wfn.org | Ministry of Reconciliation Calls for Commitment to the 'Forgotten'

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

LWF President Krause:'Reconciliation is Possible'

04 - LWF COUNCIL MEETING, 12-19 JUNE 2001

GENEVA, 13 June 2001 (LWI) í A vocation to the ministry of reconciliation
does not lead the church or individual Christians to the position of neutral
observers or arbitrators, instead it calls for a decisive commitment to the
forgotten in this world, said the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) President
Bishop Dr. Christian Krause, during his opening address to the 2001 LWF
Council meeting here, June 12-19.

Delivering his address titled "The Ministry of Reconciliation" Krause who is
also bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick, noted that
breaking through whatever barriers may exist between people will often lead
into mortal conflict with the enemies of reconciliation in real life. But,
noted Krause, "the message of reconciliation compels us to undertake the
ministry of reconciliation among human beings, following Jesus
example--namely on behalf of Christ." Reconciliation is possible, he added.

On the theme of this year's Council meeting, "The Church: Called to a
Ministry of Reconciliation", chosen by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Jordan (ELCJ), Krause noted that the ELCJ did not single it out by chance
but rather it was an expression of the bitter reality, hatred and violence
experienced by the people there. "A cry and a call for help, hope and
despair, are united in the reverberations when our brothers and sisters from
Bethlehem and surroundings put precisely this theme" before the Council
members representatives of the 131 LWF churches. At its 2000 meeting in
Turku, Finland, the Council decided to hold its meeting in
Bethlehem/Jerusalem hosted by the ELCJ, but a decision was taken later to
shift the venue to Geneva because of the tragic conflict situation in
Israel/Palestine.

The reflection on the ministry of reconciliation, Krause noted, also leads
to the theme of the Tenth LWF Assembly, "For the Healing of the World." The
Tenth Assembly will take place in Winnipeg, Canada in 2003.

The LWF president used various examples to demonstrate that reconciliation
indeed is possible. He spoke of the fall of the apartheid regime in South
Africa and cited a leading anti-apartheid activist, Christian F. Beyers, who
when asked whether he considered reconciliation possible after years of
systematic discrimination against the vast majority of the population,
answered in the affirmative basing his understanding on "a biblical and
theological viewpoint."

Turning to his April/May visit to southern Africa--Botswana, Namibia and
South Africa--the LWF president expressed shock at the many concerns he
encountered namely the gap between the poor and rich and its accompanying
social tensions including crime, and the enormous spread of AIDS posing a
major threat throughout the region.

Krause also witnessed signs of reconciliation. After a visit to Robben
Island, he went to Genadendal, the first Christian mission station of the
Moravian Church in South Africa, an LWF member church since 1975. World
renown anti-apartheid activist, and South Africa's first black President
Nelson Mandela forms a link between the two places. After his release from
prison in 1990, Mandela visited the old mission station and then gave the
name Genadendal "Valley of Grace") to his presidential residence. "Yes,
reconciliation is possible when you rely on God's work of reconciliation in
Jesus Christ through "genaden" alone!" Krause stressed.

The LWF president emphasized the vital commitment of the LWF and its member
churchesto overcoming violence against women and children and mentioned
involvement in the World Council of Churches recently launched Decade to
Overcome Violence associated with the worldwide Peace to the City network.
"Violence of any kind distorts the human dignity of the image of God so that
it becomes a mask of inhumanity," Krause added.

With special focus on the Middle East, Krause pointed out that "we dare to
claim that reconciliation is possible"in the name of Jesus, and "commit
ourselves to justice and reconciliation in solidarity with those who are
threatened by violence." He expressed gratitude to congregations and
individual Christians, especially in Sweden and the United States of
America, who regularly hold prayer vigils for peace and reconciliation in
the Holy Land.

The LWF president also spoke of reconciliation as it relates to the way to
visible unity of the Church of Christ. "We do not witness to Christ by
judging the religious convictions of others but by doing what Christ did:
inviting, opening up, healing and blessing. Thus, starting with and in
Christ, Christianity cannot be exclusive; it can only be inclusive." The
Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed by the LWF and the
Vatican on 31 October 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, opened up a new chapter in
the relations between the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches. "If we stick
to the core of the gospel sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura and solus
Christus we shall not only overcome the old breaches of the Reformation but
also find the strength to overcome the remaining differences on the way to a
unity in reconciled diversity," stressed Krause.

Also LWF member churches have been involved in regional ecumenical
dialogues. Krause welcomed "such steps towards reconciled diversity" and
emphasized the need for the Lutheran communion to remain clearly committed
to this ministry of reconciliation among Christians worldwide and in so
doing also resist all dangers of divisive confessionalism.

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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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