wfn.org | ACNS - Address by Dr Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the Lutheran

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

World Federation

ACNS 3139 - ACC12 MEDIA RELEASE NO 7 - 21 September 2002

There is another way! We can say Yes there is a better tomorrow!

An Address by Dr Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the Lutheran World
Federation to the Twelfth Meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council

20th September, 2002

In a challenging address that provoked an absorbed response from ACC
members, WLF General Secretary, Dr Ishmael Noko urged representatives from
the Anglican Communions 38 Provinces to be involved in making sure that
Christian churches "do not fail to provide today genuine reasons to hope for
a just future for all."

Dr Noko argued that the Churches must listen to the prophetic voices of our
time, and make it clear that "the cross of Christ itself shouts into the
chaos of humanity that there is another way!" So, he said, the Churches must
proclaim the gospel of Gods free grace loudly and clearly to all; they must
strengthen their commitment and continue and serve and help at all levels in
the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, without marginalizing victims in the life
of the churches; they must boldly proclaim Gods ownership of the created
world; and they must continue to shout NO to violence against women and
children.

He called for the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran World Federation to
grasp the opportunity provided in the Report from their bi-lateral
conversation to grow together in communion and to promote strongly and
concretely the experience of fellowship in the human family that is the gift
of God.

Dr Noko began with a reflection on the vision of the 'Good Society'. "It is
essential to avoid the temptation of defining the good society by reference
to the existing evils in the world - as the sum total of the opposites of
those evils," he said. "We should proceed from the basis of fundamental
ethical principles and faith values in order to discern the shape of a
society based on those principles and values.

"It is at this point that the consequences of the Gospel of reconciliation
and communion must be identified."

Commencing with from the view that the churches social witness is radically
affected by communion, Dr Noko focussed his analysis upon globalization
and fragmentation; extreme poverty; HIV/AIDS; gender equality; racial
discrimination and other forms of discrimination; the caste system and other
forms of inherited social exclusion; armed conflicts; and environmental
protection and conservation.

He said that while globalization has brought many benefits and brought the
nations of the world much closer together, at the same time, and
paradoxically through the same processes, fragmentation and alienation are
on the rise. "Churches are themselves fully implicated in the ambiguity of
globalization." Dr Noko also suggested that to the globalization of
fragmentation lies in the notion of 'communion'.

"Poverty eats away at the self-esteem of human beings," Dr Noko said. "We
must remember that to a great extent poverty is man-made. We must remember
that this curse is not external to the life of the church. The church is
itself poor. Its life is never outside the lives of those who suffer."

Arguing that it is essential that a 'world ethic' is found, Dr Noko
emphasised that the principles of communion and reconciliation must provide
its essence. He also stressed that ethics and values are not static
concepts, they are rather, dynamic processes, so "the Good Society" itself
can't be envisaged as a static and achievable, it is rather a sign of the
Kingdom of God.

Reflecting upon inter-faith dialogue for peace, Dr Noko said "I believe we
as churches are called to multiply events such as the Assisi Conference for
Peace and to substantially strengthen our efforts at the level of ecumenical
and inter-faith relations to establish firm ground for overcoming the many
serious conflicts that have given such a tragic opening to the present
millennium."

On human rights he said "Churches, from the perspective of our faith
convictions, must insist always that human dignity must take the highest
priority in public policy, and that political and economic policies and
structures serve no other purpose than that of the well-being of the human
familyTogether with all people of faith and good will, we have the
responsibility to claim human rights and to use them on behalf of our
communities and on behalf of the whole human family."

"We must not only proclaim the faith. We must ourselves live by the same
faith. Faith that is open to the voice of the Holy Spirit. No renewal in
church life has come as a result of neglecting social and human needs," he
said. "But much renewal has come from faithful attention and loyal service
to the needs of the sick, the hungry and the oppressed - inspired not least
by the Sermon on the Mount. It may well be that once again, this is the way
Christ calls us to walk."

ACC members later gathered together in groups to discuss their response to
this thought provoking address, and when they returned to a plenary
reporting session the impact of Dr Nokos words to the Anglican Communion
and their engagement with his challenges was immediately obvious.

 From the wide cultural diversity represented in the ACC meeting, it was
clear that Dr Nokos mention of the Xhosa concept of Ubuntu was recognised
to provide an important contribution to the Churches understanding of
reconciliation and community. At the same time members also saw the place of
other traditional Christian concepts such as baptism that also emphasises
Christian community through being united into the body of Christ.

(From the ACC-12 News Team: Dan England, Margaret Rodgers, James Rosenthal)

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