The Lutheran World Federation

LWF - Special Events - Hong Kong 1997 - Reports

Reports and Commitments

"In Christ-Called to Witness"

Table of Contents

Preamble

Jesus and His Disciples

During this Assembly we have felt Christ's presence in our midst, gathering us and sending us forth. We have been constantly reminded of this by the remarkable portrait of Christ at the front of the Assembly hall and on the Assembly poster which has been all around us here. In the picture by the Chinese artist Dr He Qi, Jesus stands with his arms outstretched, surrounded by persons who are not just figures from the New Testament, but are also the world to which Jesus reaches out: men and women, young and old. By the standards of the world, they may be good, bad, or indifferent, but they are all justified sinners in Christ.

For the first time, an LWF Assembly is meeting in Asia and we have come here from every corner of the globe. We have been greeted by Chinese Christians who have shared with us their witness within one of the most ancient cultures in the world, which is yet foreign to so many of us. Our immediate surrounding has been a cosmopolitan city, yet with its own specific history. Life together in the diversity of this Assembly has not always been easy. Our many languages, our many gifts, and also our many failings have been visible. It is Christ, however, who binds us together.

We have come to Hong Kong to express our solidarity with the Lutheran and other Christian churches here at the time of the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. Transition brings with it both uncertainty and new possibilities. Together with the Chinese churches, we have here in Hong Kong heard the word of promise and assurance that Christ is with us "always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). We have learned from the churches in Hong Kong and the mainland of China about their different experiences of the church and their missionary efforts. We leave Hong Kong with these churches in our hearts and ask that those who read or hear this report also keep these churches in their prayers.

We have here celebrated fifty years together in the Lutheran World Federation. Much has changed in fifty years, in both the world and the LWF. The Lutheran churches have grown together, so that today we can call ourselves a communion of churches. The visible face of the communion has changed, both to include churches from a greater variety of lands, as well as to include the whole of the community of the baptized, especially women and youth, in all parts of its life. The cries of people in need have changed over fifty years, but they are still with us and can be heard among us. Reconciliation and aid to refugees have remained defining tasks of our communion and its structures. In this Assembly we have given thanks for the gifts we have been given within our history together and sought to discern lessons for the future into which we are called.

Witness in a diverse world to the diversity of God's work has many aspects, and so we have met here in smaller groups, "village groups," each with its own concern. The mosaic of this report, made up of the reports from these groups, forms a portrait of this assembly. As stones in a mosaic, the parts of this report differ somewhat in style and tone. These varied aspects are all needed for the full life and witness of the church; they are all part of the mission of Christ's community. We send this report out with the hope that it will be of use as we all seek in Christ to respond to the call to witness.

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Called to be a Communion in Christ

Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, LWF General Secretary, during the Sunday Festival Eucharist marking the 50th Anniversary of the LWF

The outstretched arms of Christ gather us together into a communion which is the body of Christ. We know, however, that our communion and community are imperfect. There are many churches with which we cannot live out the communion we have been given in baptism. We have been encouraged by reports of new initiatives toward the greater visible unity of the church. Our unity within the Lutheran communion is not a final goal, but a significant step on the ecumenical way and a foretaste of the greater unity Christ wills for his church.

Our communion is to be itself a witness in a world that lacks, longs for, and yet also fears community. In such a world, diversity can become a source of division and the occasion for hatred and injustice. We must confess that too often division occurs also in our churches.

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Communion in a Divided World

We are called in Christ into the communion gathered around Word and Sacrament, a communion engaged in mission and witness to the world. Communion is not something we achieve, it is a gift of God. This truth empowers us to the task of communion. We are to bear Christ's creating and redeeming Word to all the world.

We are called to witness to Christ in a dynamic, ever-changing, diverse, and divided world. Both within and outside the church, communion is broken and such brokenness manifests itself in poverty, violence, unjust economic structures, sexism, nationalism, racism, ethnocentrism, war, unequal access to technologies, denominationalism, etc. In our brokenness we find the basis for life in communion anew only through reconciliation.

The church's worship is central to its witness. A joy of this Assembly has been the experience of common worship in which we have been joined in the one Spirit. Christian worshipers are called to risk believing our Lord's promises:

  • that where two or three are gathered in his name, Jesus is among them;
  • that the Christ has destroyed death and given us life in his victory;
  • that the Lord promises that "those who hear you, hear me" (Luke 10:16);
  • that we receive the Lord's body and blood in Holy Communion;
  • that Jesus empowers us to obedience as witnesses;
  • that the Lord will come again in glory.

Therefore, the communion of saints is empowered to take risks as:

  • reconcilers in a world of divided peoples and churches;
  • intercessors for the forgotten, the lost and alone, the ignored, the displaced, the dispossessed and despised;
  • givers and lovers and caretakers and sharers in a world bent on security, exploitation, consumption and possessions;
  • servants in a world which worships its lords of false power and might.

