David Livingstone - Pioneer Missionary and Explorer by Africa Christian Action

2013 Vol 1 PO Box 23632 Claremont 7735 Cape Town South Africa Tel: 021 689 4481 Fax: 021 685 5884 Email: info@christianaction.org.za Web: www.christianaction.org.za

DAVID LIVINGSTONE - PIONEER MISSIONARY and EXPLORER 2013 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of David Livingstone, the great missionary pioneer pathfinder whose greatest

desire was granted only after his death: the eradication of the slave trade and the opening up of Africa to Christianity and lawful commerce.

At 27 years old David Livingstone had graduated with honours, received his doctorate, and was sent out to Africa.

The Liberator He had the grace to see that his Mission was part of a Divine plan to set many souls free from slavery, both physical and spiritual. Livingstone's great goal of bringing to the world's attention the scourge of the Islamic slave trade in Africa was achieved largely through the work of his convert, American journalist Henry Morton Stanley.

The Livingstone memorial at Victoria Falls.

Upbringing David was brought up in a pious but poverty-stricken home in Scotland. He was an avid reader and borrowed extensively from the local library. By age 9 he

The Family and Faith of David Livingstone What can we learn about the family and upbringing of David Livingstone, to u n d e r s t a n d h i s Fa i t h , courage and vision? David Livingstone was born 19 March 1813, in the industrial town of Blantyre. Today the largest city in Malawi is called Blantyre - in honour of his birthplace. The Father His Father, Neil Livingstone, was a dedicated Christian who had met his future wife, Agnes, when he was apprenticed to a local tailor. He won the hand of the tailor's daughter and became

a tea salesman so that he could travel and preach the Gospel, distributing Evangelistic tracts to his customers door-to-door. Neil also taught at Sunday school and was a zealous member of a local M i s s i o n a r y S o c i e t y, persistently promoting prayer meetings and Missionary causes. David Livingstone later wrote concerning his Father: "He deserved my lasting gratitude and homage for presenting me from infancy with a continuously consistent pious example." Neil Livingstone was also a strict disciplinarian who sought to

bring up David in the fear of the Lord. Because Neil had

The birthplace of David Livingstone. (Continued on Page 6)

had already committed to memory Psalm 119 and won a copy of the New Testament as a reward. By age 10 David was employed 14 hours a day, 6 days a (continued on Page 2)

In this Issue David Livingstone - Pioneer Missionary and Explorer

The Family & Faith of David Livingstone

Livingstone 200 Safari

Action Items

National Day of Repentance 2013

Upcoming Events

Pro-Life Prayer Vigils and Protests at Abortuary

Rape and the Biblical Solution

Revival FIRE

Coalition on Revival Resource for Reformation

Christian Homeschooling Resources

Make a Difference

Living Waters Africa

David Livingstone - Pioneer Missionary and Explorer (Continued from page 1)

The Monteith and Company Cotton Mill in Blantyre.

week, at the local cotton spinning factory. David managed to read in the factory by placing his book on a portion of the spinning jenny so that he could catch sentence after sentence as

he passed at his work. He maintained fairly constant study, undisturbed by the roar of the machinery. His conversion at age 12 inspired him to resolve to devote his life to the

Theology & Medicine After 10 years of daily drudgery at the cotton mill, David set out to study theology and medicine. Medical science in the 1830s was, by today's standards, primitive. Surgical operations were performed at hazardous speeds because of the lack of anaesthetics. Chloroform and ether were not introduced until several years later and the discovery of antiseptics lay 25 years ahead. The study of chemistry was growing, but biochemistry and bacteriology were unknown. Nothing at all was known about the tropical diseases he was to encounter, such as malaria and blackwater fever. Diligent It was not in Livingstone's character to relax. He took his task and calling most seriously and whatever he did he performed t h o r o u g h l y. H e w a s uncompromising, diligent and inflexible in his adherence to his word.

The College where Livingstone studied.

alleviation of human misery. PO Box 23632 Claremont 7735 Cape Town South Africa Tel: 021 689 4480 Fax: 021 685 5884 Email:info@christianaction.org.za Web: www.christianaction.org.za Publisher Africa Christian Action Editor Dr Peter Hammond Associate Editors Dorothea Scarborough Taryn Hodgson Lenora Hammond DTP Brendon Sch채fer PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE Christian Action is published quarterly by Africa Christian Action. All articles and news items from this publication may be reproduced, or quoted from, on condition that due credit is given to Christian Action. Please also post, or email, us a copy of any article.

