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The Spiritual Mandela: Faith and Religion in the Life of Nelson Mandela
In the first book of its kind, an acclaimed South African journalist and former parliamentary spokesperson for the ANC shares how Nelson Mandela balanced his Christian faith with his political views, exploring how the beloved leader reconciled his own beliefs with the hard truth that religion had often been used as a tool to oppress his people.
Nelson Mandela revealed nothing about his personal religious beliefs in his writings or in his public pronouncements. But those who were close to him know that he held Christian views. At his request, the final components of his funeral followed the Methodist service.
Acclaimed journalist Dennis Cruywagon traces the spiritual component of Mandela's life, from his youth in a traditional Thembu village to his education at Wesleyan and Methodist mission schools to his time as an activist to his period on Robben Island and the years thereafter. Based on interviews with some of Mandela's close colleagues, such as Ahmed Kathrada, as well as priests and other religious figures with whom he interacted, this book unearths an unknown dimension of one of recent history's most respected men.
Nelson Mandela revealed nothing about his personal religious beliefs in his writings or in his public pronouncements. But those who were close to him know that he held Christian views. At his request, the final components of his funeral followed the Methodist service.
Acclaimed journalist Dennis Cruywagon traces the spiritual component of Mandela's life, from his youth in a traditional Thembu village to his education at Wesleyan and Methodist mission schools to his time as an activist to his period on Robben Island and the years thereafter. Based on interviews with some of Mandela's close colleagues, such as Ahmed Kathrada, as well as priests and other religious figures with whom he interacted, this book unearths an unknown dimension of one of recent history's most respected men.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published June 19, 2018
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44 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 29, 2018
I went into this book without knowing much about Mandela. The Spiritual Mandela by Dennis Cruywagen, is a well-written book. You can tell the author really did the research about his life, works, and belief system. Which is something I appreciated.
The book follows the life of Nelson Mandela. It does this in a chronological order. It talks a lot about different church influences on the education, development, and beliefs of him. I have never really been that interested in him sadly. I didn't realize just how wonderful of a man he really was.
I was really interested in how he integrated his tribal traditions with the church and a belief in God. I really enjoyed learning more about his teachings and how he celebrated his God and his beliefs. He was a prayerful man, which I really enjoyed. I would have loved some quoted prayers of his if he did any prayers in person.
Overall I really don't know enough about him to really make any claim to the validity of what is said in this book. I will say the book was very well written.
February 7, 2020
Really interesting read, and well written biography on Nelson Mandela. I went in not knowing much about him, and came out better informed about Mandela the person. Deeply grateful for the information provided and I would recommend this to anyone looking to better understand the life and person of this famous figure.
November 18, 2018
Before reading this book, I had only a vague understanding of the role of Nelson Mandela in helping to end apartheid in South Africa. I knew that as a member of the African National Congress (ANC), Mandela had been jailed for many years because of his anti-apartheid activities, and that he had served as the first president of South Africa after the end of the apartheid.
On a historical and biographical level, “The Spiritual Mandela” helps the reader to go beyond just these basics. In this book you learn about Mandela's family, his early years, his schooling, his work with the anti-apartheid ANC, his years in prison, and his role in shaping a post-apartheid South Africa. But that is not the primary focus of the book.
The book aims to help the reader understand the spiritual underpinnings that guided Nelson Mandela as a political and moral force behind the ANC. Mandela was educated in Methodist private schools in South Africa due to his family's belief that associating with Christianity would provide both spiritual guidance and a Western education, even though their ancestors were steeped in Xhosa tribal customs and belief systems. He became a follower of Jesus during his formative years.
Mandela never talked publicly about his faith in Christ while involved in political activities because of his vision for South Africa as a multicultural land where people of every race, tribe, and religious affiliation would be welcomed and given a seat at the table. Mandela felt that talking about his faith would diminish this multicultural vision. Privately, however, Mandela sought to live out his faith, despite attempts by some pro-apartheid white South Africans to portray him as an anarchy-promoting Communist atheist.
For me, the most powerful sections of the book describe how Mandela was able to love his enemies, without compromising his demands to end apartheid. Mandela saw that everyone possessed an inner dignity, and chose to treat them with respect despite their surface appearances, political postures, or hurtful behaviors. He saw apartheid politics as an ugly overlay on people who otherwise were loved by God, and he treated even his captors with a sense of shared humanity, faith, and courtesy. There is a direct line from his spiritual beliefs to the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission following the fall of the apartheid in 1994 that offered grace and amnesty to the oppressors who owned up to their misdeeds.