In solidarity with other Christians we can act together manifesting new expressions of our given communion. Across the barriers created in both church and world we are called to work together to address the pressing issues of our times.

Communion implies a call and commitment to respond in Christ for the sake of the church and the wider society.

We commit ourselves to

  • engage in open and constructive dialogue with Lutheran churches outside the LWF and shall foster dialogue among its member churches in communion one with another;
  • continue to encourage the church's exploration of and experiment with the concepts and forms of baptism, eucharist, and ministry (including such issues as episcopé, diaconal ministries, and women's ordination) in local, national and global expressions;
  • model and witness God's reconciling activity in the world, moving beyond models of peace-keeping/arbitration/mediation to offer Christ's forgiveness and reconciliation;

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In Pursuit of the Greater Visible Unity of the Church

Joint Declaration on Justification

For the sake of a common witness to Christ, we appreciate the great efforts that have been made to produce a "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" (JD) by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church in which a consensus in basic truths is expressed and the relevant condemnations of the Reformation era are declared to be non-applicable to the partner today. We are grateful to be on the brink of this historic ecumenical achievement, which opens new perspectives of dialogue and common engagement between the Lutheran churches and the Roman Catholic Church. The task of the churches is now to judge whether they can affirm the consensus expressed in the JD as a whole and thus the twofold result summarized in JD 40-41.

Stating a consensus in questions of doctrine is not only a matter of theological inquiry and judgment, but also a matter of trust developed in many and manifold encounters, common engagement, and in the experience of believing together in Christ.

Justification by God's grace is the core of Christian faith. The doctrine of justification stands in an essential relation to all truths of faith. We deeply appreciate the affirmation here by the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity of what is stated in #18 of the Joint Declaration: the doctrine of justification is an indispensable criterion for all the teaching and practice of the church. It represents the basis of our faith.

This process urges the Lutheran churches and the Catholic Church to continue their work on issues not yet solved, and to deepen and broaden the consensus and its consequences.

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The Ecumenical Situation

Particularly in the last three decades, the ecumenical movement has reached important steps and stages on the road toward unity. The relations between the churches have been significantly transformed at all levels. An overview of ecumenical life shows how different the ecumenical situation is in various parts of the world. In Europe, we are grateful to be witnesses of the reception process of the Leuenberg Agreement between Lutheran, Reformed and United churches, and of the signing of the Meissen Agreement and the Porvoo Common Statement. Meissen realizes a closer fellowship on the way to communion between the Church of England and the German Reformed, Lutheran and United churches; Porvoo establishes communion between four Anglican signatory churches of Britain and Ireland and six Nordic and Baltic Lutheran churches. In the United States, the Lutheran church is considering full communion with the Episcopal (Anglican) church and also with three Reformed churches.

A resolution of the Council of the LWF in 1993 asked the member churches to inform the others when they are in a process of entering into a commitment with another church. This responsibility of being in communion becomes very important in a time when the future challenge will be the question of the compatibility of the different dialogues. Communion needs communication, the whole of the communion is concerned in the ecumenical actions of its individual members.

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Reception

There are different levels on which reception of ecumenical agreements should happen: the decision-making bodies of the churches who are responsible for binding doctrinal decisions, the local level, the theological level, and also in the worldwide communion of the Lutheran churches.

We urge our churches to undertake the process of reception ecumenically. Especially in the case of the JD, worship, Bible studies and theological work together with the Catholic partners should show the content and the existential importance of justification. In this way, the affirmations of the JD should be formulated in a language accessible to all believers, and its practical consequences in regard to a more comprehensive common service and witness should be explored.

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Ecumenical Commitment of the LWF

Looking back on 50 years of growing ecumenical involvement of the LWF and grateful for all the work which was done in the bilateral dialogues,

we commit ourselves to call upon the LWF and its member churches

  • to continue the dialogues on international and regional levels;
  • to continue implementing ecumenical activities in connection with the Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women (1988-1998) and with the resolution taken at the 1990 LWF Assembly at the local, national, and international levels;
  • to ask the Lutheran member churches of the World Council of Churches (WCC) to engage in the search for a new vision for the future development of the WCC;
  • to request the Council and the Secretariat of the LWF to participate actively in present and future reflections on the future of the ecumenical movement and of more adequate instruments of this movement;
  • to ask all the worldwide confessional and ecumenical church bodies to look for better coordination of programs and assemblies.

We reaffirm our conviction that ecumenical commitment is an integral part of Lutheran confessional identity and recommit ourselves to participate fully in the one ecumenical movement.

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Called to be a Living Community

Rev. Dr. Prasanna Kumari (India) during an informal presentation in the yuan tsai (Women's Center) at the LWF Assembly

The community Christ gathers does not live outside this world, but in particular locations and histories. Each church is called to be the one church of all times and places in its own place and time. How can the churches more truly be the body of Christ within their own specific cultural situation? How do we maintain our life together as a communion, yet each of us be rooted in our own culture?

