wfn.org | LWF asks, How does the church respond to AIDS?'

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

DEF Magazine focuses on AIDS in the life of the church

GENEVA, 21 December 1998 (lwi) - "Why must the church respond to AIDS?
Because the church has AIDS": is the theme of the December 1998 Lutheran
World Federation (LWF) Development Education Forum No.7.

The 63-page edition entitled, AIDS and the Church, is a publication of the
Office for Research and Development Education of the LWF Department for
World Service in cooperation with other departments and offices of the
Federation.

In the publication's foreword, LWF General Secretary Ishmael Noko,
referring to God's healing ministry, says: "The church, as the body of
Christ, must refute the idea that HIV/AIDS, or other illnesses, are
punishment meted out by God."

Noko argues that there is, today, sufficient information to demonstrate
that HIV/AIDS victims like those of other diseases such as cancer, are not
visited with these illnesses as a punishment. "From the Christian
perspective, human suffering in the world cannot, and should not, be
directly linked to God's will," he underlines.

The LWF general secretary acknowledges the magnitude and devastating
effects of the disease and the fact that urgent efforts must be made to
reduce or eradicate it. He however, notes that while paying tribute to the
role of individuals, governments, non-governmental organizations and
religious communities in addressing the humanitarian impacts of AIDS, it
is imperative that these efforts be also directed towards changing
societal attitudes.

Sex education is not incompatible with traditional cultures

Noko goes on to say that there is no basis for arguing against sex
education as incompatible with traditional cultures. Initiation ceremonies
that introduce the young into adulthood have been a key feature of every
traditional society, past and present. Sex education was, and is, an
integral part of these ceremonies. "Sex education, conducted responsibly,
is a must," he stresses.

He sums up the church's role in responding to HIV/AIDS thus: "In Christ,
we are invited to participate in God's healing ministry."

In the editorial, Rebecca S. Larson talks of her inspiration by the AIDS
quilt, which she first saw displayed in Geneva during the 12th World AIDS
Conference in June 1998. The quilt comprises squares of fabric into which
family and friends have sewn symbols of a life which has been lived and
memories of a person who has been loved. For those who experience the deep
love and aching loss brought out by the fabric, this quilt gathers up the
incredible loss which is brought about by the Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS) to individuals as well as to the community of the human
family, she says. It also speaks clearly of an intense determination to
fight against the epidemic and its tragic human costs.She recalls that
while the fears of AIDS have somewhat lessened over the past decade, the
tendency to not know, to not look and to not touch still exists and is
very much a part of the church's response to AIDS.

The AIDS publication presents a glimpse of the reality of AIDS in the life
of the church, Larson says. In it, one reads stories of pain and loss, and
of commitment and courage. These pages reflect the different realities of
AIDS which face the church in different parts of the world. They also give
examples of worship and other resources to assist churches in their
response to persons with AIDS, she adds.

The publication's cover is a cross draped with the AIDS ribbon, a
variation of the graphic which was first used by the Presbyterian Church
(USA). Larson writes: "To drape the AIDS ribbon around the cross
eloquently reminds all those who see it of the deep compassion of Jesus
for all who suffer from AIDS. It is also a sign of the solidarity and
commitment of the church to those who are affected by AIDS, their families
and their communities. The extent to which it is a sign of the
resurrection hope which we proclaim depends upon the willingness of the
church to be the body of Christ in the world, and to drape itself with the
reality of AIDS as it is known in too many names and faces around the
world," Larson adds.

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/