Justify - Spring Edition 2018 by Scope Magazine

THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE

JOSEPH SOLOMON

SPRING EDITION 2018

9 WAYS TO SERVE YOUR CAMPUS

SOUTH AFRICA

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FROM YOUR CAMPUS SOUTH AFRICA

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INTRODUCING STUDENTS TO A BIGGER SCOPE OF OUR WORLD TODAY THROUGH THE LENS OF THE GOSPEL.

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C O N T R I B U TO R S Main Feature - JP Harper Engage - Simon Robertson Paradigm Shift - Elizabeth Visser Reason - Dr. Louise Mabille Resound - Denise Nkosi For Your Reading - Sizwe Zondo My Story - Neacail Hilhorst Expressions - Lwazi Mandilive Matiwane, Mbuso Mnisi Helpful Hints - Bongeka Magubane

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I tell everyone at every chance I get that the city of Durban was not in my mind when I started applying for university. It is then shocking when I look back and realise that it was the only door that was wide open, the rest were sealed off. My time at UKZN has seen great events taking place in my life, but it has also seen several heartbreaking situations that ultimately are moulding me into a woman that will stand for the truth of Christ. This is my final year of a long and hard battle to find myself academically. I wish I can say that the road to this part of the journey was easy and joyful, but it was anything but that. 2018 has felt like a deep breath, a preparation for a loud shout or proclamation. It has seemed like preparation for a greater and bolder work of God. I am forever grateful to the God that introduced Himself to a lost and introverted first year student, and the God who continues to find this not-so-firstyear-student-anymore who goes missing from time to time.

FROM YOUR CAMPUS GRAHAMSTOWN

By Kgomotso Molefe This year at Rhodes University has been a year of deeper reflection and knowledge into the character of God. The instability and conflicts that have occurred on our campus appear to be a macro manifestation of the instability and conflicts we are confronted with in our lives. National and campus dialogues on mental health, negative forms of patriarchy, violence against women, academia and race have encouraged me to reconsider my perceptions, attitudes, actions and beliefs towards God and these issues.

This is not the first time I have had to consider my beliefs in relation to my experiences and what is happening in my environment. As a believer, we are often challenged on our viewpoint on a variety of issues. Thankfully, there is the Holy Spirit who helps to illuminate and guide into a greater revelation of God, His word and the power of His truth. Pastor A. R. Bernard once said that, “We are living in the age of illusion”. In other words, things have the

C APE TOWN

appearance of truth, but they are not truth (deception). As a result, we have to discern better and know the truth. . So, why do I believe? I have seen countless times where God’s truth has brought peace, healing, relieved pain, banished anxiety and depression, restored brokenness and redeemed the lost. In a world challenged with anxiety, crisis and conflict, God’s truth speaks a

By Munshya Mupela Around this time of the year we frequently hear people talk about fresh starts and new beginnings. Unfortunately, the change of season hasn’t quite hit Cape Town yet. Campus has been gloomy and rainy for almost a week. There are no flowers blossoming, birds chirping or butterflies gracefully floating about. Is it even Spring if there’s absolutely no sign of it here?

Well, that’s actually what this edition is all about. Our lives ought to be reflections of what we believe – whatever that may be. Sadly, it is not always the case that we talk the talk as well as walk the walk. This is generally when change needs to happen. UCT has seen some change of its

own with the sudden passing of the Dean of Health Sciences and the long awaited introduction of a new Vice Chancellor. Sometimes change is sudden but often it takes time. So do not despair; with some patience and introspection, your Spring (like ours) will come.

CONTENTS SPRING EDITION 2018 PERSPECTIVE 05

MAIN FEATURE

ENGAGE

PARADIGM SHIFT

REASON

REVIEWS 21

RESOUND

FOR YOUR READING

TESTIFY 27

MY STORY

SIMUNYE 29

PLUGGED IN

SAVVY STUDENT 31

EXPRESSIONS

HELPFUL HINTS

PERSPECTIVE

MAIN FEATURE

By JP Harper

ne of the hallmarks of the millennial generation is a commitment to social justice.1 Stellenbosch University campus is currently filled with media promoting the #Move4Food campaign, which aims to ensure that no university student is ever hungry on campus again. But while many would identify social justice as commitment to causes like feeding the hungry, racial equality, and equal access to education, there is no universal agreement on what social justice entails, or the means by which to pursue it. Political journalist Jonah Goldberg goes as far as to say that, in popular usage, the term simply means “good things no one needs to argue for and no one dare be against”2. I do not here wish to explore individual “justice” issues that have historically divided the right and left, or even to address issues of correct terminology. Simply, I wish to highlight the fact that as human beings we’re all committed to a particular vision of the good life—of how things ought to be. This seems to be a common way in which millennials describe “social justice”.