The greater presence of women and youth at this Assembly than at previous Assemblies remind us of our past and present failures and future challenges as we seek to live out our community in Christ. The wholeness of our common life in Christ calls us to respect and encourage the diverse gifts of the body, the gifts of women and men, young and old. The concrete lives of our communities must be a witness to the God who calls us to communion in Christ and unites us in the Spirit.

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In the Midst of Cultural Plurality: Incarnational Presence

Our communities are located in different cultural settings. It is our call from our Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit, always and everywhere, to look for the best possible cultural expressions of our faith and witness. Contextual witness, however, should take place in a global vision of unity in Christ. Such witness is part of the incarnational presence of Christ in the churches. In the future this should be especially considered in the following programmatic areas:

Churches as living communities: Christian communities are called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Therefore they are empowered to be witnessing, inclusive, tolerant, serving and caring, reconciling and inspired by the self-giving love of Christ, gathering regularly around Christ and in the Holy Spirit to receive the love of God and be enabled to bring it to the world.

Contextual theology: Theology is contextual in principle and develops within a concrete life situation. The theology of Luther was itself strongly contextual. Context challenges our theology. Contextual theology will reflect individual experience, keeping in mind the context of the community. Through his incarnation God has poured himself into "earthen vessels." The stories of Jesus in the New Testament give the paradigm of contextual theology and Christian life.

Worship in the living community: Worship takes place in our churches and congregations today in settings which are often multicultural. Cultural variety is not something which should divide us, but rather is an expression of God's creative work. Therefore we ask ourselves, how can worship be culturally sensitive? How do we retain the relationship between affirmation and critique of all our cultures? Worship is one of the contextual expressions of a living community including their struggles and joys. It implies also confession of things which divide us. In our worship we are strengthened for inclusive community life.

Christian education: We commend the commitment of the LWF and its member churches to contextual Christian education and the existence and current implementation of Christian education programs which serve our living communities at every age level.

Christian witness in the socio-political context: Diverse political and cultural systems require diverse approaches. In spite of this we must stress one common task. We all bear a responsibility for the well-being of the society in which we live. Therefore we must seek forms of political engagement. These should not grow out of an interest in wielding of power but out of the obligation to follow Christ, even in his suffering. This engagement means working for shalom in society and taking up advocacy for the weak and oppressed.

In relation to these concerns,

we commit ourselves to call upon our member churches:

  • to promote cultural sensitivity and the growth of truly inclusive and loving community life in our congregations;
  • to find symbols and forms of communion that communicate the gospel;
  • to support local communities in the development of ways of worship reflecting their cultural contexts, with special attention to issues of hospitality, inclusive participation, and cultural inclusiveness;
  • to further Christian education which is contextual and also prophetic;
  • to encourage, empower, and accompany their members for responsible socio-political engagement;
  • to carry out studies on the impact of the Christian faith on the development of participatory democratic structures.

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Men and Women: Gender and the Theology of the Churches

Gender and Our Faith

"What does it mean to be male or female?" This question of gender receives different answers in different societies. Gender expression is shaped by religious, ethnic, economic and cultural factors and value systems. Gender is not drawn from biological information only.

As baptized persons, joined to the death of Jesus in order to live his new life (Romans 6:3-6), we are called to a new reality: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female" (Galatians 3:28). In Christ we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). This new creation is celebrated most profoundly in the Holy Communion where we all gather at the one table, without distinction or rank, to receive the body and blood of Christ in order to be the body of Christ in the world.

To speak about gender from a biblical and theological perspective leads us to affirm that our faith in the triune God calls us to acts of justice in these relationships, including equal regard for one another as men and women, the sharing of power and service, the recognition of gifts and establishment of structures which are accessible and hospitable to all of God's people.

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Issues We Face

Leadership: A balance is needed in our churches between men and women at the leadership level. At the local level, our gatherings often are made up by a majority of women, yet are led by a minority of men, reflecting society rather than being a prophetic sign of Christ breaking through the prevailing system. This affects women and men in destructive ways.

Feminist theology: Discussion of gender issues must have a biblical and theological basis. There is a need for a better understanding of the content and meaning of feminist/womanist theology to facilitate the gender discussion in the churches. Theology and education have been primarily male-oriented, although Jesus Christ invited both men and women to be his disciples and be witnesses to the world. Education and theology should be gender sensitive, helping both men and women to become more self-aware.

Ordination of women: The Lutheran World Federation supports the ordination of women and men as a gift from God to the church (Curitiba Assembly, 1990). We have heard here, however, that 30 percent of the member churches still do not ordain women. Member churches must continue to dialogue on this subject. In particular, the LWF should stand in solidarity with those women who seek ordination because they are called by God, but cannot be ordained because women's ordination is not practiced in their home church.

Partnership: We recognize the need for men and women to participate equally and consensually in the partnership of work; household management; care of children, the elderly, and sick; and life in church and community. Without this partnership women will always be disadvantaged in competitive economic and social environments.

