People on the move Alessia Passarelli
“The ingenuity and diversity of arguments against immigration and immigrants are impressive. Like the proverbial hydra, no matter how many heads are cut off, the monster instantly grows new ones. It suggests that the arguments do not matter. It is the state of mind producing the arguments which are important – blaming foreigners…If immigrants do not exist, it would be necessary to invent them, to create scapegoats.” 1
Alessia Passarelli is a graduate in Cultural and Social Anthropology. Her thesis was based on a two-year-long field research on Romanian Roma people in Rome. She has been the chairperson of WSCF Europe region since September 2005. She is currently working as a project and research assistant for the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), Brussels. Her email address is alessia.passarelli@gmail.com.
Trying to define migration
Despite the reality that migration seems to have become a burning issue on the political agenda of the European member states, constantly mentioned in the media - often with negative connotations, migration is certainly not a recent phenomenon. For centuries people have been on the move, crossing borders of cities, regions and states for economic, political and private reasons. Attempts to define migration and the migrant show the complexity and fluidity of these concepts. As we said, migration has always existed; however, its forms have changed much in past decades. The definition must be examined: Who can be defined as a migrant? How long does a person living abroad have to keep this label? The United Nations (UN) defines an international migrant as a person who stays outside their usual country of residence for at least one year; however, migration can occur even within the same country. Different kinds of migration exist, including, among others, the following categories: • Refugees: People who have been forced to leave their countries because they are unable to live in their home or they fear they will be harmed. • Internally displaced people: People who have been forced to leave their homes often for the same reasons as a refugee; however, IDPs find another part of their own country to live in. This is usually in makeshift camps where hundreds of other IDPs live because they have nowhere else to go.
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Kate and Elen Matthews
Kate and Elen Matthews
• Asylum seekers: People who move across borders in search of protection. • Economic migrants: People who migrate for labour and economic reasons. • Irregular migrants: The concept of “irregular migrants” covers a wide range of people, principally migrants who enter a country either without documents or with forged documents or migrants who enter legally but then stay after their visa or work permit has expired. Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are specialised aspects of irregular migration. Forms of migration can be distinguished according to the reasons that cause people to leave their country (economic, family reunion, persecution). People can move voluntarily or they can be forced to leave their homes. Others tend to classify migration according to the legal status of migrants: whether they live in the hosting country legally or not. Having said that, it is important to recognise that very often it is not obvious nor evident which given category a certain migrant belongs to. It might very well happen that a person has gone through different phases of migration or s/he belongs to more than one category at the same time.
Migration is simply a movement of persons from one place to another. Migrant, per se, is a neutral word.
Beyond the definition of migration
Following the UN definition, migration is simply a movement of persons from one place to another. Migrant, per se, is a neutral word. If we look at the European Union, there are two classes of citizens, those who have freedom of movement and those who do not have it. In fact, citizens from 10 out of the 27 EU countries face restrictions when it comes to freedom of movement for employment in most – not all – of the other EU member states. While these restrictions are temporary, they have an impact on people. If a Spanish citizen goes to work in Italy, they are not likely to be referred to as migrants, but they are considered to be Spanish citizens who are staying in Italy for extended periods of time. The same discourse, however, is not valid for a Bulgarian person in a similar situation. A Bulgarian worker in Italy is far more likely to be considered a migrant, no matter how long she or he intends to remain in the country. In reality, both have left a European country of origin and both are migrants according to the UN definition. Even though migration may be value-free, it has a negative connotation in practice. Therefore, it is unfairly used only for certain categories of people because of ignorance or prejudices.
Kate and Elen Matthews
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Some numbers
The UN estimated that in 2005 there were about 200 million migrants worldwide, including approximately 9 million refugees. In other words, only 3 percent of the global population today is an international migrant. The number of international migrants has more than doubled in 25 years. Before 1990 most of the world’s international migrants lived in the developing world; today, the majority live in the developed world and their proportion is growing. In 2000 there were 60 million migrants in Europe, 44 million in Asia, 41 million in North America, 16 million in Africa, and 6 million both in Latin America and Australia. Movements from the global South to the North have increased, but at the same time it is important not to ignore the movements that still take place within regions.2 Following this line, one of the major mistakes when talking about migration in Europe is the assumption that it is a phenomenon coming from the “outside”, instead of recognising the movements of people within European borders. Migration in Europe is not just immigration from other regions. If we look at Finland’s immigrant population, for instance, 36% comes from Sweden, a neighbouring country, and 10% from Estonia. Moreover countries such as Romania, Ukraine, and Poland are facing both emigration and immigration.
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Transnational communities…
The world has changed enormously over the past 50 years. The traditional distinction between country of origin, transit and destination for migrants has become increasingly blurred. Today almost every country fulfils all three roles and some migrants are residents in more than one country. Many may travel back and forth and maintain business or personal relations and activities in two or more different countries. In this framework, a transnational community can be defined as “individuals or groups of people who live and/or work in networks that transcend political borders. These networks allow people to live dual lives. They may be bilingual, transcultural, have homes in more than one country, and pursue economic, political and cultural interests in more than one place. This creates networks that view state membership in an instrumental way rather than an emotional way.”3 New communication technologies and increasing access to relatively cheaper and more extensive travel networks have improved the possibilities for individuals and communities to develop transnational relations.
…and transnational SCMs?
The phenomenon of migration has an impact on our daily lives. We do not have to travel to meet/encounter people belonging to other faiths and cultures. The “other” is now our neighbour, our fellow at university, at work, and the landscape of our churches is changing often as well. WSCF has always been enriched through its global fellowship with Christians from around the globe, all united in faith in Jesus Christ. Until recently, however, the regions of the Federations have always been primarily distinguished geographically - Europe, the Middle East,
Perspectives on Migration – Alessia Passarelli: People on the move
Africa, North America, Asia and Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean Regions. Are these distinctions still valid today? It seems that using geographic criteria to determine the identity of the Europe Region is not enough anymore. For instance, we find people from all over the globe living temporarily and permanently in Europe. To follow up on this topic, here are some questions which can stimulate debates and reflections in your own context: • Do SCMs reflect the changes happening in society? The impact of migration today cannot be overlooked by SCMs or simply studied as a phenomenon affecting our society but not our SCMs. Can WSCF-E fully represent Europe if it does not reflect the different realities present in the region nowadays? • Can the concept of transnational communities be applied to SCMs? To a certain extent, the six regions of the Federation are already transnational communities: they maintain contacts both at local and global levels. But within the European Region, this concept has not yet been fully developed.
Towards an Intercultural Education
Over recent years, WSCF-E has started to reflect on the concept of the integration of migrants, understanding integration as the result of a two-sided effort towards the construction of more inclusive societies. Integration as a life learning exercise is challenging to us all. How much are we willing to question our life style when brought into contact with diversity? The risks behind the diversification of Europe include the possibility that the different ethnic and minority groups, instead of communicating or working together towards the creation of an intercultural society, will reduce contacts with each other because of the fear of losing their traditions/ culture/identity and will lock themselves in ghettos. (Endnotes) 1 Nigel Harris, Thinking the Unthinkable: The immigration myth exposed, I.B. Tauris, 2002, pages 74-5 2 Koser K, International Migration. A very short introduction, Oxford University Press, 2007. 3 Ibidem
The “other” is now our neighbour, our fellow at university, at work, and the landscape of our churches is changing often as well.
Fear of loosing one’s identity is based on the idea/concept that identity as well as culture is fixed, given once and for all. On the contrary, both concepts are fluid and multidimensional. Who we are is the result of a mixture of factors, including genetics, culture, environment and the people we have met. Cultures indeed have always been shaped by encounters with other cultures in a continuum exchange of models and practices. For too long Europe has perceived itself as The Model, The Culture, judging and measuring each other culture from the height of its position of superiority - a concept known as Ethnocentrism4. The European citizens are faced with a challenge; they do not have enough tools to deal with diversity. Until now, diversity had to be assimilated within the mainline society: “If people want to come, they have to be/act like us”. Today the recognition of the value of other cultures has brought up the concept of intercultural education. As pointed out already, integration implies that both parties involved - migrants and receiving societies have to commit themselves in order to build up new and more inclusive societies. But to commit themselves, people have to know other cultures, traditions. Too often fears of diversity are based on prejudices which, in turn, are based on the misperception of a person/culture/tradition. Intercultural learning can be the key to breaking this chain down, pursuing the idea of a society which is not just multicultural, where people share the same territory, but a society which is intercultural, where people know each other and mutually benefit from their differences. Do we commit ourselves to undertake such a difficult but enriching path?
