking this pic, Nkosinathi said, that he was the fruit of my work. I felt honoured! AS everyone knows, the student is the one who does most of the work.

Graduation is always a joyful event.

Edwin Cameron

Domaren i Konstitutionsdomstolen,
Edwin Cameron (Foto: Kristina Göranzon)

Första gången jag träffade Edwin Cameron var i Bloemfontein. Hans prisbelönta bok: ”Witness to Aids” lanserades. Jag köpte ett exemplar och fick det dedicerat. Efter att ha läst halva tänkte jag:

Denna bok vill jag recensera.

Det blev en anmälan i Kyrkans Tidning. Men för att ha mer kött på benen bad jag att få träffa honom. Då var han domare i Supreme Court of Appeal. Det var ett spännande möte på hans imponerande tjänsterum. Takhöjd 7 meter. Kändes det som!

Idag föreläste han om det konsitutionella läget i Sydafrika. 20 år efter de första demokratiska valen. Det skedde på Howard College, som är en av 5 campus på vårt universitet. Vår ”School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics” finns även där. Men nu var det nog School of Law, som arrangerade föreläsningen.

Twenty Years of Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law - Prize or Pain

Han började med tre frågor:

1. Vad betyder vår historia?2. Vad betyder det att leva i en konstitutionell stat?3. Vad innebär det att vara jurist?

I den tredje frågan riktade han sig särskilt till de juridik-studenter som fanns närvarande. Det var liksom en röd tråd genom hela föredraget. Vi kan inte enbart förlita oss på lagen. Den måste upprätthållas av framförallt alla jurister men ytterst hela befolkningen.

Cameron menade att Sydafrikas historia är unik. Ingen annanstans har förtyck upprätthållits genom lagstiftning som i Sydafrika. Det värsta med Apartheid, menade Cameron, var inte att folk dödades. Antalet döda var enligt honom – i jämförelse med andra länder – ”insignificant”. Under 100 000 under alla år. Att jämföras med t ex Rwanda där 10 000 dog om dagen.

Apartheid hindrade människor från att leva! Apartheid förnedrade människor. Förtycket gick djupare.

Cameron fortsatte att tala om betydelsen av Sydafrikas konstitution och underströk att det nya också var sociala och ekonomiska rättigheter, som inte fanns med i interim-konstitutionen från 1993 men skrevs in i den nu gällande konstitutionen från 1996.

Det var p g a dessa skrivningar som Treatment Action Campaign framgångsrikt kunde driva frågan om fria Antiretrovirals (ARV). Cameron var en av Thabo Mbekis största kritiker och hade en del beska omdömen om den f d presidenten. Cameron lever själv med HIV, så han vet vad han talar om. Men när Mbekis regering överbevisades av rättsväsendet att de handlat olagligt, så ändrade sig Mbeki. För detta gav Cameron honom ”credit”.

Jag skulle vilka sammanfatta hans föreläsning med några ord han själv sa:

The constitution is ours to win or lose.

På de frågor han fick svarade han flera gånger genom att vända frågan till den som ställt den:

Vad kan Du göra?

Så menar han också att domare och jurister också måste ta ett personligt ansvar för rättsstaten. De kan inte gömma sig bakom paragraferna.

En av frågorna handlade om Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng som för ett tag sedan uttalade sig och sa att religion behövs för att stärka rättsväsendet. Cameron tyckte det var bra. Men jag tror inte han håller med Mogoeng. Cameron är, vad jag förstår närmast ateist. Men han anser ändå att det är bra att en kollega kliver fram och säger vad han tycker. Cameron menade också att Mogoengs utspel missförståtts.

När hustrun och jag sammanfattade våra intryck, så var vi fyllda av hopp. I sydafrika finns en fri press. Och många fristående, statliga insitutioner som har integritet. Och i Sydafrika finns Justice Edwin Cameron.

Nu köpte vi hans senaste bok: "Justice. A personal account." Det blir nog
en till recension snart. Det var roligt att Edwin Cameron kände igen mig. Men
det första han frågade var: "Hur mår Din fru?" (Foto: Kristina Göranzon)

Naboth’s Vineyard

Today the text for the bible study was 1 Kings 21:1-22. My colleague from UKZN, Sarojini Nadar, asked me to play the role of Naboth. So here’s the text itself and some footage:

Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.” But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors.”  

Jione Havea as king Ahab and me as Naboth.

So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat. His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?” 

