Recently I had the opportunity to visit South Africa, five years into its transition towards legal and political democracy. South Africa's present-day reality is marked by rich cultural diversity and hope amidst turmoil. Most striking to this observer, as I was editing Inequality and Christian Ethics, was the degree of social and economic inequality. As this book will emphasize, inequality can be indicated in various ways; flying into Cape Town at dusk, I could see below me a “map” of inequality contrasting well-lighted neighborhoods with others that were nearly or completely dark. These latter areas were part of vast shanty-towns and squatter settlements that have taken root around Cape Town in the past few years. One of the most beautiful cities in the world, Cape Town has suburbs as “modern” and affluent as any, complete with Audi dealerships and “cyber-cafes.” Yet they exist just miles away from the absolute poverty of cardboard and metal shelters that characterize nearly every city of the developing world.

It is no wonder that violence, fear, and social division permeate South African society. It is not an overstatement to say that people in the suburbs defend themselves against their predominantly black neighbors – with fences and even barbed wire protecting houses, businesses, and schools. Carrying a gun has become commonplace. Magazines include prominent advertisements for security companies and alarm systems.