Have you ever wondered, like I do almost daily, why there is no mainstream Christian outcry over the ongoing Gaza genocide? Or why it does not make the sermon being preached on a Sunday? Or, for that matter, why there are never sermons on climate change, inequality, racism, sexism or pretty much any other social justice issue?
Turns out what you believe about God—whether you're Christian, Muslim, atheist, or something else—determines how you view the world, its people, and your responsibility toward both. Theology shapes not only religious practices but also societal attitudes, including views on justice, equality, and human rights. For many Christians, the teachings they hold regarding salvation, heaven, and God's will profoundly influence how they engage with issues like racism, povery and inequality and climate issues. In fact, for most, these beliefs can serve as a reason why social justice issues seems secondary, if not irrelevant and "unspiritual".
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The are many strands to this and many nuances, but two key drives to consider are
1. Soteriology
2. Social Darwinism
I would wager that most Christians have never heard of these concepts yet they practice and adhere to them often , if not all the time.
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africa, roger dickinson, spiritual
Throughout history, human beings have longed for divine intervention. We’ve imagined gods, heroes, and supernatural beings who could suddenly appear or come down from their heavenly realms to walk amongst us, help us face the trials and struggles of daily life, and ultimately 'save us"!
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We crave the strength, wisdom, and power of those who are better than us, to fix what we cannot. We want them to tell us what do, when to do it and how - so we don't need to!
We treat sports stars, actors and genius entrepreneurs in the same way these days.
But it doesn't stop there...
Swop out 'gods', for your boss, pastor, political candidates
But when they do—when gods descend, heroes rise, or leaders emerge—we often reject them, turning against those who remind us of our limitations. This paradoxical cycle is as old as humanity itself, echoed in myth, history, and modern culture.
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gods, roger dickinson, spiritual, we want our gods to live amongst us
It is now a week after South Africa voted in its general election. The elections revealed many things, including that the only constant is change.
Apart from every thing else, I had the honour of voting next to my son, who at 19 years old, voted for the first time.
But now that we have voted,maybe it is time for a rethink!
On the whole thing!
How we choose our leaders.
How we elect or select them.
What kind of government we want to have.
In an age where political disillusionment runs high, maybe we should seriously consider a shift from traditional political structures to technocratic governance.
In many ways it is clear that "politics is dead"!
Every day we are confronted with politics and politicians that reveal inefficiencies, corruption, and self-serving Narcissists intent only on prolonging their time in power.
As South Africa, along with many other countries, grapples with these issues, the idea of replacing politician-led governance with technocratic leadership offers a promising and more hopeful alternative.
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A few days ago , on the 25th May we celebrated Africa Day.
May 25th is celebrated as Africa Day, a day dedicated to commemorating the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now known as the African Union (AU). The significance of this day traces back to the early 1960s, a period marked by the wave of independence movements across the African continent.
For many there may not have been too much to celebrate as Africa remains beset by challenges. However in this blog, I would like to celebrate some of the sporting heroes, who often take our minds and souls away from the daily problems and give us hope and belief in what we could be as a continent!
Here are some of the most notable African athletes across various sports.
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25th may, africa, africa day, african heroes, health
I am a Christian
I live and move and have my being in a God who chooses to be a Creator and a Companion
A Baby and a Commoner.
He who forgives and does not forget me!
Who lifts me up, opens the way before me and makes me great.
Elohim. Adonai. El Shaddai! El Roi!
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Wake up everybody no more sleepin in bed
No more backward thinkin time for thinkin ahead
The world has changed so very much
From what it used to be so
There is so much hatred war an' poverty
The world won't get no better if we just let it be
The world won't get no better we gotta change it yeah, just you and me
The life of a Social Entreprenuer revolves around 2 often seemingly, diametrically opposite goals. One to make a decent living for yourself and your family; the other to make a meaningful and tangible impact in a hurting and dysfunctional world. Hope and despair, elation and depression are constant alternativng partners in this journey!
I recently added the iconic song Wake Up Everybody by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes onto my Sportify playlist to to reminds me about the need to stay focused and also that positive change always only happens with taking action rather than just letting things be.
The world won't get no better if we just let it be
The world won't get no better we gotta change it yeah, just you and me
Selah
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africa, collaborative action, literacy, starfish on the beach, wake up everybody
In his book (which I’m currently finishing up) Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity Dr Peter Attia point out that the odds are overwhelming that an average middle-class person will die as a result of one of the chronic diseases of aging he calls the Four Horsemen. These are heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, or type 2 diabetes and related metabolic dysfunction. For those who care about these things, the Four Horsemen imagery is taken from Revelation 6 in the New Testament of the Bible. I choose not to go into the Revelation 6 imagery's meaning and symbolism here but maybe suffice to say that it is intended to convey the coming of chaos, hardship and eventually death. How it also relates to Attia's point is that the Horsemen come in response to choices made by individuals and groups of people.
Attia’s view is that one of the Horsemen or a combination of them will eventually kill you and me, before out time. This of course apart from the proverbial bus that could knock you over, another global pandemic or Vogons destroying the earth for an intergalactic highway (this is a nod to the The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy -which I’m also rereading).
The Horsemen bring sickness, stress and depression before they bring death. Their cumulative effect puts incredible strain on individuals, families, communities and countries.
Turns out however, that the Horsemen are mostly constructs of our lifestyle choices, modern middle class living and personal neglect. We can choose to be taken by the Horsemen or not! And even if they get us eventually, we can choose how long the chase lasts and on who's terms it all ends.
We will all eventually die of something but an unhealthy, painful, unfit pathway need not be the way to go!
Selah
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africa, four horsemen of the apocalypse, health, male fitness, measure what you manage, peter drucker
In starting this blog, I only realised in talking with my Daughter yesterday, that I had not set out my intentions for it. She asked me why I was doing it and the first thing that came up was: “For my mental health”. Which is a slightly weird thing to say but probably is the truest thing. There are other reasons I am doing this, which I will expand on later in this blog, but keeping myself sane and more or less aligned to my life purpose and goals, seems like a good thing. So, this should probably have been the first blog but maybe now that I’ve actually started it is good to set down some markers.
I have always found writing things down clarifying for the mind and the soul, and maybe this will be an extension of that. I also get and acknowledge the inherent narcissism and self-promotion that comes with thinking that you have amazing or profound things to say for everyone else to read. I’ll own that and see if there is possibly a balance between all of that and my need to express myself and to set out clearly who and what I want to be.
Let’s see!
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Anyone following my social media profiles or those of our African Spelling Bee partners, will be inundated with posts and videos about our upcoming spelling bees. (If you haven’t - then you please do check us out at. www.africanspellingbee.com
Spelling Bees are an integral part of our programming at A Better Africa Foundation but were never intended to be the primary focus. A concern right from the start of our programmes in 2009 was whether spelling bees actually assisted in literacy improvements or if they were simply a distraction.
14 years later and our spelling bees have now expanded to partnerships across 25 countries with hundreds of thousands of spellers coming through our various competitions each year.
The questions still persist though.
Do spelling bees help in improving literacy skills or are they simply hyped-up competitions for those can already read and spell? Or do they have other benefits?
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I often hear (and use) the phrase: "Well its not a silver bullet". This is often said in reference to a quick fix or easy pathway for some complex or difficult problem. In particular I hear it used in regard to the education system in which I spend most of my time. The unspoken belief however, is that there actually is a silver bullet to be found. And once we find it all our problems will go away.
I wonder now if the metaphor actually gives us more clues to our problem, and a way forward, than we may think?
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education, literacy, mara, neet, pirls, reading, silver bullet, werewolf
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