Family: We should foster a sound theological and inclusive understanding of family, and support a healthy family life through education concerning gender awareness, communication skills, for marriage and family life, skills for parenting, and household devotions. Pastoral care should be provided for individuals and families in need. We should also encourage reflection upon values and priorities in the relation between the need to earn a living and the needs of family life, especially the needs of children.

Human sexuality: The church needs always to remind itself of the fundamental goodness of human sexuality. Those practices that degrade sexuality must be condemned and combated, e.g., female genital mutilation, sex tourism and trafficking, prostitution, sexual abuse both within marriage (including the lack of the right to refuse intercourse) and outside marriage (including incest, sexual harassment, pedophilia). Our churches affirm fidelity as the norm for relationships of sexual intimacy while continuing to seek clarity about forms of partnership which have recently been the subject of debate among us (marriage, premarital cohabitation, homosexuality, single parenthood, divorce, etc.).

We commit ourselves to call on the member churches of the LWF:

  • to actively examine, study and promote gender awareness as it impinges upon theology, education, economics, human sexuality (including sexual harassment, violence and abuse), power sharing in church and community, and family life;
  • to discuss the Platform for Action of the 1995 UN World Conference on Women and its implementation;
  • to discuss the report "We Are Witnesses" from the 1995 LWF International Consultation on Women and implement its programs;
  • to put into practice the decisions concerning women's ordination of the 1990 LWF Assembly and the 1995 meeting of the LWF Council in Windhoek

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As Youth: From Representation to Participation

With joy the Assembly has taken note of the message presented by the youth during their Pre-Assembly in Bangkok and their dreams looking forward to the year 2000 shared with us during our Assembly. Youth are vital for the present and future life of the church; youth are full members of the church today and not simply persons who wait to become the church of tomorrow. We want to enter the next millennium as reconciled generations. Young people need respect, independence and to be looked upon with trust.

Being Lutheran implies a focus on salvation through grace, faith, and baptism. Yet there is an urgent need in our churches to reflect this commitment, particularly in order to answer youth's search for spirituality, love and belonging. An open, non-moralistic, and authentic approach is required to reach the youth and to include them in developing and renewing congregations, church life, and liturgy.

Youth in church and society are a potential and challenge. Young people are still willing to take responsibility for the challenges and problems of today's world, both in church and society. Like any members of the body of Christ, we need to be equipped for this responsibility. We need a special, but adequate, structure for youth to assure an independent place for feedback and discussion. Wherever empowerment is on the agenda, innovative and contextual approaches must be developed in order to be able to reach youth better. But there seems to be a lack of connection and communication between the church and its different youth structures. When it comes to designing the future plans of the church, young people often are made to wait passively for their turn, which usually comes after they are grown up. It is no wonder that many young people have difficulties in regarding the church of their parents as their church as well. Therefore, we call for sensitive mentorship (inter-age learning process) and exchange of experiences between generations in order to strengthen all to be qualified co-workers both in church and society.

Christian faith needs to be lived out in a vibrant spirituality. Especially among youth, there is a strong search for spirituality, which shows the need for a renewal of liturgical life. This renewal should be based on honest dialogue with youth and should include education on Lutheran theology and guidance in relation to traditional liturgy. We believe that Lutheran teaching and tradition give an answer and meeting point for the spiritual search of youth. Young people tend to live out their spirituality in a different way than that which they have learned in the church of their parents. We are called to seek ways of creating greater opportunities for youth involvement in the life of the church so that the honest spiritual concerns and talents of youth and other groups are included in the future development of church and society.

Youth can play an active and significant role in programs which combat various social problems. They should be encouraged to use their professional skills in the social services of the church. Programs equipping them in their involvement in the social issues should continue to be on the agenda of the churches and the LWF Youth Program.

Especially in the context of the wider communion of Lutheran churches and our ecumenical settings, we have a unique opportunity to develop models of youth work which will help us discover and utilize the positive potential of young people in the daily life of the church. It is our task to find common ground for participation of youth in the mission of the church. Leadership training programs for young people on the local, regional, and global levels should be part of the LWF Youth Program in the next period. Regional networking is needed to enable the sharing of experiences and resources. Young people who have taken part in the leadership training programs should be recognized and utilized as resource persons by their own churches.

We commit ourselves

  • to ensure that youth be granted an active participation in decisions in the LWF and its member churches at all levels and that the role of the younger members of the LWF Council as representatives and resource persons for the churches in their region be strengthened.

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Called to be a Witnessing Community

In the picture we have had before us, Jesus' hands stretch out in invitation and healing to the whole world, gathering together a community of witness. An individual, a church, a community, a communion which has Christ cannot hide him: to witness is its way of being as well as its way of acting. We are called to witness in and within the world around us, pictured by the artist in the diverse people around Jesus: persons conversing, women and men with the burdens and tools of their trades. It is into this world we are sent: an increasingly postmodern, fragmented but globalized world, a world where age-old greed finds new and more powerful forms of expression.