4 Ethnocentrism derives from two Greek words: “ethnos” which means ethnic group and “centrum” which means center. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one’s own culture. In this particular context, we can talk about Eurocentrism as Europe is the cultural model used as a measure for the others.
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What role does religion play in the migration process? Dr. Annemarie Dupré The role of religion in the migration process can be looked at from many different angles. I shall concentrate on the role of Christian churches, and my affiliation with the Protestant minority churches in Italy will be reflected on in my contribution. I approach the topic of religion in the migration process from a Christian point of view, but I also keep in mind the situations of other religions. Christian churches in hosting countries have to deal with brothers and sisters who immigrate from other countries, but Christians must also relate to migrants with different religious roots. I shall develop two questions on the theme: “what is the role of Christian churches in this context?” and “where is religion playing a role in the life of migrants?”
Annemarie Dupré holds a PhD in International Law Studies. Born in 1938, a refugee herself, she has worked for Refugees and Migrants’ rights for more than 20 years. She was the Director of the Service for Refugees and Migrants of the Italian Federation of Protestant Churches (1986-2004) and the Moderator of the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (2003-2006).
Religion and community
Religion plays a role in different levels of community life. It can simply be a very personal issue of the spiritual life of an individual; it may be an aspect of community building or even the basic reason for community life as it is difficult to live the Christian faith without a congregation. At the state level, religion can be looked at in different ways: it may be an instrument for political and social cohesion or it may be left completely in the private sphere. Religion can also become a major cause of conflicts within a state. All three of these aspects play a role in migration processes. There are individual implications, but community life and the internal cohesion within a country may also be influenced by this factor.
Religion and the individual
For many people, religion is a component of their personal identities; a specific creed is part of a person’s life. The teachings, traditions and habits of a specific religion will influence these people in their behaviour, approaches to situations and relations to each other. A person’s value system is often based on religion. Religion can be an important part of the cultural capital of an individual, and if a person migrates to another country he or she will carry these elements of faith. Even if all material possessions are lost, this religious capital will remain with the migrant. Religion can become an important part of the identity of a migrant, even if she or he had
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little interest in religious matters before leaving his home country. When found in new situations without family and social links and when individual migrants feel the need to defend their identities, religion becomes essential. Depending on what the person will find in the host country, religion will become a positive or negative element in the personal integration process. Will religion become an isolating force or a possibility to find a sense of belonging? Faith and religion may be instruments of opportunity, leading towards the formation of a transnational identity. The migrant may find a way to define a new identity made out of components from both societies. This would not be a summary of two cultures but something new, which could be important for both societies. An open and tolerant receiving society where local faith communities also practise these values is a precondition for the development of this identity. The integration process can only work if it is mutual and both parts are actively co-operating. Religion may play a role in many parts of daily life; religious convictions and rules influence the life of a believer, even health and health care are affected. For example, migrant women may find it difficult to access health services because of their religious education. The education of children depends widely on religious values, as does family life. The well-known conflict between first and second generations in migrant communities is also a consequence of this. Religious laws influence the working conditions, the rhythm of the workday and free time; clothing and food rules may not allow people to work in certain places. The question of equal rights for men and women may create critical situations.
Religion and community life
Often religion is not only a personal conviction; the believer may be asked to participate actively in community life as an unavoidable part of their faith. If these believers migrate abroad, they will put much energy into finding or rebuilding some kind of faith community to live out their beliefs. Religious migrant communities can have a positive or negative role in the integration process. They may
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provide a migrant in the first phase of integration a feeling of home and belonging, giving a sense of security and mutual support. But if these communities are closed and/or marginalised by the hosting society, creating a ghetto-like situation, this could be counterproductive for the integration process. Parallel societies may rise and communication between the host society and that of the migrants could become difficult. On the other hand, if such a community is an open or mixed community with migrant and indigenous members and a common faith is the binding link, this may become a bridge, and allow a smoother integration process. Finally, religious communities have an important role in directing migration movements. Migrants often choose the country or even the town they would like to live in because of religious links. They may know that in a certain city there is a community which professes the same creed and where it will be easier to feel at home and to receive support. In this way, religion may even become a pull factor for migration. I’m thinking, for example, of the migration of Christians from the Middle East.
Religion and state
As long as a society was considered homogeneous, governments did not consider the question of religion a priority (although no society has ever been completely homogeneous). Migration has always existed. Today, migration is a structural factor of all states and all must cope with heterogeneous societies. With the events of 11th September in New York, the religious question has become an issue in migration politics. The role of religion within the legal system and the functioning of a state is very different in the various parts of the world. There can be total division between religion and state, or there are other states where religion is a dominant factor for legislation and functioning of all parts of the state. In between these two solutions there is a large spectrum of diverse approaches to the question. Problems may arise if migrants who come from one system must cope with the opposite situation in the host country. An example could be a person or a whole community which comes from a state with Sharia law and will now have to live in
MOZAIK 2008 spring
Perspectives on Migration – Dr. Annemarie DuprÊ: What role does religion play in the migration process?
a secularised state of the industrialised world. The religious needs, the strong convictions and values the person is carrying may create conflicts with the legislation and the way of life in the host country. Social cohesion may be at risk. This becomes even more important if religious institutions of the country of origin continue to influence the life of migrant communities in a country of immigration (a fear many European countries today feel obliged to take into account). As we saw before, religion can be important for all parts of daily life and legislation, and public administration will have to keep this in mind. The public health system may be affected. Labour legislation needs to consider the issue. In schools and all educational institutions, the problem may arise. The availability of religious schools is also of basic importance for some faith communities. Commerce and industry may be influenced by consumer behaviour based on religious rules; the same may be said for cultural and scientific work. In summary, migrants need opportunities to express and to live their religious creed. This can be a tool for stabilisation, avoiding marginalisation. The loss of religious identity will lead to the loss of ethical values, making migrants even more disoriented and uprooted in the host society. Similar religious communities of the host society and of the migrant communities should promote exchanges and sharing, becoming bridging tools for integration in order to avoid marginalisation and frustration which may lead to radicalisation. The religious communities of the host society may be enriched by the contributions of migrant religious communities. Intercultural experiences can be eventually transferred into other sectors of social life. The socalled social capital, of basic importance for social cohesion, will be incremented if the religious factor of migration movements is governed correctly. All components of society and governments have to work together to pursue this aim.
Why should churches feel the need or the wish to become active in this field?
Churches are faith communities and, as such, have a religious mandate which makes them act. The basis of the Christian mandate is the Bible and from this text Christians elaborated their code of conduct through a theological process. As far as migrants are concerned, there are precise rules which Churches should respect. I mention some of these. All human beings are created by God and their human dignity must be respected in any case and in any situation: Christians should love their neighbour as themselves. Migrants may become neighbours. In both the Old and New Testament, we are again and again invited to receive and to protect the “stranger”, the migrant, the refugee. All human beings are “citizens in the household of God”, meaning they are equal and have rights and duties like citizens—they are not only guests. Christians are convinced that there is a total truth, but only God is the owner of it. Human beings have only a partial insight of this truth. Therefore, Christians must respect the convictions of others, even if these do not correspond to their own. The Christian faith has both a universal and personal approach; we believe in the Universal Church and also that individual spirituality is part of a personal faith. Both aspects are part of the Christian identity.
Two points of view on the role of churches
On the basis of their creed, churches may be involved in the field of migration in different ways. In order to protect human dignity, rights and freedom, churches become active parts of society, similar to other social actors. Churches also act as faith communities, which have common creeds with certain migrant communities. Church life may be changed by the arrival of migrants.
In both the Old and New Testament, we are again and again invited to receive and to protect the “stranger”, the migrant, the refugee. All human beings are “citizens in the household of God”, meaning they are equal and have rights and duties like citizens—they are not only guests.
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Churches have the responsibility to defend migrants’ and refugees’ rights. Churches are part of civil society; they cannot live in spiritual ghettos. This responsibility within the society and the state makes them active players and they are co-responsible for social cohesion. They must be involved in advocacy for the respect of human rights and the dignity of all human beings. They should do this in the same conditions as other parts of the society and should not claim a privileged status—this is at least the position of many Protestant churches. Working for issues of social and economic justice, they cannot distinguish between migrants of their own faith and those belonging to other creeds. This works in two ways, in advocacy work on migration and asylum policy and in legislation and solidarity programmes to support individuals.
