prayer
“But with gentleness and respect”: Why missions should be ruled by ethics – An Evangelical Perspective on a Code of Ethics for
Christian Witness
First plenary statement at the international theological consultation “Towards an ethical approach to conversion: Christian witness in a multi-religious world” at the Institut de Science et de Theologie des Religions in Toulouse, France from August 8-12, 2007
The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and the Office on Interreligious Relations and Dialogue (IRRD) of the World Council of Churches (WCC) with delegates from the World Evangelical Alliance.
[Official version authorised by the World Evangelical Alliance]
Thomas Schirrmacher
Mission corrupted
“The First Book of Common Prayer” of the Anglican (Episcopal) Church, authorized in
1549, says in its liturgy:
“There was never any thing by the wit of man so well devised, or so sure established, which in continuance of time hath not been corrupted.”
This is even true of Christian mission, of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, the
“Prince of peace”. This is why, for example, the Pope apologized to the Jews and to scientists1 for using force against them in history, instead of trying to listen to them, convince them by good argument, and live peacefully together with them.
The international ‘Lausanne Covenant’ of 1974, probably the most influential Evangelical document in existence, not surprisingly calls heartily for mission, nevertheless states in article 12:
”At other times, desirous to ensure a response to the gospel, we have compromised our message, manipulated our hearers through pressure techniques, and become unduly preoccupied with statistics or even dishonest in our use of them. All this is worldly. The
Church must be in the world; the world must not be in the Church.”
1
When speaking about the Galilei-affair.
Article 13 therefore sees the peace of a country as an important matter:
“It is the God-appointed duty of
Christian Witness
First plenary statement at the international theological consultation “Towards an ethical approach to conversion: Christian witness in a multi-religious world” at the Institut de Science et de Theologie des Religions in Toulouse, France from August 8-12, 2007
The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and the Office on Interreligious Relations and Dialogue (IRRD) of the World Council of Churches (WCC) with delegates from the World Evangelical Alliance.
[Official version authorised by the World Evangelical Alliance]
Thomas Schirrmacher
Mission corrupted
“The First Book of Common Prayer” of the Anglican (Episcopal) Church, authorized in
1549, says in its liturgy:
“There was never any thing by the wit of man so well devised, or so sure established, which in continuance of time hath not been corrupted.”
This is even true of Christian mission, of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, the
“Prince of peace”. This is why, for example, the Pope apologized to the Jews and to scientists1 for using force against them in history, instead of trying to listen to them, convince them by good argument, and live peacefully together with them.
The international ‘Lausanne Covenant’ of 1974, probably the most influential Evangelical document in existence, not surprisingly calls heartily for mission, nevertheless states in article 12:
”At other times, desirous to ensure a response to the gospel, we have compromised our message, manipulated our hearers through pressure techniques, and become unduly preoccupied with statistics or even dishonest in our use of them. All this is worldly. The
Church must be in the world; the world must not be in the Church.”
1
When speaking about the Galilei-affair.
Article 13 therefore sees the peace of a country as an important matter:
“It is the God-appointed duty of