The Godness of good

How timely is the latest edition of The Briefing on ‘The goodness of God’! With Christopher Hitchens in Sydney espousing the notion that ‘All religion is poison’, Christians need to be prepared to not only give the reason for the hope that is in them, but to remind their neighbours that the world is crying out for this hope. Hitchens suggestion that, left to our devices, humankind is capable of great good flies in the face of the reality of life around us.

As the latest in a list of high-profile atheists and Darwinians, Hitchens attracted media attention during his visit to Sydney. As I understand it, one of his key messages is that followers of religion are slaves to a tyrannical god who does not deserve to lay any claim upon human beings, and that this enslavement leads to the mindless fanaticism. In fact, as with the father of lies, Hitchens has taken a truth and twisted it. In the end, his claim of independence and rejection of the creator is sin in its basic form. Of course, the Bible has much to say about people such as Mr Hitchens; Psalm 14:1 comes to mind. Paul Grimmond's reminder that we are to be faithful in our proclamation of God's goodness, which is also seen in his just judgement, is one that we need to take to heart for ourselves and in our speaking with others.

I chose these verses from Matthew to respond to Christopher Hitchens:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30)

I think that they remind us of our freedom as slaves of Christ—expressed in terms of Jesus' love and humility, which are aspects that contrast markedly with the public persona of Mr Hitchens.

Philip Cooney of Wentworth Falls, NSW, AUS (12/10/2009)

I appreciated the interview with Grant Retief in the October Briefing. He has certainly done a significant work on university campuses in Durban and in the recruiting and training of apprentices. His analysis of the South African Christian scene is also perceptive—and provocative.

According to the 2001 Census, nearly 80 per cent of South Africans claim to be Christian. (Religious Intelligence gives an undated estimate of 73.5 per cent based, in part, on denominational statistics.) Grant's claim that most of these are in church on Sunday mornings is, I believe, rather exaggerated. There are no church attendance statistics in South Africa. The 80 per cent census figure includes all nominal Christians and all family members. Most nominal Christians seldom (if ever) go to church. Church attendance amongst blacks is high; it's much lower amongst whites.

But that is minor. What I do dispute is his claim that “what they [South African churchgoers] would be hearing is prosperity”. I do not deny that the prosperity gospel has ravaged certain sectors of the church—perhaps even large sections. Trinity Broadcasting Network is widely viewed in black urban townships. The ‘alive’ churches in the black cities are largely Pentecostal, and they have been heavily influenced by the prosperity gospel. The extent of that influence, though, is debated. One reason for their success is that they have broken with African Traditional Religion (ATR), unlike the accommodation of many of the mainline denominations, and thus attract ‘true’ Christians. Grant, in working with black Christians on campus, would naturally be confronted with these prosperity gospel Pentecostals and be left with the impression that the prosperity gospel is “mainstream Christianity for most people in this country”.

But the census (and Human Sciences Research Council and Religious Intelligence) statistics belie this impression. 30 per cent of South Africans claim to belong to mainline churches. While many of these folk don't go to church, those who do don't hear the prosperity gospel on Sunday mornings. 11 per cent belong to the Zion Christian Churches—an amalgamation of Old Testament, Christian and ATR elements; whatever prosperity influence there is is not dominant. Other Zionists, Ethiopian-type, other Apostolics and other African Independent churches (census classifications covering thousands of African Initiated Churches) claim another 20 per cent; these have Christian and ATR elements, and whatever prosperity influence there may be is not dominant. Pentecostal and charismatic churches comprised about 9 per cent of the population in 2001. This percentage has, no doubt, grown, and their influence is wider. But even here where the prosperity gospel has been highly influential, there are many churches that are not prosperity gospel.

To conclude, the prosperity gospel is highly influential and no doubt growing. But it is hardly “mainstream Christianity for most people in this country”.

John Child of George Whitefield College, Cape Town, South Africa (11/12/2009)

I'm writing to particularly commend the last couple of Briefings, with their articles on ministry in South Africa and Pakistan. It's encouraging to hear about how God is working in different cultural contexts, and also to recognize the ministry challenges in different places. All too often we can become preoccupied with our own context and issues. But these articles enlarged my vision of God and his work and compelled me to pray. Please, can we have more—perhaps as a regular feature?

Alastair Duncan of Cardiff, Wales, UK (11/12/2009)