2017 Edition 3
PO BOX 74 NEWLANDS 7725 CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA
NEWS
FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP
ISSN-1018-151x
Reformation or Revolution
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” Psalm 118:8
Contrast
This year, 2017, marks the 500th anniversary of the launch of the Protestant Reformation and the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. These two monumentally important historic milestones present the stark choice before us: Reformation or Revolution!
A Tale of Two Cities
In Charles Dickens’ classic novel, “The kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever!” Revelation 11:15
Swaziland is a small country, with a surface area of 17,364 km2 and a population of about one million people. Religious Freedom
The present king of Swaziland, Mswati III, is apparently very positive towards Christianity, even hosting his own Easter
A Tale of Two Cities, he contrasts London with Paris, the fruit of the Great Evangelical Awakening of Whitefield and Wesley with the Renaissance Humanism that led to the French Revolution and The Reign of Terror. Dickens’ famous opening sentence summarises the drama of A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing
before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…” Christianity vs. Communism The contrast between Christianity and communism is dramatically presented throughout A Tale of Two Cities. The fruit of the Protestant Reformation and the Great Evangelical Awakening was wisdom, faith, light, hope and joy. The fruit of anti-God, radical secular humanism and the revolutionary fanaticism that triumphed in France in 1789, (Continued on page 2)
Conferences at which he preaches! Also, he recently passed a law stating that Christianity is the only religion that may be taught in schools. The Gospel is preached openly in schools, prisons and on national radio. Whilst these are positive moves, Swaziland is still steeped in Animism. Polygamy is common, with Mswati himself having 15 wives.
Missions History
Sometime in the mid 1830’s, King Sobhuza heard that many of the great chiefs of neighbouring territories had Christian missionaries residing and
(Continued on page 4)