Dedication Three themes dominated his life: Evangelisation, exploration and emancipation. He wrote at the time: "The salvation of men ought to be the chief desire and aim of every Christian." He therefore made a resolution: that he would give to the cause of missions all that he might earn beyond what was required for his subsistence.

Resolute Friends described him as: "a man of resolute courage"; "fire, water, stonewall would not stop Livingstone in the fulfilment of any recognised duty."

To Africa It took him 3 months by sailing ship to reach Cape Town and another 4 months by ox cart before he even reached Robert Moffat's mission station at Kuruman where he would begin his work for the Lord in Africa. When he landed in South Africa, on 17 March 1841, David Livingstone was coming to a continent that was plagued with problems. Africa was still a place of mystery to the Europeans. The Arabs south of the Sahara never ventured far from the coast inland. The rivers were riddled with rapids and sand bars. The deadly malaria disease was widespread and inhibited travel. Entire expeditions of 300 to 400 men had been wiped out by malaria. The African terrain was difficult to negotiate. Floods, tropical forests and swamps thwarted wheeled transport Fearless Faith Livingstone soon acquired a reputation for fearless faith - particularly when he walked to the Barka tribe (infamous for the murder of 4 White traders whom they had mercilessly poisoned and strangled). As the first messenger of mercy in

David Livingstone energetically proclaimed the Gospel in regions where no other evangelist had ever gone. (Continued on Page 3)

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David Livingstone - Pioneer Missionary and Explorer (Continued from page 2)

many regions, Livingstone soon received further challenge. Chief Sechele pointed to the great Kalahari desert: "you never can cross that country to the tribes beyond; it is utterly impossible even for us Black men." The challenge of crossing this obstacle began to fascinate Livingstone. Livingstone wrote: "I shall try to hold myself in readiness to go anywhere, provided it be forward.â&#x20AC;? Frustration Livingstone is reported to have had a steadfast manner and folk knew where they stood with him. His plans to establish a Bible college for Africans were frustrated. However, the Sovereignty of God was seen in this. Had Livingstone's wishes been carried out, he might have spent his life's work teaching in a Bible college rather than traversing Africa and dealing a death blow to the slave trade. Daily Challenges His three great daily challenges he described as: heat, harsh conditions and hardness of hearts. Determination "I hope to be permitted to work

as long as I live beyond other men's line of things and plant the seed of the Gospel where others have not planted. But every excursion for that purpose will involve separation from my family for periods of 4 or 5 months." "I am a missionary, heart and soul. God had an only Son, and He was a missionary and a physician. A poor, poor imitation of Him I am, or wish to be. In His service I hope to live; in it I wish to die." Family Matters During his first missionary journey with his wife and children, their 4th child,

Hippo encounters were an occupational hazard for Dr. Livingstone.

his wife rejoined him for his second great missionary expedition in the Zambezi Valley she died of malaria.

David Livingstoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much repaired boots.

Elizabeth, was born. Within a few weeks she had died and the rest of the family were sick. He received much criticism for the irresponsibility of taking a wife and 4 children on a missionary journey in the wilderness. Later he was criticised for sending his family back to Britain while he pioneered the hinterland of Africa. When

Conviction "I shall open up a path into the interior or perish," he declared. "May He bless us and make us blessings even unto death." "Shame upon us missionaries if we are to be outdone by slave traders!" "If Christian missionaries and Christian merchants could remain throughout the year in the interior of the continent, in 10 years, slave dealers will be driven out of the market." Overcoming Obstacles Battling rains, chronic discomfort, rust, mildew and rot, totally drenched and fatigued, and laid low by fever, Livingstone continued to persevere across the continent. Hostile tribes demanded exorbitant payment for crossing their territory. Some tense moments were stared down by

Sketch, in Livingstoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Missionary Travels book, of Victoria Falls.

Livingstone, gun in hand. Trials tested the tenacity of the travel wearied team. "Can the love of Christ not carry the missionary where the slave trade carries the trader?" A Man of Principle After 2 years of pioneering across the hinterland of Africa, Livingstone reached Luanda. The Forerunner ship was ready to take him to E n g l a n d . H o w e v e r, Livingstone chose to return overland to bring his guides and porters back to their village. Rather than risk their being sold into slavery in Portuguese West Africa, he preferred to take another 2 years crossing the continent that had almost killed him on his first journey! However, had Livingstone chosen to return he might well have ended his ministry. The ship sank with all hands lost (and with his journals)! By God's grace, Livingstone still had a copy of his journals that he had laboriously written out just in case! "These privations, I beg you to observe, are not sacrifices. I think that word ought never to be mentioned in reference to anything we can do for Him, who though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor." (Continued on Page 4)

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David Livingstone - Pioneer Missionary and Explorer (Continued from page 3)

Another illustration of Victoria Falls in Livingstoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Travels.

