In January a diverse group of believers attended the inaugural residential week of the Wilberforce Academy at the start of a journey to equip them to apply a biblical worldview in their spheres of influence. In this article academy team members Ryan Smit, Stefanie Kotze and Embeth du Toit report back on the group’s first quarterly Refocus Day on April 22
The Wilberforce Academy is a training programme that seeks to equip believers to live out a biblical worldview in a world with increasing levels of animus towards God and His good ways for human flourishing (Romans 1:18 – 32). It covers various aspects of engaging in all areas of life and culture, both private and public, including family, church, state relations, law, politics, public service, education, healthcare, media, entertainment, creative arts, ministry and business.
Programme Director, Ryan Smit, has emphasised that “at its core, the Wilberforce Academy is about coming together, seeking truth, understanding the times we are living in, and responding in wisdom — speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:14 – 16)”.
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Refocus Days are about the community-building aspect of the Wilberforce Academy experience, as well as continued equipping and encouragement. Faculty members, delegates, and a few first-time visitors came together in four physical locations across SA – in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Northwest. A few attended virtually.
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The focus of the day was on the “how-to” of engaging South African society, whether individuals, communities or institutions, with a Gospel/Kingdom culture, as well as where and how to get practically involved in existing initiatives, organisations and ministries represented within the Wilberforce SA community.
Getting practical
The theme of the day was “Getting Practical: Engaging 2023 South Africa with a Kingdom Culture“.
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The main event featured Dr Daniel Strange, director of Crosslands Forum in the UK, and faculty member of Wilberforce Academy UK. He shared how to practically engage with the culture of our day to bring the Gospel to bear for the restoration and reformation of society.
- Dr Strange’s session can be viewed here
Below is a quick precis of his presentation on cultural apologetics:
In this miraculous and messy world, in-between the Kingdom “already-come” and “yet-to-come”, we find ourselves busy making and creating all sorts of things. We cultivate and make culture – and often, we make a mess of things. We are continually confronted with the sometimes vast difference between the Kingdom culture exemplified in the Word of God, and our own ways of living.
In a stunning practical display of people’s ability to cultivate and innovate, we connected virtually with Dr Strange, who tuned in from the United Kingdom to engage with us across time and space.
He explained how culture is what it means for people to speak and make, as image bearers of God, the ultimate Creator, who first spoke and made.
While culture is not the making of meaning, it is our response to the already existing meaning — God’s revelation — in creation. our response can either be godly, or godless. In the latter case, we suppress the truth, replace it with something of our own making and proceed to subject the Truth of God to all sorts of things in our lives — entertainment, tradition, ideologies, work or play. This is nothing but idolatry. (Romans 1:16-25)
We have been created to cultivate the gifts and “graces” God gives us to bring Him glory. Sadly, though, we tend to make these good things from God into ultimate things, thus creating idols and subjecting God’s truth to them.
A universal example of this is the area of sport. We can easily take this good thing that brings much joy and make it into an ultimate thing, expecting it to serve as our provider of community, our way of life, our deliverance (or escape), and our destiny. But the Truth is that Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (John 14:6) He is our Deliverance and the fulfilment of God’s covenant of eternal communion with us. Our idols will always leave us disillusioned because they cannot fulfil what can only be found in God.
To engage with surrounding culture(s) from a Kingdom perspective, Strange proposes what he calls Paul’s Model of Messiness for cultural apologetics, based on Acts 17:16-35.
- First, we are to enter the culture by stepping into its world and listening to the stories of people around us.
- Once there, we can explore and look for elements of grace (reflections of peoples’ search for fulfilment of ultimate needs) and the idols attached to them.
- Next, we can show up idols by exposing them as destructive frauds that are not able to deliver/fulfil what people are seeking after.
- And finally, we evangelise by showing off the Gospel of Christ as subversive fulfilment.
Now what on earth is “subversive fulfilment”? Strange explained. To subvert means to undermine the authority of an established system. To fulfil means to achieve or realise something desired, promised, or predicted. The Gospel of Christ does just that: it confronts our established systems of seeking fulfilment of sinful desires, undermining the apparent authority of our idols; and at the same time realises our deepest desire in the promise of Jesus. The Gospel simultaneously confronts our culture of sinfulness and also connects us to the only One able to fulfil our deepest needs – for connection, for the good life, for a way out, to control our destiny, and to know ultimate reality. What a glorious Gospel indeed!
- Dr Strange’s teaching drew from his two books, Plugged In and Making Faith Magnetic.
Q & A interview
His teaching was followed by a Questions & Answers interview in which Wilberforce SA programme director Ryan Smit, and Dr Strange talked through the practical application of “subversive fulfilment” of “magnetic points” in the area of sport and gender identity issues.
- The Q & A interview can be viewed here
Getting involved in Kingdom work in SA
The engagement with Dr Strange was followed by leaders of various cultural/social engagement initiatives represented within the Wilberforce Academy SA community introducing their organisations/ministries, sharing testimonies of the Lord’s work and opportunities to get involved with these initiatives. These included:
- Focus on the Family Africa
- African Enterprise
- Ratio Christi
- John Mathuhle
- Ziwani
- Apologetics SA
- Cause for Justice
- Wilberforce Academy SA
Application, Application, Application
The day ended with application discussion groups facilitated by Wilberforce Academy faculty members in the various locations, thinking and talking through how to put theory (head knowledge and heart conviction) into practice. This was a vital part of the day, as it allowed everyone to ask questions and to think critically about how to impact and influence their respective spheres of involvement with a Kingdom culture.
Looking ahead
The next Refocus Day will be at the end of July. Anyone who is interested to know more about the Wilberforce Academy or attend future events, can contact the organisers at Wilberforce.SA@gmail.com.
You can find out more about the Wilberforce Academy South Africa online at https://wilberforceacademy.org.za/ and follow their social media pages.
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