One section was of special interest. Mandela was once asked by some conservative American journalists why his fight against apartheid allowed for violence against the state, and did not emulate the form of nonviolent protest espoused by Martin Luther King, Jr. To that, Mandela replied “the conditions in which Martin Luther King struggled were totally different from my own: the United States was a democracy with constitutional guarantees of equal rights that protected nonviolent protest (though there was still prejudice against blacks); South Africa was a police state with a constitution that enshrined inequality and an army that responded to nonviolence with force.” I wish the author would have spent some time trying to help us understand the Mandela who saw the dignity in all, and the Mandela who supported violence as a means to end apartheid. I wonder, if much like the pacifist Albert Einstein, Mandela seemed to conclude that violent resistance is sometimes the lesser of two evils when the political overlays are so crushing and deadly.
In these days of polarized politics, perhaps we need to see the dignity in others despite their political overlays, and yet remain steadfast in our efforts to create a more perfect Union and establish justice. Nelson Mandela shows us the way.
On a historical and biographical level, “The Spiritual Mandela” helps the reader to go beyond just these basics. In this book you learn about Mandela's family, his early years, his schooling, his work with the anti-apartheid ANC, his years in prison, and his role in shaping a post-apartheid South Africa. But that is not the primary focus of the book.
The book aims to help the reader understand the spiritual underpinnings that guided Nelson Mandela as a political and moral force behind the ANC. Mandela was educated in Methodist private schools in South Africa due to his family's belief that associating with Christianity would provide both spiritual guidance and a Western education, even though their ancestors were steeped in Xhosa tribal customs and belief systems. He became a follower of Jesus during his formative years.
Mandela never talked publicly about his faith in Christ while involved in political activities because of his vision for South Africa as a multicultural land where people of every race, tribe, and religious affiliation would be welcomed and given a seat at the table. Mandela felt that talking about his faith would diminish this multicultural vision. Privately, however, Mandela sought to live out his faith, despite attempts by some pro-apartheid white South Africans to portray him as an anarchy-promoting Communist atheist.
For me, the most powerful sections of the book describe how Mandela was able to love his enemies, without compromising his demands to end apartheid. Mandela saw that everyone possessed an inner dignity, and chose to treat them with respect despite their surface appearances, political postures, or hurtful behaviors. He saw apartheid politics as an ugly overlay on people who otherwise were loved by God, and he treated even his captors with a sense of shared humanity, faith, and courtesy. There is a direct line from his spiritual beliefs to the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission following the fall of the apartheid in 1994 that offered grace and amnesty to the oppressors who owned up to their misdeeds.
One section was of special interest. Mandela was once asked by some conservative American journalists why his fight against apartheid allowed for violence against the state, and did not emulate the form of nonviolent protest espoused by Martin Luther King, Jr. To that, Mandela replied “the conditions in which Martin Luther King struggled were totally different from my own: the United States was a democracy with constitutional guarantees of equal rights that protected nonviolent protest (though there was still prejudice against blacks); South Africa was a police state with a constitution that enshrined inequality and an army that responded to nonviolence with force.” I wish the author would have spent some time trying to help us understand the Mandela who saw the dignity in all, and the Mandela who supported violence as a means to end apartheid. I wonder, if much like the pacifist Albert Einstein, Mandela seemed to conclude that violent resistance is sometimes the lesser of two evils when the political overlays are so crushing and deadly.
In these days of polarized politics, perhaps we need to see the dignity in others despite their political overlays, and yet remain steadfast in our efforts to create a more perfect Union and establish justice. Nelson Mandela shows us the way.
December 12, 2017
The Spiritual Mandela: Faith and Religion in the Life of Nelson Mandela by Dennis Cruywagen, is extremely well researched and written. The author details the life of Nelson Mandela chronologically and pays special attention to the influence of the Methodist Church and its' clergy on the education, development and politics of Mandela. Nelson Mandela has always held a special interest to me so I was excited to find a book which I believed would give me some insight into his spiritual life. Sadly, this book does not fulfill the promise made by its main title. It is, however, a detailed look at the role of faith and religion in the life of Nelson Mandela, as written in the book's subtitle.