Advocacy
As far as migration policy is concerned, churches must monitor and lobby decision-making processes in order to promote a correct migration policy which respects values such as human rights, solidarity, burden sharing and nondiscrimination. I am aware that I’m speaking out of a typical western industrialised world view. In many parts of the world, churches do not have the possibility and freedom to act like this. The Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) is committed to advocate at the European level, mainly with the European Union and the Council of Europe. For several years CCME has worked together with other Christian organisations and churches on fair conditions for forced return measures, in order to insist on the respect of basic rights of migrants and asylum seekers. CCME prepared a document with 12 basic criteria for a correct migration and asylum policy. It opposed the EU Directive on family reunification, which does not respect the rights of children and the right to live in a family. Anti-discrimination and the fight against human trafficking measures also have been important parts of CCME’s commitment. Speaking on religious issues, churches will also have to lobby and monitor religious freedom, not only freedom for their own communities but also for the freedom of
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other creeds and faith communities. Churches must insist on correct legislation on religious freedom. There must be full respect for religious minorities, even if these are not Christian. In this context, the debate on common values is raised, focusing on the question of how far faith communities can push their right to promote certain religious rules which may seem incompatible with basic values in the host community. A balance must be found between the religious freedom of a certain community and the basic values and freedom of all other citizens and communities which the state must protect.
Solidarity and supporting individuals
In Europe, churches promote their own programmes of mutual support for migrants in order to facilitate integration and to give them full access to equal rights in all parts of civil life. They run programmes on housing, education and access to the labour market, and offer counselling, legal assistance, leadership trainings and support for migrant associations. They promote language schools and courses for vocational training and support refugees who wish to study at universities. They run homes for refugees and for unaccompanied minors, for mothers with small children and other vulnerable groups. They protect women who became victims of trafficking and violence.
Uniting in Diversity – Being Church Together
Many migrants are Christians; a particular question arises when migrants and refugees confess the same creed as a church of the hosting state. In this case, we do not speak of assisting migrants for social needs or giving them legal assistance in order to defend their rights. This link is totally different; it is a spiritual link with important theological implications. Migrants who are Christians and belong to our churches are not guests but equal partners, although our churches are
MOZAIK 2008 spring
Perspectives on Migration – Dr. Annemarie Dupré: What role does religion play in the migration process?
not always aware of this reality. We have a large opportunity; in church we can meet on equal footing, knowing that before God there are no differences among us, no privileges, no human hierarchy. Economic, social or cultural disparities should not be of any importance; we are partners with equal rights and duties. This is the basic understanding of churches and may sound nice. Nevertheless, this is not always reality. Speaking from a European point of view, I know that our churches in the host countries do not always behave according to this affirmation. We often continue to handle the issue as a question of patronising assistance and do not face the deeper questions of partnership, empowerment and common responsibility. The indigenous Christians have to share with the migrant Christians, but migrants also have to take full responsibility for community life, for both migrant and indigenous members. Both sides have to work to overcome prejudice. The host community can no longer pretend privileges, nor can the migrants continue to behave like victims. Migrant churches are questioning our identities as churches. The missionary process starts to be inverted. It is no longer primarily going from North to South, but Christians from the Southern hemisphere often have a strong missionary attitude towards the secularised and industrialised world. It is not always easy to accept this. A migrant Christian who desires to be a guest in my community is heartily welcomed, but if he or she wishes to be a full member, participating also in decision-making processes, problems arise. If these migrant Christians wish to change our liturgy or to introduce new theological thinking, many European churches get into difficulties and may try to stop the process. A similar process is taking place within the Christian churches in Europe and in European society as a whole. How can we live together in a multi- or inter-cultural context? Churches have an even bigger responsibility to aid integration processes; this is part of our creed: “…no longer guest but citizens…” as St Paul writes (Eph. 2,19). Churches must find ways to make this a reality.
Summary
In summary, it can be said that churches and all faith communities of receiving countries have a role to play in the migration process. They can become a bridging tool between different cultures and communities. If they do not live up to this responsibility, however, if they are exclusive or dominant, if they are not sharing values, power and goods, they may contribute to a negative process of alienation, frustration and marginalisation of migrants. The migrants themselves also have responsibilities. If they choose to create separate congregations with strong tendencies to isolate themselves, to avoid contact with the host society, this isolation may lead to a ghetto situation from where mistrust and xenophobic attitudes may rise in the host community. In order to allow faith communities to play this important role of bridge building positively, states will have to guaranty correct legislation on migration and asylum issues and on religious freedom. A balance must be found between the needs of all faith communities, the respect of the freedom of all citizens, and the values that are considered fundamental for the dignity of human beings and the functioning of civil society.
I am aware that I’m speaking out of a typical western industrialised world view. In many parts of the world, churches do not have the possibility and freedom to act like this.
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The Spirituality of African
Prophetic Churches
Ecumenical Group Church and Society, Portugal Michael Knoch For more then 10 years, we have been participating, like a small Christian solidarity group, in the life of migrant churches and associations in the suburbs of Lisbon, which are constituted by migrants especially from Angola and Congo. In the beginning, these contacts, visits and dialogues gave me very strong emotional impressions, deeply touching my European background of living faith as an inner speech with God or as a theological-critical study or a socio-political engagement.
In a migrant church
To be church together with African people works in a profound way. In a service and also in the houses of the families, you will be integrated with many people, joining together as relations – God’s family. The service proceeds for 3 to 4 hours with a living but strongly organized liturgy. The services have singing and music, often loud, with corporal movement and dancing, used, for example, when collecting the offering at the end of the service. There are bible-lectures, which include testimonies about the foundation and the beginning of the Church (like in the Gospel), speeches from various people including guests, and only a short sermon. In an African service, many people with different functions speak; sometimes you find competitions between singers, choirs or lecturers of poetry. This is solemn in order to express holiness. The participants come in their best clothes, and prefer traditional African or specific church costumes. Participants are intentionally immersed in a strong emotional rhythm, which at rare times can reach to ecstatic phenomena.
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Michael Walter Knoch was born in Chemnitz (Germany) in 1941. He became a Doctor in Protestant Theology at Humboldt-University of Berlin in 1969, graduated in Psychology at the Classic University of Lisbon in 1988 and has taught Protestant Theology and Social Services in Portugal since 1981. For many years he has had contacts and collaboration with Africans and African Churches in Lisbon and has participated in interreligious dialogue and in CCME. He can be contacted by email at mkn@sapo.pt.
We all know the social background of the African migrants. The majority of the women stay home with their children or work in households, and the men work in civil construction. Without the labour of African migrants, Portugal would not be able to continue growing economically. Other migrants work as pastors; the communities always have various pastors which are elected and deposed by an inner circle. The churches function by a clear hierarchic order, but the functions can be retired much more easily than in European Churches. In our community in the suburbs of Lisbon, we live together with two African churches. These are not missionary churches, but are purely African and I would like to give them the name “Prophetic Churches”, because they were born or founded by a prophetic person without white missionaries. These are the Kimbanguist Church founded in N’kamba Congo by Simon Kimbango in 1921 and the Tocoist Church founded in Luanda/Angola by Simão Toco in 1949.
Kimbanguist church
The participants come in their best clothes, and prefer traditional African or specific church costumes. Participants are intentionally immersed in a strong emotional rhythm, which at rare times can reach to ecstatic phenomena
Their history is comparable. Simon Kimbango, an evangelist, began to heal and preach in N’Kamba (200 km from Kinshasa), and after six months he was put in jail by Belgian colonialist authorities, condemned by the missionary churches, and banned in the South of Congo 1500 km away. But the development of the new Church did not stop and about one million people were martyred (the number is not clear). In our theological conversations, the Kimbanguist national pastor explained to me that God sent Simon Kimbango to demonstrate that “the African does not stand under the level of the dog!” And I could only agree with this theological affirmation, which was equally a strong political affirmation of denied human rights. We ask: what was the dominant culture and social structure that made such a sharp affirmation necessary? To understand, go to the African Museum in Tervuren (Brussels) to see these sentiments of supremacy and the reality of repression, exploration and death in the time of white colonialism. The religious form of the social protest was only possible through the lived reality of the Spirit of God. The spirit, poured about Simon Kimbango, is the heart of the Kimbanguism. You can touch him when you go to the Holy Place N’Kamba, but also in every service. The official name of the church is “Church of Jesus Christ about the earth through his special messenger Simon Kimbango.” The person of the Founder is fundamental for all, reflecting in the liturgical year and in the legitimation of the actual chief, Simon’s grandson. This is also visible in the tentative divinisation of Simon Kimbango, which creates a strong dogmatic problem for the ecumenical movement in which the Kimbango Church is an important member. Is Simon Kimbango a divine person like the Holy Spirit? Is he equal to the Holy Spirit? Is he a bearer of the Holy Spirit? These questions are not resolved at the moment and it seems to me that an intensive dialogue will be necessary, especially as the vision of the world is much more “archaic” or spiritual like the modern western culture. In the healing stories in the Gospel of Mark or the ecstatic phenomena in the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, sometimes I feel I touch a vision of the cosmos, touching the deep repression and humiliation of the Africans in the colonial time.
