BiAS 7 – The Bible and Politics in Africa
Biblical texts, however, can give a specific stimulus for a new under-
standing of our problems today. Some aspects of this impetus are:
- Do not trust royal breadwinners. Neither a colonial king nor a post-
colonial leader will readily die for his people. Leaders usually make
people die for them. The leaders’ public charity first and foremost
stabilises their reign and keeps the poor dependent on the leader.
They only offer temporary satisfaction and the price which they exalt
for their (only earthly) feeding is too high. - Trust the one and selfless King. Jesus gives himself. He does not
only fill your stomach. He elevates his people to the dignity of his
own level of honor. Slavery comes to an end and friendship begins.
To those who believe in him, the Son gives the power to become
children of God. Nobody can ever take this dignity away. Even the
poorest member of a Christian community is equal to the son of
God. - The new world will not be brought about by a royal figure, neither by
a new David nor by a second Jesus. The care for earthly and eternal
life has to be taken by the community of God’s children. They have
to share and serve each other in a selfless way – ignoring the tradi-
tional hierarchies of society. As the status of being Child of God is
the only thing that matters, all forms of traditional societal hierarchy
should be forgotten and earthly goods are only of value if they are
used to help others in need. - Do not trust people who only talk about heavenly things and by doing
so get richer and richer. Those who really are connected to God are
those who do not cling to their property, but rather concentrate on
showing in their practice of sharing how much love God has given
them. - Be sceptical of great leaders in general – also in the realm of religion.
One of the most important yet often overseen details in the Johan-
nine version of the Last Supper is the commandment that states that
footwashing is a duty Christians owe to each other. There should be
no hierarchy, neither in helping nor in love, nor in feeding. The Jo-
hannine ideal is a Christian community of mutual respect and soli-
darity. It may sometimes be necessary for one person to take on the
role of Jesus, but in general, Jesus should be represented by all
Christians together. In a time in which the religious market is full of