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Christian Conference of Asia
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Program Clusters: Special Programs: Congress of Asian
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STATEMENT OF THE SEVENTH CONGRESS OF ASIAN THEOLOGIANS (CATS VII)
Embracing and Embodying God’s Hospitality Today
A
Message from the Seventh Congress of Asian Theologians
We Asian
Theologians—24 women and 46 men—gathered together for the 7th
Congress of Asian Theologians at Seoul, Korea, July 1-5, 2012; under the theme “Embracing and Embodying God’s Hospitality Today”
would like to convey the following message to the sisters and brothers in
Christ, particularly in Asia, but also beyond, especially in view of the
forthcoming WCC General Assembly next year in Busan, Korea with the theme “God
of Life, Lead Us to Justice and Peace.”
We affirm
our
belief that God is the ultimate host of the whole creation, and we are the
recipients and agents of God’s hospitality through Jesus Christ, churches,
religions and creation.
We also affirm
that our
hospitality is simply an overflowing of God’s abundant hospitality and our
joyful and
thankful response to it.
We speak of
hospitality in a theological and moral sense, which does not assume any
return or
profit, and not in a commercialized and commodified sense.
We repent
that
we Christians in the past—and at times even at the present—have harbored an
attitude
of superiority to others and have often been lacking in giving due recognition
to them, even in providing hospitality, unilaterally playing the role of host.
This
is particularly a painful memory in Asia where most of the churches were
brought by the Western missions which often coincided with colonial projects.
We hope
that we first
learn to recognize and embrace God’s hospitality through Jesus Christ,
churches, religions and creation;
and second,
commit ourselves to embody God’s hospitality in churches, between
churches, among religions and in
the midst of creation.
We are aware that this may entail
a prophetic role to challenge an unjust host, in
seeking to provide just and true
hospitality, especially to the marginalized.
Through the
discussions during the Congress, we have also come to propose the following recommendations
that have emerged.
Migration and
Multi-Cultural Society
· In the context of migration within and
from Asian countries and its by-products of victims of exploitation and
violence, it is imperative that Asian Christians take deliberate prophetic role
to advocate for justice and human dignity of all individuals.
· Asian Christians need to acknowledge the injustices
against aboriginals and indigenous peoples in their own native lands and to
embrace and embody the wisdom and experiences that indigenous peoples offer to
the well-being of the community.
· Asian societies and churches should embrace the
multicultural realities in their lands as a God-given opportunity for
hospitality and mutual transformation in congregations, workplaces and the
whole community. Hospitality from the perspective of multiculturalism is not
just about culture, but a way of defining what it means to be a human being.
Christian Unity
· We call upon the Asian churches to manifest mutual
hospitality toward one another by moving beyond our doctrinal differences and
the practice of competitive proselytizing for the sake of better intercommunion
and effective witness in the discordant world.
· We call upon the churches to implement programs of
education that include the theme of Christian unity in all levels of ecclesial
existence.
Interreligious
Relations
· Just as a rainbow cannot be formed by one color, the
whole nature of God cannot be expressed by a single religion.
· We call upon the Asian churches to form and nurture our distinct
Christian identity in ways that do not repeat the mistakes of our past
practices of mission and evangelism, by being the guests of our religious
neighbors as well, shedding our assumption of superiority and being humble
learners of their rich spiritual treasures as gifts of God’s gracious
hospitality.
Peace and Conflict Resolution
· Peace building and conflict resolution
skills have become necessary skills for today, which the church in Asia can
provide. Asian Christians can radically embrace the prophetic tradition and
courageously take up the role of facilitators for peace in conflict-zones in
Asia such as North/South Korea and Pakistan/India.
· Continued dialogue engaged with
respectful recognition of the others (ethnic, religious, caste, class, gender)
need to be funded and pursued persistently.
· Critical re-reading of the Bible is
necessary to ground the Asian Christians’ affirmation of a just and holistic
society.
Ecological
Justice
· Asian churches should publicly oppose and seek
alternatives to the continued proliferation of nuclear weapons and power
plants, especially after the exposure of the catastrophic damage to nature and
human life in the Fukushima nuclear meltdown.
· Asian Christians should become aware of the collusion of
government, business and the nuclear industry to hide the truth of the real
dangers and costs of use of nuclear power.
· Churches in Asia should take responsibility to work for
ecological justice by participating in people’s movements (e.g. fisherfolk,
farmers, etc) and give attention to the peoples of Oceania who are in danger of
becoming climate refugees due to the drastic impacts of global warming.
· Seminaries in Asia need to include courses in
environmental theology and ecological justice in the required curriculum with
field exposure as a vital component in order to equip churches with leaders who
understand the responsibility of humans as part of the web of creation.
Gender
We invite
our sisters
and brothers in Christ to consider our recommendations above and find ways
together
to make them concrete and translate them into action in order to witness to
God’s hospitality.
We remember
that
Korea, the host country, remains divided between North and South. We
particularly
wish
that the efforts for re-unification will bear fruits and would like to
encourage fellow
Christians
and others in Korea and in the world in such efforts.
We thank
as a
Congress the host for the wonderful hospitality during the meeting shown
especially
by
local Korean churches and congregations, as well as by the faculty, staff and
students of the Methodist Theological University. Theirs was the setting and
nourishment for our reflections and conversations.
The hospitality of the Triune God, which we are to
embrace and to embody, is the supreme expression of self-emptying and
self-giving, as manifest in the incarnation, ministry, cross, and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. Our message of hospitality, which we declare here and carry
with us as we journey back to our many nations and churches, is one of
courageous vulnerability and faithful gift of ourselves to our neighbors and to
one another.
July 5, 2012
Seoul , Korea
posted by communications on Friday, July 06, 2012 |
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