My hunger for the freedom of my own people became a hunger for the freedom of all people, white and black. I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed. A [person] who takes away another [person's] freedom is a prisoner of hatred ... is locked behind bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity. (Nelson Mandela, from his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom)
When I first read those words I was gripped by a sense of shame and remorse..."A person who takes away another person's freedom is a prisoner of hatred....is locked behind bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness." Contrary to what John Wesley wrote about bigotry I felt not just a little guilty. Today, I sense this more than ever before.
One of the great, unforgettable moments in my life came on the 18th September 1994. It was a Sunday. I was then a Minister and one of the Assistant Secretaries of our Methodist Conference. That year Conference had convened in the old Parliament building in Umtata, the very place where the former Transkei Government had banned the Methodist Church of Southern Africa - the only Church to be so banned. The irony hadn't escaped anyone.
One of the great, unforgettable moments in my life came on the 18th September 1994. It was a Sunday. I was then a Minister and one of the Assistant Secretaries of our Methodist Conference. That year Conference had convened in the old Parliament building in Umtata, the very place where the former Transkei Government had banned the Methodist Church of Southern Africa - the only Church to be so banned. The irony hadn't escaped anyone.
It was a historic day. A rally attended by well over two thousand people was arranged to greet the State President, Dr Nelson Mandela. The people were exuberant with jubilation and joy. When Dr Mandela arrived, which he described as a "spiritual homecoming", the people exploded in a crescendo of Methodist song and praise. Here was the prisoner, who had become a prince, come home again. When the choir rendered the anthem, the President spontaneously stood up and started dancing. This was the Dancing President. The emotion was overwhelming. Tears flowed from my eyes. I was, the Weeping Preacher. It was a moving and deeply touching moment. With tears streaming down I looked across to a banner of a chalice with blood red wine clasped by a black and a white hand. The white hand had a dark thumbnail and the black hand a light thumbnail. This was our very own African Yin and Yang holding up the Cup of Life to all. It depicted the reconciliation of opposites among us.
President Mandela concluded...
Mr Presiding Bishop, South Africa now has a democratic government representative of, and accountable to, all the people. By your fearless commitment to truth and justice, the Methodist Church and other religious bodies helped realise this. But all governments, no matter how democratic, need constructive criticism and advice. I ask you to continue to play your prophetic role, always seeking to hold the nation and all its leaders to the highest standards of integrity and service. ... I am confident that, with the support of the Methodist Church and the religious fraternity as a whole, our nation will reach the mountain-tops of its collective desires. (Address by President Nelson Mandela to the Annual Conference of The Methodist Church Umtata, 18 September 1994)
"Reach the mountain-tops of its collective desires." Sadly, as I look back, I wonder if we have failed the President. Not only is the Nation in dire need of reconciliation but our Church troubled by "fightings without, and fears within" (MHB 709) is desperately in need of renewal. The number of internal arbitrations, suspensions, discontinuances, and resignations within the MCSA is spiking. Suspicion and mistrust is on the rise. Membership is on the decline. Fundamental rights seem to be ignored. It was at that 1994 Conference that homosexuality and the ministry came to the floor of Conference and was referred to a Study Group and sixteen years later, much to the pain of many, is still not resolved. Instead, now seems to be heading for the Constitutional Court.
Perhaps the moment has come to consider again the words and challenge of former President Mandela, "A person who takes away another person's freedom is a prisoner of hatred....is locked behind bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness." Only when we confess to our own bondage and shortcomings can we "reach the mountain-tops of our collective desires" enshrined in our Constitution.
©Colin G Garvie
HomePage: http://www.garvies.co.za
Gender, Race, Power And Religion: Women In The Methodist Church Of Southern Africa In Post-apartheid Society (Studien Zur Interkulturellen Geschichte Des Christentums)
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