On Jesus' hands we can see the marks of his crucifixion. He suffers with the world he calls. The presence of Judas among those around Christ in the poster reminds us of our own willingness to inflict suffering for our own profit, our failure to challenge the global systems that foster poverty and death. Our witness to Christ cannot be separated from service to the world, stewardship of creation, and advocacy for all who suffer abuses of body, mind, soul, and spirit.

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In the Midst of Religious Plurality: Mission and Dialogue

As we near the dawn of the third millennium, we are keenly aware that all Lutheran churches exist and witness in contexts which are multireligious and multicultural. In each context, our witness to Christ must be sensitive to the particularities of context. As the gospel encounters a certain context, our witness finds concrete expression. For example, in Africa Christians live together with Muslims and adherents of African religion. In Asia, Christians are usually in a minority situation. In Western countries, which were traditionally Christian, we now find societies which are religiously and culturally plural and significantly shaped by secularism. Plurality challenges our witness, which must prove itself in relation to a growing relativism.

We recognize that witness is the basic task of the church. It is indispensable to our identity and integrity as Christians. As we read in 1 Peter 3:15: "Always be prepared to give answer to everyone who asks you to give reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

Crucifer and Water Bearers at the Opening Eucharist

Based in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and the Great Commandment (Luke 10:27) Christian witness necessarily includes evangelism and service. In our current religiously and culturally plural world we recognize that living together with people of different faiths is an unavoidable challenge to Christians and churches, engendering interfaith dialogue.

Evangelism means to share with all people the good news of God's love and mercy in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christian witness needs to take account of the growing number of people who are adherents of other religions or practice a diffuse form of religiosity. Christian witness must focus on the basic content of Christian faith, use an understandable language, and relate to the real needs and expectations of the people. It should be an invitation to faith in Christ and to the experience of his transforming presence and power. Personal witness is as important as mutual encouragement in small groups. Our witness should reflect the joy which God brought to the whole world through Jesus Christ. We have a message to bring which has not lost its vitality and relevance for our present day life.

Interreligious dialogue is a creative engagement with people of other faiths. It takes place in various forms and is characterized by listening and sharing in a manner of mutual respect. With a spirit of humility and honesty, dialogue allows the possibility of working together as people of different faiths for the common good. We acknowledge that all are created by the one God, at work in the whole world. Such dialogue can also help us to be clearer about the expressions of our own faith. It should lead us to recognize others as they understand themselves. It helps find solutions to conflicts between different groups. It occurs through reflection as well as through practical approaches within everyday life. This does not diminish the truth claim of our faith in Jesus Christ, to whom we have been called to witness over against other religions.

Service is a necessary practical expression of our love of God and our neighbor. We are to care for others according to their needs. It is a form of witness to the community and for the community. Service includes advocating and pursuing justice in concrete ways.

The multifaith context challenges Christians to find appropriate approaches to pastoral care, e.g. in religiously mixed families, to people in hospitals, prisons etc. It also calls for an evaluation of the content and methods of theological and Christian education at different stages of church life. Christian witness should pay special attention to the religious and cultural backgrounds of those with whom we work, e.g. indigenous peoples.

We commit ourselves

  • to strengthen our missiological and missionary efforts, to deepen our understanding of the gospel, and to explore new ways of sharing God's love with people who do not yet or no longer know Christ as their Lord and Savio

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Through Communication: Values, Power and the Information Society

The Lutheran World Federation and its member churches have throughout their common history demonstrated a clear commitment to communication both as integral to the building up of ecclesial communion and as indispensable to effective witness in the world. 

LWF Ninth Assembly: Plenary Session

Communication for both of these purposes has taken place in different contexts and through a wide variety of instruments. The need to maintain continual reflection on the comprehensive nature of communication, its relation to communion, the role of high technology, and the realities of the many contexts within which churches carry out their daily lives continues to be a matter of high priority.

Communion and communication require each other. The church is built up by that communication, with its Lord and among its members (communicants), which conveys grace, love, and care. The church, moreover, fulfills its mission and ministry by the credibility of its communication to the world in both word and witness. In a new information age, present throughout the world, the church has both a unique opportunity to deepen its life and, in Christ, to extend its witness, and a clear responsibility to make human all aspects of the world's communication enterprise.

With the dawn of the information age, new opportunities, new challenges, and new risks face the global communion of Lutheran churches in relation to communication. Developments are already massive and global, raising questions of great enormous ethical, political, social, and economic importance, issues of values and power in the information age.

New technologies such as the Internet and e-mail present unprecedented possibilities for witness, for the sharing of information, and for the deepening of relations both within and between churches. In this complex situation we have to reflect and study the limits - moral, practical, financial - to communication technology as well as the implications of globalization for communication. The uses and misuses of power in communication - ideological, technological, economic, political - need to be identified and located in both church and society. We have to strengthen democracy in communication and, given the gap between those who are "connected" and those who are "unconnected," strive to achieve universal access to the information age and give a voice to "the voiceless."