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I n Congo and Angola, the centuries filled with the ambience of war, hunger and illness provoke the daily presence of death, giving rise to an apocalyptic vision to end the unbearable injustice and soliciting the desire that the Spirit and Salvador will come. This is comparable to the social situation of poorness, illness, hunger and slavery in the first century. On the other hand, there are churches in Europe like the Lutheran or Calvinist Church which also began with deep liaisons. We know how Martin Luther has refused to attribute his name to a church, and no Lutheran makes a divinisation of his person. But the human expression of fidelity to the “founder” depends also on cultural patterns, which can be very different in Africa. Is not fidelity an inherent element of faith? Is it not essential that people claim affiliation to the Church as they do to workers’ institutions?
Tocoist church
The Tocoist church has a more or less parallel history. Her foundation occurred at the end of July of 1949. Three years before, at a missionary conference in Kinshasa, the (white) missionaries preached for a floating of the Holy Spirit (following Romans 5, 5) about all of Africa. For three years, a group of women and men around Simon Toco asked God and spoke with others about the desire that the Holy Spirit would arrive for Africa in a true Pentecost event. The Spirit came down in such a strong manner that it began a religious movement. It arrived in Luanda, capital of the Portuguese colony of Angola. It seems to me that this immediately became a political struggle and was viewed as a danger to Catholicism, which like the European culture was always a source of colonial spiritual support. So Simon Toco was sent to prison and deported for years by the PIDE (the Salazarist polical police) to the islands of Açores, where he stayed together with a communist friend of ours. This church is not a member of the WCC, but has taken an interest in ecumenism anyway. In Portugal and in other
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European countries, they maintain fidelity to their founder and celebrate the Pentecost event from 1949. This year, they celebrated the Pentecost with 250 participants, including guests of Angola and 5 white people (only!) in a space given by the local State authorities. On the other hand, this church always searches to be more of a community and church together, sharing an evangelical understanding of the Gospel and of Jesus Christ as the unique Salvador. This is a complex process, because it takes on questions of modernity. Questions arise about having confidence in scientific medicine or about the absolute power of God in health problems, or in workplaces and with needed qualifications. How should one speak about social problems or initiatives? How should the New Testament be read and what is its relationship to the Old Testament?
Dialogue and the Spirit
My question in this article is a question of recognition of the role of the Spirit in the Pentecost events, which are the fundament of these two churches and probably also others. Prophets arise in Africa and the Middle East much more directly than in the spiritual broken and sceptic Europe. And in situations of socio-politic crises, the Pentecost always expresses a cry for life and social dignity! In the Gospel of John, it is written that “the Spirit (pneuma) blows, where he will; you hear the sound of it, but you do not know, where he comes from, or where he is going. So with everyone who is born from Spirit” (John 3, 8). This verse must remind us about the strong significance of the Spirit when the Christian Church arose—no through a dogma, but through the history of a living person, also a martyr, and also full of Spirit, Jesus Christ. For the Gospel of John, the Pentecost related in the biblical book of Acts can not be a unique event like foundation of the (unique?) Catholic Church, but will be repeated, in Africa and in the entire world. The German theologian Ebeling has written in his dogmatics, faith and the Church will die without enthusiasm. The Prophetic Churches have implicated us in such a spiritual movement and their enthusiasm will be good for us. We have a long way of intercultural dialogue ahead, in the context of being Christian Church together.
MOZAIK 2008 spring
Perspectives on Migration – Michael Knoch: The Spirituality of African Prophetic Churches
The impact of migration on European Identity Darrell Jackson It is typically claimed that European identity is rooted in its Christian heritage, Enlightenment civilisation, and Modernity. ‘Traditional definitions of the idea of Europe that identify our continent as the centre of civilisation, liberty and Christendom assume that all Europeans ascribe to those values, and that to be European you must ascribe to them.’ 1
The Revd Darrell Jackson is married to Beth and shares the responsibility for their 20 months old son, Kai. He is one of two Baptist ministers in the family and is working full time as the Director of Nova Research Centre at Redcliffe College in the UK. He is also a tutor in European Studies and teaches Eastern Orthodoxy at the College. Previously he worked with the Conference of European Churches for three years. He will be defending his doctoral dissertation at about the time you are reading this article!
In a recent conversation with a senior Roman Catholic cleric in Europe I was taken aback by his insistence that Europe’s experience of sixty years of peace, following the end of the Second World War, was something to be commended to other continents. In fact, he spoke of this as a gift to the wounded peoples of Africa. He and I were quite obviously reading different history books and watching different news stories. I also suspect that our evaluations of Constantine might have differed somewhat! The concept of a European identity is notoriously slippery and the most optimistic of observers concede that its development remains a project and a process. However, I happen to be convinced that Christians should care deeply about the development of a European identity. I believe this for no other reason than that it seems at times to have been too readily tied up with concepts of ‘Fortress Europe’. A European identity that is solely identified with the European Union, the Schengen Agreement, the free movement of peoples only within the internal market, or the tightening of external border controls, is an identity that deepens an ‘Us’/‘Other’ dichotomy. Europe’s historical and recent experience of nationalisms should be sufficient warning against the dangers of defining ourselves in opposition to who we are not.
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All nationalisms tend to assume that members of the nation share certain essential commonalities. Many of these are mythological in character. A similar danger lurks the corridors of Brussels and Strasbourg. Whether these are to be found in the comments of the same Roman Catholic interlocutor who stressed the importance of referring to Europe’s ‘Christian roots’ or of the politician who speaks of Europe’s Enlightenment commitment to civilisation and individual liberty. These essentialist understandings of Europe fail to take into account our own shared history of ‘barbarism’, restriction of civil liberties, or of an earlier version of Europe founded in Greek’s classical version of democracy (which incidentally excluded women and slaves). As globalised citizens living in the Europe of today, we may be facing a unique pressure towards discovering that in the encounter with the ‘other’ we discover that there is something of the ‘other’ in ‘us’. The cultural and social pot-pourri that is contemporary Europe, makes it possible for me to buy a packet of Czech dumpling mix here in Gloucester for 99p and it means that far from experiencing European integration as a harmonising, homogenising tendency, I am able to celebrate a new emerging diversity and ‘otherness’ that even allows me to practice a few words of ‘shopping’ Czech. Citizens of the European Union enjoy the right to relocate to any of its member States for the purposes of employment or education. Many of us would be reluctant to describe a British citizen who moved from Glasgow to London for the same purposes as a ‘migrant’. Were one of us to move from London to go and work in Paris we might equally feel uncomfortable were others to impose that label on us. Yet, when a Polish young person moves from Gdansk to find employment in Gloucester, they are likely to be described as a migrant. Worse, they might be described as one of a ‘wave’ or ‘horde’ of migrants about to ‘flood’ the UK. The discourse of migration can be used in this way to underline the ‘us’ ‘other’ dichotomy and reinforce a view of Europe as culturally monochrome, civilised and differentiated from the non-European migrant hordes. Unless, that is, they are the educated or economic elites who work in European hospitals or buy its football clubs! The time may be overdue for Christians to think more carefully about the applicability of the Old Testament vision of a just society and the teaching of Jesus (for example in Lk 4) to the current political processes that are building a temporal, fortress-like kingdom totally lacking any eschatology that offers a bolder vision of how the lion and the lamb can share the same feeding trough and the same bed of hay. The presence of migrant peoples is an opportunity to reflect on the nature of European identity. It is currently estimated that 1.5 million migrant peoples arrives and settles in the EU each year. The same estimates also suggest that seven million migrant peoples within the EU have irregular status with a further half a million of these arriving each year. In total, 4% of the EU population, or 18.5 million people, is made up of non-EU citizens This is clearly a challenge for the political leaders of the European Union and the other European Institutions. It would be politically and economically naïve to simply open Europe’s external borders to everybody who comes knocking. Equally, it is historically naïve to believe that Europe is essentially a Christian club (that can exclude Turkey solely on the
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MOZAIK 2008 spring
“It is up to me - up to Europe to promote and encourage highlyskilled migrants to come, if needed and where needed”,
During September 2007, Mr. Frattini unveiled his plans for the EU’s own version of America’s Green Card, dubbed the ‘Blue Card’.