Deprivation Often Livingstone endured excessive and unnecessary suffering and deprivation, hacking through dense jungle on foot because lack of funds prevented him from affording the luxury of a canoe! Confronting Slavers Livingstone often saw the sickening results of the

Islamic slave trade: burned out villages, corpses floating down rivers and long lines of shackled slaves being herded through the bush. Livingstone's mere presence often sent the Yao slave raiders scurrying into the bushes. Many hundreds of slaves were set free by Livingstone and his coworkers. On one occasion a

war party of Yao warriors attacked the missionary party. While attempting to avoid confrontation, the team found themselves cut off and surrounded by the aggressive and bloodthirsty mob. Finally, Livingstone was forced to give the command to return fire. The slave traders fled. More Light This incident led to much criticism in England. Charles Livingstone, his brother, on hearing one outburst from Britain replied: "If you were in Africa and saw a host of murderous savages aiming their heavily laden muskets and poisoned arrows at you, more light might enter your mind . . . and if it didn't, great daylight would enter your body through arrow and bullet holes!" Three Slave Trades It was Livingstone's great desire to see the slave trade cease. Firstly, there was the internal slave trade between hostile tribes. Secondly, there were slave traders from the coast, Arabs or Portuguese, for whom local tribes were encouraged to collect slaves by marauding raids. Thirdly, there were the

The open sore of slavery.

parties sent out from Po r t u g u e s e a n d A r a b coastal towns with cloths, b e a d s , m u s ke t s a n d ammunition to exchange for slaves. The Shortest War Incidentally, Livingstone inspired the shortest war in history - in 1873 - when the British Navy presented an ultimatum to the Sultan of Zanzibar to close the flourishing slave market. When the Sultan refused, his palace was shelled resulting in a recordbreaking surrender within the hour! Twin Concerns In his writings and public speaking engagements, Livingstone regularly spoke

Livingstone the liberator comfronted Arab slave traders and set the captives free! (Continued on Page 5)

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David Livingstone - Pioneer Missionary and Explorer (Continued from page 4)

The best friend Africa ever had.

on his twin concerns - to enlighten people on the evils of the slave trade, and to spread the Christian Gospel amongst the heathen. Although he was renowned for his exploration, in his mind it was only a means to Evangelism and to "disciple the nations".

observed God's spectacularly diverse creation with awe and wonder. His books are filled with fascinating scientific, medical, b o t a n i c a l , anthropological and geographic observations and details. Livingstone was the first to map the great Zambezi River and many other parts of the vast hinterland of Africa. He was one of the first scientists to make the connection between mosquitos and malaria, and he pioneered the use of quinine as a treatment - often experimenting on himself!

Body, Mind and Spirit Dr. Livingstone believed in comprehensively fulfilling the Great Commission ministering to body, mind and spirit. Along with his Bible, surgical kit and medicine chest, Livingstone always carried a microscope and sextant - with which he

Not a Sacrifice! The challenge of Livingstone rings out to us today: "Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay . . . it, is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather, it is a privilege!â&#x20AC;? A Vision of Victory The optimistic eschatology of Livingstone the Liberator, comes as a stern rebuke to the prevailing escapist eschatology of defeat and retreat.

No-one ever inspired more prayer, concern, volunteers and sacrifices for Africa than Dr. David Livingstone.

An Inspiring Example Livingstone's steadfast example has been used by the Lord to inspire hundreds of men and women to devote their lives to African missions. Mary Slessor, for example, went to Calabar (present day Nigeria) and ended the practice of murdering twins (believed by animists to be bewitched.) Galvanised to the Field Peter Cameron was inspired to return to Africa after his first mission failed, when he read the inscription on the

tomb of Livingstone in Westminster Abbey: "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring and they shall hear My voice." The Challenge of Africa "I beg to direct your attention to Africa: I know that in a few years I shall be cut off from that country, which is now open; do not let it be shut again! I go back to Africa to try to make an open path for commerce and Christianity: will you carry out the work which I have begun? I leave it with you!" Dr. Peter Hammond www.livingstone200.org