Within the framework of this new and global information age, the LWF's vision of communication in the service both of the churches and of the Federation itself stands in need of renewal and a clearer focus. The Internet, for example, requires new advocacy for all people's right to access to communication and information, new methods of specific training, and adaptations to become appropriate in the wide variety of contexts within which churches live and work. The balance, moreover, between communication based on high technology and other forms of communication and information distribution, including group media, needs to be reassessed. The use of the Internet should be encouraged, supported, and developed in LWF member churches. The LWF has to continue to develop its own presence on the Internet in a participatory, interactive way, and at the same time to maintain and develop its present communication activities.

We commit ourselves to call on member churches for a renewed fulfillment of our communication vocation which stands in the service of Christ and his church by the following:

  • develop a comprehensive communication policy for the Lutheran communion, including communication within our churches on the grassroots level and giving due consideration to the work of ecumenical partners;
  • develop a plan for developing Internet and e-mail capabilities and active access among LWF member churches, including technical and technological advice and training as well as financial support;
  • explore new possibilities created by the Internet for the format and conduct of and participation in the LWF's Tenth Assembly;
  • develop new programs to insure the full participation of women and men, young and old, in the communication activities of both the Federation and its member churches;
  • engage in an ongoing critical theological, ecclesiological, ethical, and socio-political reflection on communication in the information age, in cooperation with centers of reflection on communication ethics, appropriate international organizations and political institutions, and ecumenical partners.

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Through Faithful Stewardship of God's Creation

All creation is meant to share God's shalom. While humankind is called forth as God's "crown of creation" to have dominion over the works of God's hands, we have sinned in our supposition that dominion is to be exercised "over" rather than "in and with" creation as a sign of service to God.

God's creating act and the incarnation of Christ bespeaks God's high regard for the material world. Redemption happens in the context and for the fulfillment of creation. The triune nature of God, whose image we bear reminds us that God's "communion identity" is to be reflected in humankind's activity in and with creation; through human being, ecology itself is meant to share in God's gracious, creative, gift of justification in Jesus Christ. Creation bears within it - even if as a mask - the inexhaustible presence of God.

These theological themes are important to help us see rightly and so to act rightly. But they are incomplete without urgent practical responses, and these must be of a holistic character. Some individuals may adopt an appropriate "ascetic" lifestyle that reminds us of early Christian lifestyles of sacrifice and simplicity. Others will find it appropriate to emphasize the God-given character of creation through prayer, corporate worship, the arts, and hospitality. Again, others will practice political and economic strategies, such as an environmental tithe, that redirect resources for the purposes of human justice and solidarity with the creation. Some churches themselves concretely practice political advocacy on behalf of the oppressed and the environment. We celebrate wherever these strategies have been practiced and encourage that further will and imagination be directed to similar ends. With such examples and more, countries should be urged to keep the commitments they made at the 1992 "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro.

Spiritual renewal: The need for spiritual renewal is a challenge to us. We are called to return to our scriptural and theological traditions, but not in a narrow literalist, dogmatic, or parochial way. A purely "spiritualistic" reading of Scripture is neither pure nor spiritual. Scripture is to be read in its fullness, just as prayer and praise are incomplete without corresponding praxis in the environment. Theological traditions should also include a discussion of the theology of land. Our addiction to a secularist, materialistic consumerism has led to our spiritual impoverishment; there is such a thing as "death by bread alone." Spiritual renewal in this situation involves confession and repentance, as well as commitment to values and lifestyles which promote a just and sustainable global society. We call on the LWF to support churches and countries who face environmental destruction caused by dominant powers.

Biotechnology: We face a particular challenge from new developments in biotechnology. We are aided greatly in the engineering of more productive agricultural goods, but reliance on such technologies must not replace, e.g., the wisdom of crop rotation and wise land use derived from centuries of experience in local contexts. The alleviation of much physical suffering that will derive from genome research is a promise for much joy. But our joy should be tempered with such a Christian respect for God's creation that we not pretentiously "play God." Still, we are encouraged to assume our vocations as God's co-laborers for the increase of life in its goodness and fullness. We need to ask continually whether biotechnology promotes life in community and whether it closes the gap between rich and poor. Does the use of biotechnology lead to the praise of God? Is it at the service of our witness to the Giver of life? The LWF can aid its member churches by supplying information regarding the state of biotechnology and its consequences, particularly where it negatively affects life and culture.

Economy and ecology: We are challenged by too much wealth in too few hands. The relation between economy and ecology is intimate. The disparity between the rich and poor grows. Air, land, sea and creatures commune in one oikos wherein all activity has an effect upon all. Within this house, large economies of multinational corporate life exercise power that both promises and enslaves. The underside is particularly clear where environmental degradation is reciprocally related to the increase of human poverty, especially for indigenous peoples. Our own church financial processes are involved in these global and corporate webs, so that it is a challenge for the church actually to practice socially just investment policies. Yet we are challenged to imagine and will solutions that enhance global community, such as the call for the restructuring of national debts of oppressed countries. If environmental health is not sought, keeping in mind generations upon generations to come, the negative consequences can only become the more severe.

