It is time for South African Christians to bring God into the equation in their voting, said African Christian Democratic Party President (ACDP), Rev Kenneth Meshoe in an interview screened on Watchman On The Wall on TBN last week.
Interviewed by Family Policy Institute Director, Errol Naidoo, following his recent return to Parliament after a five months absence, Meshoe called on Christians to change their thinking from wanting a strong opposition to wanting a righteous government.
Asked about the loss of some Christian voters from the party in the last election, he said the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) “Stop Zuma” campaign slogan in 2009 caught the hearts of many people who were upset with the what was happening in the country. But Zuma became president and things have got worse.
He said it is not enough to stop Zuma, because if the DA replaced the ANC it would just be substituting one liberal party for another liberal party.
“The issue of loose morals in the country that is even causing children to rape children would continue. There has to be a change. There has to be a strong, moral foundation in the country. And this strong, moral foundation cannot be built by unbelievers or by secularists. This strong, moral foundation has to be built by people who believe that righteousness must be the foundation of South Africa,” he said.
He said the ACDP has for 20 years been uncompromising in its stand for Biblical values and principles “because we believe it is the principles of the Word of God that can make nations to be successful”.
Commenting on the party’s participation in the Collective for Democracy ( together with Cope, Freedom Front Plus, IFP and UCDP) he said it is necessary for parties to work together to advance democracy. The ACDP would not, however, enter into a coalition or any agreement that required it to compromise on its Biblical values.
Meshoe predicted that there will be a number of surprises in the 2014 elections. He said many people are feeling disillusioned and “angry that they have been lied to for nearly 20 years”. Christians are saying they have previously not considered the Lord when going to the polls, he said He predicted that the ACDP, which dropped from a high of 7 parliamentary seats after the 2004 election to 3 seats after 2009, will benefit from the present climate. He said the party is going to campaign hard from door-to-door and in churches and aims to win at least 30 seats this year.
With a stronger representation in parliament the ACDP would ensure it was represented on all committees in order to influence all legislation. It would also campaign for a constitutional amendment to protect the rights of the unborn. And it would work to improve SA’s relations with Israel, recognising the Biblical promise (Genesis 12:3) that nations that curse Israel will be cursed and nations that bless her will be blessed.
Asked about growing threats to religious freedom under the present government, Meshoe said in the lead up to the elections on May 7, the ACDP will tell church congregations about how some churces are already being persecuted for teaching scripture. He would warn them that the persecution will continue if they continued to vote for secular political parties.
Meshoe said he visited cities in the United States and Canada during his parliamentary break in order to raise funds for the elections.
Blessings
Thank God for Meshoe’s strong stand for Christian Moral Values! However,an unprincipled blanket “blessing Israel” policy based on Gen 12:3 is unBiblical. Abraham was only a source of blessing by virtue of “righteousness that comes by faith” (Rom 4:16-24). God’s Word consistently teaches that “Blessing” support must be linked to righteousness (See Deut 28, Jer 11, Matt 3:8) and ultimately to Jesus Himself (Matt 21:33-43, John 20:29, Eph 1:3, Rev 22:7). Please reject the idea that God deals with nations on the basis of blood descent (Luke 3:7-20), and please adopt the truth that God deals with people on the basis of the blood of God’s Son, their faith connection with Jesus and subsequent good righteous fruit. “A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly … A man is a Jew is he is one inwardly … by circumcision of the heart by the Spirit” (Rom 2:28,29) The Book of Hebrews teaches that Jesus changed the whole paradigm! Let us hold fast to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 15: 1-17, Rom 8:1, Gal. 1:6-10, Titus 2:11-14)!
I hear you Hugh but let us not forget that we are called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Why ? Because it is the city to which Jesus will return and from where He will rule and reign over the nations during the Millenium. Jesus also said that Jerusalem (the people) would not see Him again until THEY say “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord” (Mt 23:39) Surely that is enough reason ?
