'Christian Legal Centre – Update, March 2025'
Special report by Adriaan de Lange and Ryan Smit
The year started with considerable momentum at the Christian Legal Centre-SA (CLC-SA) Office, and we are excited to share some of these developments.
'Wilberforce Academy First Refocus Day 2025 - Christian Politics: Left, Right, or Christ?'
Special report by Clarina van Ieperen
As political tides shift globally, many believers are asking: Where should Christians stand? Should we align with the Left—often associated with progressive and socialistic policies—or the Right, which champions conservatism and nationalism? Or does Christ call us to an entirely different way of engaging in the political sphere? These were some of the questions tackled at the first Refocus Day of 2025.
'Christians from five Southern African nations equipped at 2025 Wilberforce Academy SA'
Special report by Embeth du Toit and Ryan Smit
From January 19 to 24 a group of about 90, including 60 delegates, 18 faculty and 12 team members, gathered at the beautiful Beloftebos (Forest of Promise) near Stanford, Western Cape, for the third annual Wilberforce Academy South Africa.
'Wilberforce Academy holds second Southern African pilot programme'
Special report by Ngqobizitha Donga, Stefanie Kotze and Ryan Smit
From November 21 to 23 Wilberforce Academy (‘Wilberforce’) presented a pilot programme in Zimbabwe, the second event beyond the borders of SA in 2024. The gathering signalled another chapter in Wilberforce’s mission to inspire and equip the next generation of Christian leaders across Southern Africa to live out their faith in their vocations.
Wilberforce Academy UK 2024
Report by Sarah Giles
From 1 to 7 September, I had the privilege of attending the Wilberforce Academy week in London. Much like the Wilberforce Academy in South Africa, the week-long intensive was focused on equipping believers in Jesus Christ to be faithful and fruitful in our mission to see society renewed by Jesus.
'Developments on the Legal front – Preparing for greater impact'
How Christians seek first the kingdom of God amid the rapid secularisation of society has been a core focus within the Wilberforce community since the Academy Week in January. These discussions continued to build momentum, reaching a pivotal point during our Wilberforce Academy Namibian Pilot event in June 2024. One outflow of this first venture into Southern Africa was that I (Adriaan) became involved on a part-time basis to assist with the coordination of legal efforts in the region.
'Wilberforce Academy challenges Namibian Christians to live out faith in vocations'
Special report by Tebello Matsela and Ryan Smit
On June 19 2024, a team of seven from South Africa, Lesotho and the United Kingdom travelled to Namibia to present a Wilberforce Academy (WA) pilot programme – the first of its kind in Africa outside of South Africa.
'Just-launched ‘Wake Up Africa’ song a ‘NOW word for the nation’'
As South Africa’s new Parliament was meeting for the first time last Friday, 50 singers were on top of Table Mountain to release Wake Up Africa — a new song for the nation by Join Bands Not Gangs (JBNG)… (Karien) said she completed the lyrics of the song, which are based on Isaiah 60:1-3, while sitting in on a session by Pastor John Mathuhle from #Hope4SA at the Wilberforce Academy in January.
'Wilberforce Academy returns to South Africa'
Earlier this year, we brought Wilberforce Academy to South Africa for the second time. Embeth du Toit and Ryan Smit of Wilberforce Academy South Africa reflect on how believers from SA, Namibia and Zimbabwe gathered around the goal of shining the light of the gospel in an increasingly dark world, in this annual equipping week.
'The Christian political task'
In part 1 of a 2-part series on Christian engagement in the political sphere, Ryan Smit, Programme Director of the Wilberforce Academy, South Africa, discusses the Biblical bases for socio-political engagement. [See Part 2]
'A Christian Manifesto: boldness to stand, come what may'
Part 2 of a 2-part series on Christian engagement in the political sphere, in which Ryan Smit, Programme Director of the Wilberforce Academy, South Africa, discusses how the Christian confession translates into faithful political action in service of the Lord’s kingdom purposes in South Africa. [See Part 1]
'Pursuing faithfulness and fruitfulness in a fallen world'
How can you live a faithful Christian life in an evil world? Embeth du Toit and Ryan Smit of the Wilberforce Academy South Africa share how a group of believers from SA, Namibia and Zimbabwe recently gathered around this goal at the academy’s second annual equipping week
'Biblical worldview “Refocus Day” tackles challenge of promoting God’s design for family'
Ryan Smit programme director of the Wilberforce Academy South Africa (WA SA) reports on the latest development in their journey to equip believers to live out a biblical worldview where they are
'Getting practical about engaging SA with a Kingdom Culture'
In January a diverse group of believers attended the inaugural residential week of the Wilberforce Academy at the start of a journey to equip them to apply a biblical worldview in their spheres of influence. In this article academy team members Ryan Smit, Stefanie Kotze and Embeth du Toit report back on the group’s first quarterly Refocus Day on April 22
‘Standing for truth regardless of consequence is key to breaking shackles of modern ideological slavery’
Wilberforce Academy team members Ryan Smit and Embeth du Toit reflect on the recent inaugural Residential Week of the academy which aims to equip South Africans to apply a biblical worldview in their spheres of influence
'Biblical worldview academy will equip SA believers to engage with secular society'
A journey that began six years ago will take a giant step forward in January with the launch of a visionary training academy that aims to prepare South African Christians to practically apply a biblical worldview in every area of life and culture.