Stewardship: We are challenged finally to reject a false understanding of "stewardship" that connotes anthropo-centrism and imperialism, that would objectify the creation and lay it at humankind's disposal. Indeed, we need to move to a new concept of faithfully exercising our partnership with and in God's continuing creation. The challenges are great, but we will not be overwhelmed, because we are witnesses who are by God's grace in Christ.

We commit ourselves to call upon the member churches:

  • to dialogue with other churches, people of other faiths, the scientific community, and environmental groups about local priorities for environmental action;
  • to work towards the implementation of Agenda 21 of the Rio Summit for sustainable development in our local context;
  • to investigate bioethical issues and to offer pastoral care and counseling on bioethical problems.

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Through Service Amidst a Suffering World

Opening Eucharist

After World War II, as the LWF was in formation, one out of every six Lutherans was a refugee or displaced person. This is an important fact of our common Lutheran heritage. The LWF was formed in large part as a way for Lutherans to band together to meet human need. Through this common service and God's reconciling word, Lutheran churches and people got to know each other better and grew closer. Wounds of war and deprivation were healed. Service then and now promotes unity.

With a long history of compassion for people in need and out of our special experience in this century as a church of refugees and uprooted people, Lutherans have placed a high value on ministries of service - in diakonia, development work, refugee and disaster response. This strong commitment to service is a mark of the Lutheran church.

In our work of service, we aim not only to alleviate suffering but to advocate for justice, to promote the inherent God-given dignity of each human being. Lutheran diaconic programs should be understood and carried out as part of a holistic ministry.

Much of human suffering is due to poverty. We live in a world of great contrasts: of hope and fear, of unprecedented human progress and unspeakable human misery. There is a growing gap between rich and poor, both within countries and between them.

We seek a world in which there is justice for the poor - in which all people can live a life of full human dignity, free of degradation and fear. These are among the elements which we see as crucial to achieving this goal of justice for all: food security, respect for human rights, education and literacy, advocacy -local, national, and international - to change unjust systems, sharing of resources, taking responsibility for one's own situation.

We have a special concern for those who are most marginalized: the poorest of the poor, those in vulnerable groups, those neglected or abandoned by government and the community, those who are forced to degrade their bodies or sacrifice their childhood in desperate attempt to survive.

As we work in service, we seek to strengthen organizations and institutions of civil society, especially in local communities. We recognize that many church institutions are financially dependent on outside sources, such as government or overseas donors. We strive for a healthy and sustainable balance involving self-reliance and sharing. We pray that we will not tire in the struggle, not give in to "donor fatigue." We pray that we will endure in solidarity.

We strongly affirm our commitment:

  • to give high priority to service and development work in the LWF, and indeed in the whole Lutheran communion. We affirm that this ministry of service - response to the neighbor in need - is a task not just for professionals but for the whole people of God;
  • lovingly to respond to all people in need, irrespective of their faith. We are called to do this work in collaboration with all people of goodwill and especially with other Christians as part of our ecumenical witness;
  • to discern and address the causes of injustice and suffering in our world. Where we as individuals or in our churches, communities, or nations contribute to that suffering, we humbly pray that our eyes may be opened so that we might repent and amend our ways;
  • to call on Lutherans everywhere to look afresh at our stewardship of the gifts with which God has blessed us. In particular, we call on Lutherans everywhere to tithe - to give back a tenth of that which God has given us. This ancient practice is a joyful way to show gratitude for God's gifts, a practical means for sharing our resources within the Lutheran communion, and a concrete manifestation of our eucharistic fellowship.

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Through Advocacy: Human Rights, Justice, Peace and Reconciliation

The protection and promotion of human rights is an integral part of our witness. It is based on the love of God and not on the agendas of the political powers of the day. Human rights are indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, as well as universal. It is against the integrated nature of God's creation to attempt to separate civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights or the rights of future generations. Whilst we respect cultural differences, such differences cannot be allowed to detract from the God-given dignity which resides in all human beings.

Economic justice: The process of globalization increases the number of people being marginalized in our societies. Many people are deprived of their right to basic social security. In this reality it is of vital importance that national governments form national policies with the aim of fulfilling the government's duties according to the human rights conventions and use their power in the international financial and trade institutions in order for these institutions to become instruments for justice and human rights and not for the exploitation and violation of human rights. The churches too must find ways to effectively monitor and interpret developments in this arena, and to undertake determined advocacy with relevant governments and institutions.

Rights of indigenous peoples: Rights of indigenous peoples to self-determination in relation to habitat, natural resources, and cultural identity continue to be oppressed by national states on all continents and to be undermined by economic activities of transnational corporations and other businesses. The human cost of this reality is suffering, lowering of self-esteem, dependency, and cultural deprivation. The LWF and its member churches are called:

  • to support the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People;
  • to give prophetic witness to national governments;
  • to strengthen the rights of the communities of indigenous people at the local level.

