Christianity, religion and identity

Religion is not on the wane as was predicted 40 or 50 years ago. Instead, there is a global resurgence in religious sentiment. This is a phenomenon that affects all religious traditions, from Hinduism in India, Islam in the Middle East, Buddhism in the Far East, Eastern Orthodoxy in Russia, to African traditional religion, to name but a few instances. In a world united by a global economy and global culture there is a renewed emphasis on the intimate connection between religion on the one hand, and nationalism and group identity, on the other. More and more people are searching for roots, and find the foundations for their sense of self and group identity in religious traditions.

Christians too are experiencing a revitalised interest in what Christianity is about and this is accompanied by a burgeoning interest in the Bible. The ‘growth industry’ of Bible schools and Bible study groups in South Africa and elsewhere attest to this phenomenon. The reason for renewal is, arguably, the tremendous changes that swept across South African society in the last decade or so. Not only has the visible face of society changed irrevocably, but South Africans have also had to reinvent themselves as a nation. In conjunction with this, the many serious challenges to morality and a vast array of ethical issues have forced the South African public into vigorous debates about values, worldview and ethical praxis in their effort to overcome the legacy of a racist and traumatic past. How to use the Bible as a resource in these debates or in reconceptualising identity is a vital issue in the quest for a healed and meaningful future.

For Christians, the Bible functions as a foundation for Christian identity, group identity, life orientation and worldview. Christianity is constantly recreated and sustained by taking recourse to its foundational document; its ‘constitution’. However, the Bible is not only the Christian ‘constitution’ but also the Christian's ‘court of appeal’. It provides the shared or common terms of reference for a wide spectrum of moral debates, political questions and issues of social re-engineering.