Sandton and Soweto: One City, Two Worlds, and the Gospel That Holds Them Both

There is a drive in Johannesburg that every Christian in the city has either made or avoided making. You get on the M1 North or the M1 South. You drive for between thirty and ninety minutes. You arrive in a place that is also Johannesburg, but where the language on the street is different, the prices in the shops are different, the houses are different, the way people say good morning is different.

Sandton to Soweto is twenty-two kilometres. It is also a thousand kilometres. It is also a different country. The Bible has a great deal to say about it. More than most Christians realise.

What the Bible Actually Says About Inequality

Proverbs 14:31 — Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker. Proverbs 22:2 — The rich and the poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. Proverbs 29:7 — The righteous care about justice for the poor. Amos 5:24 — Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Micah 6:8 — act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Luke 6:20-21 — Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:24 — Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. James 2:1-7 — believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism.

What the Bible Says About the City That Holds Both

Jeremiah 29:7 — Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Psalm 122:6-8 — Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Matthew 5:14 — You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Hebrews 11:10 — the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Revelation 21:2 — the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. The Christian in Johannesburg is called to be the light of both. The Christian is called to pray for the peace of both.

What the Bible Says About Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 — God reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Ephesians 2:14 — he has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. Colossians 1:20 — to reconcile to himself all things... by making peace through his blood. Romans 12:18 — If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. The Christian in Johannesburg is called to the ministry of reconciliation. The Christian who has a foot in both worlds is in a unique position to do this work.

Five Practices for the Christian Who Lives Between the Two

Drive the M1 both ways. Read Amos for a month. Find a partner across the gap. Confess the wrong side of the gap. Bring the two to the same table. The Christian who has brought the two to the same table has begun to live out the prayer that the new Jerusalem is one city, not two.