Crucible of Fire

Apartheid: 30,000 detainees between 1986 and 1989, 10,000 of them under the age of 16 . . . children tortured and shot in the streets . . . razor wire, rifles, whips, and fire-bombs...freezing jail cells and worm-infested cornmeal rations...despair, terror, rage. The day-to-day agony of South Africa. Is this tortured land a parable of the rest of the world, where issues and choices are thrown into stark relief? Through the words of South Africa's leading Christian figures in the anti-apartheid resistance, Crucible of Fire brings home to every Christian the urgent need to know and to act. Allan Boesak: We have stood up from under the broom tree . . . and we have been given courage by this God who never leaves his people alone. . . . The government of South Africa has signed its own death warrant; no government can challenge the living God and survive.Frank Chikane: It is our faith that gives us hope. We know that in our helplessness we become more dependent on God. In our powerlessness we become powerful. It is our weakness that is our strength.Desmond Tutu: I think we have a vicious and ruthless government, and they would mow people down like flies. . . . We must be quite prepared to take the consequences of standing up on behalf of God's people.Charles Villa-Vicencio: What you are witnessing in South Africa is not some sort of strange society or aberration. It is, in fact, a microcosm of what is happening globally....That is why Christians around the world need to join together.Crucible of Fire cries out for Christians to act together, today. The time has come for faith, the prayers, and the energy of the worldwide church to be brought to bear to bring to an end the diabolical system called apartheid.Jim Wallis is Editor-in-Chief of 'Sojourners' magazine. His other books include 'Faith Works' and 'The Soul of Politics.'Joyce Hollyday is also the author of 'Clothed With the Sun' and 'With Our Own Eyes.'