BiAS 7 – The Bible and Politics in Africa
shelter for the poor for the foreseeable future (Mokoena & Marais
2008:109). 32,263 erven in newly formalised areas have been created
over the past ten years. Bringing informal settlements into the orbit of
formal planning is essential and the municipality tries to develop the
areas in such a way that structure is given to these areas Mokoena and
Marais (2008:109). People are flocking in from farms all over the Free
State but also from depleted mining towns and other African countries.
The challenges in these informal settlement areas are vast. However, the
church is present in many ways. Mainline churches erect more perma-
nent structures while independent and initiated churches erect tempo-
rary structures. The challenge for the church is to bring about new hope
in the informal settlement city.
- THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE OF BROTHERHOOD AND
SISTERHOOD IN CRISIS
The Biblical message on the needs of Africa is clear. The Bible speaks of
the message of God in a world of need. Humans rejected God, but God
does not reject humans. In his turn towards human beings, God reaches
out to bring about a new dispensation. The churches are the messengers
of God in this world and they need to take hands with one another to
bring about a community of brotherhood and sisterhood. With brother-
hood and sisterhood the church can challenge the grave situation and
also the problems of Africa. The church is the community that can reach
out to the poorest of the poor by being present in their circumstances so
as to help and be there for them. The church is a community of faith
reaching out to the poor in a community through the message of love
which is clear in the Bible. A specific aspect of the church’s role among
the poor and ill is to be a community of love. This community of love
and faith is a community of brotherhood and sisterhood. There are other
aspects of the Bible such as the call to justice and judgement but this
specific aspect is highlighted here because it it is present among the
people of God and the Church under difficult circumstances when God
shows his love..
4.1 Brotherhood and sisterhood in the Old Testament
If we turn to the Old Testament, we can see that the community of God,
the people of Israel, had to look after the voiceless people. The main
thrust remains that the community of people of God had to live in faith