It is all in walking distance! David Livingstoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s routes across 11 countries in Africa. Christian Action

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The Family & Faith of David Livingstone (Continued from page 1)

seen the ravaging effects of alcoholism, he was a teetotaller and persuaded his son to in abstaining from alcohol. The Mother David's mother, Agnes, was a gentle, small and delicate w o m a n w h o s e compassionate kindness and loving nature served as a counter-balance to her husband's strict and austere rule. It was said that her son, David, inherited her remarkably bright eyes. Agnes instilled in her family, a scrupulous concern for cleanliness and immaculate appearance. Later, Henry Morton Stanley commented on the standards of David Livingstone to his men as they began their epic 999 day expedition across the Congo: "Dr. Livingstone shaved every day I was with him in the field - and you will shave every day!" The Napoleonic Wars David was born during the last years of the ruinous Napoleonic wars which devastated Europe. The Livingstones lived a very frugal lifestyle. They lived in a single room, ten feet by fourteen feet. Two baby boys had died in their infancy, David had one older surviving brother, John. Another brother, Charles, and two sisters, Janet and Agnes were born after David. The Home There was neither hot nor cold running water in the tenament building and David had to walk many times a day down the tightly curved, brick staircase to fetch water from the pump in the yard, and heave it back up the stairs and along rd the corridor of the 3 floor to their room.

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Reading and Rescue David Livingstone borrowed extensively from the local library, particularly books on travel and science. William Wi l b e r f o r c e ' s P r a c t i c a l Christianity had a major impact on his life and clearly influenced his life-long crusade against the slave trade. Sitting by the banks of the River Clyde, engrossed in a book, young David was startled to hear the desperate cries of a young girl and her baby brother drifting in a boat towards the weir of the old Mill. David immediately plunged into the icy waters and rescued them. The Cotton Mill At age 10, David began his full-time employment, 14 hours a day, 6 days a week, for the next 10 years at the Cotton Spinning Factory. He was to be a piecer, to repair broken threads in spinning frames. David's day began at 5:30am every morning as the bell was rung. Work would begin at 6am and continue until 8pm. The workers in the cotton mill had to work in heat and humidity. which were considered ideal for the production of thread. Physical Training Everyday David would have to walk an average of 34km, much of this in a crawling or stooping position, amongst and under the machinery, or balancing over it. One can imagine what tremendous physical training this was for his later expeditions throughout Africa. Piecers received constant beatings from their supervisors to keep them moving through such long shifts. Hunger for Knowledge Yet, David used his first week's wages to purchase Ruddiman's Rudiments of Latin. Less than 10% of the

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This 10 foot by 14 foot room was home for David Livingstone, his two brothers, two sisters and parents.

children who worked in the Cotton Mills ever learned to read or write. David not only learned to read and write, he taught himself Latin, Greek and Hebrew. After work, he would attend a night school, 8pm to 10pm. Then home to study until midnight.

was inspired at how a medical missionary could be effective in converting the lost. He was remarkably well read and would easily pass the University entrance requirements. His chief obstacle would be lack of finances.

Conversion At age 12, David Livingstone came under intense conviction of sin and experienced a radical conversion to Christ. The Livingstones walked to Hamilton, a nearby village for their Sunday worship services. After Sunday lunch, the Livingstone family were treated to their one luxury, a barley sweet each. The Livingstones never accepted hand-outs. They worked for everything they had.

University T h r o u g h g r e a t determination, he saved most of his money during the next 18 months to be able to put himself through Medical school and Theological College. At the age of 23, David set out on foot to begin his Theological and medical studies in Glasgow. Each weekend he would walk back home to Blantyre. Although he was frequently offered lifts in a horse and cart, David would refuse, preferring the 4-hour long walk, often in the snow, in order to strengthen his muscles for Missions.

Setting the Captives Free In 1833, William Wilberforce's lifelong crusade against slavery was successful. This inspired ever greater vision for Missions. Those who had been freed from physical slavery, now needed to be freed from spiritual slavery. Missionaries were needed to go to the ends of the earth! Medical Missions David Livingstone received a pamphlet written by Karl Gutzlaff who appealed for medical missionaries. David -

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Against All Odds David experienced little childhood or adolescence. Against all odds, he achieved far more than would have been thought humanly possible for someone born into such a p o v e r t y s t r i c ke n a n d disadvantaged background. To achieve what he did, Livingstone had to be decisive, goal-orientated and inflexible.