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A more interesting question is how we justify what this good life looks like. On what basis do we say, for example, that all human beings have equal value and dignity? On what basis do we say that we should be concerned for education or the environment? In the contemporary Western world, ideas like “human rights” are taken for granted, since they are enshrined in constitutions and form part of the cultural discourse in which we are raised. When we scratch beneath the surface, however, we often discover that we are unable to justify our convictions in these areas. If we say, for example, that we create human rights through legislative majorities, then we simply need to ask whether human beings had any rights before something like the Universal Declaration was signed in 1948. If we say that we find human rights in nature, we simply need to ask how our long natural history of ‘the strong destroying the weak’ justifies this conclusion. I once raised these questions over dinner with a woman who had served for many years as a human rights lawyer. Although

she was by no means a religious believer, I realised that she had been asking herself these same questions for a long time. To my surprise, she stated quite emphatically towards the end of the conversation that human rights must have some ultimate religious foundation. At this point, I had the opportunity to share with her a biblical view of justice and human rights grounded in all people being created in the image of God. The God of justice In fact, Jesus and the Bible have a great deal to say about the subject of justice.3 There are three primary senses in which the language of “justice” is used in the Bible. The first relates to right living in relation to God and others. In the Old Testament, our English word “justice” primarily translates two Hebrew words, mishpat and tzadeqah, which relate to two aspects of justice. Tim Keller writes: These two words roughly correspond to what some have called “primary” and “rectifying” justice. Rectifying justice is mishpat. It means punishing wrongdoers and caring for the victims of unjust

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One of the dangers in pursuing justice is that we very easily begin to believe that we ourselves are the solution to the world’s problems. treatment. Primary justice, or tzadeqah, is behavior that, if it was prevalent in the world, would render rectifying justice unnecessary, because everyone would be living in right relationship to everyone else. Therefore, though tzadeqah is primarily about being in a right relationship with God, the righteous life that results is profoundly social.4 It’s in this sense of the word “justice” that Jesus critiqued the religious leaders of his day. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices— mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law— justice, mercy and faithfulness. - Matthew 23:23 You don’t have to be a ‘social justice warrior’ The second sense in which justice language is used is to describe God’s action of setting things right. The Bible insists

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that only God Himself can ultimately set the world right— only He can “justify” us—and He does this when we simply trust Him. One of the dangers in pursuing justice is that we very easily begin to believe that we ourselves are the solution to the world’s problems. Here we run up against the ugly problem of self-righteousness that is sometimes embodied in the ‘social justice warrior’ figure that is all too familiar today. In this light, Jesus told a striking parable of a religious person, who looked down on everyone else because of all his good deeds, and a despised tax collector, who simply called out to God for mercy. Jesus insisted about the tax collector, “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God” (Luke 18:14). In the context of the whole Bible story, God ultimately sets us right by taking the consequences of all of our injustice upon Himself in the person of Jesus and through His death.

Real faith = real action The final sense in which justice language is used is the way in which genuine faith in God is justified by action. In James’ letter he deals with those who are suggesting that merely believing the right things about God is sufficient to be in a right relationship with Him. He gives several examples to show that such “faith” is not genuine, but dead: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24). In other words, what we actually do shows what we really believe and where we really stand with God. The relationship between these last two senses is important. If we only emphasize justification as a free gift of God, we might think that our subsequent life is unimportant to God. If we only emphasize the need for a transformed life, our selfjustifying hearts become either proud or despairing. We become proud of our performance and we begin to look down on others. We despair when we realise we’re not performing and either give up on pursuing justice altogether, or do it out of a cold sense of duty. While the commitment of the

millennial generation to social justice is commendable, I have attempted to highlight here the inadequate philosophical basis out of which it is often pursued. I have also argued that the Christian faith gives us a profound basis for pursuing justice that is grounded in God’s own just character and in our bearing His image. Recognising that only God can set us right will make us humble in this pursuit. Recognising that God has already acted decisively in Jesus Christ to do so will make us passionate and bold. When we are captivated by this vision, we will say with the prophet Amos: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24). JP Harper is follower of Jesus Christ who originally studied Mathematics before entering the Christian ministry. He’s married with three children and currently serves as an assistant minister at Christ Church Stellenbosch. He enjoys reading theology, rock climbing and roasting & drinking his own coffee. ENDNOTES 1. See, for example, Helen Fox’s Their Highest Vocation: Social Justice and the Millenial Generation 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtBvQj2k6xo 3. See the Bible Project video for a great summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A14THPoc4-4 4. Generous Justice: How God’s Grace makes us Just pp. 10-11

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ENGAGE

Objective Truth in a Postmodern World By Simon Robertson

e live in an age where truth is a hotly debated and contested notion. Our worldview and lives are shaped and guided by the truths we believe, whether we like it or not, and we justify our lives according to some standard of truth. One hugely influential philosophy/ worldview which has infiltrated our culture is postmodernism. It’s worth asking how postmodernism portrays Christianity and the truth it holds. How does Gospel truth compare to postmodern truth? Before answering these questions, let’s begin by gaining a deeper understanding of postmodernism’s perception of truth. Postmodern truth The origins of postmodernism can be traced back to the late 19th century, towards the end of the enlightenment period. Also referred to as post-structuralism, postmodernism functions to critique the structures upon which society is built, such as gender binaries, power, social classes and religion. These are deconstructed and viewed as social structures created by mankind rather than universal

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structures constituting absolute truth. With no absolute, truth becomes completely relative and subjective in nature, where people’s lifestyles are easily justified by any kind of truth they choose to hold. Christianity in the eyes of postmodernism With this view of postmodern truth, biblical Truth is reduced to a socially constructed worldview and the Bible merely seen as an irrelevant relic stemming from a particular social and historical context. The possibility and need for a god to provide absolute Truth is removed. In this light, Christian believers are often negatively portrayed as being confined by this self-imposed worldview. The Bible’s exclusive claim on Truth is rejected and its authority diminished, which portrays Christianity as an intolerant religion that spreads a hateful message in this postmodern context. Gospel truth in response to postmodernism The Christian Gospel contrasts significantly to postmodernism

in most respects but, perhaps surprisingly, bears a similarity to the postmodern view on the subjective nature of truth. Firstly, the Gospel views God’s role in defining and providing absolute Truth as essential for the sake of mankind. God’s need to intervene in the world arose from a tragic event in the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve wilfully disobeyed God, leading to dire consequences for all humankind – a severed relationship with God and eternal condemnation, with seemingly no hope of reconciliation. According to the Gospel, this means that all human beings are born sinful, separated from God and find themselves in a helpless state with no capacity to reach God. Romans 3:10 tells us, “there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understand; there is no one who seeks God.” This makes any good work or effort on our part to earn God’s love and acceptance futile. Everyone is in need of rescue from our perilous situation. So, out of love for us, The Father provided a solution by sending His Son, Jesus, to pay

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the penalty for our sin through His death on the cross, so that we can be forgiven of our sins and receive His perfect righteousness by believing in Him. This makes us acceptable to God, and on which basis we too can have a relationship with the Father. Tim Keller relates this well by saying, “The founders of every major religion said, ‘I’ll show you how to find God.’ Jesus said, ‘I am God who has come to find you.’”

us to live a life that is pleasing to God. Through the Holy Spirit, God changes the desires of our heart and gives us a new love for God and delight in Him. In this way, the Gospel produces a subjective experience of objective Truth, debunking the negative portrayal of Christians being confined to and bound by a worldview which blinds and keeps them from the fullness of life. Objective truth, experienced subjectively

How does Gospel truth compare to postmodern truth? The notion of true Christianity being socially constructed is impossible, since man, in his own strength, has no capacity to find God, leaving our only hope with God who thankfully chose to initiate reconciliation with us. In the Gospel, we see that God’s provision of Truth for mankind is evident in Jesus’ claim to be “the way the truth and life” (John 14:6). This emphasises the fact that the nature of Truth according to the Gospel is essentially a Person – Jesus Christ, God Himself - who embodies objective Truth. God then made it possible for this objective Truth to indwell human beings by sending the Holy Spirit to empower

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In our context of postmodernism, where objective Truth is rejected, Jesus invites us to turn to Him as a matter of urgency by recognising Him as God’s necessary solution for our helplessly sinful state where He lovingly provided the way to be reconciled with Him. When we believe in Him being the only objective Truth and put our trust in Him for eternal life, we can be assured of experiencing this Truth subjectively through the work of the Holy Spirit who promises to move us in following and obeying Him out of the gladness of a transformed heart. With this heart, we can confidently justify our lifestyle with His higher and more fulfilling standard of Truth. Simon is a final year UCT student on his way to obtaining a Bachelor of Social Science. He is passionate about seeing the relevance and transforming power of the Gospel in everyday life. He enjoys writing, running and drinking coffee!

PERSPECTIVE

PARADIGM SHIFT

PHILOXENIA: The Reason for Radical Hospitality By Elizabeth Visser

hiloxenia is a Greek word used throughout the New Testament, which in English is understood to mean hospitality. Directly translated though, the word means

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;love of strangerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (philos = love; xeno = stranger), which suggests that the practice of this form of hospitality speaks to a particularly deep reality.

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Often when Christians think of hospitality, they think of enthusiastic front-door greeting, gifting first-time visitors with coffee, and baking post-service snacks on a Sunday morning — all of which is indeed wonderful, welcoming, and meaningful. However, when the Bible speaks of philoxenia — which it does, a handful of times in the New Testament — it calls us to practice radical hospitality. To open our hearts and doors to strangers and to share our lives, worlds, and experiences in meaningful ways with them. The opening verses of Hebrews 13 say, “Let love for your fellow believer continue and be a fixed practice with you [never let it fail]. Do not forget, or neglect, or refuse to extend hospitality to strangers [being friendly, cordial, gracious, sharing the comforts of your home, and doing your part generously],

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for through it, some have entertained angels without knowing it.” This is not always easy, because quite often, being sincere in our hospitality first requires us to confront prejudices we may have against others. This could be race, class, sexual orientation, opinions or beliefs, even feelings of fear or disagreement we may be harbouring against particular people. Like I said — it’s not always easy. However, when we offer philoxenia, the world sees something about the Jesus who welcomes all. When we open our lives and precious spaces to others, and let our understanding of how God loves and accepts us flow into how we love and accept anyone, incredible things can happen. The American author Max Lucado writes, “When you open your door to someone, you are sending this message: ‘You

matter to me and to God.’ You may think you are saying, ‘Come over for a visit.’ But what your guest hears is, ‘I am worth the effort.”1

Philoxenia, then, is more than food and entertainment. It’s a biblical lifestyle, a directive to loving strangers with gladness and gusto.

In the life of the early church — many, many years ago — sharing and hospitality were distinguishing features of the culture. Acts 2:44-45 speaks of how “all the believers were together [one in heart and mind]. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had…” The church in this time displayed an extraordinary sense of philoxenia; of making place for strangers in their lives by welcoming them into their personal spaces, and offering them love, food, shelter, counsel, protection, care or attention (whatever they felt led to share). This ensured that the person would have felt recognised, respected, and received in a spirit of acceptance of who they are.

The principle of philoxenia reaches far beyond our own homes, streets and communities though. Radical hospitality is not concerned with nationality, or race, or ethnicity — it transcends such boundaries. In light of this, one of the greatest social issues of our time is that of immigration and forced migration — the result of which is an ongoing refugee crisis of epic proportions. According to the UNHCR, in 2017, 65,6 million people around the world were forcibly displaced because of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations that they experienced in their home environments.2 Yet, instead of making our spaces places of safety and stability to vulnerable humans like refugees, people across the world (Christians

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included) have responded from a foundation of fear (of the alien and unknown), rather than a foundation of faith, and an instruction to love one another. We are more concerned with preserving our borders, jobs, and national identities than we are with living out the Great Commission3 by reaching, teaching in, and learning from all nations. We limit our energy to building relationships with — and lending a hand to — those who share our faith, traditions, and cultural backgrounds but do not realise that we are called to more than that. God is a refuge, and He provides sanctuary under His wings. Christians are called to be a reflection of Him on earth. This means serving as His hands, feet, and voice in the world. It means stewarding all we have in service of God, and in service of the protection and restoration of the

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hearts of all people we encounter, so that they may encounter Him, and be welcomed into relationship with Him. Philoxenia — radical hospitality — is a way of life that reminds us again, and again of God’s graciousness and hospitality to us. When we wander, God seeks us out, and ushers us into community. So it makes sense, then, that we would proclaim God’s loving goodness by extending that same welcome to anyone and everyone. Elizabeth is an Honours student in Historical Studies at UCT. When she’s not going places and doing things for that, she likes to cook, paint, explore, listen, bake and walk. ENDNOTES 1. Max Lucado, Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make A Difference 2. A. Edwards, “Forced displacement worldwide at its highest in decades,” UNHCR.org/news (June, 2017) 3. Matthew 28:19-20

PERSPECTIVE

REASON

HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY WHO YOU ARE? By Louise Mabille

t is strange to think that whether we are ardent believers or virulent atheists, we as moderners encounter ideas that have been thought by many others before us. By the term modern, I do not simply refer to our contemporary world, or that which appeared late in history. Being modern may be seen as a state of mind, perhaps best described as a socially progressive mind-set that affirms the power of human beings to create, improve and reshape their environment with the aid of scientific knowledge, practical experimentation or technology and the use of capital. With that has come the ever-more critical voice of humanism, raised by thinkers who increasingly held God responsible for human suffering. One may call this a humanistic theodicy. A theodicy originally answered the

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REASON

THE HUMANITIES HAVE REVEALED A NATURE FAR MORE SUBJECT TO CRUELTY THAN GOD HIMSELF HAS EVER EXHIBITED.