Queen Jezebel (Evangeline Anderson Rajkumar) talks with her husband, king Ahab.
I, Néstor O. Míguez, Maake Masongo and Pernilla Stam are waiting for the story to continue.

He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. In those letters she wrote: “Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them bring charges that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.” 

As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard. 

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’” Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!” “I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’ “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’ “Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.” (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.) When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”

After the drama the main actors were invited to share their views in a talk show, where Sarojini asked everyone a few questions. 

And thereafter we all shared thoughts in smaller groups. This text is a very important text for Christian Palestinians. That became very clear in the report back. This overshadowed another aspect which also could be found in the text, namely the conflict between Elijah and Jezebel. She is described in rather negative ways. The question is: is it fair? A few chapters earlier in the story we can read about how 450 of Jezebels prophets were killed. But of course, Naboth had nothing to do with that.

Let justice roll down like waters

Every day at the Assembly revolves around a Bible text. Today Amos 5:14-24 which is a strong and prophetic message relevant in this context.

Every day at the Assembly starts with a Morning Prayer and bible study. I attend the English Plenary Bible Study. We are many hundreds but it works. The method is contextual bible study and we are asked to form small groups where we sit. Today it was led by my colleague at the UKZN, Prof Sarojini Nadar. Four people helped her read the text. Thereafter she welcomed Amos to the stage. First it felt as a humoristic role-play but it soon turned into a real encounter.

A prophet from Tahiti!

In our small group I met Ms Katia Tupara from the Maohi Protestant Church, Tahiti. When we were invited to share thoughts about the bible text she told us about the French occupation of Tahiti. This came as a very prophetic challenge to me. I have to realize that I did not pay much attention to the political situation of the people in the so called French Polynesia. I know about the nuclear tests which is of course only one part of a very complex situation. On top of that the people living on those islands also have to face the climate change and the rising of the sea level. I asked Katia about how she feels about the image from Amos:

Let justice roll down like waters

She said that there is a huge difference between the waters. Rising sea levels are caused by the big countries in the world. The water Amos is talking about is the fresh water springing up from the soil of these islands.

 

Ylva Sarri is drumming on her digital drum.

The bible study was done with words and drums. For instance the reading of the bible text was mixed with drumming. As a sign of how a prophet makes people listen by making a lot of noise. This made me think of the situation in Sweden. In the 17th Century the Swedish state (which was then in total union with the Church of Sweden) burned and destroyed the drums of the Sami people. Today the Swedish state allow foreign companies to exploit Sápmi. The mine in Gállok is only one example. I hope that the Sami people find their destroyed drums and also their prophetic voice. One such voice is Ylva Sarri. She is one of four delegates from Church of Sweden. You can find her blog through this link.

The first plenary this day began with three greetings. One came from the Archbishop of Canterbury (Anglican). The other was from the Chairperson of the Pentecostal World fellowship. He told us that his participation in the Global Christian Forum has been an inspiration for him. He quoted Mark 9:40 where Jesus says:

Whoever is not against us is for us ...

The last greeting was given by the leader of a Buddhist organization in Japan which has worked together with the WCC since Vancouver in 1983. They support some of the WCC programmes. I think this was great! But why is always those greetings given by elderly men. His Grace, His Holiness, His Eminence …. This needs to be changed! Now!

The plenary was called the Asia Plenary. We listened to five different speakers. One spoke (again) about multiple identities in Asia. Another one said that the 21st Century is called the Asian century. But how about Africa? I cannot recall all the presenters but one was a Korean Orthodox bishop who made a plea for the Orthodox churches in the Middle East. He also showed slides from the Holy Trinity Church in Pyongyang. The Orthodox Church in North and South Korea is united. The strongest message though came from a medical doctor from India who told the story about two girl conjoined twins that where born near the hospital. The family rejected them but the hospital and the whole village embraced them. Their names were Stuti and Aradhana, meaning Praise and Worship. When they were separated after a few years Aradhana died from an infection after some time. A tragedy, of course. But the outcome was that the family went through a process and accepted Stuti, who is now living with her biological family.

South African media - here we come!

I sent a photo and some text to the Campus Electronic Newsletter: UKZNdabaOnline. They published it. I wrote the text. But I did not choose the heading:

UKZN Theology Experts Contribute to Conference in Sweden

But I don't mind! The funny thing is that I am using the same office as Kenneth Mtata used before.

Here I am together with the Church of Sweden Archbishop (Most Rev Dr Anders Wejryd) 

and Rev Dr Kenneth Mtata.

Can I learn to speak isiZulu?

