Talks

Colonial Mother City: Being Black in Cape Town

Talks
Cape town is rated as one of the most majestic cities in the world. It has unique and wonderful mountains and pristine beaches. But what lies beneath its beauty, is a city still rooted in its colonial racist past. The effects of these colonial beginnings can still be experienced today in the levels of racism and social marginalisation experienced in social and professional environments and most significantly in the Church.…
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Destroy the Idol of Race

Talks, Video
In this talk Ryan Saville explores the concept of race as a form of idolatry. Racial idolatry make promises it cannot keep, asking us to rely on that which only God can give. The idol of whiteness promises that white hegemony will produce stable, reliable and fruitful leadership but leads always to disfunction and division. Mono-cultural or homogenous churches in racialized societies perpetuate racism. Racial idols are fiercely protected by…
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Racism and Power: Seeing the Invisible Structures

Talks, Video
Racism has both an individual and a structural element and as such is intricately linked to systems of power and privilege. This talk probes us to examine the intricate link between power and prejudice within both society and the church. And then, building on the work and example of Christ in Philippians 2, invites us to consider what a biblical theology of power and privilege could look like as we…
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Diversity and Church Planting

Talks, Video
Stephen Murray and Doug Logan explore what it means to face diversity, race and unity in church planting. What do we need in order to establish churches which express the diverse people of God found in Scripture? What will cross-shaped love cost us in pursuing diversity? How do we do pursue both individual discipleship and make significant structural decisions if we wish to deal with racism and pursue diversity in…
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Why Must It Always Be About Race?

Talks
In this talk David Cloete presents a biblical understanding of race, racism and racialization, with reference to historical and sociological realities. Critiquing the concept of being colour-blind. This talk makes a biblical case for the necessity of seeing race in order to see poverty, injustice and oppression. And speaks to the of why must black people “always playing the race card”.
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Is It Enough to Just Preach the Gospel

Is It Enough to Just Preach the Gospel?

Talks
In this talk Jeremy Koeries interrogates the idea that the best way to change society is to convert more people. Making a case that biblically we are called to do both evangelism and pursue justice, as individuals, in our churches and in society. To not intentionally work to dismantle systems of oppression is to be complicit in allowing their perpetuation.
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Cross Centred Justice

What is Cross Centred Justice?

Talks
For years the church has debated which is more important social justice or gospel proclamation. What if both are equally important? Join us for an introduction to a biblical understanding of justice and the mission of the church. In this talk John Scheepers will briefly trace the importance of justice throughout the biblical story and call us to rediscover a cross centred justice movement at the heart of the gospel.
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Overcoming Implicit Bias and Socialization

Talks
The news regularly highlights institutional and individual acts of racism. But these reports don’t only reveal the persistence of racism but a shallow understanding of it. Unearthing the pillars of implicit bias and socialization increases the likelihood of navigating conversations about racism successfully. In this interactive talk Ryan Saville develops a biblical theology of socialization and implicit bias. Examining what happens when we neither see nor acknowledge it and how…
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Decolonising Discipleship: Is it Enough to “Just Teach the Bible”?

Talks
There is a popular line of thought in some Christian circles that goes something like this: "We don't get involved in 'politics' or issues of racial controversy, we just teach the Bible". But is the idea of an a-contextual faith possible or even desirable? In this talk, given at TGIF, Cape Town, John Scheepers questions whether the concept of an a-contextual faith is itself even possible or more significantly desirable.…
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We Considered Him Punished by God

We Considered Him Punished By God: Reflections on the Relationship between Substitutionary Atonement and Contemporary Justice

Talks
In the quest to create more just churches and interrogate the historical failings of the church, in areas of social justice, it has been popular to re-evaluate, and sometimes discard some of the traditional doctrines associated with orthodox Christianity. One such doctrine is the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. Do we discard it as an archaic and barbaric conception of God's saving work? Or do we embrace and apply it…
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