South Africa has a rich history of Christianity. As a matter of fact, the country was previously a Christian state. However, we were fed the wrong version of religion by the past regime: that God favoured whites over blacks; and that whites were superior to blacks. What nonsense!
When democracy was ushered in in 1994, things changed: South Africa became a secular state. However, Christianity remained dominant. But since then, many things have gone wrong. For instance, the moral fibre of the nation has become weak. That’s a topic for another day, though.
There are several political parties that subscribe to Christianity. The ACDP, UCDP and the Christian Democratic Party (not represented in parliament) come to mind. However, these political parties don’t enjoy the support of the majority of the Christians. Instead, believers support the ANC and other parties.
The curious question is: Why are Christians not supporting Christian political parties? I mean, these parties promote their religion and values. They are also their voice in parliament and on Christian issues. So, it would make sense for them to vote and align themselves with these parties.
The thing is, many believers hold the view that religion and politics don’t mix. Therefore, Christians should stay away from politics. Hence they support or vote for parties that go against their values and principles.
The other problem is that the leaders of the Christian political parties lack charisma and are politically bankrupt. They can’t even make a political statement. They also spiritualise everything, including things that need common sense.
Christian political parties have an opportunity to increase their votes and support. They need to identify that opportunity and capitalise on it. But before they do that, they need to do some introspection and change their approach to politics.