Perspectives on Migration – Darrell Jackson: The impact of migration on European Identity
grounds that its citizens are muslims) and that Europe’s historical development has taken place without any reference to, dialogue with, or borrowing from, other non-European cultures. Philip Putnam recently wrote that, ‘In the short to medium run… immigration and ethnic diversity challenge social solidarity and inhibit social capital.’2 Yet he goes on to describe the social capital that develops in communities where social and cultural diversities have stimulated mutual enrichment and more encompassing identities. I feel less a stranger in a globalised world because I can turn to Russian, Italian, Spanish, and Lithuanian-speaking friends when I come across something written in a language I could not otherwise do anything with. Not everything of importance on the internet is written in English. The political emphases of the European Union seem to stress a different approach, however. EU home affairs commissioner Franco Frattini takes the view that, “There can be no immigration without integration”, a point he reiterated at a Potsdam meeting in May 2007 of the EU’s integration ministers.3 Intriguingly the meeting had been called to discuss integration with reference to intercultural and inter-religious problems in some of the EU states. Yet despite his apparent insistence on integration, Mr. Frattini is sufficiently pragmatic to understand that Europe’s workplaces and pension funds will increasingly rely on economically productive young people from the new EU member states as well as those from Africa and Asia. “It is up to me - up to Europe - to promote and encourage highly-skilled migrants to come, if needed and where needed”, A January 2007 report in the EU Observer stated that migration from ex-communist EU states to the UK and Ireland showed no sign of slowing down, with Romanians and Bulgarians testing their new EU travel freedoms. Ninety thousand Poles registered to work in Ireland in 2006 compared with 65,000 in 2005 according to the Irish national insurance office, with over 250,000 new workers settling in Ireland since 2004. Net migration to the UK hit 400,000 in 2005 - almost double the level in 2004 and 215,000 more than officially stated by the British government. During September 2007, Mr. Frattini unveiled his plans for the EU’s own version of America’s Green Card, dubbed the ‘Blue Card’. Brussels is set to issue an EU-wide work permit allowing employment to non- Europeans, in any country within the 27-nation bloc. He expressed his hope that it would make Europe a more attractive work destination than the US, Canada or Australia and cut down on the severe labour shortages facing the bloc due to its aging population and declining birth rates.
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I simply want to stress here that the discourse of integration fails to address the question of the lack of internal integration. With what does a person of African origin integrate in Belgium, for example; the Flemish peoples and their (diverse) customs, the Walloonspeaking peoples, or the French speaking peoples? Is Belgium sufficiently integrated internally for it to expect others to integrate into it? The issue is no less complicated for non-Federal States that nevertheless demonstrate wide regional variations and local distinctives. My American wife had to swear a monarchist oath to become a British citizen. I could not do such a thing, even though I was born a British citizen. A BBC survey in September 2006 showed that only 8% percent of migrant Poles had claimed any state benefit during the two years that on average they had been in the UK. They are, it seems, well integrated in employment and economic terms. However, 66% of them could not say who David Cameron was. Would either of these, contrasting indicators, really prove useful in determining levels of integration? Integration may be a politically useful discourse but its logic is deeply flawed and, I would suggest, susceptible to theological investigation. In 2004 the Conference of Protestant Churches of Europe issued the Liebfrauenberg Declaration, addressing a wide range of issues relating to the phenomena of Migration in Europe. In a section titled, ‘The biblical message and responsibility of the churches’ the Declaration states, “The biblical message calls the churches to responsibility for refugees and migrants in a particularly prominent way. Love of strangers and the consequent ethic are essential features of the people of God in the world. There are very few biblical commands that have the same weight and clarity as the instruction to protect strangers. When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the stranger; you shall love the stranger as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Lev 19:33). The New Testament raises love of the neighbour to a command overcoming the borders of difference (Lk 10:25-37). Since God does not look at a person’s status, calling people of all nations and societal groups into the Kingdom (Acts 10:34f; Rom 2:10f), the community of Christians sends a signal
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around the world, embracing those who were strangers and overcoming any narrow, nationalist thinking and action.” Christian migrant peoples raise similar, as well as different, questions about the project of European identity. European media seem transfixed by the image of the Islamic fanatic breathing threats against the ‘Western infidel’, yet who lives and works in the heartlands of Europe. There is doubtless a germ of truth in such a stereotype, yet it remains a crude and unrepresentative satire of the greater majority of Muslims living in Europe. Philip Jenkin’s latest offering, God’s Continent: Christianity, Islam, and Europe’s Religious Crisis,4 is commendable in this respect. He refuses to fall into the same trap of demonising all Muslims living in Europe or of characterising them as religious ‘Fifth columnists’. Jenkins also shines the spotlight on the presence of many Christians among those who have made their way to Europe from Africa, Asia, or Latin America. Some of these intentionally carry their Christian faith back to the mission-sending countries that have historically planted the seed of the Gospel in those countries. In March 2006 the Reverends Hmar Sangkhuma and John Colney, from the Mizoram synod of the Presbyterian Church of India, began operating as “mission enablers” for the Indian denomination’s counterpart in Wales. Sangkhuma, aged 49, said that he saw his task as helping to remedy a “spiritual void”. Others have relocated for purposes of employment or education and have revitalised almost redundant causes. Romanian migrants revived the ghost town of Aguaviva in Spain where over 100 have settled, prompting the opening of a new Orthodox worshipping community. Aguaviva’s Romanian population is only a miniscule percentage of nearly two million Romanians, a tenth of the country’s population, who had already emigrated to
My American wife had to swear a monarchist oath to become a British citizen. I could not do such a thing, even though I was born a British citizen.
MOZAIK 2008 spring
Perspectives on Migration – Darrell Jackson: The impact of migration on European Identity
Spain and Italy before Romania’s accession to the EU. In 2006 Romanians sent home more than £2bn in remittances to family members still living in Romania. In Bradford, an American branch of the Romanian Orthodox Church established a congregation in 2005 and Roman Catholic Parishes across the UK have been revitalised by migrant Roman Catholics from Poland. In March 2007, Ross on Wye Baptist Church, in the heart of rural Herefordshire, commissioned a Ukrainian pastor to investigate the spiritual needs of the nearly 8,000 Ukrainian seasonal workers in the area. For an England vs. Russia football match, screened live at the Church, there were just under 50 Eastern Europeans from the Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Macedonia, Serbia & Montenegro, and Slovakia. However, the indigenous churches of Europe should take careful note of research conducted by Vitoria University in Spain during March 2005. The results were based on more than 500 interviews with immigrants from over 30 different countries. 85% said they believed in God, but this was a decrease from 99% for those who said that they had believed in God when they first arrived in Spain. Of those interviewed, some 15% had abandoned belief in God and a further 10% were in the process of losing it. Only a small percentage, 5.8%, reported experiencing their faith grow.5 Understanding the complexity of the religious beliefs and practices of migrants in Europe is certainly important for Europe’s policy makers but it is also highly relevant to the missionary task of the Church among and with these people. The European Union is, not surprisingly, paying close scrutiny to Islamic leaders arriving with little higher education or awareness of Europe’s social and cultural traditions. An EU programme, worth €4million, offers a brand-new multi-faith
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approach trying to counter the exclusion of migrant communities by “familiarising religious leaders”, including Islamic preachers, with the core of European values and the multicultural and multi-faith environment in the EU. Both the Council of Europe and the EU are investing heavily in programmes that will emphasise inter-cultural dialogue and encounter during 2008. However, during consultation with European churches with regard to this programme, the secular policy makers adopt a characteristic default position. Unprepared to abandon the public space to the controlling influence of the forces of Christendom, secular policy makers fail consistently to understand adequately the nature of religious belief and conviction. The desire to bring different religious leaders into religious dialogue has so far been unable to break through the iron cage of secular assumptions that are perceived by those who hold them as the only way to offer the ‘value-free’ space within which dialogue can take place. The valuefree nature of secular assumptions is certainly contestable, but these also fail to recognise the implicit (or explicit) claims of religionists to be able to provide a more compelling vision for framing the public space. Is the superior utility of the secular framework, that presently frames inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue, really so self-evident? In 2001, the European Values Survey conducted an extensive set of national surveys across many European countries. Questions were asked about attitudes to migrants. The results make interesting reading. What emerges quite clearly, is that more regular church attendance tends to correlate with more positive attitudes towards migrant peoples. Cross tabulations of the data carried out by me in 2005 revealed this intriguing phenomenon. This tends to run counter to the view of the media and Europe’s politicians that religious belief and practice tends to serve the cause of fundamentalism and extremism, often allied with subtle forms of nationalism. The EVS data at least casts some doubt on the truth of such allegations. In 2004, the Church of England’s General Synod, February 2004, requested the Mission and Public Affairs Council, “to consider how the contributions and needs of minority ethnic people relate to an inclusive theology in changing models of church; consider the growing contribution of minority ethnic people to mission and parish renewal; and draw upon the experience of minority ethnic clergy and laity at looking at new ways of being church”. If we can extend this discussion of ethnic minorities to include migrant, refugee, and other displaced peoples, it is entirely possible to imagine the future churches of Europe reflecting more adequately the rainbow character of the triune God, who exists in diversity, and who brings blessing to all the followers of Jesus by redeeming and transforming ‘us-ness’ and ‘otherness’ into the ‘we-ness’ that characterises the heavenly host. ‘Reproduced with permission from Encounters Mission Ezine No.20, October 2007: www.redcliffe.org/encounters’ (Endnotes) 1 Guerrina, R., Europe History, Ideas, Ideologies, Hodder Arnold, London, 2002, p6. 2 Putnam, P., ‘E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century’, in Scandinavian Political Studies, Vol. 30, No. 2, 2007, p138. 3 ‘No immigration without integration says EU Minister’, in EU Observer, 11 May 2007. 4
Oxford University Press, 2007.