We just received a communique from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for teaching and learning, who is also the chair of the UKZN language board. I quote:

I am pleased to advise that the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is pioneering the introduction of isiZulu proficiency as a module in all undergraduate degree programmes.

I believe it will cause some discussions. I have already seen comments on Facebook, like these:

Amen. Its long overdue.

Utter nonsense!!! Another attempt at 'transformation' aka reverse apartheid

And in the case of International students? It makes no sense.

Brilliant idea- No one questions English

It would be possible to continue. Some love it. Others hate it. Which is quite predictable. Personally I would love to attend one such module although I don’t believe it will be enough if proficiency is the goal. The vice-chancellor continues:

It also reflects UKZN’s commitment to the development of isiZulu as an academic language alongside English which at this stage remains the main language of learning and instruction. The approval of this principle marks a watershed for UKZN.

Is it going to work? I hope so, because there are more people in South Africa having isiZulu as their first language then Swedes having Swedish as their first language. In the communique from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Renuka Vithal, it is stated the following facts:

24% of South Africans speak isiZulu making it the most widely spoken language in the country

81% of people in KwaZulu-Natal speak isiZulu and 14% English

If somebody came up with the idea in Sweden that nobody could be taught in Swedish at university level, most people would regard that person as crazy. So why not isiZulu as an academic language in South Africa?

Having said this it is still going to be a challenge. I guess I will publish more blog posts on this topic.

First real encounter with students – I like!

(En svensk översättning finns längst ner!)



The class began at 11 am. More than 10 students were gathered in room 107 when I entered with a projector. I was not going to be in charge of the lesson. Only “sit in”. To me this was a relief. How could I, after more or less a month in Pietermaritzburg manage to lead three hours of teaching at postgraduate level? I was quite happy that my colleague, Rev. Dr. Herbert Moyo, entered the room a few minutes after me. He began directly:

We cannot sit like this. We have to rearrange the tables and the chairs. Let’s put them like a cow horn.

So we did and suddenly the lesson started.

Can you please introduce yourselves? Your name, where you come from and why you take this module. You can also mention your denomination, if you want.

Already at that stage I had recognized three examples of the kind of pedagogy I like.

1)Let’s organize the room in a way, which promotes a student centered approach.

2)Allow everyone to get used to using their voices.

3)Give freedom to the students to choose if they want to expose their denomination or not.

I decided to make notes, just to find that I had a problem in spelling the names. Well, Kelebogile is a familiar seTswana name but other names were more difficult. A name like Nomaroma was new to me. Also Corin. But I hope I will learn as time goes.

Both country of origin and all the different denominations indicated that we are going to have interesting discussions in this group:

Zambia, Namibia, Swaziland, DRC, Kenya and of course a number of students from South Africa. And the teachers from Zimbabwe and Sweden.

The different denominations were:

Pentecostal, Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, AFM, Congregationalist, Mennonite, Holiness Union Church (which was new to me).

I might have missed some. Some had also grown in one church and thereafter converted into another.

This of course took some time. Then Herbert moved to the next level. Three more questions:

1)What is Christian Education according to the perspective of your Church?

2)Why does your denomination have Christian Education?

3)What do you like or dislike about the way Christian Education is carried out in your Church?

And then he turned to me:

Anders, can you take over? I have to go and make some photocopies?

Brilliant! It definitely gave me a kick start as teacher and the task was not to huge for me. I must say that I enjoyed the exercise and it was so interesting to hear different students focus on different problems and also being quite honest about their own denomination.

How do you, as a minister of a congregation lead someone into the doctrine of the specific denomination without indoctrinating that person?
Why are we sometimes focusing too much on teaching congregants about our own denomination and forgetting the bigger picture?
If you as a leader focus too much on certain issues some congregants are not getting attention.

After this round of testimonials we were left with one hour only, which Herbert used for taking the students through the course outline and after that most of the students were dismissed. Only three stayed on. These were the master students. (The rest are doing their honours). The master students need to submit more extensive assignments but the course will still be a combined honours and master course.

The main book is Pedagogy of the Oppressed, written by Paulo Freire. It is obvious that Herbert has not only read it but also understood it and integrated it into his teaching style. He walks the talk. I am happy to be his colleague.

Första riktiga mötet med studenterna. Jag gillade det!