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“The salvation of men ought to be the chief desire and aim of every Christian.” David Livingstone

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ACTION ITEMS National Day of Repentance 2013

UPCOMING EVENTS www.christianaction.org.za/events.htm

29 March 2013 Good Friday 31 March 2013 Resurrection Sunday 9 May 2013 Ascension Day 19 May 2013 Pentecost Sunday 9 August 2013 National Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Outreaches 30 Aug - 1 Sept 2013 Biblical Worldview Seminar Nelspruit 6-8 September 2013 - Christians For Truth Conference 6 Ocotber 2013 International Life Chain Sunday

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Pro-Life Prayer Vigils and Protests at Abortuary

“Rescue those being led away to death...” Proverbs 24:11 Christian Action

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RAPE and the BIBLICAL SOLUTION The recent gruesome gangrape and murder of 17-yearold Anene Booysen sent shockwaves through South Africa. In April 2012, an ugly incident also shocked many: seven boys gangraped a mentally handicapped girl from Soweto, filmed the attack on a cell phone, then circulated the footage via social media. From 2010 to 2012, there were four gang rapes of girls by teen boys (that we know of from news reports); and in each of the four cases, the boys filmed the abuse and then spread the video via social media. In Cape Town, 144 women report rape every day. While the number of reported rape incidents is shocking, under-reporting is an even bigger problem. The Medical Research Council's (MRC) latest research reveals that only one in 25 victims in Gauteng report rape. According to a news report, extrapolated, up to 3 600 women could be raped in the country every day. Why are there so many rapes? Here are some reasons given by researchers. We have adapted and added to them. ! Easily accessible pornography and a lust-saturated m e d i a : T h e legalisation of porn and an immoral, lustsaturated media has poured fuel on the fires of an already sexual immoral society. South 10

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Africa has become more 'pornified' than anyone could have predicted; kids are not only viewing porn, now they're brazenly imitating its brutality by filming their 'exploits' and then spreading their videos on social media. They are imitating not only the same actions seen in porn, but also the same abusive, exploitive attitudes towards women. Porn is a manual for rape and child abuse.

! Dysfunctional

families: If males have experienced trauma or have themselves been abused in childhood, they are likely to hang out with anti-social peers who could encourage them to rape. According to the MRC, one in nine South African men have been involved in gang rape!

! Objectification

of women in the media: The media regularly portray women as sex objects and as nymphomaniacs (always available for sex). This is especially so in hip hop music.

! Entitlement: “There is a

sense that men can demand sex whenever they want it.”

! It has become socially

acceptable: With so many South African males involved in gang rape, this shows it is something approved of by male peers.

! E

n d e m i c unemployment: Socialist government policies have caused w i d e s p r e a d unemployment. Most rapes worldwide are perpetrated by young males aged 17 - 30. The devil finds evil work for idle hands.

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! Boys growing up in

single parents families without healthy male role models: Fathers and husbands need to imitate C h r i s t ' s example and be protectors, providers and servant leaders. ! Warped ideas

of masculinity: Without the role model of strong fathers and a lack of Biblical -

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teaching on manhood, many males have come to believe that part of being a man means accepting violence and dishing it out. ! Lack

of legal deterrents: "I rape because I can. There is a high likelihood, I will not be arrested. If I am arrested, the detective work will be so shoddy and I will go free." Medical Research Council research shows that just 6% of reported rape cases in Gauteng are successfully prosecuted. “When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people's hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong.” Eccl 8:11

The Role of Government The Bible is very clear that God has instituted civil government as "an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." Romans 13:4. The civil government is called to be a minister of God's justice: "to punish those who do wrong" 1 Peter 2: 14. The primary duties and Web: www.christianaction.org.za

Rape and the Biblical Solution (Continued from page 10)

Capital Punishment Capital punishment is God's clear command: "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man." Genesis 9:6

responsibilities of civil government are the protection of the lawabiding citizens and punishment of lawbreaking criminals. Psalm 101 reminds us that the duty of God-honouring rulers is to destroy the wicked, to root out evil and to protect the law-abiding all to the glory of God. "For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong, for He is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for He does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." Romans 13:3-4

God instituted Capital Punishment long before the enactment of the Mosaic L a w. I n f a c t , C a p i t a l punishment was declared not only for Noah's time, but "for all generations to come." Genesis 9:12 "If anyone takes a life of a human being, he must be put to death, whoever kills a man must be put to death. I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 24:17-22 As rape is a brutal and life-threatening act of violence, the death penalty is also mandated for rape: “But if a man finds a betrothed young woman in the countryside, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die.” Deuteronomy 22:25 If we are serious about dealing with rape, we must campaign to ban

pornography and bring back the death penalty for rapists. What You Can Do We need to get back to the Bible, to work for

