wfn.org | ACNS3366 Christian mission in the 21st century Caribbean

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

ACNS 3366     |     WEST INDIES     |	  21 MARCH 2003

Christian mission in the 21st century Caribbean

[Codrington College, Barbados] In July 2002, the House of Bishops of the
Church in the Province of the West Indies (CPWI) asked each diocese to pay
greater attention to the area of mission, having identified engagement in
mission as critical to the development of the Anglican Church in the
province. Partly in response to this, the staff of Codrington College, the
historic theological college in Barbados dedicated to preparing women and
men from the dioceses of the Province of the West Indies for ordination and
to offering a range of programmes and courses in theological subjects,
organised a conference on the theme "Christian Mission in the 21st Century
Caribbean," which was held in Barbados, 12-13 March 2003.

The conference was attended on both days by more than eighty people,
including clergy and lay people from a wide range of Christian
denominations, from Barbados and overseas (Antigua, The Bahamas, The Turks &
Caicos Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts, Trinidad & Tobago, the UK, the
USA). Five papers were presented, followed by time for open discussion,
concluding on Thursday afternoon with a general discussion and a vote of
thanks led by the chairman of the Barbados Christian Council, the Revd
Stephen Sandiford.

Canon Dr Noel Titus (Principal of Codrington College) spoke on "Battling
Division: The Caribbean as the Context of Mission." Focusing on the
anglophone Caribbean, Dr Titus surveyed the colonial history of the region,
highlighting the 'culture of suspicion' that history has engendered, the
divisions caused by the influx of immigrants since the abolition of slavery,
and the geographical and political divisions resulting both from the
colonial legacy and the contemporary interference of the United States. He
also noted the issue of religious pluralism, the problem of persistent
poverty, and the erosion of Caribbean cultures by outside influences. Dr
Titus calls the churches to address several issues:

- the implications of religious pluralism for Christian Mission
- whether mission should focus on making disciples, or whether we should be
satisfied with the status quo
- how Christian Mission relates to the Caribbean
- what new initiatives should be adopted by the churches
- how the churches relate to the culture(s) of the region
- how the churches should respond to the pervasive disunity of the region

The Rt Revd Professor Stephen Sykes, Principal of St John's College, Durham,
gave a general paper on mission, entitled "Power from on High: Mission and
the Theology of the Church." He began talking of the five marks of mission
outlined by the Anglican Consultative Council at Badagry, Nigeria, in 1984.
In terms of the 'how' of mission, Professor Sykes offered a
thought-provoking discussion on power. A correct understanding of power is
necessary, since the term "power" has accumulated deeply negative
connotations through its abuse by humans throughout history. Christian
theology holds a nuanced and disciplined view of power, however, and rather
than rejecting the idea of power we must undertake our mission in the power
we receive from God (cf. Acts 1:8).

Dr James Harding, Lecturer in Old Testament Studies, Codrington College,
offered "Reflections on the Bible and Mission for the Contemporary
Caribbean." Dr Harding began by reflecting that a faithful reading of
biblical texts must do justice both to their ancient roots and to the modern
contexts in which they are to be interpreted. He offered examples of the
problematic (mis-)interpretation of biblical texts (e.g. Matthew 28:19; Luke
14:23) during the colonial period, stressing the need to be aware of such
interpretations when we use the Bible in the postcolonial Caribbean. He
focused on the root meaning of "mission" as "a sending out" and drew on the
biblical idea of the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles being "sent" - a key
idea, especially in John's Gospel. The apostolic and prophetic Christian
mission should draw on John 10:10 and Luke 4:18-19 and focus on helping all
people to live to the fullness of their potential and on critiquing and
removing injustice, in its many forms, in the tradition of Israel's
prophets.

The Very Revd Dr Titus Presler, Dean and President of the Episcopal
Theological Seminary of the Southwest, gave an engaging presentation,
interspersed with a rousing rendition of verses from 'Amazing Grace' that
was rooted in his mission experience in Zimbabwe. The title was "Companion's
in God's Mission: The Church's Global Engagement in a New Century." Dr
Presler emphasised that global engagement is central to our identity as
Christians, and focused on companionship as the central paradigm for
mission. "Companionship emphasises listening to one another and opening
ourselves to discovering Christ and the gospel anew in the experience of our
fellow pilgrims; offers our churches the opportunity to recover an emphasis
on persons rather than finance and programs; and stresses solidarity rather
than the solving of problems," he said. "The incarnational church is to be a
witness, a pilgrim, a servant, a prophet, hospitable, and a sacrament: God
is calling us to be outward and visible signs of his love, justice, and
transformation."

The final paper, by Dr Judith Soares (Tutor/Coordinator, Women and
Development Unit, School of Continuing Studies, The University of the West
Indies, Barbados) was entitled "Gender and the Christian Mission" and was a
provocative and challenging examination of the problems of male dominance
and the use of masculine language and concepts by the churches, from the
perspective of a Caribbean academic who can associate with the marginalised
on several levels, as a black woman from the developing world.

The papers and discussions highlighted a number of issues that Christians in
the region urgently need to address. In particular:

- the proper understanding and use of power
- the future of the ecumenical movement in the Caribbean (the fact that
Christians from several of the 130+ denominations in - Barbados were
involved actively in this conference is itself a very hopeful sign)
- how the churches should address Rastafarianism
- attitudes to women and the problem of male language about God
- the need to pay careful attention to our accurate use of language in
religious contexts, e.g. when using the term "orthodox"
- the need for those involved in theological education to see preparing
students to engage actively in mission as a priority
- how the Caribbean churches may best engage in mission outreach, at home
and globally

___________________________________________________________________

For details about the Enthronement of the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury,
the Most Revd Rowan D Williams, visit http://www.anglicancommunion.org/

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