5
‘Immigrants losing their faith in Spain’, in ACPress.net, Madrid, April 5th, 2006.
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MOZAIK 2008 spring
Perspectives on Migration – Darrell Jackson: The impact of migration on European Identity
GOD,OUR LEADER (Jovanie) Serge TANKEU KEUSSEU (1981) is a student at Old Dominion University (ODU) in Virginia US.
Serge TANKEU KEUSSEU God, our Leader. God, the life. God, the breathing. God, the master. God, Man in Jesus-Christ and Holy Spirit in us. Through Jesus’ life, you taught us Life. Through Jesus’ actions, you freed us from Life. Through Jesus’ miracles, you tested our Hope. Though Jesus’ words, you showed us the future. The future was yesterday. The future is today. The future will be tomorrow. In other words, The future was, is and is going to be. We must give it content; We must give it meaning. Our actions have been destructive; Our words have been deadly. Nevertheless, you have given us the garden to keep because you have confidence in us. Nevertheless, you have tasked us to take care of our neighbour, because you make us in your image. Nevertheless, you have given us almost all responsibility, because you give us everything. But, what have we done?
We are using our positions, to terrorize our neighbour. We are using our decisions, to destroy life in us and around us. We are using our ideas to enslave our brothers and sisters, your children. We have used science, not to acquire knowledge but to kill consciousness. We have used words of Happiness not to educate, to lead and to move forward, but to destroy and to weaken families, communities… We have used philosophic theories not to understand life; but to be centre of the world, god of pleasure and ecstasies. Today more than yesterday, you are showing us the consequences of our actions. Today more than yesterday, you are calling us to be real to one another. Today more than tomorrow, you are speaking to us about our responsibilities. Today more than tomorrow, you are questioning our leadership. Because Believe, See and Touch are not so different. Because Listen, Live and Respect are not so impossible. Our sufferings are consequences of our words and decisions. Our miseries are consequences of our stubbornness. Our Wars and permanent divisions are consequences of our irresponsibilities. Rebirth us, from our instinctive pet shop. Rebirth us, from our stupidity. Rebirth us, from our ignorance. So that, this renaissance restores us. So that, this renaissance humanises us. So that, this renaissance liberates us. God, we are calling you. God, we are beseeching you.
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‘Of princesses and immigration problems’
The relationship between a Bolivian girl and a Dutch Boy under the strict immigration laws of the Netherlands
Ward Kint In the eastern tropical region of Bolivia, where my girlfriend is from, a story that is passed on from generation to generation tells of the beautiful indigenous princess, Anahí, who falls in love with the Spanish conqueror Don Felipe. They get married and Don Felipe receives a natural grotto covered with two coloured gems as a wedding dowry, the natural possession of the tribe’s chief. After a time, Don Felipe must return to the Old World, but the indigenous people will not let their beautiful princess go with him. Princess Anahí then mysteriously disappears when she hides in the beautiful grotto. Nowadays, I think a lot about this story. I have the love of my own Bolivian princess, but in my case it is not that her people won’t let her go, but that my people will not let her in. This is strange, because they let another South American princess into the Netherlands without any trouble, and she has not only taken seat on the throne, but she has conquered the hearts of my people. I am talking of princess Maxima from Argentina, our future and very beloved queen. I used to think of my country as fairly progressive and tolerant towards others. Over the last couple of years my view has changed and I now can clearly see the negative attitude towards people from non-western cultures in my country. The so-called Christian liberal government we have had for the last couple of years has taken drastic measures to keep out as many non-western people as possible, not hesitating even to discriminate. I have fallen in love with a girl from Bolivia in South America, but we have enormous trouble fulfilling our dream of having a normal relationship and forming a family. Even though she has done everything she can to integrate into our Dutch society, the government still tries to keep her out. Let me tell you what happened…
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MOZAIK 2008 spring
If I were a migrant – Ward Kint: ‘Of princesses and immigration problems’
Ward Kint was born on 11-7-1978 in Heernskerk, the Netherlands and has lived in Amsterdam for ten years and spent one year in Latin America (in Argentina and Brazil). He has studied theology, religion and philosophy, Spanish, Dutch at the Free University in Amsterdam, interreligious spirituality (cum laude) and immigration law at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. He has worked as a high school teacher of religion and philosophy and as an educator in the ecumenical movement, lecturing about topics of religion and spirituality for different audiences (parishes, seminaries, etc.). He is Roman Catholic, contributes to Roman Catholic youth gatherings and is a member of the board of the diaconal institute Migrante in Amsterdam.
A Migrant in South America
This story actually starts with my own experience as a migrant. When I was studying theology and sciences of religion in Amsterdam in the late nineties, I became increasingly aware of the marginalisation of non-western thinking. One of my professors opened my eyes to liberation theology and to other strands of theology in the world. As his assistant, I helped to organise the international department of our faculty. My personal awareness of the spiritual crisis of the West, rooted in the failure to overcome the post modern situation of luxury and relativism, was enhanced when I met students and professors from the third world in the programme ‘Bridging the gaps’. In a way, this was my own crisis as well. Finally, after a major spiritual experience, I decided to put my studies and my own culture aside to go on a quest for detachment and self-knowledge. I followed my younger brother’s example to join a community of the world wide movement of youth for a united world in Argentina. I lived with others from all over the Latin American continent. This stay was very beneficial for me, and I learned to look at life through the eyes of my friends. In general, I was very welcome in Argentina and I was treated with respect. I discovered that this continent is truly beautiful, both in terms of its nature and population. I always had enough to eat and a roof over my head to sleep. I had several jobs (in a kitchen, working outside, etc.) without any problems and I also had the opportunity to travel to visit friends who were living all across the continent. In Buenos Aires, my two best friends were actually living on opposite ends of the social strata; one was very poor and the other very rich. They helped each other out when they could and I was able to stay with them both. During my stay in an enormous penthouse, my friend took me to the balcony and pointed out the apartment of Maxima Zorreguieta, our future princess and queen in the Netherlands. She had just started a relationship with our crown prince, Willem Alexander of Orange, so I was surprised to see my friend knew all about this, as the news of their relationship had only just begun to dominate the media in the Netherlands. I continued my trip through Latin America, not knowing what
He grabbed me tightly by the arm, shocking me by his strength, and said: “let’s go then.”
would happen with Maxima and what a role model she would later become for all immigrants in the Netherlands. But, of course, I also didn’t know that I would struggle with the migration laws for my girlfriend and that my government would confront me with many more difficulties than for Maxima (even considering the ban of Maxima’s father at her wedding because of his ministry under dictator Jorge Videla). I did not know that one day Maxima and my girlfriend would greet each other face to face in my hometown, making apparent the differing treatment of immigrants.
