by Heinrich Titus As Shofar turns thirty this year, we reflect on our journey so far as we trust God for a great outpouring for the next season. Dear Friend Thirty years. It’s a lifetime for some of us. For others, it’s but one season amongst many. Regardless of our age or how long we … Read more
by Dr. Theuns Jacobs Pastor of Shofar Cape Town City This blog was originally posted on christian-thoughtleadership.com. Theuns holds a doctorate in New Testament studies, and does research on the Gospels and contemporary social issues. He is a pastor at our Cape Town City congregation. Our basic attitude towards community either pollutes or heals the … Read more
https://youtu.be/gav4Ky1pOGMVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: The Power of Forgiveness – Watch Now [Full session links below] (https://youtu.be/gav4Ky1pOGM) How do we as Christians forgive when there’s so much injustice in our country? https://youtu.be/CE0PD7GMTtYVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Convergence 2017 | Power of Forgiveness | Chris Lodewyk, Corné Bekker, … Read more
by Dr. Theuns Jacobs Pastor of Shofar Cape Town City But Daniel, brimming with spirit and intelligence, so completely outclassed the other vice-regents and governors that the king decided to put him in charge of the whole kingdom (Daniel 6:3, The Message). Martin Goodman asks a simple, but important question[1]: why did political violence escalate … Read more
by Lieschen Venter Student of Theology • Lecturer of Operations Research As the sermon draws to its conclusion, the pastor’s final exhortation rings out: “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.” Some, perhaps those who have gained some experience, would nod … Read more
By Theuns Jacobs Our humanity is corrupted when we abuse power; our humanity is diminished when we are rendered powerless. [1] Daniel Migliore The phenomenon of patronage has become a hot topic. Locally, the State Capture Report unleashed stormy weather in the South African political arena.[2] In it, allegations of what many suspect are put forward … Read more
by Lieschen Venter In March of 2016, North Carolina signed a bathroom bill into law that applies to all of the state’s public schools. This bill specifies that students must use the bathroom which corresponds to the gender on their birth certificate and was created in response to a local ordinance in the city of … Read more
REFLECTING ON OUR TIMES by Fred May November 2015 was significant. It seems to signal an irreversible historical shift, globally. Scores of people, innocent civilians, died on the streets of Paris in a ‘war’ they never signed up for. They were simply minding their own business but in the ‘wrong’ place. The same thing happened … Read more
by Rayno Daschner (Shofar Cape Town South) My wife, Liana, and I were both intrigued by and suspicious of the latest depiction of the Exodus story. We were intrigued because we’re fans of Ridley Scott films like Gladiator and Black Hawk Down and even greater fans of ‘the epic’ in Scripture! However, we couldn’t help being a little suspicious, since we’d noticed the Hollywood trend … Read more
by Marionette van Deventer (Shofar Stellenbosch) I can’t claim to have the kind of body that looks good in a bikini. (Yes, I know. You’re wondering where this is going.) Although I enjoy swimming, for quite a while I wasn’t willing to set foot on a beach because of the deep sense of social … Read more
The legal battle to keep pornography off South African television has been a lengthy, and, at times, confusing one. As a church we were directly involved and have also been actively supporting Cause for Justice, a non-profit human rights organisation, who’ve continued the fight in the South African courts. A summary of the events surrounding … Read more
by Theuns Jacobs (Shofar Cape Town) When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could … Read more
by Theuns Jacobs (Shofar Cape Town) The movie Noah, directed and written by Darren Aronofsky and co-written by Ari Handel, was released in March 2014 to a storm of controversy. There have been many different (and often opposing) views about the film in Christian circles, which have not helped matters. Why has the movie … Read more
by Hennie Swart (Shofar Bible School) If the trend in South Africa is in any way similar to that of the rest of the world, people are reading less (or at least reading fewer books). People may be reading more electronic media like Twitter, Facebook, or emails, which are by and large shorter forms of … Read more