An African Wesleyan theological reflection on moral responsibility, grace, and justice

Abstract

This theological reflection engages the recent tribunal of Judge Selby Mbenenge as a lens through to examine moral responsibility, power, and accountability in both public and ecclesial contexts (Judicial Conduct Tribunal, 2026; News24, 2024). The case, situated within South Africa’s judicial system and the Methodist Church of Southern Africa’s (MCSA) Harassment Policy, exposes the complexities of adult relationships where authority intersects with vulnerability (MCSA, 2015; Cowan, 2019). Drawing on Wesleyan theology, the essay explores grace, justice, repentance, and the imago Dei as foundational categories for navigating misconduct and relational breakdown (Genesis 1:27; Wesley, 1763; Maddox, 1994). Grace is understood not merely as forgiveness but as God’s transformative presence, while justice is framed as restorative, seeking reconciliation and communal flourishing (Outler, 1980; Migliore, 2004). African philosophical paradigms, particularly Ubuntu and concepts such as ‘iwonga’ and ‘ilungelo’, enrich this framework by emphasizing relationality, communal accountability, and the cultural weight of language and identity (Ramose, 1999; Tutu, 1999; Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, 1986). Intersectionality, as articulated by Crenshaw (1989; 1991), further illuminates how gender, age, authority, and cultural expectations intersect to produce compounded vulnerabilities. African feminist theologians such as Oduyoye (2001) and Phiri (2004) underscore the need for accountability structures that resist patriarchal distortions and affirm the dignity of women. By integrating Wesleyan and African perspectives, this reflection calls the MCSA to embody practices of accountability that are rigorous yet compassionate, restorative yet just, and culturally
resonant (Naidoo, 2020; Mbiti, 1969; Dube, 2007). It argues that safeguarding and pastoral care must be contextual, attentive to African communal ethics, and rooted in Wesleyan commitments to grace and justice (Heitzenrater, 1995). Ultimately, the paper envisions the church as both prophetic and pastoral by speaking truth to power while accompanying the vulnerable with compassion, bearing faithful witness to the gospel in a fractured and hurting world (Bonhoeffer, 1959; Niebuhr, 1963).