Justicia si, venganza no
A
Latin America was deeply rooted in me; so when I got back to Europe after all work and travelling was done, I decided I wanted to deepen my knowledge of the Hispanic language and culture, as well as keep my newly found faith alive by visiting and participating in services held for Spanish speaking migrants in Amsterdam. I volunteered to work at the diaconal institute of the church, a pastoral centre run by an old priest with fire in his eyes and passion in his hands. I remember the first evening; I went up to him and said: I received so much from the people there and I offer myself to do something for Latin American immigrants who are here. He grabbed me tightly by the arm, shocking me by his strength, and said: “let’s go then.” It was just a few days after the attacks of 9/11, and he had made a leaflet saying: ‘justicia si, venganza no’, which means: justice yes, retaliation no. From the early evening until the late hours we visited bars, restaurants, centres, and even prostitutes. I was amazed at all the locations we found Latin Americans people in Amsterdam and how they all greeted us warmly and with great hospitality. Forty year earlier, the first guest workers from Spain had been invited to the Netherlands and had asked the priest for pastoral assistance, and he had met these people through his work since this time. Working in the centre with the Latin Americans was a good
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learning praxis for me as I continued my studies in theology and sciences of religion. I made many new friends who told me about their harsh experiences of living as immigrants in the Netherlands. Quite a few of them did not have any legal documents, making them illegal. I realised that I had not worried about that at all during my stay in Latin America, and I was never charged a fine or seen as a problem. These people usually came to Holland, hoping for better luck in their lives, sometimes leaving behind their kids to find a job to provide for them, and often work as a house cleaners, painters, or in jobs in which it is difficult to find a Dutch person willing to do. They were not political refugees, but had escaped from countries where the political and social economic realities were often too difficult for them to make a proper living. I didn’t see them as ‘illegals’, they were my friends, inviting me to dinners in their houses and to their parties. I taught them the Dutch language and culture at the church centre and my classes were always full. The students were very motivated, even if they weren’t accustomed to studing in the way we are accustomed to doing in the West. While teaching, in 2002, I met a woman, who had migrated from Bolivia and whom I would later date.
Shifting Realities
Meanwhile, the social and political climate in the Netherlands was rapidly changing. Social unrest and dissatisfaction with the integration and behaviour of immigrants, particularly Muslim immigrants, in the Netherlands was turned into political support for an unknown politician with a lot of charisma named Pim Fortuyn. He had been active as a professor and had written about the so-called mess that the previous social liberal governments had turned Holland into. He made strong claims that were dividing the Netherlands—for example saying that Muslims were backward and retarded—and turning the political landscape into something unheard
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of. Elections were approaching quickly, and every week his newly founded party rose higher in the polls. About a week before the elections, his party and the party of the Christian democrats were equal in the polls, destroying the social and liberal parties. And then, Pim Fortuyn was murdered, shot at point blank range early in the morning of May 6th as he was leaving a radio building after giving an interview. Riots broke out in the streets. This was something we had not seen in the Netherlands for centuries. Elections continued, with the absurd situation of a great percentage of the people voting for a dead man. In the end, the Christian democrats won, so they could deliver the prime minister. But he had to govern with a new party of people with no political experience at all, a party without a leader. This quickly ended and new elections brought the liberals back into power, in coalition with the Christian democrats who became even more powerful. The rise of the right wing politicians imitating Pim Fortuyn in their own way was phenomenal. The so-called liberal minister of immigration and integration gave new meaning to the word conservative by quickly changing all kinds of immigration laws. Within a few years, our borders were practically shut.
To Begin Together
Meanwhile, I began to help my Bolivian girlfriend find a job, but it was very difficult without the right documents and because her spoken Dutch was quite poor. She eventually found work as a house cleaner and I hesitatingly asked her to move in with her boss so I could concentrate and finish my studies. This was a blow to her, since she needed my support very much, especially as she did not have anyone else in the Netherlands. As soon as I finished my studies, we
MOZAIK 2008 spring
If I were a migrant – Ward Kint: ‘Of princesses and immigration problems’
got back together. I also found a job as an educator in the ecumenical movement. Soon, I discovered that many new laws had been passed, making it theoretically possible but virtually impossible to legalise my girlfriend’s papers. Dutch politics were now leaning heavily right wing conservative; notably, our minister of immigration and integration was very popular for taking strong stands. She received great support from the majority of the people who were fed up with young guys from Morocco making their lives miserable on the street by robbing or threatening and actually hurting them. The situation became even worse when Theo van Gogh was shot and killed in Amsterdam on the 2nd November 2004. I prayed the assassin was not a Muslim, because then the tensions would be further increased. Theo van Gogh had been a film maker and opinion leader who, in the tradition of his famous ancestor Vincent, could be quite radical. He was notorious for his critiques on religion, and he had made a rather critical film together with the right wing politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former refugee from Somalia, connecting nudity with Islam and violence against women with Quran verses—highly explosive ingredients for a film called Submission. He had just finished a movie about the murder of the politician Pim Fortuyn, implying a dirty scheme of security agencies and crooked politicians. My girlfriend saw some Theo’s friends delivering comments on TV, and she recognised them as owners of the houses she was cleaning. I worried that the tensions between immigrants and the Dutch people would rise even higher than they already were, and that we probably would have to pay dearly for the death of Theo van Gogh, killed by a young man who was perverted by ideas from Islamic extremism. New laws were passed making it not only obligatory to follow heavy integration courses for immigrants, trying to force Dutch values on them, but also making it obligatory to pass difficult exams, requiring them to pay for it themselves. The problem was that no one really knew what Dutch cultural values were. Few of the people I met came further than “eeeh…Dutch language”. Symbolic of this was that Pim Fortuyn was chosen as the most popular Dutch person in the entire 400 year history of our country, even defeating the founder of the Netherlands, prince William of Orange. In a nationally broadcast integration quiz, everybody flunked the exam: everybody! Not one person in the studio did not fail the test. How is somebody from abroad to pass this exam, when the indigenous Dutch people don’t even know their own history? Despite this, my girl friend loved Holland and she soaked up all of
the culture she could. took me to a lot of places hadn’t been before because was too lazy or maybe simply because I wasn’t interested. I came to look at my country through the eyes of my girlfriend, and I discovered new things.
Trying to Look Forward
Elections continued, with the absurd situation of a great percentage of the people voting for a dead man.
I wanted to plan a future for us, but in order to do that, it was necessary for her to have legal status. I began serious research into how I could help her to get into a good position and I studied teaching Dutch as a second language to professionalise my abilities as a teacher. I discovered even stricter laws were about to be implemented and I began studying immigration law. I discovered that my salary wasn’t sufficient; I needed to make about 2300 euros a month. This was a lot for me as I was only beginning my career in a non-commercial sector. Even when I had two jobs and earned the required sum of money, it wasn’t good enough as I needed contracts for more than a year. While I had already acquired a long term contract for my job in the ecumenical movement, it was necessary that I have long term contracts for all my jobs. So I looked for another part time
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She I I
job with a long term contract with which I would make sufficient money to legalise the status of my girlfriend. I finally found this as the coordinator of a parish for Spanish speaking persons in Rotterdam. Another issue was that, according to Roman Catholic Church law, until I am married I am not allowed to live together with my partner. The law, however, was demanding that I should live together with my girlfriend. Now I could marry her, but then it would be discovered she didn’t have the right status and she would be sent away. This would go against our views that our wedding is supposed to be a joyous occasion, a culmination of festivity, and we could not be truly happy if we knew something might happen that would force us to live separately. Through the internet, I came into contact with a large community of people who were struggling with the same strict immigration laws. Now these laws, that were implemented to prevent more immigration, were mainly hitting Dutch people who were in relationships with foreign people, especially from outside of the European Union. Our community grew by almost a thousand people each month, and some of them had the opportunity to leave the Netherlands and live together with their partners in Belgium, Germany or Spain, where the immigration laws are much easier. I tried this as well, but couldn’t find a job elsewhere. Things were very difficult, especially for ex-
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patriots who started families abroad and for women, since they have a harder time dividing their attention between their children and their work, and they earn less. All in all, I thought it was absurd that somebody who finished his academic studies cum laude couldn’t find a suitable job. I had to disregard other jobs because I couldn’t live up to the criteria and fulfil the demands that the laws were imposing on me if I was to have a serious future with my Bolivian girlfriend. She, in the meantime, was doing all she could to improve her Dutch and was working full time as a house cleaner. With the money she earned, she paid her share of the household costs, but she would also send a big amount of money to Bolivia each month. The latest and strictest immigration law was soon to be passed, taking the Netherlands to a new low level and position in comparison to other countries and making sure that immigration dropped by almost 90%, turning the Netherlands into the only western country with an emigration rate that is higher than the immigration rate. According to this new law, newcomers—a word specially invented in Dutch—had to integrate into Dutch society before coming to the Netherlands. Yes, that’s right, before coming to the Netherlands they are supposed to know a great
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If I were a migrant – Ward Kint: ‘Of princesses and immigration problems’
However, there was no escape for us if we wanted to be together in the Netherlands.
