{"id":28614,"date":"2022-08-30T08:35:37","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T15:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=28614"},"modified":"2022-08-30T08:35:37","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T15:35:37","slug":"a-long-walk-to-shalom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/a-long-walk-to-shalom\/","title":{"rendered":"A long walk to Shalom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long Walk to Freedom<\/em> discusses South Africa\u2019s democracy from the perspective of one of her most beloved sons. It chronicles the life of Nobel Laurette Nelson Mandela from birth at Mvezo, a South African rural area in a province that was then called The Transkei,<\/em> to becoming the country\u2019s first democratically-elected president.<\/p>\n

The journey includes Mandela\u2019s introduction to politics by joining the African National Congress (ANC), regarded then as the chief (unofficial) opposition to the Apartheid government that was responsible for oppressing majority of South Africa\u2019s citizens. It also details Mandela\u2019s 27 years in prison, mainly at the infamous Robben Island, and how this season and other aspects of the struggle to gain freedom shaped the philosophy of this important African leader.<\/p>\n

What intrigues me about this book is how humble beginnings in an otherwise unknown rural area did not hinder Mandela from significant contributions to the destiny of Africa\u2019s most significant economy. Having lived in a village near Mvezo, it is my hope that many rural dwellers would not only admire Mandela, but following his example, refuse to be defined by their circumstances, and face the future prayerfully, believing that transformation is possible.<\/p>\n

I am also impressed by the team spirit highlighted in the book. While the global community may remember only few individuals in South Africa\u2019s history, Mandela shows that securing democracy took the efforts of a significant number of sacrificial leaders working tirelessly towards the ideal of a diverse, equitable and inclusive society. Some of the leaders probably played even more crucial roles than Mandela. Paying respect to these leaders, Mandela mentions Chief Albert Luthuli, ninth president of the ANC and the first African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize[1]<\/a>; as well as Oliver Tambo, tenth president of the ANC, whose contribution has been recognized by naming the country\u2019s premier airport and his home county after him. Recognizing his predecessors, mentors and comrades highlights Mandela\u2019s humility, a trait Jim Collins argues is indispensable to effective leadership[2]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

No Future without Forgiveness<\/em> is Nobel Laurette Desmond Tutu\u2019s ground-breaking case for forgiveness. The book\u00a0 shows how Tutu was inspired \u201cnot by political motives [but] \u2026 biblical faith\u201d in his fight for justice and freedom during the dark years of South Africa\u2019s history[4]<\/a>. It is made up of eleven chapters that may be divided into three sections. The first gives an overview of the global and local context within which South Africa\u2019s most significant forgiveness project, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), took place. Tutu discusses the TRC against the background of Nuremberg, the international military tribunal that tried the Nazis of World War II[5]<\/a>. The section ends by making a case for restorative <\/em>(rather than retributive) justice. The second part addresses a very difficult, yet needed, reality: forgiveness from the perspective of victims of crime. The three chapters here give details of a victim hearing; discuss wanting to forgive but not knowing exactly who perpetrated the crime; and the trauma of losing loved ones without the opportunity of giving them a decent funeral, or burying dead relatives without permission to view their mortal remains supposedly due to extreme dismemberment[6]<\/a>. The closing section argues in support of extending forgiveness even when it is not appreciated by perpetrators of wrong. It also highlights the importance of realizing that several individuals engage in wrongdoing without a significant appreciation of the implications of their actions.<\/p>\n

No Future without Forgiveness<\/em> teaches us that nobody can effectively experience the abundant life of John 10:10 without receiving and giving forgiveness. Jesus demonstrates the significance of this godly characteristic by forgiving notorious<\/em> sinners (the woman caught in adultery, Zacchaeus, the woman of Samaria and several others). He continually promoted forgiveness through parables like that of The Prodigal Son<\/em>, and ultimately prayed, even while experiencing the trauma of dying on the cross, that His persecutors be forgiven. This affirms Tutu\u2019s claim that no sin, regardless of how hideous. is unforgivable[7]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While I may never fully understand the intricacies of South Africa\u2019s journey of forgiveness, facilitating restorative justice workshops for prison inmates and formerly-incarcerated persons in the Eastern Province often reminds me of the critical importance of forgiveness. When victims and perpetrators of crime give and receive forgiveness, something indescribably beautiful happens. When one or both parties do not forgive, an intangible prison that saps joy and the potential for fulfilling one\u2019s God-given purpose seems to be unleashed.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, Mandela and Tutu\u2019s books are a powerful reminder that embracing perseverance and forgiveness are critical steps to experiencing Shalom. <\/em>But it is imperative that we also address the entitlement mentality and family breakdown among many South Africans. In line with this, Shelby Steele cautions that family breakdown is at the root of \u201cgangsterism, drug abuse, low academic achievement, high dropout and unemployment rates, high crime and incarceration\u201d[8]<\/a>. Steele also insists that without formal education, blacks are caught in between a past that has deprived them and a future they can\u2019t seize, thus thy fall into an \u201coutlaw\u2019s grandiosity.\u201c[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>The Nobel Prize. Available at:\u00a0 https:\/\/www.nobelprize.org\/prizes\/peace\/1960\/lutuli\/facts\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Jim Collins. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don\u2019t. 2001: 83<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Fergus M. Bordewich. \u201cWashington: The Making of the American Capital.\u201d HarperCollins e-books 2008, 55<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Tutu, 72.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Tutu, 2o.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Tutu, 146<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Tutu, 198.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Shelby Steele. \u201cShame: How America\u2019s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country.\u201d Basic Books 2015, 33.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Steele, \u201cShame\u201d, 103<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Long Walk to Freedom discusses South Africa\u2019s democracy from the perspective of one of her most beloved sons. It chronicles the life of Nobel Laurette Nelson Mandela from birth at Mvezo, a South African rural area in a province that was then called The Transkei, to becoming the country\u2019s first democratically-elected president. The journey includes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[812,1098,357,2315],"class_list":["post-28614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-freedom","tag-mandela","tag-shalom","tag-tutu","cohort-lgp11"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28614"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28615,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28614\/revisions\/28615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}