wfn.org | LWI 2009-077 Lutherans in Asia Encouraged to Lead in Diakonia and Diapraxis

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Lutherans in Asia Encouraged to Lead in Diakonia and Diapraxis
LWF Regional Meeting Calls for Education and Resources to Enable Active  Engagement

BANGKOK, Thailand/GENEVA, 10 December 2009 (LWI) - Diakonia is the gospel  in action. Diapraxis is interfaith diakonia. But, as participants at the  Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Asia Pre-Assembly Consultation (APAC) and  Asia Church Leadership Conference (ACLC) deliberated further, they agreed  these expressions of church mission encompassed much more.

Members of a group discussion on "Diakonia as Reaction to Exclusion" at  the 6-9 December regional LWF meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, concluded that  diakonia is service that reconciles, empowers and accompanies. Diakonia,  they agreed, is prophetic when it announces an alternative way of being or  denounces injustice in defense of marginalized people.

Another group discussed diapraxis, based on a report about local communitie s' response to the devastating impact of the 2004 tsunami in southeastern  Asia. Formerly separated by religion, Muslims and Christians there found  themselves working side-by-side to help each other. They discovered  compassionate human beings behind religious stereotypes. The friendships  and mutual cooperation that resulted inspired subsequent LWF seminars on a  "dialogue for life." The discussion group concluded that diapraxis  provides a platform from which co-religionists can jointly address common  goals such as poverty, unemployment, corruption, human trafficking, HIV  and AIDS, and domestic violence, among others.

The diakonia discussion group members drew from previous LWF statements  and shared their experiences from nine different Asian countries. In  response to the challenges identified, they suggested that education,  resources and awareness are needed for Asian Lutherans to become more  engaged in diakonia.

Bishop Terry Kee, Lutheran Church in Singapore, said that faith leaders in  his area have begun to get acquainted. So when the government proposed  opening casinos, they joined together to take a stand against the  proposal.

Malaysian Bishop Dr Solomon Rajah, who led the diapraxis discussion,  emphasized the urgent need for additional education on the subject. If  Christians lead the way in diapraxis, "this is one area (where) we can  make our presence known," he added.

In the plenary session following the group work reports, questions were  asked about the risk of "speaking about our faith" in diapraxis. "Lutherans  should not be afraid of interfaith dialogue, because our theology of  grace is so wide that it allows for the role of mediator on many issues,"  said Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan, LWF vice president for the Asian region  and head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

Younan encouraged LWF member churches in Asia to speak out about their  faith in the respective contexts. "What we try to do in dialogue is to  find the common values of living together, coexisting, and working across  faith traditions" to alleviate suffering, eradicate poverty and resolve  other shared concerns. It is natural for people of faith to be engaged in  diakonia and diapraxis. "If we love God fully, we must love the neighbor,"  he added.

Delegates to the APAC and ACLC were drawn from the 47 LWF member churches  in 16 Asian countries, which represent more than 8.5 million Lutherans.  (510 words)

Read more about the Pre-Assemblies under the "Journey" section of the LWF  Assembly Web site at: www.lwf-assembly.org

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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 currently has 140  member churches in 79 countries all over the world, with a total membership  of 68.9 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas  of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology,  humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various  aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in  Geneva, Switzerland.)

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