Tenda Wema Missions

04/02/2023

"Whitewashing [of Christianity] wrongly validates and champions the implicit cultural and historical bias within conservative evangelical communities and bolsters the notion that people of color will remain unequal to our white counterparts, regardless of our credentialing or accomplishment." - E.B Lane

17/01/2023

The theological and sociological aspects of Gospel witness are inseparable and indistinguishably put God’s People at odds with power systems. - Vince Bantu

17/12/2022

Miroslav Volf's notes on some passages in 1 Peter:

"What we should learn from the text [1 Peter] is not, of course, to keep our mouths shut and hands folded, but to make our rhetoric and action more modest so that they can be more effective. As we strive for social change, 1 Peter nudges us to drop the pen that scripts master narratives and instead give account of the living hope in God and God’s future (3:15; 1:5), to abandon the project of reshaping society from the ground up and instead do as much as we can from where we are at the time we are there (2:11), to suffer injustice and bless the unjust rather than perpetrating violence by repaying ‘evil for evil or abuse for abuse’ (3:9), and to replace the anger of frustration with the joy of expectation (4:13)."

16/12/2022

God’s vision for His People includes orthodox worship and justice for the marginalized—the Gospelist tradition of Black Christians in the modern world is consistent with biblical tradition. - Dr Cleotha Robertson

14/12/2022

09/12/2022

Gospel Haymanot is the perspective that maintains a high view of scripture coupled with biblical justice from a Black perspective. - Cleotha Robertson

04/12/2022

Gospel Haymanot arises out of the need to address the vacuum of theological and religious scholarship which considers themes of justice, race, and gender from an orthodox tradition. In addition, a Gospel Haymanot reclaims the voice, traditions, and experiences of Black people who are oft-neglected in the exposition of the text in orthodox settings. - Quonekuia Day

28/11/2022

Dr. David Daniels is one of the regular panelists at the J3P's Courageous Convos events. What a Historian!

23/11/2022

The heightened emphasis on theological orthodoxy among conservative Christian “Fundamentalists” led to two problematic theological trends still prominent in Western evangelicalism: 1.) a subordination of social justice to theological orthodoxy and 2.) an inconsistent public faith that selectively engages political issues while failing to address matters of systemic injustice. - Vince Bantu

21/11/2022

In sanctification, God doesn't move the ground beneath us like an escalator carrying us passively to glory. Rather, he energizes the new spirit within us to climb the rugged path of discipleship, developing inner strength and holy skill with each step. - David Gundersen

07/11/2022

Some deeply profound musings on the role of Christians in society by Mika Edmondson:

1. Exiles and Strangers: The Bible describes our current status as “exiles and strangers” in our world. Heb 11:13 This means we persuade others as guests rather than dictate to them.

2. A Kingdom Not of this World: The NT church is not called or equipped to bear the sword. The weapons of our warfare (prayer, preaching, gospel witness and persuasion, sacrificial service) are not the same weapons the world uses to expand its reach (guns, bombs, tanks, etc).

3. A Name Reserved for Covenant Community: Jesus was very careful and deliberate about what he put his name upon. In scripture, Jesus places his name on his people & his church. Where does he place his name on countries, political parties, platforms, schools, & economic systems?

4. Upside Down Ethics: We think the best way to influence something is to control it from the social top-down. However, Jesus exercised influence from the social bottom-up. He explained that his people would follow his example by exercising bottom up influence (see Matt20:25-26).

5. Solidarity with the Least of These: When Christians gain social control and power, we lose touch with those who don’t have it. Church history is littered with the casualties of “Christendom” projects that slaughtered people for the sake of “Kingdom advancement.”

6. A Powerful Drug: Social control is an intoxicating drug which can corrupt even the best of us. Once we gain a certain measure of social control & power, we’re tempted to feel we must keep it at all cost. We justify the compromises and casualties as promoting “the greater good."

7. The Faith of the Vulnerable: It’s really hard for people who believe they have power and control to entrust themselves to God (see Matt. 19:23). The social conditioning around power steers us toward self-sufficiency and pride and away from divine dependence and humility.

8. The Fellowship of Christ’s Sufferings: There are certain jewels of the Christian experience that are only located within the context of social vulnerability. Although suffering experiences are bad, the Lord can show himself uniquely good, present and gracious in that context.

22/10/2022

Check out some resources on our website. These include blogs, literatures, and videos for you to engage with and be encouraged spiritually.

https://www.twmissions.org.za/resources/