Reformation and pray for Revival in our own lives, families, communities and countries. Ensure you protect your family by blocking porn on cell phones and computers. www.cellphonesafety.co.z a for info on how to do this and download a free internet web filter from www.k9webprotection.com . Visit www.purehope.net for tips on parenting the Internet generation and for advice on ageappropriate conversations you can have with you children about issues of sexual morality. Boycott Top TV! Top TV's insistence that

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the introduction of three pornographic channels in SA is their “right” - despite the current rape crisis reveals their callous disregard for women and children. Please pray that ICASA's would refuse to grant TOP TV a licence. The decision is still pending. Family Policy Institute in partnership with several major C h r i s t i a n denominations and thousands of independent Churches in SA has urged a nationwide boycott of Top TV and its advertisers. Pastors are urged to announce the Top TV boycott to their congregations and encourage members to cancel subscriptions with Top TV in protest. Contact your elected representative to encourage effective eradication of all pornography and capital punishment for rapists. “Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts…” Amos 5:15 Taryn Hodgson

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Revival FIRE In almost all parts of the world, Christians now live in religiously plural societies. This presents challenges not only to individuals but also to State and Church. The Church, for instance, has been looking for new ways of understanding and interpreting 'community.' Prof Hans Küng, a German Catholic liberation theologian, has described it as follows: “There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions. There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions.” 1) This way of thinking has also been popular in the World Council of Churches. As early as 1971 the WCC established a programme of “Dialogue with People of Living Faiths and Ideologies.” This programme does not aim at promoting the Cultural Mandate (Genesis 1:28) or the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-19), but it encourages the Churches to accept other religions. While the Cultural Mandate and the Great Commission tell us to bring all things under the Lordship of Christ, the Dialogue with People of Living Faiths encourages religious compromise and integration. Hence, interfaith prayer, inter-faith worship, and inter-faith action have become ever more commonplace. The New South Africa, for instance, was conceived in terms of a multi-cultural inter-faith orientation. The formerly Christian foundation was abolished and a secular dispensation was adopted. Though 12

Christianity was predominant, all religions were put on an equal footing. Christian observance was removed from public life and Christian teaching from schools. This was to allegedly promote greater social harmony, but the hoped for peace did not come. South Africa was struck by a wave of immorality and crime. The Betrayal of the Great Commission The World Council of Churches' open approach to heathen religions began early in its existence. In 1961 the WCC united the world's major missionary societies under its wing. Ten years later it recommended a “Moratorium on Missions.” The Church, it said, should no longer send out missionaries to the Third World. It should rather use its money for “new ways of mission education” (in the First World) and for the support of militant “liberation movements” (in the Third World). This new orientation they called “World Mission.” But it betrayed the Great Commission of Christ and God's desire to show His greatness and holiness in the sight of many nations. (Ezekiel 38:23) 2) Many of the WCC-affiliated Churches followed this new orientation. Instead of evangelising the heathens they engaged in dialogue with them. In 1990, in Baar near Zürich, after 4 years of consultation, the WCC published a study called “My Neighbour's Faith and Mine – Theological Discoveries through Interfaith Dialogue.”

by Dorothea Scarborough

31 October 1517: Dr. Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation..

This declared that human beings of whatever religion or faith could be saved without knowing Christ. “We cannot set limits to the saving power of God…” said the Baar Statement, “The God we know in Jesus Christ may encounter us also in the lives of our neighbours of other faiths… We need to move beyond a theology which confines salvation to the explicit personal commitment to Jesus Christ.” Hence they denied that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, and that noone comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6) The Holy Spirit, they said, does not only dwell in Christians, but also in nonChristians. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a former co-worker of the World Council of Churches, quite agrees, saying: “The Holy Spirit is not limited to the Christian Church. For example, Mahatma Gandhi, who is a Hindu… the Holy Spirit shines through him.” 3) One of his best friends is the Dalai Lama who is regarded by many as a living god. Filtering into the Church The WCC's “dialogue” ideology has filtered down into the various programmes of the Church.

