From history and down memory lane, the Church has never existed comfortably alongside political power. Whether by open persecution or subtle pressure, governments have repeatedly found themselves at odds with a faith that ultimately answers to a higher authority.
This is not new.
Long before the Roman state formalised its hostility toward Christianity, the early Church learned that proclaiming truth in a broken world attracts resistance. Even before Emperor Nero infamously unleashed brutal persecution, turning apostles and early believers into martyrs, the Church had already discovered that following Christ was not a safe or state approved journey.
The reason has always been the same. The Church challenges power, exposes injustice, and refuses absolute allegiance to earthly authority.
South Africa’s Pandemic Reckoning
South Africa was reminded of this uncomfortable reality during the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic.
While the country faced a genuine public health crisis, the manner in which the Church was treated by state authorities raised troubling questions. What many believers experienced went beyond regulation. It felt like suspicion, hostility, and at times outright intimidation.
Church services were disrupted. Pastors were threatened with arrest. Faith gatherings were portrayed as reckless or defiant, even when basic compliance was attempted. Meanwhile, other sectors negotiated space to function. The message to the Church was unmistakable. Your place is conditional.
That moment marked a rupture in trust, one that has never fully healed.
The New Language of Control
Today, the tone has softened. The language has evolved. We are told the state does not want to regulate the Church, but rather that the Church should regulate itself.
On paper, this sounds reasonable. Even progressive.
But history warns us to listen more carefully.
There is a growing fear within Christian communities that this is not a retreat by the state, but a strategic repositioning. That what is being presented as voluntary self regulation could, in time, become standardised, formalised, and ultimately enforced through legislation.
It evokes an ancient biblical warning. The voice of Jacob, but the hand of Esau.
A reassuring voice.
A controlling hand.
Why the Alarm Bells Are Ringing
The concern is not accountability. The Church does not claim exemption from the law. Criminal acts such as fraud, abuse, and exploitation must be confronted decisively wherever they occur.
The concern is something far more fundamental. Who gets to define the boundaries of faith?
Once the state acquires mechanisms to register, evaluate, approve, or discipline religious expression, the line between partnership and domination becomes dangerously thin. What begins as oversight can quickly become interference. What starts as protection can end as prescription, determining which churches are legitimate, which leaders are acceptable, and which beliefs are permissible.
That is not regulation of conduct.
That is regulation of conscience.
A Familiar Pattern
This pattern is not unique to South Africa. Across history, governments rarely move first with force. They begin with dialogue. They follow with frameworks. Eventually, they reach for enforcement.
The Church’s resistance, therefore, is not paranoia. It is memory.
Believers remember that once the state decides it has the authority to define spiritual legitimacy, faith is no longer free. It becomes conditional, monitored, and ultimately moulded to fit political convenience.
The Crossroads Before Us
South Africa now stands at a delicate crossroads.
This is not a call for defiance, nor a rejection of lawful governance. It is a call for discernment. The Constitution already provides mechanisms to address criminality. What is lacking is not law, but enforcement.
The danger lies in confusing enforcement with control.
The Church must remain vigilant without becoming hostile, cooperative without surrendering conscience, and respectful without becoming silent. History teaches that the battle for the soul of the Church rarely announces itself loudly. It often arrives wrapped in reasonable language, framed as reform, and marketed as partnership.
By the time the hand tightens, the voice has already been trusted.
The question before us is not whether the Church should be accountable. It is whether the Church should be governed by the state, or by God.
History has already answered that question.