A Radical Pursuit of God’s Kingdom
“How then should you live? Knowing what you know, following this man named Jesus, what is it calling you into? It’s calling me into a radical pursuit of God’s kingdom and God’s reign,” said Sesihle Manzini.
Manzini learned about faith in Jesus Christ from her mother and grandmother. One of her earliest memories, she said, brings her back to a candlelit living room—later lit by a lamp after electricity was installed in her South African village—and reading the Bible, praying, and singing Xhosa hymns with her mother and grandmother, her aunt, and sometimes other village members.
Manzini said that her love for God has always been important to her, but while she was studying at university, she explained, she began wrestling with the legacy of colonization and apartheid in South Africa in connection with her faith: What does racial equality and economic justice look like, and what does the gospel have to say about it?
She noticed that many Christians in her life weren’t engaging in these issues, and that frustrated her, she said. Looking online for insight, Manzini was able to find books, articles, and podcasts from scholars and activists in other countries, such as the United States, but she couldn’t easily find local voices. The voices were there, but they weren’t as accessible as those from other countries. She wanted to know what Africans like her had to say about racism and other justice issues.
So she created a space and platform to elevate those voices.
In 2018, while working full-time in marketing and communications for a social enterprise that monitors working conditions in global supply chains, Manzini launched Anno Domini, a digital magazine that brings together the voices of local scholars, writers, and creative experts to explore the intersection between the Christian faith and justice. Anno Domini has helped fill a need—especially among young believers in churches—and the magazine has grown not only to provide thoughtful, faith-centered content on justice but has also helped to form, inspire, and equip a community to take action.
“My hope for people engaging with this content is that they come to understand these issues of justice as theological issues,” said Manzini. “Whether you have access to a house or not, that’s a theological issue. If someone dies because they don’t have adequate access to healthcare, that’s a theological issue. If someone doesn’t have access to food, that’s a theological issue. I’m trying to get Christians to really advocate for life. Jesus talks about the abundant life.”
From the start of this venture, Manzini knew she would need a supportive faith community to lean on. She sought out mentorship from Dr. Selena Headley, a Resonate Global Mission missionary in South Africa who works to equip and support leaders like Manzini who are working in poverty alleviation, justice, and community building. The two had met more than a decade earlier while Manzini was working on her undergraduate degree at a Christian university where Headley was teaching. Their paths crossed again through faith-formation cohorts that Manzini joined and that Headley helped lead.
“What [Headley] does is fascinating to me . . . [approaching life] in terms of being involved in this theological world while contextualizing it” said Manzini.
She added that Headley helps to provide her with guidance and encouragement that she needs. In addition to working a full-time job, Manzini plans Anno Domini’s content, interviews contributors, writes articles, and produces podcasts and documentaries. Though all of this can be exhausting, Manzini said, she sees her work with Anno Domini as a calling from God.
“People are just thankful that there’s a space, that there are people thinking about these things,” particularly from a faith perspective, said Manzini. “We need [spaces] where we can come together and discuss, dialogue, be challenged, and form community around justice – all for the purpose of seeking action.”
Headley said that she has seen Manzini “grow by leaps and bounds” since she first met her.
“I’ve journeyed with her through several in-depth processes of theological and spiritual formation in communities of practice,” said Headley. “She remains ever curious and eager to make the world a better place. I’ve appreciated watching her connect her faith with the grassroots struggles of people in the city and on the continent.”
Manzini asks for prayer for her work with Anno Domini: “A prayer request for me is that, as I try to pursue this future, the Lord will direct my steps. My friends always remind me that this is God’s thing and not my thing.”
