This article presents a theological review of the “The South Africa We Pray For” campaign by the South African Council of Churches in 2016. Described as a Kairos moment – a qualitative and divinely ordained moment for moral insight and decisive action – the campaign aimed to galvanise churches to pray actively and take action to address South Africa’s deepening socio-economic and political crisis. Ten years later, we consider the theological and prophetic logic of this project, as well as its practical effectiveness. This paper finds that the campaign presented a compelling public theology of prayer as action, but its long-term impact has been erratic, as it has not been sustained or institutionalised. Drawing upon Kairos theology and Baptist political theology, it suggests a new model of prophetic praxis based on local congregational mobilisation, moral witness, and structured social engagement. It concludes that the Kairos moment in 2016 remains unresolved; it calls afresh for renewed theological urgency and sustained ecclesial commitment.
The Old Testament concept of בְּרִית (covenant) articulates a divinely initiated relationship between God and humanity, structuring identity, vocation, and communal belonging. In the (Southern) African context, Ubuntu—expressed in the maxim “Motho ke motho ka batho” (Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu; a person is a person through others)—offers a relational anthropology grounded in interdependence and communal ethics. This study brings these two frameworks into critical dialogue by developing a theologically grounded account of covenant, with particular attention to Deuteronomic theology, and engaging Ubuntu as a contextual philosophical partner. It argues that both covenant and Ubuntu converge in their affirmation of relationality as constitutive of personhood, while differing in orientation: covenant is fundamentally theocentric, whereas Ubuntu is primarily anthropocentric. On this basis, the article proposes a theocentric reformulation of Ubuntu—“Motho ke motho ka Modimo” (a person is a person through God)—as a constructive theological synthesis. This formulation integrates African communal anthropology with biblical covenant theology, offering a contextual framework for addressing contemporary questions of identity, justice, and social cohesion.
Contemporary public theology in Africa often operates under the shadow of colonial methodologies, either adopting Western frameworks or engaging in a superficial assimilation of African culture as mere context rather than foundational ontology. This article argues that for public theology to be truly transformative and relevant, it must move beyond assimilationist tendencies which attempt to fit African realities into foreign theological molds and move toward a reimagining of African cultural ontologies. Utilizing a decolonial framework and engaging African indigenous knowledge systems (AIKSs), this study revalues African holistic worldviews, particularly the concept of Ubuntu, not as an antiquated tradition, but as a robust intellectual framework for contemporary public engagement. The article contends that a reimagined ontology affirms the integrity of African existence while providing constructive insights into justice, ecology, and communal well-being in the public square. Contribution: The study argues that African public theology must move beyond colonial, assimilationist frameworks toward a reimagined ontology rooted in African indigenous knowledge systems, such as Ubuntu. By revaluing these holistic worldviews as robust intellectual frameworks, the study contributes a decolonial approach to contemporary public engagement, offering new perspectives on justice and communal well-being
Using the rape of Tamar in 2 Samuel 13 as a hermeneutical lens, this article interrogates rape culture and the discourse of sexual violence in South Africa. This article mobilises Tamar’s silenced voice to critically expose the hegemonic structures that sustain gendered violence within broader socio-political formations. While the narrative necessarily engages male actors, the analysis does not seek to centre perpetrators as subjects of sympathy; rather, it examines how systems of power produce and sustain conditions in which violence becomes normalised. Furthermore, the article interrogates colonial and racialised constructions of Black masculinity, challenging the enduring stereotype of Black men as primary perpetrators of sexual violence. It argues that such representations obscure the structural and historical conditions that underwrite rape culture while simultaneously reinforcing racialised logics of othering.
The article seeks to contribute to an African Christian theology that empowers African Christians to relate to their ancestors in ways that affirm their historical importance while freeing them from fear of the spirits of the dead. It addresses the central question: what theological-biblical position can be taken regarding the African Christian belief in the continuing agency of ancestors - a belief that leaves many in fear of them? The article proceeds in six steps. First, it defines the fear of the dead. Second, it analyses the eschatological understanding of the dead within African traditional religion. Third, it describes selected expressions of the fear of the dead among African Christians. Fourth, it examines the element of restlessness in African conceptions of the realm of the dead. Fifth, it explores the biblical-eschatological view of the state of the dead. Finally, it proposes a theological-biblical framework aimed at empowering African Christians to overcome this fear. In doing so, the article contributes to the development of an eschatological framework that addresses and seeks to overcome the fear of the dead among African Christians.