This reader was interested to learn how Mandela integrated his tribal traditions and celebrations throughout his life with the teachings and rites of the Methodist church. Although the author, Cruywagen, did make several references to the fact that Mandela was a prayerful man he did not provide us with any insights to his actual spirituality. In fact, Mandela is quoted in several interviews as referring to his spiritual life as a private thing that in only discussed, in confidence, with his spiritual advisor(s). This attitude is correct and deserves the highest respect from others and yet I feel like I was misled by the book's title. Perhaps if the editor had realized how misleading the title is my disappointment could have been avoided.
This is yet another case of the confusion that can arise from the words “spirituality”, “faith” and “religion” of which only the last two are synonyms and therefore, the three are NOT interchangeable.
This reader was interested to learn how Mandela integrated his tribal traditions and celebrations throughout his life with the teachings and rites of the Methodist church. Although the author, Cruywagen, did make several references to the fact that Mandela was a prayerful man he did not provide us with any insights to his actual spirituality. In fact, Mandela is quoted in several interviews as referring to his spiritual life as a private thing that in only discussed, in confidence, with his spiritual advisor(s). This attitude is correct and deserves the highest respect from others and yet I feel like I was misled by the book's title. Perhaps if the editor had realized how misleading the title is my disappointment could have been avoided.
This is yet another case of the confusion that can arise from the words “spirituality”, “faith” and “religion” of which only the last two are synonyms and therefore, the three are NOT interchangeable.
January 14, 2018
Nelson Mandela life is written in this book with every detail about his childhood, time in prison, the presidency and personal life. Such a strong and inspirational leader. The book is very instructive and full of important quotes. I've enjoyed it from the first page. And at the end, there are notes, websites, interviews, conversations where you can look up for more information. Very organized. Dennys Cruywagen has done an excellent biography. "Can you imagine where South Africa would be today had Mandela been consumed by a lust for revenge, to want to pay back for all the humiliations and all the agony that he and his people had suffered at the hands of their white oppressors?". I definitely recommend this book.
June 19, 2018
The Spiritual Mandela by Dennis Cruywagen is an exceptionally well-done biography of Nelson Mandela which pays special attention to the role faith and religion (the Methodist Church in particular) played in his life. Without it, he says, he never would have survived his imprisonment, and credits it for making him the man he was.
This book is highly informative, and very readable. It is impossible to read this book and not come away with high admiration for the man Nelson Mandela was and all that he accomplished.
I highly recommend this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Imagine for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is highly informative, and very readable. It is impossible to read this book and not come away with high admiration for the man Nelson Mandela was and all that he accomplished.
I highly recommend this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Imagine for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 6, 2017
This book brought me to tears at places and was deeply rooted in the inner life of Nelson Mandela. From a perspective of close friends and family prison transformed this man deeply. Makes me want to spend 27 years in confinement to find out what life is really about. Enjoyed this, a breathe of fresh air.
May 27, 2022
MANDIBA
Truth and reconciliation; Faith and prayer;
Numbers six: 24-26
The Lord bless you
And keep you;
The Lord make his face shine on you
And be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you
And give you peace.
Truth and reconciliation; Faith and prayer;
Numbers six: 24-26
The Lord bless you
And keep you;
The Lord make his face shine on you
And be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you
And give you peace.
November 18, 2025
As the book jacket says, "A unique look at a beloved public figure. Dennis Cruywagen's perspective and research offers an interesting view of how Mandela's Methodist upbringing informed his character for public service and respect for others in different faith traditions.
December 10, 2017
This was a very informative book. I started out reading like a research paper but turned into an easily readable book a little while into it.
January 14, 2018
Nelson Mandela life is written in this book with every detail about his childhood, time in prison, the presidency and personal life. Such a strong and inspirational leader. The book is very instructive and full of important quotes. I've enjoyed it from the first page. And at the end, there are notes, websites, interviews, conversations where you can look up for more information. Very organized. Dennys Cruywagen has done an excellent biography. "Can you imagine where South Africa would be today had Mandela been consumed by a lust for revenge, to want to pay back for all the humiliations and all the agony that he and his people had suffered at the hands of their white oppressors?". I definitely recommend this book.
I'd like to thank Net Galley for the ARC.
I'd like to thank Net Galley for the ARC.
January 20, 2018
Having been fascinated with Nelson Mandela since childhood, it was a special treat to read this as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for any honest review.
It was well written, focusing almost entirely on the foundations and experiences that shaped Mandela's belief system. It was well written, informative, and well researched, though a bit dry, even for a non-fiction work.
It was well written, focusing almost entirely on the foundations and experiences that shaped Mandela's belief system. It was well written, informative, and well researched, though a bit dry, even for a non-fiction work.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews