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"He's had a huge influence here," says Nico Bougas, editor of Today, a leading Christian magazine in South Africa. Though he admits that Wilkinson has had less success with liberal mainliners and others who object to his conservative Bible teaching, Bougas said that within a short time, "He's made an impact." After spending just a few days with Wilkinson, I can see why.

In Namibia, influential Christians have begun a renewal movement that they call the Namibian Dream, anchored by an annual outdoor celebration, Transformation Namibia. They invited Wilkinson to be their keynote speaker for the May 1, 2003, gathering at a sports arena in Windhoek, the nation's capital, surrounded by the barren and beautiful mountains of the ancient Namib Desert.

Diamond-rich Namibia has not been as afflicted by pestilence or coups as have other African nations. With a Christian majority and a relatively prosperous economy, Namibia is a missions success by the numbers. But latent racism, chronic poverty, and white control of agricultural land have held back Namibians.

Louis and Therese Conradre of Campus Crusade put this situation in perspective. For 14 years now, since Namibia's independence from South Africa, they've been building relationships among business leaders and professionals. The couple told me that unity among black and white Namibians remains elusive. "Spiritual change is going slowly," Therese said. "White people are in their safe environment with their high walls. They remote-control into their homes."

What is necessary to bring unity again? "Blacks need us to acknowledge the depth of their hurts." she says. "Full unity and reconciliation is not possible without Jesus Christ. We must become friends."

The Namibian Dream movement is trying to build such friendships; it is one stream of a larger spiritual renewal underway in southern Africa that has gained little attention outside the region. Three years ago, Graham Power of Cape Town, South Africa, launched Transformation Africa with a stadium-based event not unlike Promise Keepers' 1997 Stand in the Gap gathering in Washington, D.C.

A charismatic business leader, Power hosted one event in 2001. One year later, the number of venues grew to eight. By May 1, 2003, 5 million Africans in 138 stadiums in 20 African nations gathered to sing, dance, blow shofars, beat African drums, and pray for revival and social healing. "Africa's time is now," Ron Gardner, a Windhoek pastor, told me. "We've got five years. The momentum will grow to a breakthrough or there will be persecution."

Transformation Africa's top leaders and Wilkinson have the same goal of focusing the power of Christians for a continent-wide spiritual and social renewal around biblical teaching. Southern Africa's conservative Christians provide the workers, while Wilkinson provides new strategies for evangelism, church planting, pastor training, and holistic outreach.

"God doesn't pick the big," Wilkinson told the May 1 crowd in Windhoek's Independence Stadium. "He picks the Davids. He looks for a small country. He is knocking on this nation's door. No more corruption in the church, the government, the media, or business. If you need to change, will you make the change, no matter how hard?"

The movement has not been without controversy. In Namibia, President Sam Nujoma agreed to attend the May 1 rally, but canceled at the last minute. Then, in a veiled reference to Wilkinson, a newspaper columnist warned against white American imperialists out to steal Namibian land and money.

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November 2003, Vol. 47, No. 11