addiction

Hello, I’m a recovering racist … and a recovering sexist. My name is Mark.

In July 2012 I attended an international conference is Johannesburg hosted by the Jesuit Institute entitled Spiritual Direction in the African Context. The above comment stems from a paper presented by Prof Susan Rakoczy, IHM, Women and Spiritual Direction: The Many Dimensions of Co-Discernment in which she challenged us to recognise the formative nature of society upon us; that while we may not – or no longer – consciously hold to racial or sexist dogma, if we have grown up in a society that has formed us in these ideologies (she grew up in the USA) we, like alcoholics, are never truly free of these social diseases. Her paper focused more particularly on the struggle women directors and women seekers of spiritual direction experience, influenced by the patriarchy of church and society; and how this is often a barrier to women in growing into a true sense of self in a world where male experience and needs often define our spirituality, theology and praxis within the church and the social environment.

Racism in the South African context has devolved in our post-1994 democracy into classism and xenophobia. Whenever, we find ourselves talking about, “Those people …” or saying to someone in some way different from ourselves, “Your people …”, we are guilty of spreading these social germs. We often react with surprise when we are challenged for making what is perceived to be a racist, classist, sexist, homophobic or xenophobic remark, and are sure we are not. However, if we have been exposed to these social diseases – and if we are honest, they are prevalent globally in most cultures and societies in some form – it is likely that we are in a continuous process of recovery (unless we consciously choose to promote these evil attitudes), hopefully moving to greater wholeness as individuals and societies, but recovering nonetheless. This process of recovery impacts on our spirituality, our awareness of self, of God, of community, and is often at the root of social and community breakdown. It stunts our spiritual and emotional growth as persons. An awareness and willingness to acknowledge that we are recovering – as opposed to recovered – is a first step towards relational and social health.

The Anglican Church, with our wonderfully cosmopolitan and intra-cultural diversity, offers an ideal Alcoholics Anonymous-type space to begin to deal with these negative issues and attitudes that affect our society. The question, ultimately, in our parish context is whether we are able to trust one-another sufficiently to create such a space where our antibodies to these social diseases can be strengthened? One of the Wesley brothers described the church as a microcosm of the greater world, a thought that I find helpful when we have to deal with social and relational pain within the church and Christian community. If we create this space for each other there will be times when we are hurt by fellow Christians

Is God’s power strong enough to sustain us through these actual or potential hurts that we may truly be a transformed community transforming our world? I believe it is possible.

So what are you recovering from?

Rennie D
5 July 2012

racism, classism & tribalism

The following is a letter I wrote to the Pretoria News (published 5 June 2009) in response to an article titled "It is the church's duty to preach racial harmony" by Rich Mkhondo (published on 1 June 2009) in the Comment section. The Pretoria News titled my response "Roots of racism lie in SA's colonial history":

I read with interest Rich Mkhondo's opinion (Comment 1 June 2009) on the church's duty to preach racial harmony. There can be no doubt that racism remains a key issue in our society: its roots lie in our colonial history, and can be traced back to attitudes in Europe well before van Reebeck ever set foot in the Cape. It is also true that the church is often, sadly, no more than a microcosm of wider society. However, as Mkhondo points out, the church has both the responsibility and the resources to engender new attitudes and more whole relationships.

I am aware that I write as a so-called "White" South African, and so struggle to fully comprehend the level of pain inflicted on so many fellow South Africans during the apartheid era. As part of my training as an Anglican Priest I was immersed in the township life of GaRankuwa in the mid 1980's, and was substantially conscientised to the realities of southern Africa and the devastating impact of racial discrimination as experienced by those who suffered under it. I realised, too, how I - as an oppressor by default of my heritage - was damaged as a person.

In our new democratic dispensation the word "racism" tends to be used to cover a broad perspective of negative and hurtful attitudes. For many so-called "Whites" racism is very specifically aligned to apartheid, and when the declaration is made "I am not a racist" it is often perceived by fellow South Africans to be a somewhat hypocritical statement, when in reality it is a heartfelt cry that rejects apartheid and embraces the new South Africa. What many of us so-called "Whites" struggle with is often classist attitudes - that during apartheid strongly underlay racial ones - and it is often (agreed, not always!) this classism that fellow South Africans experience as racism in today's society.

As the Anglican Church in Pretoria we have raised the issue of racism, together with classism and tribalism, as ones that must be addressed in all our communities. Key to the process is building relationships, creating awareness of different cultural perspectives, and creating a broader and more inclusive ownership of church life and worship.

MARK R D LONG, Garsfontein