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question of why an all-good God permits evil. The most famous ancient example is, of course, Job, a story where evil is justified in terms of God’s sovereign will. Job comes to terms with losing everything and facing calamity through testifying: affirming even the apparently negative aspects of existence as part of a divine plan. Testifying to biblical truth has been one of the prime tasks of the believer. With the ascendency of modernity, simply speaking the truth was no longer

sufficient. Much as the act of testifying to truth of one’s belief still plays an important role in the modern believer’s life, it may be argued that, in modernity, the role of traditional testifying has been replaced by the demand for justification. Whereas testifying rests upon personal conviction and experience, the demand to justify one’s belief – and even existence – comes from trying to rationalise all of human life. Gottfried Leibniz,the great Enlightenment philosopher and polymath, valiantly tried

IN MODERNITY, MAN ADVANCES TO THE EXISTENTIAL POSIT IONS OF BOTH THE ABSOLUTE PROSECUTOR AND THE ABSOLUTE DEFENDANT.

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to ‘save God’ from having created a bad, evil creation instead of a good one. The answer that Leibnitz provides is simply that the end justifies the means: ‘the optimal as end, justifies evils as the means of its possibility’. While this sounds like a fine effort, Leibniz’s approach changed the relationship between the rational subject – the human being – and his Creator. It is precisely this exoneration that stirs doubts about God’s goodness. God must be ‘saved from Himself’. In order to preserve God as good, He must be liberated from a world which clearly is not. From now on, man would take the burden of creation upon himself. Man, however, not only usurped God’s functions, but also the position of the one that is accused in theodicy. Whereas in Christianity man is spared the role of being the absolute accused because of God’s grace, in modernity, man advances to the existential positions of both the absolute prosecutor and the absolute defendant. The West’s famous capacity for critical thinking is turned loose upon everything. Every aspect of human existence has now been put under the magnifying glass by everything from the biological sciences to psychoanalysis. It is hardly surprising that so many people – particularly people in the West – are haunted by a vague sense of ill- defined guilt. The humanities have revealed a nature far more subject to cruelty than God Himself has ever exhibited. This why modern history, usually traced to the events of the French Revolution, exhibits such a courtroom character: some or other human group is always at fault for the evils of the

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IT IS H SURPR THAT S P EOPL P ARTIC P EOPL WEST – HAUNT VAGUE OF ILLG UILT.

HARDLY RISING SO MANY LE – CULARLY LE IN THE – ARE TED BY A E SENSE - DEFINED

world. What began as an attempt to end tyranny and political exploitation became a moral crusade against the exploitation of the poor and unfortunate. Since the Revolution, the political realm has been turned into a courtroom over and over again. The various communist regimes were famous for having inverted the ancient habeas corpus rule: if suspected of treason against the State, you were considered guilty until proven innocent. Archimedes once said that he would be able to lift the earth, if only he could find a place to stand. Our culture of measureless criticism and self-reflection has rendered our age nihilistic and bereft of a place to stand. Our humanistic metanarratives leave us with very little hope of ever finding and ridding ourselves of the one element that makes our existence so terrible. At best, we can say that as a result of our increasing emphasis on reason, we have turned ourselves into vulnerable, anxious beings that could do far worse than to reconsider a relationship with the original Giver of mercy. We need to recover a vocabulary of testifying: by all means explain the reason behind faith, but tell of God’s great Story in which man is released from the need to justify his own existence. Louise Mabille has just completed her second PhD - in English and on an Erasmus fellowship at the University of Hull in Yorkshire - on Milton and the Reformation. Her first was on Nietzsche’s conception of justice and she is the author of Nietzsche and the Anglo-Saxon Tradition. She is currently attached to the Theology Faculty at the NorthWest University.

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RESOUND

Joseph Solomon in South Africa By Denise Nkosi

he long-awaited Joseph Solomon SA tour finally arrived on the 18th of August 2018. Numerous people flocked to the SABC Radio studios in Auckland Park, Johannesburg in anticipation and great excitement to join him in song, dance and many moments of mind-blowing revelation.

breathtaking piece of poetry. She was followed by the other talented warm-up acts; Hlengiwe Mbutuma, Lukhanyo Hlongwane and Mandla Qgada. I have to say that the experience was enhanced by our tastefully comedic Master of Ceremonies, Harold Moyo, who had us laughing from the beginning to the end of the show.

The show kicked off with Moushumi Ann Mathews, who shared a

And then Joseph Solomon took to the stage. Also known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, he

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got the ball rolling with Don’t Let Me Down, which had the eager audience on their feet, singing and dancing along to his soulful, acoustic sounds. We were privileged to hear poems such as Silhouette: In love with the shape of you. Here is a short extract from this thought-

provoking piece: “How can she find rest in your heart when it is a mausoleum. She sleeps next to a ghost, you would say ‘I love you’, she will learn not to believe you. When she finds out you only loved her for her Silhouette, she will hate you and you will finally have to

I think I help others become more selfaware through my poetry; to be more emotionally intelligent through my poetry

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How is my faith actually growing legs and not just a brain that theorises about stuff?

