"Thucydides (an Athenian aristocrat at the time of Peloponnesian War) describes the relationship between states as “a world in which the strong do what ever they like and the weak suffer what they should suffeR Power and domination are the basis of that system.” The relationship described here between states prevailed during the so called colonial times, but it can still be seen now in things like the recent WTO summits. The only difference is that now the clergy is no longer present."1 (1
"The Welcome Project is meant to be a Code of Good Practice for European church and mission leaders on the one hand and non-European missionaries to Europe on the otheR It tries to build a bridge between the old and the new paradigm, between the tradition of the Old Sending Countries and the missional eagerness of the New Sending Countries."2 (3)
o
"Often the European church leader or the non-European missionary does not recognise his attitude as being a result of history."3 (3)
o
"Also the attitude of the European churches against a new, other, livelier, culture of worship was greatly underestimated by the Southern missionaries."4 (3)
o
"According to Comibam, the Latin American Mission Movement, more than 1000 Latinos work as missionaries in Europe."5 (4)
"The vision of Jean Monnet (1888-1979), the ‘founding father’ of the European Union, was to unite. In the 1950’s he wrote: “The six European countries (the founding countries of the EU, KvdW) did not start the huge undertaking of tearing down separating walls in order to erect even higher walls against ‘the outside world’. We do not connect states, we unite people.”
That vision appears to be at the mercy of politicians and thus resulting not in a new wall but in a ‘silver curtain’ around the 25 countries that form the European Union. Protectionism seems to be the key word. European Christianity needs to be careful to avoid repeating this protectionism and truly seek to move beyond the traditional colonial attitudes.
As Christians we are called to unite people, to tear down walls and curtains and so we have to realise and accept that the West has to deal with its pride of historical (and false) leadership. Likewise the brethren from the South should balance their urgency to preach Jesus with the same eagerness to unite. Only when both West and South respond like this will Christians be the testimony the world is looking for"6 (4)
1K van der Wilden, ' The Welcome Project: Issues facing mission to Europe from a colonial perspective' Encounters 7 (2005), 1 [available via redcliffe site]
2K van der Wilden, ' The Welcome Project: Issues facing mission to Europe from a colonial perspective' Encounters 7 (2005), 3 [available via redcliffe site]
3K van der Wilden, ' The Welcome Project: Issues facing mission to Europe from a colonial perspective' Encounters 7 (2005) 3 [available via redcliffe site]
4K van der Wilden, ' The Welcome Project: Issues facing mission to Europe from a colonial perspective' Encounters 7 (2005) 3 [available via redcliffe site]
5K van der Wilden, ' The Welcome Project: Issues facing mission to Europe from a colonial perspective' Encounters 7 (2005) 4 [available via redcliffe site]
6K van der Wilden, ' The Welcome Project: Issues facing mission to Europe from a colonial perspective' Encounters 7 (2005), 4[available via redcliffe site]
No comments:
Post a Comment