Leader to speak on justice

Saturday, March 9, 2013

A South African anti-apartheid leader will speak on “radical reconciliation” today and Sunday at New Millennium Church in Little Rock.

The Rev. Allan Boesak is well known for his anti-apartheid work in South Africa, where he worked alongside Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the United Democratic Front. He speaks to groups around the world about reconciliation and will discuss his latest book, Radical Reconciliation: Beyond Political Pietism and Christian Quietism,co-written with Curtiss Paul DeYoung, at 1 p.m. today in the church sanctuary. Boesak will also deliver the sermon at the 9 a.m. worship service Sunday.

The Rev. Wendell Griffen, pastor of New Millennium Church, said Boesak has a relevant message to share with Arkansans. Griffen said without the work of Boesak and other anti-apartheid leaders, “The world as we know it would be quite different.”

Griffen said Boesak’s message is important because the issue of reconciliation remains relevant.

“Given that the United States and Arkansas have outstanding issues on racial justice that still bedevil us to this day, his perspective is relevant, particularly to religious people,” Griffen said.

Boesak, a pastor in the Uniting Reformed Church, was born in Kakamas, South Africa, in 1945. He graduated from Bellville Theological Seminary in 1967 and went on to earn a doctorate in ethics from Kampen Theological Institute in the Netherlands before returning to South Africa.

He is a visiting professor at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis.

Griffen said Boesak is “a brilliant theologian, a captivating orator, and a tenderhearted pastor” who successfully challenged racism and bigotry in his homeland. Griffen said that people of faith have an obligation to do the same.

“We have the moral obligation to be the voice of conscience as opposed to the voice of convenience or accommodation,” he said.

Both events are open to the public. The church meets at Lakeshore Drive Baptist Church, 21 Lakeshore Drive. Parking will be available at the church and also at the nearby Broadmoor Shopping Center parking lot and along Lakeshore Drive.

Information is available online at newmillenniumchurch.us.

Religion, Pages 14 on 03/09/2013