learn how to love her.” Another heartfelt moment during the night was when he shared a poem called Depressions. It was written from his experience with depression, and parts of this work like the quoted below confronted many ignorant listeners, revealing the depth of suffering that those with depression face: “Your environment can change how you breathe that day. Depression is to be space, to be so grand but still so empty and dark; to be an island surrounded by all the ocean but still thirst; to be privileged, affording the luxury to think about your depression. To be distant, to feel like God’s afterthought.” We were soon back on our feet as we danced and sang along to

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his recent single, Party For One, ending the night off with the oh-so soulful The Ocean. Scope had the privilege of talking to Joseph Solomon while he was in Joburg, getting to hear some more of his journey as an artist and what he thinks ‘being justified’ is all about. Scope: What initially drew you to poetry and song writing? Joe: I’ve been writing songs and poems since I can remember. I can literally remember the first song I ever wrote. I won’t say it, but I wrote it in my room with my other musically inclined friends when I was like five or six years old. Performing them? I didn’t start performing them till much later down the road. But I’ve always written, and it wasn’t until I saw my good friends, now the people that

were performing at Rhetoric, Jackie Hill Perry, Genetics and Ezekiel Azonwu, that I thought that you could perform something like that. I didn’t think that that was a thing for Christians. I had seen some poetry stuff, then I saw these people and I was like, “Wow! This is interesting”, then I started writing my own stuff. But I never performed them till 2012. Scope: What are the common themes or topics that arise in your songs and poems? Joe: I think I write too much about love and breakups. Musically, I think I have always written that way as well, and it’s natural that my poems, as well, are that way. I was forcing myself to be this very explicitly Christian poet all the time and not realising that was not really my thing. I don’t mind writing very explicitly Christian poems. I’ve always wanted to write poems about anything, whatever I was going through, and typically love or breakups. Thankfully, I’ve found an audience that appreciates that, as well, to where now when I come to places like Johannesburg or Cape Town and I do a set that’s not at a church, I can do my set.”

I wrote it; I just kind of conjured up the feelings that I had when I broke up with her. Scope: Outside of your song-writing and poetry, what does ‘being justified’ mean to you? Joe: I think when I say I’m justified, how is my faith actually growing legs and not just a brain that theorises about stuff? I’m justified in that sense by how I take care of my community. Joe will be back in South Africa during the month of November 2018. You can follow him on Instagram at Whatisjoedoing, Facebook at Joseph Solomon, Twitter @whatsisJoedoing and subscribe to his YouTube channel at Joseph Solomon for more information.

Scope: How have your gifts challenged you in both good and bad ways? Joe: In good ways: I put out thoughts that I didn’t know were in my brain, when I write it. I didn’t know I felt a certain way until it got out of my head, and I was like, “Wow…yeah. That’s how it feels”, and I become more self-aware through poetry. I think I help others become more self-aware through my poetry; to be more emotionally intelligent through my poetry. Negatively: I’ve had an ex-girlfriend not like my poems. I wasn’t mad when

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REVIEWS

F O R YO U R R E A D I N G

Gratitude by Oliver Sacks Book review by Sizwe Zondo

hilst preparing for one of my Honors Neuropsychology seminars, I came across a thought: “Why not prescribe a reading that could aid in the teaching and learning of Neuropsychology as a field of study?” With this in mind, I began my search for readings. Books, journal articles or reflections that could convey neurological cases in a logical, coherent, and humane manner, in order to aid the teaching and learning of neuroanatomy. My prolonged search for relevant

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literature led me to the works of Oliver Sacks, particularly his book, aptly entitled ‘The Man Who Mistook his wife for a Hat’. This book is not the focus of my review, but it is a worthwhile read if the title sparks an interest. The book details Dr. Sacks’ encounters with patients living with various neurological challenges and how these neurological handicaps manifest in patients’ day to day living. Due to his artistic finesse in describing neurological ailments, author Oliver Sacks has been aptly

referred to as “the poet laureate of medicine”. As mentioned above, it is not my aim to review ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat’, but one of Sacks’ last books before his death, ‘Gratitude’. ‘Gratitude’ is composed of a quartet of essays titled ‘Mercury,’ ‘My Own Life’, ‘My Periodic Table’ and ‘Sabbath’. The graciously written chapter, ‘Mercury’, reminds me of the 80th element of the periodic table. As such, in this chapter, Sacks reflects on his last eighty years and what they have meant for him. Whilst reading this chapter, I noticed Sacks’ reflection on heaven and hell and found the below quote to be of interest: “I have no belief in (or desire for) any postmortem existence, other than in the memories of friends and the hope that some of my books may still “speak” to people after my death.” The question we could ask ourselves is, “Why do I exist and what hope (if any), do I have of the afterlife?” For those reading from a Christian perspective, the words of the Apostle Paul in his First letter to the Corinthians reverberate all the more loudly, “If Christ is not raised, our faith is futile…” Reading ‘Mercury’, one is forced to closely consider one’s mortality as well as their philosophical worldview in making sense of mortality and matters related to the afterlife. Sacks borrows the succinct phrase ‘My Own Life’ from one of his favorite philosophers, David Hume. In this chapter, Sacks states his gratitude

