A Tribute to Mandela

Nelson Mandela was “the most important political leader of the 20th century,” writes Jim Wallis in “A Prayer for Mandela” in the February 2014 issue of Sojourners magazine. Following Mandela’s death on December 5, 2013, the world has stopped to reflect on the life of a man who dedicated himself to justice and reconciliation despite decades of imprisonment to a brutal apartheid.

These magazine articles and blog posts published by Sojourners through the years pay tribute to the great South African leader.

Sojourners magazine articles:

• In the Wake of A Miracle (November-December 2003)
  Linda Martindale writes on “being ‘real Christians' in the post-apartheid era.

• Lessons from the Celebration (August 1994)
  Jim Wallis reflects on the transformation of South Africa.

• South Africa: The Spirit of Reconciliation (July 1994)
  Will Winterfield, an international church observer of Nelson Mandela’s presidential election, interviews Beyers Naudé—one of the first leading Afrikaners to oppose apartheid openly.

• The Miracle of South Africa (July 1994)
  Jim Wallis writes that South Africa’s transformation means “never again can I say that hope is not a concrete reality.”

• With the Eyes of Christ (January-February 1998)
  Joyce Hollyday writes that, “President Nelson Mandela modeled a rare forgiveness when he invited his jailer of 27 years to sit on the platform with him at his presidential inauguration.”

Blog posts:

• ‘A Man Who Has Done His Duty’ (December 2013)
  Daniel Malan says that Mandela wanted to be remembered as a “man who had done his duty on earth.”

• Happy Mandela Day: Madiba, Ubuntu and Vertigo (July 2012)
  Steve Stockman revisits a reflection from 2005 about South Africa, U2, Ubuntu, and grace.

• Mandela: An Audio History (July 2012)
  Joshua Witchger features an audio clip of a documentary about South Africa and Nelson Mandela

• Meeting Madiba — An Unlikely Encounter with Nelson Mandela (July 2013)
  Tom Getman looks back at his unexpected meeting with President Nelson Mandela.

• Nelson Mandela and the Power of Elders (December 2013)
  Margaret Benefiel writes that “Mandela exhibited courage and vision for a country that had feared a bloodbath in its transition to a post-apartheid society.

• Shaped by Methodists, Mandela Paid Tribute to Role of Religion (December 2013)
  Fredrick Nzwili points to Mandela’s deep connection with religious institutions.