BiAS 7 – The Bible and Politics in Africa
Conclusion
In this paper, an attempt is made to show that Bible and politics are
closely related. This is done through a contextual theological reading of
the Bible with indigenous communities in Botswana. Through this
approach, Christians are reminded that they can no longer ignore the
complexities of their societies, be they political, economic, or otherwise,
but instead, they should collectively exercise moral responsibility to work
with and through structures in their various countries, because, the
Bible as a Christian document which also deals with political issues
provides that forum. This means that Christians should join in an effort
to articulate a political ethic for today's world and life situation in order
to avoid a wrong politicization of their religion. As already indicated, an
attempt is made in the paper to read Psalm 137:1-4 with Basarwa-an
indigenous group in contemporary Botswana to show how their prob-
lems are similar to those of the biblical times. By reading Psalm 137:1-4,
Basarwa also learn and draw inspiration that even during biblical time’s
people who have been politically marginalized and displaced from their
ancestral lands have always turned to the Bible in order to seek God’s
intervention to bring justice. In conclusion, I would point that all these
acts are useful for us today to understand clearly that the relationship
between the Bible and politics is not something new.
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