Lektionen började kl 11. Drygt 10 studenter hade samlats i sal 107, när jag kom in med en dataprojektor. Jag skulle inte leda lektionen. Bara ”sitta med”. För mig var det en lättnad. Hur skulle jag, efter ungefär en månad i Pietermaritzburg, kunna undervisa tre timmar på denna nivå? Jag var därför nöjd när min kollega, Dr. Herbert Moyo, kom in i rummet någon minut efter mig. Han började direkt:

Så här kan vi inte sitta. Vi måste möblera om. Vi sätter stolarna och borden som ett kohorn.

Vi gjorde så och så var lektionen igång.

Kan ni presentera er själva? Namn, var du kommer ifrån och varför du valt denna kurs. Om du vill kan du också säga vilket samfund du tillhör.

Redan där kände jag igen tre exempel på en pedagogik jag gillar.

1.Låt oss möblera rummet på ett sätt som främjar ett elev-centrerat förhållningssätt.

2.Möjliggör för alla att vänja sig vid att använda sin egen röst.

3.Ge frihet åt varje student att själv avgöra om hon/han vill röja sin samfundstillhörighet.

Jag bestämde mig för att föra anteckningar men hade problem med att stava namnen. Visst, Kelebogile är ett välkänt namn på seTswana men andra namn var svårare. Ett namn som Nomaroma var nytt för mig. Liksom Corin. Men jag hoppas jag lär mig med tiden.

Både ursprungsland och de olika samfunden skvallrar om att vi kommer att få intressant diskussioner i denna grupp:

Zambia, Namibia, Swaziland, DRC (Kongo Kinshasa), Kenya och såklart ett antal studenter från Sydafrika. Och lärarna från Zimbabwe och Sverige.

De olika samfunden var:

Pingstkyrkan, metodistkyrkan, lutherska kyrkan, katolska, AFM (Apostolic Faith Mission – också pingströrelsen), kongregationalistkyrkan, mennoniterna, Holiness Union Church (som jag inte hade hört talas om förut)

Jag kanske har missat någon. Några hade också vuxit upp i ett samfund och sedan konverterat.

Detta tog lite tid. Sedan fortsatte Herbert till nästa nivå. Tre nya frågor:

1.Vad är kristen undervisning enligt din kyrkas perspektiv?

2.Varför har ditt samfund kristen undervisning?

3.Vad gillar respektive ogillar du i det sätt på vilket ditt samfund använder kristen undervisning?

Sedan vände han sig mot mig:

Anders, kan Du ta över? Jag behöver gå och göra några fotokopior?

Lysande! Det gav mig definitivt en rivstart som lärare och uppgiften var inte heller för stor för mig. Jag måste erkänna att jag gillade övningen och det var mycket intressant att höra hur olika studenter fokuserade på olika problem och hur de även var ganska ärliga angående sitt eget samfund.

Hur leder man som präst in någon i ett specifikt samfunds lära (doktrin) utan att indoktrinera den personen?
Varför fokuserar vi ibland för mycket på att undervisa församlingsmedlemmar om vårt eget samfund, så att vi glömmer helheten?
Om en ledare fokuserar för mycket på visa frågeställningar är det lätt gjort att visa församlingsmedlemmar inte får den uppmärksamhet de behöver.

Efter denna runda med vittnesbörd hade vi bara en timme kvar, som Herbert använde för att gå igenom kursplanen och efter det lämnade nästan alla studenter salen. Bara tre stannade. Det var master-studenterna. (Resten gör en magister). Master-studenterna ska ju lämna in en mer omfattande uppsats men kursen är ändå kombinerad för både magister- och master-studenter.

Huvudbok är Pedagogik för förtryckta, skriven av Paulo Freire. Det är uppenbart att Herbert inte bara har last den utan också förstått den och integrerat den i sitt undervisningssätt. Han lever som han lär. Jag är glad att få vara hans kollega.

Askonsdag i Sydafrika

Det fanns en rad olika askonsdagsgudstjänster att gå på idag. Förmodligen firades morgonmässan i den anglikanska katedralen kl 06.45 som askonsdagsmässa. Vi hade också fått veta att det skulle vara en askonsdagsgudstjänst i de flesta lutherska kyrkor kl 17.00 – men vi var inte säkra på om det skulle bli med eller utan aska. I Bloemfontein, när vi bodde i Sydafrika förra gången, var det helt vanliga gudstjänster på askonsdagen. Det känns konstigt!

Så vi åkte till vårt Lutherska prästseminarium, Lutheran Theological Institute. Det blev en upplevelse. Predikan var kraftfull och askkorsen med. At ha rökelse på askonsdagen var något nytt för mig. I Sverige är jag van vid att aksonsdagsmässan är mer meditativ men det var inte riktigt fallet här.

