May 1st - Labour day origin

Some interesting history on the origin of Labour Day ... One version at least! Go to:

http://lusakachamber.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/labour-day-celebration-and-the-cry-of-a-zambian-employee/

Editing culture?

The last few years have seen a lot of public debate on traditional roles. Some examples are the now infamous ‘Alangizi’ (matrons who prepare young women for marriage), traditional ceremonies and dressing (such as the woman who was half nude/ topless at a pageant, in the name of traditional culture), corporal punishment, and local languages as a medium of education. In all these discussion, people talk of ‘tradition’ and ‘culture’, but I suspect they do not all mean the same thing. Perhaps if we could define these terms, we may make some headway in these debates. Then we will also answer the question, do we have the power or the right to change tradition and culture?

We will borrow a definition of culture from Oliver Barclay:

Culture may be defined as the overall beliefs, priorities and values of the community that are expressed in its institutions and its practices. In the sense that I have chosen, the term culture can be Marxist, Muslim, secular, or Christian. There is a Western or Asian culture, or a city or rural culture.*

The first thing that this brings to light is that we have several cultures in Zambia, not one culture. There may be common elements in the tribal cultures, common denominators, but otherwise there is more than one culture in a nation with 72 tribes. But the picture gets more complicated. There are rural and urban cultures. I know we usually say the urban (us!) are Westernised, but since we have an urban, technology based lifestyle, this pattern of behaviour can be called a culture as well. 

To avoid any confusion, we will say that urban and rural have a common heritage (i.e. common roots) but slightly different cultures (patterns of behaviour in work, socialising, etc). So our heritage and our culture are different. But even modern village life is not what it was a hundred years ago – if a villager could time travel they would find a cultural shift of some kind when they go to the year 1914. Add to that other facts such as changes in diet over the years (I am told maize was introduced around the year 1880) and economic models such as use of money and passports. Culture, just like life is dynamic. Even if the change is slow over a century. Even now, within a generation, some of the slang used on Facebook baffles me – language changing in the space of twenty years.

The next point is that culture is not perfect. Like people, who are a mixture of good and bad (our great dignity and high calling, and our inclination to greed and pride) culture is also a mixture. I quote again:

All culture is a mixture of good and evil: good because all God’s gifts of creation are good, and man is still made in the image of God, and not one has reached the same depths of depravity as the devil; but evil because no one is an angel, no one is perfect in this life. The structures of society, and even the best aspects of our culture, are imperfect.*

There are things to be encouraged and things to be discouraged and even replaced. Culture is not perfect, no more than the people who practice it, whether Zambian, Asian, or Western.

The conclusion is we must consciously decide what to encourage and what to discourage. Culture is shifting sand, even if it shifts slowly over the generations. But then, we must ask, what standard are we going to use? We can imitate good things from other cultures, but we must not make them a standard, because they are equally a mixture of good and bad. Cultural snobs are in the wrong, whatever advantages or advances they may have in their society. There must be a standard to assess all cultures, not just comparing one culture to another. For the humanist the standard is probably utility, or pragmatics. For the secular thinker, the standard may be a matter of agreement or convenience. For the Christian, the wisdom of the Creator must set the pace for human life to flourish. The Creator sets the outline and provides the impetus for human life to reach the order and beauty and satisfaction it was originally designed for.

The biggest mistake we can make in this regard is to deify culture. We must not promote new things simply because of their newness or old things just because they are ancient. The value is not intrinsic in its novelty or age, but rather in how constructive or destructive it is for society. The more our social bonds are built on what is right, the better our society will be. That is something worth passing on to the next generation.

