wfn.org | Reconciliation is 'Ongoing Work', Says Palestinian Lutheran Bishop

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

LWF Urged to Enable Minority Churches Find Their Prophetic Voice

03 - LWF COUNCIL MEETING, 12-19 JUNE 2001

GENEVA 12 JUNE 2001 (LWI) * "Reconciliation is not jargon but ongoing real
work," said Bishop Munib A. Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Jordan (ELCJ). His words summarized the mood of discussion of the opening
address by Lutheran World Federation (LWF) President, Bishop Dr. Christian
Krause by participants in LWF Council here on June 12. Krause had focussed
on "reconciliation" as the heart of the meeting's theme "The Church: Called
to a Ministry of Reconciliation," chosen by the ELCJ.
 
"We should do our homework," said Bishop Dr. BTla Harmati, Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Hungary, as he urged greater self criticism. Harmati,
chairperson of the Program Committee for Communication Services gave the
inability of Lutherans to overcome the divisions among themselves and the
need for the main ecumenical bodies to work together as examples of
situations where help could be given in learning to see and to name the
causes of injustice.

Reconciliation is very different for people in power than it is for people
who suffer from power, noted Rev. Ane Hjerrild, general secretary, Council
on International relations, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark. She
offered the way that Jesus surrendered power as a model to consider.

Noting that many church people in Nigeria were involved in injustice because
of their roles in the political structure of the country, Ms. Parmata
Ishaya, an LWF vice-president and member f the Lutheran Church of Christ in
Nigeria, wondered how the church could deal with the fear of such people
such that they would lose what they had gained if reconciliation was to be
possible. Her concern echoed an earlier observation by Dr. Will Herzfeld,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, that there can be no reconciliation
without reparation.

Reconciliation cannot be separated from justice, said Krause, who is also
bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick, Germany. Reparation
is linked to repentance. One can show regret not only in words but in deeds,
he said.

Historically churches have sometimes caused more trouble than help through
their political involvement, especially when they were on the side of those
in power, noted Rev. Huberto Kirchheim, LWF vice-president and president of
the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil.

Admitting the shortcomings of the church as well as celebrating its
accomplishments was a lesson that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Iceland
learned when it celebrated its millennium, said Rev. Thorbj÷rn Arnason,
chairperson of the Standing Committee for International Affairs and Human
Rights. Such honesty is essential for integrity, he observed.

Ms. Lydia Siahaan, Protestant Christian Batak Church Indonesia, asked, "Who
will do the prophetic role if we keep silent?" She urged the LWF to find
ways to encourage minority churches such as hers to find their prophetic
voice.

While acknowledging the need for action at times, Archbishop K. G. Hammar of
the Church of Sweden cautioned not to neglect attention to theological
clarity. A solid foundation is needed for action to be taken, said the
chairperson of the Standing Committee for Ecumenical Affairs.

Krause summarized the discussion as a poll on the role of the LWF in
reconciliation. He noted that Christians don't have more wisdom than other
people, but they do have more hope. Christians can make a positive
contribution in helping to resolve the problems faced by many because "we an
go into situations where others might despair," he said.

(By Rev. Kenn Ward, Editor, Canada Lutheran, the magazine of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). Ward is participating in this year's
Council meeting as ELCIC's co-opted staff to the LWF Office for
Communication Services.)

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(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 131 member
churches in 72 countries representing over 60.2 million of the nearly 64
million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches
in areas of common interest such as ecumenical relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various
aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented does
not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units.
Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material
may be freely reproduced with acknowledgement.]

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