wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Economic disparities threaten survival of the

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Note #8463 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

04376
August 24, 2004

Economic disparities threaten survival of the church, Kirkpatrick says

New WARC president says PC(USA) viewed as strong justice advocate

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - Global economic disparities are "not just some problem somewhere
but are destroying our churches," said new World Alliance of Reformed
Churches (WARC) president Clifton Kirkpatrick upon his return from the
Alliance's 24th General Council in Accra, Ghana.

	"That the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer,
and that the global economic system is the fundamental cause, is the context
in which the church is trying to minister all over the world," Kirkpatrick
said in an Aug. 20 interview with the Presbyterian News Service and The
Presbyterian Outlook. "This issue is at the core of the problem of trying to
proclaim the gospel while the world is destroyed.

	"What was clear in listening to our Presbyterian brothers and sisters
around the world is that if present trends continue, there's not much future
for the world."

	WARC is the Geneva-based family of Presbyterian, Reformed and
congregational churches representing more than 75 million Christians in more
than 200 denominations.

	Kirkpatrick said his election as president of the Alliance  - which
was sharply critical of U.S. government economic and trade policies -
represents "appreciation for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for our
standing with and for the poor over many years. There was also appreciation
for our commitment to world mission and justice."

	Kirkpatrick said the mood of the Council was not anti-U.S., but
"anger and resentment directed against the 'North' for impoverishing the
'South.' There was no anti-American 'groundswell,' but a firm conviction that
policies must change."

	The WARC General Council's "message" condemned communism, but also,
Kirkpatrick said, "cautioned against a capitalism that is not moderated by
concern for the economic, social and political welfare of all people."

	Kirkpatrick spoke movingly about visiting the "slave castles" in
Accra, which was a hub of the North American slave trade. "To visit the slave
dungeons, where slaves were held while awaiting shipment across the Atlantic,
and to see that the Reformed church sat atop them was heartbreaking," he
said. "To know that the church didn't stand up for those oppressed then
created a sense of urgency for us now."

	Although it faces many challenges, Kirkpatrick said WARC "is probably
the healthiest organization in the ecumenical movement." A vast majority of
the Presbyterian and Reformed churches in the world are WARC members, a
particularly healthy sign given that "splintering is characteristic of
Reformed churches throughout history."

	One issue threatening the PC(USA) but not WARC unity is
homosexuality. It was discussed in Accra, but Kirkpatrick said only one
action was taken - to affirm the human rights of all persons, regardless of
sexual orientation.

	"Of course we acknowledged that churches are in very different
places. But we took no action on ordination or ministry," Kirkpatrick said. 
"And we made two commitments: that we would be open to hear each other, and
that this is not our most important priority and will not be a
church-dividing issue."

	Like all ecumenical organizations, WARC struggles financially. It has
historically been dependent upon European churches for the bulk of its
funding, and changing tax laws for churches in Germany "have major
implications for WARC," Kirkpatrick said. "I'm particularly struck," he
added, "by the growth of African churches' contributions."

	Kirkpatrick said he experienced in Accra "a growing recognition that
if we're going to accomplish anything, we need to renew our churches."	He
pointed to the growing number of partnerships between PC(USA) presbyteries
and congregations and overseas partners, which he said have "proven
effectiveness as sources of spiritual renewal." He said he would like to
build such partnership programs into WARC.

	The value of such cross-cultural sharing became clear to Kirkpatrick
through the daily Bible study groups that were part of the Council. "My group
was filled with people from the poorest places on earth - Bangladesh, Ghana,
Ethiopia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines -
and we studied the Book of Ruth. We looked at the story as 'getting along' in
another system, but for them this was their system. The Bible really comes
alive as we learn about these other situations. Their perspective is so
biblical, and so uncomfortable for us, and so moving for all of us.

	"If everyone could be in Bible study with folk from these places,
we'd see a global transformation."

	Presbyterians can't do everything, Kirkpatrick conceded, "but we can
find ways to live more simply, to exercise better stewardship, to resist
consumerism and to work together to change the world. Me? I've been thinking
about trading in my 10-year-old Honda. Now I'm going to drive that thing
until it flat dies."

	Many Presbyterians and their churches participate in hunger walks and
Habitat for Humanity house-building, purchase "equal exchange" and other
fair-trade products, and work for justice in many ways, Kirkpatrick said.
"Keep doing it."

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