wfn.org | WCC FEATURE: Palestinian theologian N. Ateek on Assembly theme

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World Council of Churches - Feature
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For immediate release - 01/12/2005

LABOURING FOR GOD'S TRANSFORMATION

By Naim Ateek (*)

	Reflections on the theme of the WCC 9th Assembly:
	God, in your grace, transform the world
	More articles and free photos at
	www.wcc-assembly.info

The theme of the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches - God, in
your grace, transform the world - speaks to many people in different ways.
What does it say to Christians living in a situation as difficult as that
in Palestine? Naim Ateek, a leading Palestinian theologian, reflects on
this question.

This theme is a prayer that speaks to many people in various ways. To
Palestinian Christians, it communicates five important messages, each of
them essential in the movement towards the transformation of our communities and the world.

It is a plea that is directed to God. We recognize the need for transformation, and we go in prayer straight to the one who is able to bring such
transformation about. Ultimately, it is God, the fountain of life who
renews and transforms us. In times of pain, distress and oppression the
human spirit turns to God as the source of healing, comfort and liberation. Palestinian Christians and Muslims living under the Israeli occupation of
their country constantly direct their supplications to God. Faith and
trust are placed in the power of God and not in the power of human beings.

It recognizes God's way of transformation. God relates to us through
grace, mercy and love. It is not through violence or war that God brings
about the transformation of the world. God's grace encompasses all of
God's wonderful attributes. To pray for God's grace is to reject the way
of empire, that brings about change through the destructive forces of
violence and war. Equally, it is a rejection of the methods used by
religious extremists who kill others in the name of God. To appeal to
God's grace is to seek God's will in the world and to do that will. God's
will is justice, peace and reconciliation and not domination and oppression.

It is a prayer that demands the active participation of the supplicant. It
does not look to God for help while sitting back passively and watching
things deteriorate. As Paul says, we labour with God. Indeed, without God,
we can do nothing, but we are partners in God's work of transformation.
When God transforms people, they are transformed in the image of the
transformer. We cannot be satisfied with mere change. We seek the total
transformation of people from within so that, in turn, they can become
instruments of change and transformation. We are children of God when we
are involved in the work of peace-making. God has entrusted us with the
work of reconciliation. We work together with God to make this world a
better place for all.

Transformation implies a new creation based on the justice and mercy of
God. It begins when justice is done so that peace can be established. In
the Palestinian context, justice will be achieved when the Israeli illegal
occupation of our country is terminated. Built on the firm foundation of
justice, a peaceful coexistence of a Palestinian state and an Israeli
state, one alongside the other, is the goal we work for. Transformation,
however, goes beyond the attainment of justice and peace. It must open the
way for the reconciliation and forgiveness that only God's mercy can make
possible. Transformation is realized when Israelis and Palestinians -
Jews, Muslims and Christians - recognize their common God-given humanity
and live together in peace as good neighbours.

The prayer seeks a comprehensive transformation. Our world has become so
small that what happens in one area affects other areas, sometimes very
drastically. Injustice in one place has ramifications in other places. We
cannot be selfish when we pray and work for transformation. It has to
embrace all the people of the world. This is a prayer that transcends
denominationalism, ethnicity and racism. It reaches out to all. Although
as Palestinians we feel our pain and we work and pray for the end of the
occupation of our country, we cannot be parochial. We must remember our
brothers and sisters in other places who are also living under oppressive
forces and seeking liberation. Transformation is never complete so long as
there are oppressed people suffering under the yoke of domination. The
challenge is always to work with God for the transformation of the world.

Let us pray God, in your grace, transform the world. And the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us always. Amen.

[738 words]

(*) Rev. Dr Naim Ateek, an ordained minister in the Episcopal Church, is
the founder and director of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology
Center in Jerusalem. A leading Palestinian Christian theologian, he has
published, among other books, Justice and Only Justice, a Palestinian
Theology of Liberation (Orbis, 1989). He lives and works in Palestine/Israel.

[Sidebar text]

9th WCC Assembly: Praying for a transformed world

The 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) will be held in
Porto Alegre, Brazil, from 14-23 February 2006. Its theme is a prayer:
"God, in your grace, transform the world".

The first WCC assembly of the 21st century, it will gather up to 3,000
church leaders and ecumenical representatives from nearly every Christian
tradition around the world. As such, it will be one of the broadest global
gatherings of its kind.

WCC assemblies are often turning points in the life of the World Council,
and this one is expected to leave its mark on ecumenical history.
Deliberations will focus on issues such as the future of the ecumenical
movement, the churches' commitment to economic justice as well as their
witness to overcoming violence, and the challenges faced in the midst of
religious plurality.

In Porto Alegre, members of the ecumenical family will be able to gather
around the assembly at a Mutirão, a Portuguese word that means coming
together for a common purpose. Made up of workshops, exhibitions and
cultural celebrations, this part of the assembly programme will offer
opportunities for members of the wider ecumenical movement to gather,
reflect and celebrate together.

This is the first WCC Assembly to be held in Latin America, and it is
being hosted by the National Council of Christian Churches in Brazil
(CONIC) on behalf of churches throughout the region. Pre-assembly events
for youth and for women will be held from 11-13 February.

Assembly website: www.wcc-assembly.info

[246 words]

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