Us and Them: Honour, Tribal Identity and the USA Election of Donald Trump

It seems that since the USA Presidential election the world is in a state of fear and turmoil.  

What is feared?

The following appeared in the Aussie news recently…..

After Donald Trump's recent victory in the United States' election, and Brexit in the United Kingdom, attention is now turning to the possibility of other unexpected results just over the horizon.

In Europe, Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front is riding high in the polls and could surprise everyone in the presidential election being held next April in France.

During a visit to Greece last Tuesday, US President Barack Obama had a warning for the world.

"We are going to have to guard against a rise in a crude sort of nationalism or ethnic identity or tribalism that is built around an 'us' and a 'them'," Mr Obama said.

from Australian ABC News website

Some people are worried that 'globalisation' is threatened, and that anything that threatens globalisation is to be opposed - in the belief that globalisation and elimination of tribalisation is the answer to the world's problems and the only possibility of peace.

From the time of the fall we have been tempted to seek our honour and identity through earthly human relationships.  Though we know we are individuals, we seek collective relationships. Globalisation has included a push for people to see themselves in terms of their wider global relationships and identity rather than their small group identity.  

In our sinful world of individuals apart from God, we are busy trying to find our own dignity, our own honour and worth, within the context of our human existence.  We may say we are 'individualists' but we really do also seek an 'identity' that goes beyond ourselves.

Here in Africa, tribal identity is crucial.  One's personal identity is never separate from one's tribal identity.  Life is not about only the individual, but the relationships of the group. And it's this that creates a problem when a person becomes a Christian.  There is reticence to leave that which forms and provides one's tribal identity.  One's vision is focused on the horizontal of life - those others in front of our eyes and what they want.  Earthly identity through earthly acceptance, approval and significance means everything.

But is the West any different?

The West may look at Africa and say it needs to let go of its tribalism and people should stand as individuals.  But as much as the West has tried to push individualism on the one hand, it has been promoting globalism on the other.  It has still had an underlying desire to be part of something greater. Apart from political globalisation, technology and social media have increased our connections with the wider world and reduced social interaction with the people closest to us. But the West's efforts at 'equality' and an 'open market' and 'global' identity are not really sustainable, because the 'one-ness' we seek, can never be attained on an earthly level by earthly means and earthly wisdom.

The world seeks what only God can give - barrier free community.  

Only God can give barrier free community, because it was God who created barriers to community in the first place - with the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel. They came about as a result of sin and can only be removed through repentance and a new identity in Christ.

Some world leaders seem fearful that their efforts at globalisation may crumble. But any failure of what the world thought was 'working' is just a reminder that the 'success' of any identity beyond our family/ethnic identity can only be gained in Christ.  

The answer to the Tower of Babel, is the Baby who laid in the Manger and hung on a Tree.

It's in Christ that we are 'one' with no barrier between ethnicity, employment status, or sex. 'Racism', 'sexism' and 'class-ism' is abolished as we are 'born again' into a new family on God's terms rather than human terms. 

Such unity can only be achieved as we all come under one higher authority - God our Creator and our Saviour.  

The end of the world when the BEAST is revealed will be the ultimate attempt at a pseudo-authority in order to achieve that unity we all crave.   

The world wants each 'ethnicity' to see itself equal to every other ethnicity, but it wants it via seeking a one-ness without the One who instigated ethnicity and its divisiveness in the first place at Babel, and offered the elimination of ethnicity through unity in Christ, at Pentecost.  

One day the world will realise that each 'ethnicity' (and/or nation) wants to see itself as important, and thus earthly identity will always be tribal. Each will ultimately want to protect its own interests. We are made to cling desperately to our identity.  When we have no identity in Christ to cling to, we will cling to our earthly identity - the one that comes from a sense of nationalism, tribalism and ethnicity.  