Men så möttes jag redan i morse av en hälsning på facebook. Från universitetet:

To all Staff, Students and Friends observing Ash Wednesday
May this Holy Season bring you peace.
Happy Ash Wednesday from the UKZN team.

Kanske skulle jag inte uttrycka det så: Glad Askonsdag! Men bakom ligger en önskan från universitetet att på ett inkluderande sätt uppmärksamma olika religioner, när deras olika högtider äger rum. Det gillar jag!

Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 40 years

Last week I was in South Africa and coincidentally I happened to be in Pietermaritzburg at the 40th Anniversary of the Journal of Theology for Southern Africa (JTSA). One of its former editors, James (Jim) Cochrane, gave a lecture as a tribute to the journal: Spiritual capacity, Spirituality and the Challenge of Freedom.

Before he started, the occasion was opened by Janet Trisk, current editor together with the general editor Gerald West. After a few words she gave over to the founder, John de Gruchy. He gave us a few glimpses from the early years of the publication and I was happy to hear that amongst names like Desmond Tutu and David Bosch he directly mentioned Axel-Ivar Berglund. Axel-Ivar was born by Swedish parents in South Africa not far from Pietermaritzburg. He studied theology in Sweden but returned to South Africa as a missionary. He worked with theological education in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Africa at Umpumulo, where pastors were trained before the education moved to LTI in Pietermaritzburg. Axel-Ivar also worked at the SACC and he holds a PhD at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Axel-Ivar has been and is still a great inspiration to me.

Back to the lecture. John de Gruchy was the first editor, Jim Cochrane the second. The third editor was Steve de Gruchy, late son of John and Isobel de Gruchy. Isobel, who is a poet and painter, was also present at the lecture. Steve was Dean at the School of Religion and Theology at UKZN and died in his fifties. I never had the opportunity to meet him but have understood that he was an exceptional theologian.

John spoke about the time when the journal was launched as “one of the darkest periods in the history of South Africa”. In 1972 the Prime Minister was B J Vorster and his brother, J D Vorster was an influential Dutch Reformed Church clergyman. As far as apartheid was concerned church and state went hand in hand.

Echoes of our time

Much has happened since then but Jim Cochrane started his lecture by talking about the Marikana shootings, saying that many draw parallels to Sharpeville and he concluded:

We are not the society we promised to become …

He gave a number of examples like HIV and AIDS, the refusal by some privileged whites to reconcile, corruption, syndicates having come to SA, violence against women and children but also against men, crime, and most of all the growth of the gap between rich and poor.

But then he told the story about Dr C V Pillay trying to fight corruption at Madwaleni rural hospital in Eastern Cape. Prof Cochrane spoke about the need for another kind of spirituality and he asked if and how theology in South Africa today has taken up this responsibility.

The lecture was divided into three parts. “Echoes of our time” was the first. The next was:

Possibilities

He spoke about a capacity that human beings have: the capacity to imagine new possibilities and bring them into being. We are created in the image of God. In latin: Imago dei. The key insight being that this also is a spiritual capacity. We can imagine a just society and bring into being.

So he turned to the third part:

Freedom and responsibility

The task of theology today is to address the new possibilities. The society is in dire need of courage, passion, rigour, seriousness and hope. This could be a contribution by theology.

After the lecture we had the opportunity to ask questions. Two interesting comments came from Sue Rakoczy (at St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Pietermaritzburg) and Clint Le Bruin (at School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at UKZN). Sue asked when the first woman had an article published in the JTSA. According to Cochrane probably in the beginning of the 1980s. Clint introduced himself as a rather young theologian and asked for forgiveness being rude, when he asked whether Cochrane wasn’t just an old professor saying that things were better before. Clint himself experiences that the theology of today is vibrant. So these two persons gave voice to two groups (women and youth) who haven’t always been taken serious in South Africa.

The answer from Cochrane was that things are worse now. And it is not only a South African phenomenon. All over the globe the credo of our time is: Me, me and mine, mine. But there is hope. There are possibilities. Cochrane saw as one possibility the shift of theological language and he actually gave an example from a charismatic church. (Although he is not a charismatic Christian in that sense of the word).

It is a great privilege to be able to join this context of responsible theologians early next year. Hopefully I can also make a contribution.

Janet Trisk

Isobel and John de Gruchy and to the right Gerald West

Jim Cochrane