Original Research - Special Collection: Society
The Christian church’s role in the escalating mob justice system in our black townships – An African pastoral view
Submitted: 02 October 2014 | Published: 16 November 2015
About the author(s)
Elijah Baloyi, Department of Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology, University of South Africa, South AfricaAbstract
Among the crimes in the South African black townships, mob justice has become a growing concern. Some questions that need to be asked are: Is our police force doing enough to protect the ordinary citizens of this country? If the situation continues, will all suspects be killed in the same manner or will there be a solution to change the situation? What is the impact of mob justice on the families of the victims and the witnesses of the brutal acts? How long are we going to live as a traumatised nation as a result of these violent acts? Is there any hope that our nation will ever have the peace it deserves in the context of democracy? This article intends to investigate the impact of the mob justice system and find out what the role of the Christian church should be in the midst of this escalating violence. This study aims to unveil the negative impact of mob justice on the lives of many township South Africans and giving pastoral-biblical suggestions of the church’s role in the elimination of this kind of brutality.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 3961Total article views: 5812
Crossref Citations
1. Black self-hatred: Regaining self-worth – From decolonisation towards reconciliation in South Africa – A practical theological appraisal
Magezi E. Baloyi
Theologia Viatorum vol: 44 issue: 1 year: 2020
doi: 10.4102/tv.v44i1.33