Missions Resources - Bibliography
A Witness For Ever
Authors: Michael Cassidy
ISBN: 978-0340630327
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Religious
Number of pages: 192
Type of cover: Soft Cover
Summary:
April 1994 stands large in the memory of Africans. Mid-continent, Rwanda bled as 800,000 died in horrific genocidal violence. And in South Africa, many looked forward, with both excitement and dread, to nationwide elections. Excitement because millions of Blacks and mixed-race “Coloreds” would, for the first time in history, have a voice in the future of their country. And dread because of widespread fears of increased ethnic and inter-racial violence – already at dangerous levels.
A Witness For Ever tells the story of the role of God’s people in the difficult days between February 1990 and April 1994, and of the people and “coincidences” God used behind the scenes to bring both enemies together and an election to fruition. South African Michael Cassidy is an internationally-known evangelist and founder of African Enterprise, a ministry active throughout the continent. In his foreword to A Witness For Ever, Kenyan Professor Washington Okumu (himself a key participant in those coincidences) states, “Cassidy has taken advantage of his unique position as an outside witness and a participant to trace the ‘thread’ of the Holy Spirit working through mortal men and women to accomplish God’s eternal purposes for His honor and glory.”
Apartheid – a brutal and dehumanizing system of laws and practices – had barred the majority non-white population from economic, educational and political power for nearly as long as whites had been on the continent. Despite centuries-old enmity between English- and Afrikaans-speaking whites, the two minority populations had colluded to deny rights, powers, land and future development to millions – Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele, Coloreds and more. Those who dared speak out against the system faced death, imprisonment and torture, or exile. Then, in February 1990, a daring move by then-President F.W. de Klerk overturned apartheid, freed political prisoners, and opened the borders to political exiles, making the first step toward bringing South Africa’s majority population into full participation in government and power.
But how to bring life-long enemies together, to begin the painful process of reconciliation? Cassidy tells of months of meetings at an isolated retreat in the South African bush, where leaders gathered a dozen at a time. Laughing and weeping together, previously unimaginable friendships and alliances formed across ethnic and racial barriers.
The stories told in A Witness For Ever bring history to life. Every storyteller, white and black, Afrikaaner and “colored,” lends insight into the very personal roots of the conflict. Cassidy quotes one widow, “I had two little children who were terrified when they saw their father with handcuffs.” A prisoner testified, “Sometimes when work had caused great thirst, I asked for water but was given urine.” And an Afrikaner explained,“We form perceptions based on hearsay and the false perceptions fan the flames of hatred.”
In time, elections were scheduled for April 27, 1994. However, leaders in KwaZulu/Natal threatened a boycott, which many feared could unleash violence to rival that of Rwanda. Negotiations between key leaders broke down, despite international mediation. Cassidy tells how, across the country, Christians began to hear and respond to “impulses to prayer [that] came by means ordinary [and] extraordinary.” They called for a Jesus Peace Rally, where 30,000 gathered in the heart of Kwa-Zulu/Natal ten days before the election.
This book shows in detail the “coincidences” that brought Professor Okumu together with those whose decisions would make or break the boycott. Cassidy confirms that these coincidences were indeed the hand of God in response to the prayers of his people.
A Witness For Ever illustrates the truth of 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land.” The witness of Cassidy and his fellow South Africans speaks this truth clearly to those across the world who face the threat and reality of violence in the face of political and ethnic rivalry.
What does racism/tribalism look like when it invades all levels of society with governmental approval? The stories in A Witness For Ever leave no doubt. What does it take to break down barriers? Michael Cassidy inspires but does not lessen the effort involved. What can be done when there is no hope of a solution, when disaster looms and no hope is in sight? The results of concerted prayers of Christians across South Africa and the world, as told in A Witness For Ever, give hope to those who hear the words from the Gospels: “But Jesus ….”
Print
Email
Comments
Be the first one to add a comment.
To post a comment, please login or register