*[Quote from ‘Developing a Christian Mind’ by Oliver Barclay. Available at Bookworld shops]

Danger in the streets

Walking through town on a busy day, when suddenly
The crowd screams and people are running in all directions
Panic, vendors drop their wares on the street,
Fruit trampled by rushing feet

Stumbling, almost tumbling, not sure where to turn
Crying and scampering, Not sure whats going on
Where is the danger? Where is safety? What has caused this maddening cry?
Gun shots in the air, scared faces everywhere
Old and young racing down the street; shocked faces, stumbling feet
Then suddenly its over
Three officers throw a body in a van
A lifeless corpse next to an AK 47
He lived by the sword, he died by the sword
Bullets in this case - a crime attempted in vain
Such a waste, such a price, such a shame

Born Again - a word everyone uses and no one defines

Language is dynamic. Over time, some words even lose meaning or fall out of popular use, or change meaning. The word "BOMA" (which refered to British Overseas Administration offices, or something like that) has come to mean something else. Strictly speaking there was no BOMA after independence, but we use the word anyway.

If you went into the street and randomly asked a few Zambians what "Born Again" means, you may come up with as many different answers as the people you interview! Some would say "people who attend a church with loud music that can be heard down the road". Others would say, "people who go for crusades" or "people who speak in tongues (charismatic  - but there are some charismatic groups who are not 'born again' but purport to have the same gifts)". Still others might say "those who listen to loud American preachers". Within the church some will say "a person who has repented" or "someone who has faith" or even "anyone who is baptized". How can such a common term have so many different interpretations?

It presupposes a radical diagnosis of human condition. It proposes that, what we need is not simply new resolutions or new attitude or even positive thinking or more self esteem. This view says what we need is so radical, it is called new life. We are naturally unconscious to the wonder of the Creator. We are naturally rule breakers with an attitude of apathy to our maker. We are masters of making excuses (while we are quick to point fingers when others do the same wrong we just excused ourselves from doing). Our spiritual compass cannot pick the true north. Going by this diagnosis, we do not just need a new record (forgiveness) but a new vital principle (spiritual life, regeneration). We don't just need the heavenly courtroom to cancel the record, we need a new condition in our hearts and mind. We need our spritual compass to come alive, to sense the true 'north' and gravitate towards it, to find satisfaction in Him who is greater than we can think or imagine.

In the book Titus 2:3-8 (simplified message version), we have a description of this change:

^3-8 It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.

 This tells us that our condition, not just our position (status) needs a change. It tells us about a change so great, that only God can do this to us, we are powerless to bring it about. But unless you accept the radical diagnosis, you will not see the necessity of the cure. But your natural eagerness to make excuses should be a clue that maybe this state of spiritual lifelessness is a reality after all.

As for the use of the term "born again", no doubt many who use it have no clue what it means at all. It is time we pay attention to defining our church terminology. Otherwise it may be just another public secret, like the word BOMA.

The deeper the roots, the stronger the tree

The deeper the roots, the greater storm it will survive

Starved by drought and disaster

This tree is now a master

Of the elements; Standing tall come wind or rain

All the hardship was not in vain

In the thirsty days its roots dug deeper

When the strong wind came, (that mighty reaper)

Other trees fell but this one stood tall

Unmovable like a defense brick wall

Deep roots are the secret of standing tall

Deep roots; the invisible strength unseen on the surface

Knowledge and faith quietly fed

Power and character building up inside

Roots growing deep and wide

Its not all about what you surface

The surface can be deceitful

Like on so many trees that fell

who could tell that they wouldn't stand?

The secret is the foundation

The eternal Rock - solid and eternally true

The word and prayer giving life to you

Daily doses slowly building you from the inside

The more growth, the better in warfare

You can't fatten the cow on the day of battle

You can't study when the exam has begun

Training should begin before the storm has come

The deeper you go the stronger you'll be

How deep are your roots?

Understanding the Book of Proverbs

"A proverb is a concise, memorable saying, usually in poetic form, expressing a generally accepted observation about life as filtered through biblical revelation. From this definition, we can observe that a proverb is characterized as being concise and memorable, simple yet profound, specific yet general, usually expressed in poetic form, and observations about life as filtered through biblical revelation. To clarify our understanding of the nature of proverbs, we will examine these five characteristics in individual proverbs." - Dr. Robert V. McCabe

An interesting article on how to break down the Book of Proverbs:
http://www.oldtestamentstudies.org/my-papers/other-papers/wisdom-literature/interpreting-proverbs/