US Evangelical Theologian and Activist Speaks at UKZN

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“Religion and Ethics in an Immoral Society: with an Emphasis on Evangelical Theology”, was the title of a lecture delivered on UKZN’s Pietermaritzburg campus by visiting United States public evangelical theologian, social activist, prolific author and international commentator on ethics and public life, the Reverend Jim Wallis.

Wallis, who is President and founder of Sojourners Community where he is also editor in-chief of the internationally renowned Sojourners magazine, was hosted by The Ujamaa Centre for Community Development and Research in the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics (SRPC).

The event - chaired by Director of the Ujamaa Centre, Professor Simangaliso Kumalo - was attended by 300 people including UKZN students and staff, representatives of theological institutions in Pietermaritzburg, leaders of local churches and members of the KZN Ecumenical Council.

Wallis focused on the importance of prophetic theology from his own context, sharing his personal stories, views and memories with the audience, leaning heavily on the teachings of the Bible within a political yet human sphere.

He recalled, as an evangelical teenager, being told by his church that Christian faith had nothing to do with either racism or war. He then found a new home in the civil rights movement and the Black community, learning about the relationship between the “two forbidden topics” in polite White society.

‘I view politics from the vantage point of my own religious tradition - in particular from the perspective of the biblical prophets and the teaching of Jesus. But given the prominence of the religious right in contemporary American politics, any reference to the Bible prompts many to mistrust and suspicion.

‘Yet I believe the prophetic biblical tradition can serve as a fundamental alternative to both the limits of secular humanism and the oppressions of religious fundamentalism. The religion of the prophets can help us shape a politics of conscience.’

Wallis touched on the immigration debate in the United States which is around an estimated 11 million individuals whose lives are torn apart by the broken immigration system in that country.

‘Policy makers on both sides of the aisle have come to understand the moral imperative of ensuring the well-being of those within our country - of keeping families together and welcoming those who already share their lives, their work, and their church pews with us. If we can uphold the common good on immigration, I believe it is possible elsewhere.’

Wallis believes the politics most needed right now is the ‘politics of community’, a prophetic spiritual network across the lines of race, class, gender, and region with prophetic spirituality as a vision for transformation.

In closing, he said: ‘We stand at a political crossroads, and critical choices must now be made. Those choices are at heart religious, in so far as they will reveal our most fundamental values and moral sensibilities. The road we take will determine the kind of people we will become and the nature of the societies in which we will live.

‘In short, the decisions we make will decisively shape the quality of life for ourselves and our children's children. The Hebrew Scripture says it well: “I have set before you, life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live”.’

Melissa Mungroo