One example is the liturgy of the Women's World Day of Prayer for 2013. This international prayer event had begun as a day of prayer for Home and Foreign Missions. Because of this, the South African collections have always been donated mainly to the Bible Society. But this year's Prayer programme was called, “I was a Stranger and you welcomed me.” It featured religious pluralism and focussed on migration and migrants. One of its prayers read: “We pray for families where one or both parents are of foreign origin… We pray with them as they integrate their religious and cultural values.” Did God tell us to integrate religious values - light and darkness, truth and falsehood, Christ and Belial? (2 Corinthians 6:1418) Jesus wants us to teach our families, and indeed the whole world, “to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-19) “Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) 10th General Assembly of the WCC 2013 Many Christians believe that the World Council of (Continued on Page 13)

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Revival FIRE (Continued from page 12)

Churches has changed since its radical days. But reading its “New Ecumenical Mission Affirmation” one is disappointed. This Mission Affirmation was prepared for the WCC's 10th General Assembly at Busan (30.10.8.11.2013) in Korea this year. It shows that the WCC's priorities are not a change of heart, but a change of society. “Churches are called to transform power structures,” it says in the Affirmation. “Mission should be from below.” “God's reign will be established through human rights, gender justice and climate justice…” but “not under capitalist terms.” Does not this remind us of the marxist South African Kairos Document (1986), which demanded the tearing down of (the Reformed) Church and State? The Great Commission, i.e. Christian “proselytism,” says the WCC, “is not a legitimate way of practising evangelism…” Rather “the proclamation of the

Scripture alone is our authority. Christian Action

Gospel must involve transformation of societies with a view to creating just and inclusive communities.” “Transformation of society” is the great watchword of “World Mission.” It is not the renewal of the human heart as effected by the saving work of Christ. But Jesus did not come to restructure systems. He came to save sinners! The World Council of Churches then (with its subcouncils such as the SACC) has led the Church astray, for by claiming that Christ is inherent in unbelievers, that these are saved without knowing Him, and that His Spirit is guiding them, is blasphemy. It has weakened and disturbed both Church and society. FIRE A world war of worldviews has arisen. Biblical Christians are faced by powers which strive for a One World Government and a One World Religion. The Church needs to summon all its strength to regain Scriptural Truth. If we want God to bless our countries, a new Reformation is needed. In four years' time (2017) Christendom will be celebrating the 500th anniversary of the 95 theses which Martin Luther nailed to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This courageous act set in motion a great desire for Truth, a great rediscovery of the Bible, and a great new love for our Lord Jesus Christ. In the hope that God will once again raise up His people, the Coalition on Revival (USA & RSA) has launched a 5year plan to reform our congregations. Dr. Peter Hammond of Frontline Fellowship explains: “This will

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The pulpit and Bible of Dr. Martin Luther, in the Castle Church, Wittenberg.

work parallel with a seven-year plan to reform our communities, th culminating in the 500 anniversary of Ulrich Zwingli's launching the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland (1519). Alongside these two movements will be a nine-year plan to reform our nations, th culminating in the 500 anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther's bold stand against the Emperor in Worms, 18 April 1521, where he exclaimed: My conscience is captive to the Word of God. Here I stand, I can do no other!” In preparation for this endeavour, Dr. Hammond has drafted a modern day version of the 95 theses. They summarise the dangers and demands of our own age. Please study them critically and suggest improvements. Martin Luther was a great hero of the faith, a lover of Jesus Christ, and a champion of the truth, who blessed the world for centuries to come. Let us then devote ourselves to much prayer, cast off the false visions of our time, and reaffirm the Biblical principles, which Luther so aptly summarised as: Solus Christus (Christ alone), sola scriptura (the Scriptures alone), sola gratia -

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(by grace alone), sola fide (by faith alone). May God find us faithful in faith, hope and love, and in fulfilling Christ's Great Commission, as we strive for Biblical Reformation and pray for Spiritual Revival. 4) D. Scarborough Gospel Defence League P. O. Box 587 Sea Point 8060 Cape Town South Africa Tel/Fax: 021-510-6854 Email: dscarborough@telkomsa.net Web:www.christianaction.org.za/GDL

Footnotes 1. 2. 3.

