EDITORIAL: The church must speak up more

“Churches should provide a place for dialogue between individuals. It should be a place where those who have in common Jesus as Lord can converse about touchy topics and walk away knowing that whatever happens, God is the one who is really in power.”This was one of the answers to a question in America on what role churches and individual Christians should play in political processes.Many Christians grapple with the church’s involvement in sociopolitical and economic issues. Yet scripture and history clearly support the church’s place in these concerns. Outside the traditional congregational processes, clergymen and -women have a duty to speak up on matters they deem wrong in society. Anglican bishop Lukas Katenda remains one of the very few men of the cloth who continues to speak truth to power, following in the footsteps of, among others, Anglican priest and anti-apartheid activist Reverend Michael Scott who was a leading international promoter of Namibian independence along with Chief Hosea Kutako and Captain Hendrik Witbooi.In neighbouring South Africa, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Reverend Allan Boesak are among those who balanced both religion and political activism equitably.Whether Bishop Katenda’s concerns about the incarceration of activist Dimbulukeni Nauyoma, a member of his church, and Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters commissar Michael Amushelelo are far-fetched or not is not the point. Pressing alarm bells in perceived situations of crisis should become the norm in the Namibian church space.

EDITORIAL: The church must speak up more

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

Please login to leave a comment

EDITORIAL: The church must speak up more

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

Please login to leave a comment

Login