Sarojini takes on the Mighty Men

Sarojini Nadar, a theologian from a deeply evangelical background, are being roasted in some Afrikaans blogs (here, here and here ), by some of the followers of the Mighty Men Movement. They do it in support of 'oom Angus'. Why ? Because she dared to engage the kind of teaching that comes from the 'oom' (uncle)? No, there is another deeper reason behind it.

What Dr Nadar, a respected Biblical scholar, said, according to a report in the Burger, evidently touched a raw nerve amonst these guys. The Burger in a veiled effort to cast a shadow over her motives, links her paper, to another young Christian, Luke Watson, who is also vilified by the Afrikaans press for his views on the Springbok emblem. Nadar, also influenced by feminist theology, apparantly presented a critique of the theology behind the preaching of Buchan and suggested that it could lead to the kind of abuses of women, which is endemic of patriarchal theologies. She warned against the danger of these Mighty Men rallies, which could be a new version of 'Afrikaner male hegemony'.

Of course this version of her presentation, via the lenses of Le Roux Schoeman is an interpretation. But it does reveal where she touched the raw nerve and Schoeman's article is the source of the vile reaction. This reaction, in sense proves her point: whilst these men confess their (version of)Christianity, they tragically, remain deeply embedded in a violent culture, which a few dare to uproot. Language of might, of war, of power ('mag') and the crude display of this 'mag' is seen as inherent to the core of Christian, biblical male-ness. This version of male-ness is then justified by scripture and perpetuated in relationships of power, in spaces where it may still be exercised: the privacy of the home and, of course at 'Loftus'. Here anything goes. One can only hope that, for goodness sake, Buchan, will be able to respond to critique and honest engagement from fellow sisters and brothers. That his role will not be to provide another mask of a deadly virus, but a source of deep healing and hope, for all God's men, and women, for the sake of our families and communities.