The late 1960s spawned contextual and black theology to ensure that the teachings of the dominant religion — Christianity — were responsive to the lives of black people during the era of apartheid.
With apartheid officially dead, there is a vacuum in the lives of the faithful waiting to be filled.
The scriptures of ‘let my people goâ€, as adapted from the story in the Bible in which Moses says these words to the oppressive Egyptian Pharaoh, have lost their sting now that ‘the people†have been let go.
In the place of the desire for freedom are the ‘demons†President Thabo Mbeki spoke about at the Nelson Mandela lecture.
‘Thus, every day, and during every hour of our time beyond sleep, the demons embedded in our society, that stalk us at every minute, seem always to beckon each one of us towards a realisable dream and nightmare. With every passing second, they advise, with rhythmic and hypnotic regularity: ‘get rich! get rich! get rich’,†Mbeki said in his speech.
The church, always responding to the needs of its market, has found a niche in the drive to get rich. They call it prosperity gospel.
And, with the Christian community as fractious as it is, there is no unanimity about whether these teachings are blessings or curses.
Perhaps best represented by the American televangelist Creflo Dollar, the prosperity gospel movement is taking root in South Africa.
Dollar, who repeatedly refutes allegations that the name is not his real surname, calls himself a member of God’s Class and attributes the number of luxury cars and expensive property in his name as proof of God’s work in his life and ministry.
His detractors say that he, and others who preach this message, distort the Bible for their own ends and create the false impression that one’s works rather than the grace of God make the difference in the lives of the faithful.
Those sceptical of Dollar say the focus on material possessions dilutes the central message of the Christian faith: to see the body as a temporary abode of the spirit, and recognise that one is unworthy if one dedicates oneself to the satisfactions of the flesh at the expense of spiritual growth.
But, for proponents of prosperity theology, messages such as that of Christ telling his followers that he had come ‘so that you may have life and life in abundance†mean that Jesus came to ensure that his followers would lead a ‘good lifeâ€.
That message is finding fertile soil particularly among the burgeoning black middle class, who are bored with mainstream churches. These gospels, in their view, glorify poverty and are archaic in what they prescribe (such as preaching abstinence until marriage).
The prosperity gospel, on the other hand, is perceived as less judgmental. Its message that God materially rewards those who are faithful has become low-hanging fruit for a generation desperate for guidance.
Charlatans too have identified the growth of such theology as an opportunity to expand their markets.
There are a growing number of churches that promise heaven on earth if the faithful pay tithes to the church (10% of their incomes). While tithes are a biblical principle, the message in some seedy institutions is that such contributions pave the way to heaven.
Christianity, in various guises, has been around for about 2 000 years. Each of its many schools has found a willing disciple. And each school has always thought that its understanding is the correct one.
Prosperity theology too will find as many adherents as those who dismiss it as nothing but a New- Age cult. Fortunately, all Christians agree that the final judgement will come after death.