Missionary Minds

When we consider a question like this, our first question should be: “Is this union honoring to God?” This is not the same question as: “Is this union honoring to my parents?” The two are often the same, but not always.

Should Christians use dating apps?  One study claims that 1 in 3 South Africans uses online dating and that only 11% do it to find a marriage partner, while 48% do it for fun, 41% to find friends, and 13% for sex.  Our Police Minister Bheke Cele has recently warned of the increasing use of dating apps for kidnapping.  Yet global revenue from dating apps for 2023 will add up to US$8.7 billion, from 441 million users – a colossal industry indeed!  What does God’s Word say about this massive trend in our society?

Proverbs 22:7 declares the following truism: “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” This truism extends to individuals and governments alike. Last week’s mid-term budget speech on November 1st by the minister of finance was a good reminder of the peril of falling prey to the pernicious consequences of the debt cycle whereby more is spent than one has money for.

If you think the transgender debate hasn’t reached Africa, think again. Trans ideology has been gaining ground in Africa for decades. Take, for example, Caster Semenya, a South African middle-distance runner and two-time women’s Olympic gold medal winner in the 800 meters. Semenya doesn’t just win races. Semenya dominates, the media describing the races as “coasting to victory” and “winning easily”. The problem is that Semenya is not a woman. Semenya is a man who identifies as a woman. He has all the biological marks that only males possess: XY chromosomes, male genitalia, and high testosterone levels. He’s married to a woman with whom he has a child. Even his rare genetic condition can by definition only affect males. How then can Semenya call himself a woman?

Missionary newsletters (sometimes called Updates or Prayer Letters) help missionaries communicate with their sending churches and individuals supporters back home. The purpose of these letters is to inform Christians about the details of the ministry so that they can pray for and support the missionary responsibly.

The thinking goes, since my child is suffering, his sin is less severe. Sickness. Divorce. Poverty. Learning disabilities. Let us be patient with them. But challenges like these can shield a child from biblical discipline from his parents, which is a recipe for disaster. Listen to this episode to learn six key excuses to why parents don't discipline children.

Apartheid is an Afrikaans word meaning separation. It refers to a system of segregation based on race, popularized by the white South African government from 1948 to 1994. Though South Africa officially abolished apartheid nearly 30 years ago, many outside the country may be surprised to know that the word “apartheid” is still plastered on countless billboards throughout the largest cities in the land. But these billboards are not opposing old national grievances. How could they? Today’s blacks dominate South Africa’s population, Parliament, and police. These signs refer to the supposed Israeli apartheid against Palestinians. Sample signs in South Africa read: “Do the Right Thing. Boycott Apartheid Israel.” Or, “Churches Against Israeli Annexation of Palestinian Land.” Or, “End Israeli Apartheid Now.”

The final instalment from the 4-part mini-series on lobola. Enjoy.

In July of 2023, Ghana’s parliament voted to abolish the death penalty. Africa still has 30 countries that have the death sentence in their legal system, though it is rarely used in over half of these. Fourteen countries in Africa regularly use the death penalty: Nigeria, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Egypt, and Libya. In 26 African countries, capital punishment has been removed from the law books.

In August of 2023, three women in The Gambia were ordered to pay a fine or face jail time for practicing female circumcision. They were charged under the country's Women’s Amendment Act of 2015, which outlaws female circumcision. Despite this law, at least half of the women in The Gambia have undergone this procedure, often performed by older women in the community. According to the World Health Organisation, female circumcision involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. This procedure is common in many African countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Eritrea. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that 200 million girls and women globally have undergone female circumcision.