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Sound the Bamboo
[CCA Hymnal]

 

 

Mission and Youth in a Context of Globalization

 
Twenty-five young people from various churches and youth organizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America participated in a seminar on mission and youth in the context of globalization at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland on 17-23 August.

Through worship, community building activities, creative and participatory Bible studies, small group discussions, sharing of experiences, analysis of realities and issues, as well as cultural art forms, the group reflected on the role of young people and the church in carrying out mission in today's challenging context. Apart from the economic and political aspects of globalization, the young people acknowledged how the cultural aspects are seriously influencing young people today so that young people have "consciously and unconsciously become its agents".

The group however affirmed that globalization does not have the last word. "More and more young people are becoming aware and are challenged to affirm their Christian faith through finding innovative alternatives and strategies in education and advocacy" to counter the negative impact of globalization.

"As young people, we understand mission today as the announcement and realization of the fullness of life for all, which is the message of the Word of God," they said in a statement. This is done through witnessing and action both within the church and the wider society. Mission is also faith in action, they affirmed, "where 'we should walk the talk' if we are to be true to our calling".

The group included a message to the World Council of Churches' Conference on World Mission and Evangelism, urging the conference to seriously consider the context of globalization today as part of the realities which mission efforts should address, and to enable the full participation of young people in all processes.

Hope Antone of CCA-FMU was invited by the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Tapia (faculty of Bossey and in-charge of the seminar) as one of the Bible study leaders and co-facilitator with Andreas Nufer.

Click here to see some photos

posted by hope on Tuesday, August 24, 2004  



 

Theological Students Ask for More Ecumenical Programs

 
At the end of a busy five-day program, a total of 67 Asian Catholic and Protestant seminarians attending the Second Asia Conference of Theological Students in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 25-31, called upon churches in Asia to encourage holding more such ecumenical conferences by providing more financial and moral support.

They also called on church leaders to encourage and initiate inculturation of teachings and liturgies in order to develop a truly Asian theology. In line with the wider understanding of ecumenism, they also called upon leaders of mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches to actively build ties with Evangelical, independent and charismatic groups, even as interreligious dialogue and cooperation should be continuously pursued.

Recognizing that the development of China will have an impact on the rest of the world, they also called on the churches to help the ecumenical mission of Christians in China.

These recommendations were contained in a statement that was read as an act of commitment during the closing worship.

The group also had recommendations for their sending theological institutions: (a) that the curriculum include studies on inter-religious relations, inculturation and feminist theology; (b) that they teach and encourage the use of scriptures from other faiths and of indigenous elements in liturgies; and (c) that they send more participants to ecumenical conferences by increasing financial and moral support.

They also had recommendations for themselves: (a) to strive to learn and know more about other religions and cultures than their own; (b) to exercise respect for Christians of other denominations and persons of other faiths; and (c) to write reflections on ecumenism and inter-faith efforts to give greater support and publicity to such activities.

ACTS II was held to coincide with the Faith and Order Plenary Commission taking place in Kuala Lumpur from July 28-August 6. While the Faith and Order sought to lead the global churches into theological dialogue as a means of overcoming obstacles to and opening up ways towards the manifestation of Christian unity, ACTS II sought to explore issues, trends and challenges in theology in an effort to promote a more contextualized approach to doing theology in Asia.

The program consisted of sharing of contextual experiences by participants; synthesis and analysis of trends by Edmund Chia; inputs by Sathianathan Clarke on Christian theology and on being contextual theologians in Asia; survey of theological methods by Robert Schreiter; presentation on Asian feminist theologies by Hope Antone and Yong Ting Jin; inputs on Islam by Tom Michel; and a sharing on ecclesiological welcome by Anne Marie Reijnen.

The group of seminarians said that many ecumenical ventures they know of came about due to social and political factors rather than religious or spiritual factors. They said that most joint-projects are done to address poverty, HIV/AIDS, globalization, or in response to discrimination and oppression of Christians in some Asian contexts. They therefore called for mainstreaming the following in theological education: Asian/African contextual theologies; feminist theologies; religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue; poverty and globalization; ecological and environmental issues; and conflict management and resolution.

The program did not only begin and end with worship; each day began with worship led by various groups of participants � bringing cultural and religious symbols and elements from various countries and traditions. A solidarity meal was celebrated, commemorating the Passover meal and the Last Supper � but giving new meaning to common Asian elements like tea, a sweet, dry biscuit, sour fruit, bitter herbs, and rice.

The participants joined the Faith and Order Plenary Commission at its opening worship at St. Mary�s Cathedral and a dinner reception at the Selangor Club on 28 July. They also sent a brief version of their statement to the commission meeting.