Rights of the child: The suffering of children compels us to make their support and protection an urgent priority. We are aware of the shocking statistics of the rape of children through child prostitution, child slavery, and trafficking of children. Conflicts within and between countries involve up to a quarter million young people in armed conflict. Discrimination of the girl-child takes many forms, including genital mutilation and the abortion of female fetuses. We are particularly concerned about excuses or explanations of this violence on the basis of religious or cultural practices.

Freedom of speech: The freedom of speech and of peaceful protest is indispensable and must be respected in all societies and countries.

Religious freedom: No modern state that aspires to be respected as a democratic nation can ignore the issues of religious freedom and tolerance or continue to violate these fundamental human rights. No religion or religious institution can propagate its own faith at the expense of the innate freedom of every human being to accept or to reject any religion. As incidents of religious discrimination and intolerance appear to be increasing in all parts of the world, we call all our member churches and the ecumenical community to redouble their efforts in promoting and defending religious freedom in their own societies and internationally.

Women's human rights: Women's rights are human rights. Women are disproportionately affected by the unequal sharing of resources; in margin-alized groups of refugees, indigenous and prison populations women are the most vulnerable. In many places, women are blocked from inheritance and property rights, and are less able to gain skills and education.Violence against women is widespread in society, and happens also in the church and Christian homes. Violence is silenced, ignored, indirectly accepted and sometimes backed by biblical interpretations. We must confess and acknowledge the sin of the church in tolerating violence against women, especially the abuse of women within the church. Such abuse of ecclesiastical and spiritual power betrays a sacred trust, distorts God's intent for human relationships and does violence to the nature of the church. Attention and resources need to be given to healing for abusers and victims, to assuring that congregations are a safe place for victims of abuse, and to educating men, women, and children about sexual violence and abuse.

The rights of refugees, displaced persons, and migrants: The LWF must continue its ministry with refugees, internally displaced persons and migrants. There is a need for member churches to create more awareness among church members and their communities about the situation of refugees and migrants; member churches need to carry out a prophetic ministry to their governments to secure the principle of the right to asylum, the right of protection and voluntary repatriation; the right of dignified, just and humane treatment for immigrants and refugees in their own and other countries.

There is a need for materials dealing with the root causes of refugee flight, internal displacement and forced migration, concerning the prevention of conflicts, conflict resolution and peace building; ways to cope and live with emergency situations; and strategies to eradicate poverty and oppression.

Peace and reconciliation/Consolidation of peace processes: In national and international affairs, the LWF is called to facilitate dialogue, peace and reconciliation at all stages of the evolution of conflict. There seems to be a lack of commitment and effective attention on the part of the international community to the follow-up and implementation of concluded peace processes. Unless the original root causes of the conflict are addressed, human rights abuses will continue. The LWF is therefore called to support and accompany local initiatives in pursuit of sustainable peace, justice, genuine reconciliation and the reconstruction of civil society, and the establishment of trust among peoples and nations.

Of crucial importance to these processes is the need to bear witness to the truth, and to address with integrity the injustices of the past. If not dealt with, following generations are doomed to recurrent conflict. Accordingly, the churches should set their face against the practice of impunity, whereby those guilty of human rights violations and injustices are not held to account for their deeds. The LWF supports the establishment of a permanent International Criminal Court to facilitate the prosecution of alleged perpetrators of crimes against humanity and the member churches are called to undertake appropriate advocacy with their governments in support of this goal.

In addition to reconciliation amongst nations, we must not forget the need to foster and promote reconciliation at the grassroots level, where the victims are. Peace accords achieve nothing without reconciliation at the level of the victims. Education for peace and conflict resolution is the particular call of the churches, to bring about an acceptance of the other and to provide the foundation for peace and reconciliation at all levels, including within the churches.

On the basis of our theological understanding of the dignity of each person made in the image of God, we affirm the indivisibility of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

Within this framework we commit ourselves

  • to see, listen and respond to those whose rights are violated; to examine and educate our own church communities for violations of human rights; to engage in political advocacy work to national and international bodies.

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Conclusion

As this report shows, the work of this Assembly has been varied and intense. But we have done more than work; we have worshiped together, studied the Bible together, enjoyed the fellowship of the many-sided Lutheran communion. We have enjoyed the hospitality and shared in various way the life of the churches of Hong Kong, China, and Asia. We have experienced the embrace of the arms of Christ portrayed before us.

Many aspects of our experience cannot be captured in this report. It cannot fully convey the hope which has permeated our sessions: hope for the greater visible unity of the church, hope for new possibilities for women and youth in church and society, hope for a more comprehensive and effective witness, hope for peace and justice in the world. Our hope is not based on our judgments about the tendencies and powers immanent within the society around us. Our hope is in the Spirit, who opens up new possibilities. We leave this Assembly with a new sense of the call we receive from Christ and a new sense of the power of the Spirit who leads us: In Christ - called to witness.

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