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Christ  the Redeemer 3rd Graduation ceremony
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EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

SPEECH BY PREMIER REV. M.A. STOFILE

AT THE CHRIST THE REDEEMER COLLEGE 3RD GRADUATION CEREMONY

UMTATA

26 MARCH 2000



INTRODUCTION:

Salutations to dignitaries, parents, graduands and other guests.

Congratulations to the graduands and the staff that produced them.

THE THEME

"The Role of the Church in Comforting, healing and Reconciling the people of the New South Africa."

The text that form the basis of this input are :

a) Isaiah 40 : 1-2.

"Comfort, yes comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and tell her that her sad days are gone. Her sins are pardoned, 
and I have punished her in full for all her sins." (The Living Bible).

b) II Corinthians 5 : 19 :

"God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ." (NIV)

It is my fervent hope that those who are graduating today, indeed all those who have ears and can hear, will be empowered to make further 
contribution in the huge task of building a new nation of inculcating a new ethos in our society so that the aged dreams of our people for 
justice, peace and prosperity can be translated into a real experience.

THE CONTEXT

After more than three hundred years since the arrival of people from Europe, South Africa continues to display disparities among her people 
which tend to co-incide with race. Whether it is the Khoi, the San or the indigenous African, all of them continue to be at the bottom of 
the economic ladder. The advent of a democratic government has not changed this situation. The new South Africa faces a serious problem : 
it is still harassed by the legacy of its past.

It is common to single out the old DRC as the church that colluded with apartheid. This is correct only if we look at overt supporters of 
apartheid policies. Though the mainline English-speaking churches did not have a stated racial policy, they nevertheless practised 
segregation in their schools, hospitals, seminaries and congregations. Bishop Reeves pointed out that the churches had control over these 
institutions long before the laws forbidding integration were passed. Indeed the churches did all too little to encourage such institutions 
to become integrated.

As a result of the way powerful institutions like the state and the church conducted their affairs, South Africa continues to be a country 
of two Nations. The nature, quality and ideology of the moves of the society have been left untouched. Deprivation, want, alienation, 
illiteracy and ill-health continue. Using the-once-and-for-all argument, commentators on these problems dismiss the colonial and racist 
pasts contribution. They all clamour for redressal for the present Government.

Our view is that Human Rights and their protection and enhancement are concerned with human dignity. Human well-being is indivisible as are 
human rights. Current disparities within and between nations are a flagrant affront to the restoration of human dignity and the enhancement 
of human rights. We also believe that the formal act of the transfer of power to the majority must not simply mean the change of faces in 
office. There must be fundamental changes in how things are planned, done and preserved. There must be a radical transformation.

But the real question is : whose problems are these? Who should confront these issues, if possible to end them? Naturally the answer to the 
question is : All of us. But Government must lead the way. In doing so, government must also try to take along as big a majority of the 
country as possible. If good laws are passed and no one supports or obeys them, their impact on good governance and transformation is 
negative. Whilst it is relatively easy to attain Democracy, retaining it and making it work is not very easy.

The churches can play a role in the reconstruction of South Africa. The prophetic mission of the church cannot remain only at the level of 
criticism. It must go beyond that. The hungry must be fed and the wounded must be healed. Our people are poor and hungry. Their spirits are 
terribly wounded. The church has land which is not producing food. There are buildings that could save the aged and disabled from scorching 
suns and biting rains as they queue for services. The church has professionals who could make an impact in any field of life one can think 
of.

The church can assist our people to get to grips with reconciliation and nation-building. We would be nave to think that the TRC has 
achieved that. Indeed the process has many flaws. Reconciliation is fragile and vulnerable and needs to be nurtured. No institution is 
better placed than the church for this.

The basis religious insights and discovery contained in 2 Cor. 5:19, it seems to me, are that in Christ, believers of Jewish and of Gentile 
backgrounds can live together in peace as a new community. Hostilities are being overcome. None of the two communities are expected to give 
up their traditions in this new community. On the contrary, the broadening of the nation of people of God so as to embrace people of all 
backgrounds happens in line with the most precious promises which God has given to the people of Israel (Gal. 3:6  14 esp. V.9).

The church as the new community is expected to be an alternative society, anticipating the healing of humanity and all of creation.

Reconciliation implies the removal of hostilities and the restoration of fellowship, of peace. Through Christ we are placed in the midst of 
the struggles and strife that disrupt human life and undermine human dignity. We are assured that even there, reconciliation is possible. 
This is so because of the reconciliation of humans and the cosmos which has already been achieved in Jesus Christ. The church is enjoined 
to invite all people to avail themselves of this reconciliation and to live it in real life.

This message of the Church as the alternative society that must implement reconciliation is a very provocative one. It obliges the church 
to practice the participation of all its members in the sharing of her resources in its whole life as well as the life of the community of 
which the church is part. Yes, the church is not OF the world. But she is IN the world. This message places on the church the obligation to 
take up the struggle against ALL structures and practices of irreconcilability in her own life and society. This pertains to tensions 
arising from different cultural, religious, political and economic injustices and disparities. This message is bound to involve the church 
in conflict and even hatred and persecutions.

But the church must obey "God rather than man." The church is intended by God to give hope to the whole human community and to creation. 
The proclamation of the Gospel (Good News) must be related to the ministry and message of Jesus. I like the summary of this ministry and 
message as it is found in Luke 4:18-21. [freedom to prisoners, relief to the poor, healing to the sick and joy and new life to all 
marginalised members of the people of God.] At the same time Jesus relied on his followers as the Jubilee people to implement the kingdom 
of God on earth as it is in heavens and thus give hope to the world. People who have all along been treated as objects are now subjects and 
are custodians of the destiny and authors of their history.

Involvement in the struggle for economic and social justice is therefore an integral part of the life of a believer who lives in fellowship 
with the risen Lord. Every day the Christian is to draw strength from the amnesty brought about by God through Jesus Christ. Every day the 
believer is enjoined to pass on this amnesty to fellow human beings.

Again the Church is better equipped to explain the deeper meaning of "Amnesty". Whilst the evil-doer is forgiven, the deed itself is not 
forgiven. As such there can be no amnesia or forgetting of the evils of the past. The memory of the offence is retained in order to avoid a 
repetition of the offence. This way human dignity is protected. The church can play a big role in the fight for the restoration of human 
dignity, the rebuilding of the moral fibre of society, in the socio-economic reconstruction of our society and in reconciliation and Nation-
building programme of our country.

CONCLUSION:

In 1985, the Kairos Document had this to say: "to develop&#133;&#133;.an alternative biblical and theological model that will in turn lead 
to forms of activity that will make a real difference to the future of our country." We believe that this task is as urgent to the church 
now as it was then.

The message of love among neighbours can only mean something when it is translated into acts of justice in our lives. For love is the 
reverse side of justice and Human Rights is the end product. The affluent white families belong to the same faith and denominations as the 
Black poor. As such, the church (if we take it in its broader meaning than just leaders and the institution) is well-endowed to make a 
difference in our societies.

We welcome this new cadreship. Let us wage total war on injustice, poverty and bad morals. Together we MUST win again.

Thank you.

REV. M.A. STOFILE
 PREMIER : EASTERN CAPE

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