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Friends United Meeting |
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June 1999
Christians Engage Global Issues:
Four statements from the WCC
The WCC Assembly approved statements on the following public issues, and called for action from member churches:
Human
rights-the statement reaffirms the long commitment of Christians to human
rights, including the involvement of the WCC in the drafting of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. It then focuses on current challenges in
human rights, including globalization; the need to hold human rights abusers
accountable without resorting to retribution or the death penalty; religious
freedom and proselytism; uprooted people; indigenous people; racism; and
people with disabilities. It calls on churches to be proactive in engaging
in human rights education and in peace building.
Child soldiers-the statement (which was initiated by the Quaker delegation) reaffirms the affirmation of the First Assembly of the WCC in 1948 that war is contrary to the will of God, and focuses especially on the problem of people under the age of 18 who are enrolled in armed forces. It calls on churches to work for the abolition of the use of children in war, to assist in the rehabilitation and reconciliation of former child soldiers, and to promote the establishment of international standards raising the minimum age from 15 to 18 years for all forms of recruitment and participation in hostilities.
Foreign debt-the statement affirms that canceling the debt of impoverished countries and addressing basic human needs and rights of individuals and communities and the protection of the environment should take precedence over debt repayment. The statement issues specific calls for action by the churches, and urgently appeals to the leaders of the G8 nations to cancel the debt and engage in a process of global economic reform toward a just distribution of wealth. (See page 8.)
Status of Jerusalem-the statement emphasizes that Jerusalem is a city shared by two peoples and three faiths, and must remain open and inclusive, with shared rights of sovereignty and citizenship. The statement calls on churches to participate in negotiations on the future status of Jerusalem, and reaffirms that this process should be part of, rather than the product of, a comprehensive settlement for the region.
Cancel the Debt! The Biblical vision of Jubilee in our time
It was clear from the very beginning of the Assembly that the "debt crisis" was foremost on the minds of many churches. In the "Heavily Indebted Poor Countries," governments are forced to orient their economies toward making cash payments on foreign debt, and are thus unable to meet the health and education needs of the people, nor to develop a sustainable economy of basic goods and services. Farmers grow tobacco and carnations, rather than food for their community. Children die of treatable disease while the International Monetary Fund and the wealthy creditor nations accumulate even more wealth. The overwhelming majority of Christians in the world are convinced that this situation is sinful, unjust, and calls for Christian action.
Quakers have always had a strong emphasis on Biblical economic justice. At this time, the Christians of the world are calling on us to turn our attention to debt as a justice concern. Some Friends are already active in this area. However many still lack the awareness and education which will mobilize them to speak out. As a first step in our self-education and action, here are some suggestions for individuals and Meetings:
· The Jubilee 2000 campaign is an international movement working to cancel the debts of the poorest countries by the new millennium. They are on the web at www.j2000usa.org; PO Box 29550, Washington DC 20017; (202) 783-3566. Educational kits are available upon request.
· "Proclaim Jubilee-Break the Chains of Debt" is the theme of Bread for the World's 1999 Offering of Letters. Bread for the World is a Christian voice for ending hunger. In choosing debt as their 1999 issue, they make the connection between international economic structures and hunger. They have joined the Jubilee 2000 campaign and call on Christians to add their voices by writing letters as an act of prayer and offering. The Offering of Letters kit and video are available from Bread for the World, 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1000, Silver Spring MD 20910; (301) 608-2400; bread@bread.org. Visit their web site at www.bread.org.
· Many places have local Jubilee 2000 campaigns. Most other Christian churches are also working on the debt crisis. Network with the churches in your place to coordinate your activities and make a united appeal to your members of Congress.
· American Christians have a special responsibility in the debt crisis, since our government is a powerful presence in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, as well as a leader in the global economy. For justice to truly roll down like waters (Amos 5:24), Christians must rise up to proclaim God's vision of Jubilee to the U.S. government and call it to account for its acts of economic violence.
· Christians from the debtor countries, including our FUM members in East Africa, have stories to tell, as the scales fall from their eyes and ours and we see the connections between American wealth and Kenyan poverty. Let us share those stories in solidarity with each other.
· Debt bondage is the 20th century form of slavery. Christians must act.
· Study Leviticus 25.
The Churches Together Can Build a Culture of Peace
The Harare Assembly caught up the spirit of several earlier programs when it proclaimed 2001-2010 as an Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence.
The Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women ended with a Festival immediately preceding the Assembly. Festival participants wrote to the Assembly: "In order to be accountable to God and ourselves, we recommend that the Assembly's theme, Turn to God: Rejoice in Hope, be taken as an opportunity for repentance for the church's participation in violence, and for renewal of our theologies, traditions and practices for justice and peace among women, men and children in our homes and communities." The Women's Decade had revealed that the ability of women and children to be full participants in church and society is greatly diminished by the culture of violence in our world.
Simultaneously, the Program to Overcome Violence, which began in 1994 with significant leadership from Quakers, Mennonites and Brethren, faced a transition. The program had chosen a focus on urban violence, and had lifted up as examples seven cities in the world where Christian groups are transforming the violence in their communities. Although the "Peace to the Cities Campaign" came to an end, there is enormous energy for the continuation of this work.
Assembly workshop offerings which focused on violence were especially well attended. I felt that violence became the focal lens through which many other things could be seen-such as economic justice, racism, sexism, the suffering of children. In recognition that this theme seemed to gather up so many of the concerns of the Assembly, the delegates approved peace as a core emphasis of the Council for the coming decade. The minute reads:
Truth, justice and peace together represent values basic to granting of human rights, inclusion and reconciliation. When these values are ignored, trust is replaced by fear and human power no longer serves the gift of life and the sanctity and dignity of all in creation.
Violence arising from various forms of human rights violations, discrimination and structural injustice represents a growing concern at all levels of an increasingly plural society. Racism combines with and aggravates other causes of exclusion and marginalization. Conflicts are becoming increasingly complex, located more often within nations than between nations. Women and children in conflict situations represent a special concern.
There is a need to bring together the work on gender and racism, human rights and transformation of conflict in ways that engage the churches in initiatives for reconciliation that build on repentance, truth, justice, reparation and forgiveness.
The Council should work strategically with the churches on these issues to create a culture of non-violence, linking and interacting with other international partners and organizations, and examining and developing appropriate approaches to conflict transformation and just peace-making in the new globalized context.
Therefore, the WCC proclaims the period 2001-2010 as an Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence.
Eden Grace, Beacon Hill Meeting, New England Yearly Meeting, is a member of the FUM General Board. She is a student at Episcopal Divinity School, is secretary of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, and has just been elected to serve on the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches.
Copyright (c) 1999 Friends United Meeting