That same day, the world will realise that the 'only' way to unity is to all come under the same authority of one person.  The ultimate in blasphemy will be when the Anti-Christ is raised up.  He is the Anti-Christ, not just because he will propose himself as the great Rescuer from maybe global calamities, but also from global fragmentation.  He will be honoured with the power and authority only due to Christ, as he sets himself up as the one to unify the world and bring peace to 'tribalism'……as a false substitute to Christ who is the only One under whom we can be ONE.  

Only in Christ can identity and status gained from nationalism, racism, tribalism and sexism be superceded.  Only in Christ can we be 'born again' to a new identity, a new status, a new 'tribe/family', become citizens of a new 'global' nation and kingdom.  Only Christ deserves the honour of the unifier, the authority and the Prince of Peace.  In Him, as Christians, we have a new identity - one that doesn't fear Brexits, Trumps, or what tomorrow's politics hold.

Let's bring to the world the truth in Christ, of a new identity, a higher authority, a greater peace than anything the world has or will offer! 

The Fear is Gone!

Africa has long been allocated the category of a 'fear culture' - out of the options of a 'fear', 'shame' or 'guilt' emphasis culture.  We have argued that this is definitely not the whole story and may be masking the real cultural issues rooted in honour and shame.

We have proposed that Africa is also a shame emphasis culture and that the fear observed is really a fear of bringing shame and being shamed. Right from childhood a child is 'programmed' to fear shame. Discipline is primarily to show displeasure for a child who is bringing shame. 

However, most of our 'culturally contextualised' missions emphasis in Africa has been to address 'fear issues'.  Yet the church around us cries out as to why so many sinful practices still abound when missions has been here so long?

I had an interesting converstation a few days back with one of the young guys who has completed with us the draft of the 'Highest Honour' Discipleship booklet we are in the process of producing with our local co-worker.

Part way through the conversation, he paused and looked directly at me and said "I no longer have that fear in me" [of truthfully saying what he needs to say to those 'above' him in society].  This young man exhibits a fresh confidence.  His ability to properly respect others in a God honouring way without the 'fear of man' has become a real example to us.

This is very interesting.  The intentional discipleship 'Highest Honour' course has hardly even mentioned the issue of fear.  It's primary emphasis is dealing with honour and shame - of helping the reader to understand the greatness of God and how He should receive the Highest Honour in our lives.

Yet this young man says, after doing this course, that in his everyday encounters, the 'fear' is gone.  Addressing the honour/shame dynamics lifted the fear!

Mountains, Valleys, Desert, Ocean

It's always exciting to explore a new part of God's wonderful earth.  The beauty and majesty never ceases to inspire awe of the Creator.  You can never get too much of the awesomeness of God!

On our recent holiday, the new region to explore was the Kwa-Zulu Natal south coast of South Africa. After 12 hours of driving we reached the Ocean.

We left Botswana at the peak of the driest 'dry season' in 35 years - the dominant colour of the scene at the local game reserve was 'brown' - almost no leaves on trees, no grass on the ground and the animals having to be given supplement feed.

What a contrast to spend a few weeks surounded by intense green panoramas everywhere we looked.  We realised there was a dominant colour in all our photos …..GREEN!

Whether it was visiting a coffee plantation

or a game reserve

where Blesbok grazed on hillsides,

Giraffe roamed the hilltops,

and an endangered Oribi grazed in a grassy field of wildflowers,

…...we soaked up the vistas!

But the sights to be in awe of were filled with extremes and variety.  

We had dull rainy days and bright sunny days. 

And within a tiny 30km radius this region displays not only expansive ocean views - even from our bedroom window...

but also awesome mountains and valleys of the Oribi Gorge

as well as the amazing 'smallest desert in the world'

- yes its a true red desert about 200m wide and only about 5km from the beach - a strange 'patch' of red amoungst the green of the mountains!  

………and last but not least to inspire awe of our Creator and the blessings of inexhaustible expressions of His power, majesty and love, here are a few shots of some of the beautiful wildflowers we saw including the various colours of the spectacular protea…..

Whether its the fine delicateness of the flower swaying silently in the wind, or the mighty granduer of the mountains and gorges with the sounds of the rapids hundreds of meters below - the Lord's name is to be PRAISED!