to life and highlights his unique individuality as a sentient being. He reminds us that” there is no one like anyone else,” and that every human being is unique in his or her own life and death. In the poignant but beautifully written chapter, ‘My Periodic table’, Sacks reflects on his 82nd birthday and wonders if he will make it to his eighty third and eighty fourth birthday due to his terminal cancer. At the end of the chapter, one is left with a sense of admiration for a life well lived and well celebrated. In the penultimate chapter, ‘Sabbath’, Sacks briefly outlines his early Jewish upbringing, his near addiction to the powerful drug, amphetamine (early 1960s), his fulfilling work at Mount Carmel in The Bronx, caring for chronically ill patients, and his later visit to Israel amongst other things. Essentially, ‘Sabbath’ is a reminder of the Lord’s day, particularly the theme of rest. Here, Sacks reflects on his life’s work and the near permanent Sabbath he is about to sojourn to. All in all, ‘Gratitude’ is an incredible epitaph that is truly worthy of a read. The short essays not only ask one to deliberate on their mortality, but demand one to genuinely meditate on the fundamental questions of life: “What has gone wrong with the world (e.g. mortality and death)?” And: “How can the brokenness of the world be restored”? It leads me to ask: “What am I most grateful for in life if faced with death today”? There is nothing else but knowing that Jesus hung on the tree for my sin and was raised to life for my justification.

W W W. S C O P E F O R S T U D E N T S .C O M

TESTIFY

M Y S TO R Y

HILHORST

oming to university has probably been one of the most life-changing decisions I have made. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the thing: it had very little to do with what I chose to study. I was a dreamer; a person who wanted to change the world, save lives, invent something great, be a cowboy or something. Naturally, when starting off

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in this new chapter of my life, I simply wished it away with the idea that I would be able to achieve this greater purpose once I had a degree. It took me about four months to realise what most of you probably already know: life is not that simple, nor are dreams that easily realised. I found myself fighting for

exam entrance, for subjects I didn’t enjoy at a university I didn’t want to be at. The clear dream I had was now virtually non-existent. It was here where I started complaining. If God had a plan for me, then this couldn’t possibly be part of it! I was on the verge of dropping out, convinced that I was missing the mark completely. Utterly confused and unmotivated, it was here where everything changed. I woke up one day and thought to ask, “Why, God?” as a question instead of just shouting it aimlessly. Instead of just attending class that day, everything became a challenge. I found that once I realised God is still in control of the universe even though I still have a lot of questions, it brings with it a great sense of peace. God could have sent me to any university, but he let me come to this one—why? I could have ended up in another degree, surrounded by completely different people, but I didn’t. I ended up with these ones—why? It was a complete mind shift. Instead of being beaten down by my circumstances, I went in search of the answers to those questions. I started my mornings with asking God for the privilege to catch just a glimpse of what His plan was for my life, and, more specifically, for the season I was in. What would the Lord have

me do for Him today? By turning back to God and His plan for my life, I found purpose. Strangers in my class became friends, and conversations became opportunities to share Christ with others. I somehow made it through my first semester, and, now almost done with my third year, I look back and consider these past few years to be some of the best of my life. It is so easy to wish a season of your life away. I had to learn not to. Once you realise that everything that has happened to you—both the good and the bad—happened under God’s watch to mould you, shape you and to make you who you are now, you realise that who you are and where you are are exactly in God’s plan. He has us where we are for a reason, and there’s nothing wrong in asking Him what that reason is. We find the freedom and the purpose we long for the moment we give up our own plans for His better ones. We do not wake up one day with our entire lives figured out. I am still trying to figure it out. My dreams remain, and I still hope to change the world, but I have learned to be content with the fact that what we get are glimpses of the bigger picture through each day we live. And I’ll live it to the full.

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SIMUNYE

P LU G G E D I N

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Simunye is an on-campus church collaboration initiative that seeks to be a medium for church unity in every main university around South Africa. Regardless of denominational differences, Christians who hold to the same core doctrines of the faith are invited to make use of this student platform as a coming-together of various creative expressions of the Gospel.

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SAVVY STUDENT

EXPRESSIONS

The Battleground By Lwazi Mandilive ‘Live’ Matiwane We use God’s mighty weapons — not worldly weapons — to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.

As I sit, heart reeling from emotions and thoughts that desperately continue to hide, I take refuge in the memories and assurance of the Lord’s presence.

As I battle and wrestle with experiences and emotions I wish were either not true or not in view, I grip onto scripture that would otherwise be hard to hang on to.

Yhoooo!!! What is it to know God?