ACTS II was jointly organized by the Christian Conference of Asia and the Federation of Asian Bishops� Conferences. Of the 67 participants, 32 came from CCA member churches and related organizations while 35 came from FABC. Of these, 33 were women and 34 men. Participants, ranging from the age of 21 to 60, came from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Four overseas participants came from France, Hungary, Syria and Zambia. Among the group of Protestant and Catholic seminarians was a Muslim Indonesian woman who is presently doing her Ph. D. studies in systematic theology. Her presence at this Christian conference was greatly appreciated by the participants.

Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches in Malaysia, gave a welcome greeting during the opening service while Ahn Jae Woong, general secretary of CCA, came later to greet the participants.

Full statement from ACTS II

posted by hope on Saturday, August 07, 2004  



 

Christian and Theravada Buddhist Leaders Meet

 
In order to enable conversation between Christians and Theravada Buddhists as people of faith with common concerns about peace, reconciliation and harmony, the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia jointly sponsored a consultation involving the two faith groups at Tao Fong Shan Centre, Shatin, Hong Kong on July 2-6, 2004 on the theme, "Towards a Culture of Religious Diversity and Communal Harmony."

A total of 35 participants, 6 of them women, and 9 Buddhist monks, came from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand, countries where Theravada Buddhism has been predominant. Few observers and organizers came from Japan, Switzerland, Philippines, and Hong Kong, including staff from WCC and CCA.

Two keynote addresses were given by U Kyaw Than, a Christian ecumenical leader from Myanmar, and Parichart Suwanbubbha, a Buddhist scholar from Thailand. Country groupings took turns in leading the morning devotion, some of which were attempts at interfaith prayer.

Group discussions allowed participants to share and listen to stories � good stories on one side of harmonious relations; and painful stories on the other side of tensions, antagonisms, pain and suffering among people of different religions. Among the issues of great concern were conversion, religious and ethnic identities and power, intra-religious and inter-religious relations, and a possible code of conduct.

Affirming that different identities have many attachments that create barriers, the group pointed to the "need to transcend these identifies in order to become human. Then only we will respect and honour others as human beings with different religious and ethnic identities". Referring to the Buddha and Christ Jesus as having transcended their narrow identities through emptying of themselves, the group agreed that transcending one�s identities assures the protection of different minority groups.

The group noted that interreligious relations and dialogue cannot be dissociated from relations within their own faith communities. They therefore called for a re-reading of their own scriptures in light of a religiously plural world, and to engage in intensified dialogue within their own communities as well as with other faith communities.

Knowing that conversions take place in different contexts for different reasons, the group emphasized that conversion from another religion should result from the freedom to change, not because of fear or coercion. "True spiritual conversion will respect the dignity and value of persons and religious traditions." It can take place within one�s religion as well as a journey from one religion to another. It should lead people from ignorance to wisdom, darkness to light, injustice to justice, falsehood to truth. Thus, the problem of unethical conversions need to be tackled by religious and civil societies, not by state legislature since bills on prohibitions against conversion can easily lead to abuse.

The Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, was able to address the group during his visit to Asia. Speaking on "the spiritual dimension to promote peace and communal harmony", he said, "There is in spite of all the differences an inner core common to all religions: the mystery of life, that life matters, that human beings matter, whether we are appearances of the moment or created in the image of God." This spiritual dimension in striving for peace and communal harmony is a sign of unity between Buddhists and Christians, he said.

Drawing from the rich tradition that goes back to Emperor Ashoka�s time 2300 years ago, the group included in their consultation statement a code of conduct saying:

In a world where religious plurality has become increasingly important, the words of Emperor Ashoka seem astonishingly modern and communicate both meaning and spirit for a culture of peace and communal and religious harmony: "One should not honour only one�s own religion and condemn the religions of others, but should honour others� religions for this or that reason. So doing, one helps one�s own religion to grow and renders service to the religions of others too. In acting otherwise one digs the grave of one�s own religion and also does harm to other religions. Whosoever honours his own religion and condemns other religions does so indeed through devotion to his own religion, thinking, �I will glorify my own religion�. But on the contrary, in so doing he injures his own religion more gravely. So concord is good: Let all listen, and be willing to listen to the doctrines professed by others" (Rock Edict 12).

In line with the Rock Edict, we propose the following to create a culture of religious diversity and communal and religious harmony:
  • Share the same purpose of mutual spiritual development for the transformation of individuals and communities.
  • Make the agenda clear, without any hidden agendas.
  • Be mindful in sharing in a responsible and ethical manner.
  • Have trust, honesty, openness to engage in dialogue with a self-critical mind.
  • Have moral imperatives � do good to others, if you want others to do good to you.
  • Learn in depth the core of your religion.
  • Engage in democratic and humane relations.
  • Engage in social dialogue which leads into action � to work for peace, reconciliation and justice.

posted by hope on Saturday, August 07, 2004  



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