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Claiming Back Our Campuses for Christ: An Example from South Africa

By Greg Smerdon

It would appear South Africans have forgotten that their 14-year-old democracy was born at the cost of many lives. The build-up to the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994 was foreshadowed by a possible bloodbath; however, God stayed the storm. In recent weeks, South Africa experienced a tidal wave of xenophobic-related violence, which has contributed significantly to the already escalating crime rate. This sudden, unforeseen spate of attacks has startled our nation, bringing to mind again the inhumane images that were synonymous with the apartheid era. The resurgence of a paradigm that “life is cheap” has resulted in the death of sixty fellow Africans who had optimistically sought asylum and/or opportunities for employment in our “rainbow nation.”

 
Many in South Africa are asking, “What
can be done to turn the tide of moral decay,
of violence and crime that our nation is
rapidly heading toward?”

Have we neglected the miracle of our democracy—as well as the God who delivered us—as did the children of Israel? The generation of Israelites, who came after Joshua and the elders who had taken possession of the promise, had forgotten that the Land was a gift from God. They “… knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel,” (Joshua 2:10) hence Israel plummeted to a state of apostasy, anarchy, and apathy, and the end result was inevitable: “… everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

Asking the Hard Questions
The apprehension about the future of South Africa has caused many to pack their bags “for Perth.” Many who cannot afford to leave, and others who choose to stay, are asking the question: “What can be done to turn the tide of moral decay, of violence and crime that our nation is rapidly heading toward?” My avid response is that we, the Church, should adopt an enduring approach by investing substantially into our children, youth, and young adults. A place of immediate departure would be an effective, well-organized, and strategic plan to restore godly values on South African university campuses and schools, one that can pave the way to a sound moral and spiritual climate in our nation.

At NIRSA (National Initiative for the Reformation of South Africa), 450 Christian leaders from a number of different domains cleared their diaries in a matter of eight weeks and responded to a clarion call to seek God’s solution to the problems in our nation in the spirit of Jehoshaphat: “Lord, we are powerless, our eyes are on thee…we don’t know what to do..” (2 Chronicles 20:12). These representatives of the Church re-affirmed, through thirty-nine resolutions, that we must move beyond repentance for our silence and live out, in a practical manner, the biblical meaning of being “the salt of the earth.” This call was a fresh reminder that we should not lose sight of the fact that our campuses are churning out the next generation of leaders, who, if not grounded in the faith and having an understanding of how to live out a kingdom lifestyle, will perpetuate the current situation as was the case with Israel, post Joshua.

The kingdom of darkness seems to understand the strategy of investing in youth as a means to promote its purposes as is evident in the story of Daniel. When Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem, he not only plundered the temple of its valuable pieces of furniture and godly vessels, he also usurped Israel’s most valuable resource: its youth and young adults. He knew that if you want to cripple a nation, you go for its youth and brainpower; he thus ordered his chief eunuch to bring to the palace “young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace” (Daniel 1:3-4). If a heathen king knew the young adults of a nation are the foundation stones to establishing an empire, how much more should we in the Church be pouring ourselves into the lives of young South Africans who are the key building blocks to a morally-sound nation?

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Greg Smerdon is team leader/CEO of African Enterprise South Africa. He preaches in Africa and abroad and is involved in leadership development and church planting. Smerdon leads a community church and lives in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, with his wife and children.