Moss Ntlha - Out of the Shadows of African Traditional Religion: Christs Deliverance of a Sangoma

Rev. Moss Ntlha has produced a dynamic, must-read book dealing with important questions for African Christianity and spirituality. Both Christians and non-Christians wrestling with the issue of African Traditional Religion will find that important matters are addressed in this amazing testimony of an African woman. This book covers a range of issues of relevance to Christian discipleship, ethics and public policy. To proclaim Christ as Lord in the context of religious pluralism and a post-apartheid sociocultural context is bound to be challenging. This book does it with commendable sensitivity.

Dr Elijah Maswanganyi
Founder and Director of Christ is the Answer Global Ministries

By writing the story of Francinah Baloyi, Moss has helped those involved in African Christian mission and discipleship to wrestle with deep issues affecting African spirituality. He is helping to bring clarity on a number of issues that for some may be contentious and affect the very core of who they are. Moss deals with matters deemed difficult by many in a clear and loving way. I highly recommend this book.

Peter Tarantal
Associate International Director of OM
Chair of the Global Leadership Council of WEA MC

This is an engaging, thought-provoking and challenging mirror of Christianity and personal journeys in Africa. It may be equally so in many other parts of the world. There are many issues that do not easily find their way onto the table of Christian conversations due to the uneasiness that they bring. This leaves many individual Christians, particularly African Christians, having to wrestle alone with difficult matters that affect them directly a lonely and painful journey. The story of the character in this book illustrates this point so well. Joseph Galgalo writes, Christianity has received impressive reception but still lives as a stranger within the African home. Brother Moss Ntlha is consistent in asking difficult questions that are often left unasked. These questions lead to helpful and transforming conversations. I commend this book to all both those who are serious about the journey of faith and those who are still not sure and have not started. It demonstrates in a powerful way Gods presence in all areas of our existence in and outside of the church. Let the conversation continue and inspire all of us to ask the questions towards a more meaningful following of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rev. Ziphozihle D. Siwa
President of the South African Council of Churches
Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa

Once I started reading this book, I could not stop! Out of the Shadows of African Traditional Religion is a powerful testimony concerning the conversion of a young South African woman who was steeped in the traditional religion of her people. God stepped into her life of sin, waywardness, rebellion and abortions and radically transformed her through a vision of Jesus, heaven and hell. She repented of how she had lived before, destroyed all that belonged to the old ways as a sangoma, and set about the task he had assigned her. This true story vividly brings to mind Pauls experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). 2 Corinthians 5:17 rings true: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Francinahs story demonstrates that conversion must affect every aspect of our life and challenges the syncretism that is threatening the church in Africa. This book is a must read for all African believers, teachers and students of African Traditional Religion, missionaries, and pastors.

Samuel Waje Kunhiyop
General Secretary of ECWA
Author of African Christian Ethics and African Christian Theology

Copyright 2017 by Moss Ntlha

Published 2017 by HippoBooks, an imprint of ACTS, Langham Creative Projects, WordAlive and Zondervan.

Africa Christian Textbooks (ACTS), TCNN, PMB 2020, Bukuru 930008, Plateau State, Nigeria. www.acts-ng.com, www.actskenya.org

Langham Creative Projects, PO Box 296, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 9WZ, UK, www.langhamcreative.org

WordAlive Publishers, PO Box 4547, GP0-00100 Nairobi, Kenya. www.wordalivepublishers.com

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546. www.zondervan.com

ePub Edition March 2017: ISBN 978-0-310-53792-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Cover design: projectluz.com
Book design: To a Tee Ltd, www.2at.com

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CONTENTS

W riting this book has been a wonderful journey for me before writing, during writing, and after the last word was written. Months passed from the time I first heard about Francinahs story and felt the inner promptings to write it. Initially, I wanted to find someone else to take on the project, but in the end it fell to me. When I finally reconciled myself to the task, the Lord connected me with wonderful companions to help in the journey. Anneke Rabe, my good friend and a wonderful intercessor, offered to pray along with me throughout the months of writing. The ministry colleagues, friends and church leaders who encouraged me are too numerous to mention them all by name, but I will make special mention of Johannes Malherbe and Rocky Ralebipi, who went through the manuscript and offered helpful feedback and encouragement. I also thank my friend and mission colleague Johan Theron of HRT who encouraged the project from the beginning.

Special mention must be made of the help I received from Langham Partnership and especially from Isobel Stevenson and her amazing team who read and reread the manuscript and provided most helpful editorial advice to guide me through the entire process.

Special gratitude must go to my wonderful wife and partner in faith and ministry, Khumo, without whom the book would never have happened. She introduced me to Francinah Baloyi and her incredible testimony and provided invaluable feedback and support along the way. Along with my daughter Masereko and son Kutlwano, now newly married to his beautiful wife Mamotlhabane, she endured endless hours of writing and interviews. I am ever so thankful for this family.

Finally, I am grateful to the Lord Jesus Christ who chose to show Francinah all that he did, and that in a small way I can contribute to the cause by telling the story.

I should be greatly honoured if some pilgrims in the faith find encouragement in the pages of this book. More so if some would find the clarity they need to feel able to bow the knee to Christ as Lord.

C hristians from every continent and every culture owe it to their Lord and Saviour to tell their story as a testimony of what Jesus has done for them. In this way, the power and integrity of the gospel will be available to people everywhere as a testimony to the uniqueness of Christ and his readiness to save all who call upon his name. Their stories will also reveal what it means to have a contextualized faith, which is an essential element in authentic worship.