Professor Dion Forster on Ephesians 4:32, Political Theology, and Living Out God's Kingdom

In this episode of the Get Up and Go Breakfast on Radio Cape Pulpit, host Anton Brink welcomes Professor Dion Forster to discuss the Christian virtue of kindness. Professor Forster reflects on Ephesians 4:32 – "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you" – and shares a quote from his former teacher, Professor Stanley Hauerwas: "To be kind in a violent world is a dangerous thing, but fortunately you will discover that we were destined to be kind because our gentle God birthed our kind to be kind." Forster explains that Paul constructs his argument by saying we are to be kind because God has first been kind to us, a theme echoed throughout Scripture. He notes that Jesus embodied kindness by looking to those society overlooked, touching those society excluded, and welcoming the marginalised – the leper, the woman caught in adultery, the woman at the well – into the centre. Kindness, Forster argues, is not just about good manners; it transforms social relationships and society. As a scholar in political theology and public theology, he makes the case that for Christians, kindness is a political virtue. Jesus came to proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43), and establishing God's reign has political consequences. Kindness takes courage because it requires living according to the kingdom even when other "kings" – presidents, prime ministers, business people, and those in authority – seek to reign in cutthroat, selfish, and competitive ways. Forster reminds listeners that to be Christian is to protest – from the Latin testari (to offer a testimony) and protestari (towards something) – protesting the abusive systems of the world and witnessing towards the kingdom of grace, love, and God's goodness. He shares that he is heading into a school board meeting where he will negotiate budgets and discuss staff performance, and his aim is to be truthful – because kindness is not lying – while acting in loving, transformative ways that restore relationship and establish God's gracious kingdom. Anton adds that kindness is often a choice rather than a feeling, and Forster agrees, noting that Christian disciplines teach us to decide how we will act before we even enter a situation, regardless of our emotions.