Strong emphasis on need for action by Christians against economic and ecological injustice

by Hans Pienaar

Strong emphasis was laid on action by Christians to fight the injustices of the global economy and to seize the opportunity presented by the near-collapse of its financial system to change world institutions, in a message of an ecumenical conference at Willow Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"We are faced with a crisis that is far more than an economic or financial crisis. It is a spiritual crisis of a civilizational model that is economically unjust; ecologically unsustainable, structurally violent and socially degrading of human dignity," said the message from the Global Dialogue on the Accra Confession: Covenanting for Justice in the Economy and the Earth released on Friday, 10 September 2009.

The dialogue brought together nearly 60 high-profile theologians and church officials, mainly from the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, which represents 214 Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed and United churches in 107 countries, and 75 million congregants. For four days from 3 to 7 September they unpacked the implications of the WARC's adoption of the Accra Confession at its 24th general council in 2004 in Accra, Ghana.

"We recognized that the present global economic crisis has exposed the inadequacy of the system to meet the needs of the people across the globe. The crisis has unmasked the failure of the global economic system to nurture sustainable Earth communities," said the message of 28 articles.

It highlights one of the strongest themes throughout the conference, that of empire, describing it as, among other things, "an all-encompassing global reality serving, protecting and defending the interests of powerful corporations, nations, elites and privileged people, while imperiously excluding even sacrificing humanity and exploiting creation".

"The call on the churches in the present context is therefore to resist the life defeating and death dealing blows of the economics of empire and to present alternative economies that have their basis in the promise of life in its fullness for all."

Discussion during the four-day consultation held at the Willow Park conference centre focused on response by WARC member churches to a declaration known as the Accra Confession which was adopted at the Alliance's global assembly in Accra, Ghana in 2004. The Confession urges WARC member churches to accept that seeking alternatives to the current global economic model is a matter of faith.

WARC's general secretary, Setri Nyomi, affirms the importance to the Alliance of church action on economic and environmental justice. Nyomi states that the commitment to justice will remain central to the work of the Reformed church movement following the merger of WARC and the Reformed Ecumenical Council in June 2010 to create the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC).

"We are putting in place a structure that ensures that our covenanting for justice in the economy and the earth becomes stronger," says Nyomi. "We cannot ignore the millions of victims of injustice and the consequences of human devastation upon the Earth. I am grateful to all the participants for the forward-looking vision that came out of the consultation as reflected in the statement".

The group said covenanting for justice had to be a continuous process and that the Accra Confession had proven to be highly prophetic, and that it should be the basis for communion between churches in both rich and poor countries. "On the one hand, we give thanks for the gift of reconciliation in Christ, and on the other, we understand that authentic faith cannot be divorced from actions for justice. We come together in unity for the sake of justice.

"At our best communion is experienced in the struggle as we covenant for justice in the economy and the earth."

Another conference theme was also captured, that of the complicity of Christians and churches themselves in economic injustice: "We were also brought into an acute awareness of the seduction of globalization and the role that it plays in co-opting even the most radical movements while at the same time insulating the privileged from the violence it is based on and generates."

The group said "the answer to the crisis cannot be only economic or financial. We are in need of a more holistic and integrated strategy, led by a renewed and deepened spirituality of life."

But it also came with practical suggestions to be pursued: "We should develop and agree on a set of specific principles of economic justice that are based on the biblical values of care, compassion, responsibility and accountability, taking into account the work done by the ecumenical family.

Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, coordinator of the event and WARC's senior executive responsible for justice programmes, says: "The Global Dialogue has provided a way forward for the Accra Confession to be lived out in every place - from the streets to institutions; from communities to churches. It was made clear that today more than ever, it is vital that churches to connect with each other and with peoples' struggles, as we work together for justice and life sustaining communities."

A plan of action for churches is being developed for churches in preparation for the WARC/REC 2010 Uniting General Council.

• Read the full statement.