Hugh, unfortunately, your comments have two very big flaws. Firstly, your replacement theology opinion is just not Biblical. To agree with you I would have to rip a number of pages out of my Bible, not least of all Romans 11, which includes “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”. That does not imply that we have to justify sin, it just implies exactly what it says, that God has not rejected Israel.
Secondly, you would do well to actually go and find out what exactly is happening there, before shooting your mouth of publicly with your opinionated rhetoric based on what the liberal press is telling you. Remember, this is the same liberal press that celebrates the marriage of homosexuals, stating that it is ‘progress’.
Let me be clear about this, I am not a supporter of the ACDP, which is another type of replacement theory : the state replacing and doing what the church has been called to do. I agree with Meshoe, the DA is a liberal party. But the ACDP could take some blame for that, meaning, that the purpose of salt is to be sprinkled and added to food, not to stay in salt container and say “We are the salt and we choose to stay in our container because we refuse to be compromised by being added to the food. Either choose us or choose the food !” The only thing that citizens around the world and in SA require from governments, and it is a Godly right, is fairness, ethics, and good management of the country. We don’t need agendas, isms, biases, or rhetoric. The DA can give that, and the church can start doing what it is meant do, which is the saving of souls and building the kingdom.
Its time for meshoe, to stop talking crap, and take action, since 1994 his party has done NOTHING except whisper sometimes..enough of his lazy ass racist policies and time to do what you were voted for
Thanks Barbara. Psalm 122:6 is a Song of Ascent for pilgrims going to the temple for Jewish feasts, so what has that got to do with SA’s policies towards Israel? of course, we will pray for Peace in the city of Shalom. But we must evangelise the Jewish people so that they receive the Prince of Peace, our Lord Jesus the Messiah. When Jesus returns many who pierced Him will mourn (Rev 1:7) and large numbers will be saved provided “they do not persist in their unbelief” (Rom 11:23-26). God will not bless Israel apart from Jesus, so we should bless Israel by evangelising the Jews wherever we can, by supporting e.g. “Jews for Jesus” missions, by promoting the Gospel in word and deed. But Israel as an ethnic nation must not be affirmed in its secular humanism by indiscriminate support. Rather we should use diplomatic pressure to lobby for Kindness, Justice, Righteousness in Humility in its policies, just as the prophets did (Jer 9:23,24) – and as we should do in SA and every nation of the world. God will not condone evil because of His end-time programme as encapsulated in Mt 23:9. Light and Darkness can never mingle.
I feel sorry for Kevin, whose bitterness has oozed onto the comments page. Meshoe, for all his failings, has never stooped so low into the gutter. Let’s do our politics in the spirit of Jesus Christ. By all means expose our opponents as Jesus did, but use rational logic and personal integrity in doing this.
Your words are precise pastor. I agree with you. South Africa still needs your voice. Please do not quit politics now!
In reply to Jaco, I simply take the Gospel at face value that no-one is saved on the basis of their ethnic blood-line but only by the blood/death of Jesus Christ. Rom 1:16,17; 5:1,6-8; 1Cor 15:1-4. This is the core of the Gospel, and anyone preaches another gospel is eternally condemned (Gal 1:9). Jesus’ “purpose was to create IN HIMSELF one new man out of the two (Jew and Gentile), reconciling BOTH to God through the cross” Eph 2:15,16. Whatever Paul meant in those unique chapters 9-11 of Romans cannot contradict this Gospel. If Jews are automatically saved because of their descent from Abraham, then you must rip out of your Bible many more pages than you ask me to do. If your interpretation is right, then Judas is saved, because Jesus ‘called’ him not only to be a disciple but an ‘apostle’ (Matt 10: 2,4) but he turned out to be ‘a devil’ (John 6:70,71) and was “doomed to destruction” (John 17:12). Yet he was “of Israel” and so (you would say on the basis of Rom 11:26,29)Judas will be saved. However you interpret these chapters, please don’t subvert the Gospel message, which saturates so much of the Bible. I courteously ask that you do not generalise with sweeping statements that say my “opinionated rhetoric is based on the liberal press which celebrates the marriage of homosexuals.” Please accept that the truth I proclaim is simple Gospel truth. Those who know me will testify that I write letters to the liberal press opposing same-sex ‘marriage’ and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus.
God be with you Mr Meshoe!
the question Christians should be asking is: why did the Hon Meshoe align his Party with the DA in Swellendam; why did his Party coalesce with the pagans in Parliament against Govt as part of their coalition of opposition? Is it Scriptural-NO. So why would a supposed Christian party oppose Govt rather than be impartial. Therefore Hon Meshoe & his Party are pseudo, wolves dressed as shepherds. Amen.
It seems Kevin is a troll, who is ignorant of what the ACDP has achieved. This is from a response posted by Sarah Downs, ACDP Youth Foundation Secretary General, to someone else denigrating the ACDP in a blog:
ACDP is not only working during elections. The public perception exists because media ignore us in non-election times, despite numerous press releases and invitations to come to events. This we cannot change. Citizens must be proactive, follow us on twitter and facebook and see what we are doing. The second reason it exists is because citizens are not interested and don’t engage outside of election periods. They are not looking for information.
If you were, you would find that the ACDP is very active in Parliament. Our MP Cheryllyn Dudley has challenged the government on environmental issues, engaged in issues relating to social justice and education. It is because of her that we have legislation to provide for homeschooling, that we have legislation that allows for biblical discipline, it is because of her that our churches have religious freedom in hiring of staff. Our MP Steve Swart, has experience as a constitutional Lawyer. He wrote sections of the Western Cape Constitution, and has been instrumental in removing sections of the Secrecy Bill that would have been in contravention of our constitution and would have posed a danger to freedom of the Press, protected those involved in corruption, and put Whistleblowers at risk of prosecution if they came forward. Steve Swart, along with other MPs was successful in getting this Bill referred back to Parliament for further ammendment instead of being signed into law. The President himself noted the sections flagged by Steve Swart and another MP. Steve Swart also fought hard to make sure that the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons Bill was passed, despite a huge delay on the part of the majority party. Our Chairman,Jo-Ann Downs, KZN MPL was the first politician to ever put in a private members bill, in 1997, on a childrens commissioner and providing for a sexual offenses register. This brilliant legislation was defeated at NCOP level, but many parts of it were adopted in the “Children’s Ammendment ACT”. She was the first to call for ARV’s for Rape victims, and imported them herself to assist victims before the government provided these. This was during the governments HIV/Aids denialism era under Mbeki… She held the balance of power in KZN and used this to broker peace agreements between two parties perpetrating a lot of political violence. She was also the SCOPA chair, and exposed a lot of corruption under that banner, where all financial matters, were subject to investigation under a ACDP MPL with integrity. Our MPL Grant Haskin (WC) also held the balance of Power, is now SCOPA chair, exposing corrupt practice in Govt, investigating both ANC and DA, and is the former deputy mayor of Cape Town. Our Leader, Kenneth Meshoe, has made sure references to God were not taken out of our Government, ensuring that Christianity could still have a place in various sectors despite governments attempt to remove them. If it was not for him, a church that hires school halls to meet, would not be allowed to. As the ACDP’s representative on the police committee of parliament, he has also spoken about restorative justice, respect for the rule of law, and that police must not use deadly force against citizens unless lives are in direct danger, called for proper training of police etc. Our ACDP President went to Mariakana, the day after the shootings, and called others to come and pray with the families, he also addressed them and called on government, mine management, unions and workers and the police to hold a joint intervention to address these issues in a collaborative, restorative and peaceful manner. We have certainly addressed police brutality many times. Perhaps you were not listening.
These are just a few examples of what the ACDP has achieved.