Interfaith Dialogue, Wikipedia. Peter Beyerhaus, Krise und Neuaufbruch der Weltmission. 1987 St Alban's Cathedral, Pretoria, 23.11.75. The Archbishop and the Bible, Gospel Defence League 1989. Valuable Work has been done by the US Coalition on Revival in drafting sound doctrinal statements on the Authority of Scripture, the 42 Essential Articles of a Christian Worldview, A Manifesto for the Christian Church, 25 Articles on the Kingdom of God, 7 Essential Actions Local Churches Must Take, and Biblical Statements on the Sanctity of Life, Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage, Homosexuality, Biblical Economic Systems, Education, Freedom of Expression, The Discipline of Children and the 95 Theses for Reformation Today. For a manual of all of these, please contact the Christian Action Network.

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Coalition on revival - resources for reformation "Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" Psalm 85:6 We praise God that the Christian Action Network has compiled vital foundational documents of the Coalition on Revival into a Reformation 500 FIRE Manual. Empowering Ministry This Manual has everything you need to inform, inspire and involve your congregation and mission to respond to the threats and challenges, in a dynamic, Biblical and relevant way. This Reformation 500 FIRE Manual will motivate and mobilise, educate and enlist Christians to work for Biblical Reformation and pray for Revival effectively.

will be conducting Evangelistic outreaches, D i s c i p l e s h i p Tr a i n i n g Seminars, Great Commission Seminars and Reformation Conferences throughout Africa during this Livingstone 200 year. Reformation Today We have also published, in leaflet form, 9,000 copies of the 95 Theses for Reformation Today. This is available electronically www.ReformationSA.org. Hard copies can be ordered from Frontline Fellowship,

event at Wittenberg, 31 October 2017, to mark the 500th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church. Make Your Stand To register your support for the 95 Theses for Reformation Today, email: info@frontline.org.za, or write to the Reformation Society, P.O. Box 74, Newlands, 7725, Cape Town, South Africa. Join the Movement To join the Christian Action Network, which already includes 100 members, representing 4,000 congregations, and 2 million members, in 14 countries of Africa, info@christianaction.org.za.

Social Media Ministry Find us on Facebook. Reformation500 already has a weekly reach of 20,000 with over 1,200 talking about it. Like and share our page.

Free E-Book It is available electronically on www.Reform500.org

as a free E-book. Hard copies can be ordered from the C h r i s t i a n Ac t i o n Network, P.O. Box 23632, Claremont, 7735, Cape Town, South Africa. Africa Overland Mission These Manuals were prepared in time for the launch of a 7 month, 11 country, Africa Overland Mission. Frontline Fellowship Mission teams

Christian Action

Is your conscience captive to the Word of God?

P.O. Box 74, Newlands, 7725, Cape Town, South Africa. Reformation 500 This initiative is part of Coalition on Revival's 5year plan to Reform our Churches, culminating in the Reformation 500

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our backbones and Holy Spirit fire in our hearts, minds and souls. May the Lord fill us and empower us with His Holy Spirit. May God find us faithful to His Word and effective in fulfilling the Great Commission, as we work for Biblical Reformation and pray for Spiritual Revival. Dr. Peter Hammond

Is your desire to obey God promptly and sincerely, with your whole heart aflame in the hand of God? We need doctrinal steel in

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* Free DVD “Hell’s Best Kept Secret” or “The Attack on Jesus” with every subscription to CA, or renewal. Subscribers pay R60 per year (only R5 per month!), and this will cover the printing and postage costs, of 4 issues a year. (Overseas subscribers $20. USA subscribers please send to Frontline Fellowship USA PO Box 728, Manitou Springs, CO 80829 (E-mail:info@frontlinefellowship.net) Other overseas subscribers send to Christian Action in South Africa. Supporters pay R120 (only R10 per month!) and not only cover direct costs, but very importantly contribute to the research, writing and action expenses. Each supporter will receive a free copy of Spurgeon’s Grace God’s Unmerited Favor (or The Parables of Jesus Understanding What Jesus Meant) and regular updates by Email. Partners pay R1200 or more (only R100 per month!) and enable us to expand the action we take, address more issues, make more resources available, become better equipped and staffed and make a greater difference. Each Partner will receive a free audio MP3 boxset of Understanding History plus a complimentary copy of Victorious Christians Who Changed the World (380 pages, 250 pictures). We are the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World. The future of Africa is in the balance. Will Christians resolve to work for Reformation and pray for Revival, or remain passive and accept the humanists' agenda?

OR pay into account: Name: Christian Action Network Bank: Standard Bank Account number: 072906901 Branch: Kromboom Branch number: 026209 Please use your name as the reference, and fax us the deposit slip (fax number: 021-685 5884), with your name and postal address, or e-mail the amount, date paid, reference and your postal address to: mail@christianaction.org.za. Christian Action

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