I know that once upon a time I knew not what thoughts, experiences and emotions were laying deep in my heart. Sitting firmly and squarely on my nasal ridge, colouring every new experience and emotion with their rose-coloured gaze, subtly framing every new experience with the drops seeping from my bleeding heart.

This knowledge and understanding is not knowing God. It’s an outcome, a consequence, a fruit of getting to know Him ...but I know and this word affirms it, that knowing can equate to not knowing when the knowledge is false.

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I know that taking off the shades of paranoia, mistrust, the “oh I know what this is about and I know how to protect myself”...is only the beginning, only part of the story, only part of the battle

As I sit here, I wish that the false arguments and human reasoning that plague my mind and hang on tightly to its walls… lining its walls and claiming authority… lining its walls like wallpaper… lining each room… unwelcoming of anything and anyone that will enter… unwelcoming of anything and anyone… claiming my heart and mind as its territory, fending off anything and anyone bringing a different experience, revelation and truth.

I know the truth, well, part of it, but I too know my experiences, thoughts and emotions. I, too, know... (sigh, deep sigh)

Uproot in me Lord all that wrestles and holds the place of Your truth. For I know the plans You have for me and want to live in that reality.

Plant in me the seed of Your word. In fact, continue to plant in me the seed of Your word. I submit and surrender the foundations of my heart. I submit and surrender not only the tenants, but the whole house. I submit and surrender my heart to You so You can repurpose it, transform and renew it to be filled with Your desires

Thank You God that I don’t have to do this alone for I have failed with my own strength. Thank You God that I am Your child for whom You died and that Your grace is sufficient for me and empowers me…

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https://soundcloud.com/scopeforstudents/justified-audio-spoken-word

Listen here:

By Mbuso Mnisi

Justified spoken word

EXPRESSIONS

SAVVY STUDENT

HELPFUL HINTS

9 ways to serve your campus By Bongeka Magubane

University can be a lonely and sad space. You might have a lot of expectations about what your time will look like. The reality, however, is that more than half of the people we go to class with every day suffer from some level of anxiety or mental illness. Not only that, but almost every university in South Africa has seen students protesting in the last few years, which is an indication that there are needs that are not being met. Being in university may cause students to feel like they are simply a speck or a small part of something bigger, lessening their ability to make a difference. This couldn’t be further from the truth, because we are shaped by how we respond to the needs

of those around us. Our time on campus shouldn’t only consist of countless hours of studying, but also seeking to practically serve the people within our institutions. Service is the act of helping or doing work for someone. But is serving really that big of a deal? Jesus seemed to think it was. In Mark 10:45, Jesus said: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus showed us through His actions that serving others can be potentially life-changing. It is easier to only serve people that we are familiar with (often times ourselves!), but real service is about loving those who

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SAVVY STUDENT

Being in university may cause students to feel like they are simply a speck or a small part of something bigger, lessening their ability to make a difference. may look completely different to you. Here are nine ways we can practically serve our campuses: 1. Join a club or society. Many university spaces have a variety of different clubs and societies that are specific to a cause or action. This will not only help you rally behind something that is serving the community, but also help you meet likeminded people who feel the same way. 2. Get involved in your residence. A great amount of our time is spent in the spaces where we live. It is no surprise, therefore, that a big part of our service journey would have something to do with the place where we stay. I remember a girl that lived down the corridor from me who used to write inspirational quotes and an encouraging message every week. This helped to ease my worry after a busy day. 3. Participate. Do not underestimate the power of participation. Attending different events, seminars and discussion forums will not only help you be more involved with your campus community, but is a great opportunity to find out where needs can be met through networking. 4. Help someone with school work. The major reason why we are all at university is to earn a qualification in a certain field. This reason, therefore, should not be ignored. If you are fast or diligent learner, helping a classmate or friend understand a part of the work better could go a long way.

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5. Lift someone’s burden. This point, although slightly similar to our previous point, doesn’t only focus on school work but encompasses different needs people have. Helping to lift that burden, like offering to make supper for the day, will not only bless that person, but will also spark an attitude of service in their hearts that will be paid forward to someone else. 6. Listen. A big part of serving others around you is being available to listen. People just want to be heard. A cup of coffee and a conversation may mean more to someone else than what you realise. 7. Get involved with volunteering programmes to underprivileged communities. Many institutions encourage and offer a platform for students to be involved in outreach activities beyond your campus. This will open your eyes to see ways in which you can serve those less fortunate than yourself. 8. Pay it forward. The beautiful thing about service is that it is relational and continual. Once the cycle of service starts and stops at your doorstep, paying it forward will ensure that it doesn’t end with you. 9. Anticipate serving. Lastly, one of the best ways to find opportunities to serve is to avail yourself for such service opportunities. Galatians 6:9 powerfully says: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

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