deal about the Netherlands, its culture and history, and especially its language, which they are examined in too. But not every one. If you are from a so-called western country, like the United States, Japan or South Korea, this exam is not necessary, but for those from, let’s say, Congo, China, or Uruguay, you’d better go and find your Dutch teacher. Because, even though you are obligated to take this exam if you want to live with your Dutch partner in the Netherlands, you have to make sure you figure it out all by yourself. Now in our situation, where I was bound to find a job that met the criteria, this meant that, if we would want to be together, we would actually have to separate and she would have to go back to Bolivia to take the exam. It made me think about my preparations before flying off to South America; I did not know anything about the countries I was going to, other than the stereotypical things. I could barely introduce myself and say that I was hungry or tired when I arrived in Argentina. It was unfair to implement this law supposedly to facilitate integration but really to stop immigration. However, there was no escape for us if we wanted to be together in the Netherlands. Our visit to Bolivia made it clear that we had no future amidst its poverty,
or at least it would be a very rough one and we didn’t want our children to grow up there. During my visit I discovered where the money my girlfriend was sending went; she was taking care of six family members. She did not want her nephews and nieces to grow up in the same circumstances she did.
Stepping Ahead
A few weeks ago, I found the job with which I met the criteria. My girlfriend won’t be given Dutch nationality in a day, as they did to our princess Maxima, who, thanks to the Dutch she has mastered under the guidance of distinguished professors, has reached the most popular place of the entire Dutch royal house. For us it will take years. But the first, and biggest hurdle, is taken. Today my girlfriend received a positive exam result from the Dutch embassy and we can finally begin the process of legalisation. Sometime, we will visit her home again, and see what has become of her nephews and nieces. But I hope that they won’t give us as much trouble as my government has given us…
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“Where would we end up?“ Towards an Ecumenical Hermeneutic of Co-operation between Mainstream and Migrant Churches in Germany
Sören Asmus The presence of migrants in Europe is not only a challenge for the secular politics of integration or an opportunity for face-to-face Christian-Muslim dialogue; it is also a challenge to the ecumenical co-existence of different church families. It calls not only for change in the lives of the migrants, but also for a departure from well-known understandings in the resident society and the mainline churches there. This challenge and call for change is often answered by strategies of defence. In German there is the description of this attitude saying: “Where would we end up, if…”, trying to name the dangers of change. However, the German poet Erich Fried coined the saying: “Where would we end up, if everyone asks: ‘Where would we end up’, and no-one would go and see, where we would end up?” The following text shall give some constructive ideas of how the mainline churches could go forth and see where we might end up, if we open up to change.
Introduction
While migration within Europe after the religious wars of the 17th century led to the presence of different Christian communities next to each other, it usually was restricted to the co-existence of close theological communities in which the relationship on a theological level was sort of settled. The historic peace churches and other free churches tried to establish a politically secured right of existence; and the migrants from the mainline churches sooner or later became part of the predominant structures. After the introduction of secular states and the political independence of religious communities, the situation of
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Sören Asmus is the minister of the United Evangelical Church in the Rhineland and currently works at the United Evangelical Mission, Wuppertal. He is working on a Ph.D. in the challenges of Diaspora Migrant Churches to the German mainstream churches.
the smaller churches improved and it became a question of ecumenical relationships—as far as those existed. Nevertheless, theological questions were still based on post-reformation conflicts, or—as in the case of the Orthodox parishes in Western Europe—on part of the theological heritage. Today, however, the growing number of Charismatic and Pentecostal churches poses a new kind of challenge to theological discourse, to the ecclesiastic praxis and the ecumenical hermeneutics of mainline churches, as well as to the established free churches. The following text shall try to suggest some basics for the ecumenical encounter between mainline churches and migrant churches. It is based on the perception of the German situation and written from the point of view of a minister of the Protestant Church in the Rhineland, one of the mainline churches involved in dialogue with migrant churches. First, I will try to suggest certain prerogatives for the perception of the ecumenical situation; secondly, I will give some theological basics in order to suggest an ecumenical hermeneutic of moving forward and accepting difference.
1) A question of Perception:
The first necessary step in analysing the situation is some kind of reality-check. On one hand, social awareness of the migrant situation is often blurred by prejudices which sometimes were adequate in the past, but do not fit the situation of the present generations of people with migrant backgrounds—as is the case in Germany. Especially in regard to Christian migrants, an attitude of “helping those in need” is prevalent in the churches. This is due to the real social situation of some migrants, but does not fit on the ecclesial level as many of the migrant churches have their own functioning structures and a quite established self-awareness in matters of faith. It is inadequate to treat these communities as if they need protection or paternalistic support. Here, in each case, it is necessary to look at the real state of affairs, especially as most migrant churches expect a brotherly approach of theologically equal partners. Also, the churches should become aware of the shared history in the religious field. In discussions of religious and cultural attitudes, a perception of some kind of traditionalism among migrants is prevalent. This view, however, usually is shaped by a limited view of the mainline churches’ own history. While having faced the challenge of secularisation and enlightenment in Europe, they have a specific way of dealing with their own religious tradition and a reflected sort of language in faith matters. The mainline churches see the way of constructing religious identity and speaking of faith matters from side of the migrants as a mode of thinking which they have already overcome. However, as the studies on the Diaspora identities of migrants by Stuart Hall and others in the sociological field, as well as by Walter Hollenweger and Roswith Gerloff in the theological realm, have shown: presenting a specific kind of religious and cultural identity in the resident society is never a quotation of tradition from “home”, but a way to position one’s community in the discourse of the resident society. The way it is presented is dependent on the social and legal
“Where would we end up, if everyone asks: ‘Where would we end up’, and no-one would go and see, where we would end up?”
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circumstances in the place of residence, as well as on the resources in intellectual and religious matters which are acceptable in the given situation. This, however, only becomes possible if the focus is not on the single church’s history but on the shared religious history in a given society. Thus the models and patterns of religious identity articulation can surface and it is possible to access them adequately. Having thus settled the specific experiences with migrant churches in an appropriate framework, it is necessary to have a fair look at the levels of comparison and communication. In regard to the different levels of communication, it is a question of comparing similar elements. Thus, it would be not only unfair but wrong and falsifying if, for instance, the fully fledged theological capacity of the ecumenical department of a mainline church talks with the single pastor of a migrant church to establish a theological dialogue. Here the appropriate level of communication is with international Charismatic, Pentecostal or Orthodox Institutions. On the other hand, it is only fair to compare the capacity of a migrant church with the mainline church parish face to face. Here similar opportunities and challenges are given. It is the specific structure of migrant churches that in each single case one has to establish whether the local branch is the autonomous head of a community, the local branch of an international church community or a theological network—as in many cases of charismaticpentecostal churches. Finally the mainline churches have to be honest about their own interests and perspectives. In the religious field of any society the mainline churches are actors, trying to establish or maintain their position in social or political structures. They have their own interests, independent of the migrant churches, which they tend to carry around in hidden agendas. When representing “the Christian community” of a country, it is only too obvious that mainline churches try to play down the impact or importance of migrant churches in the public realm. At the same time, there are of course differences in theological attitudes within the mainline churches, in which case the migrant churches might be used as an external
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ally or as negative examples of attitudes which do not have any stronger influence within the church.
2) A question of theological basics
The above stated attitudes are not reasoned in some kind of “political correctness”, but are based on important theological imperatives. These are biblically based but speak also in a context of modern theology. The first basic insight is given by Eph. 2:19-22, which Andrew Walls calls the “Ephesian moment” of theology. It is imperative for churches and communities to realise that they all form the body of Christ, wherein different traditions and structures are equal but different incarnations of the biblical message and the life of faith. In Paul’s times, this was the community of Jewish and gentile churches in the Mediterranean; today we need to look closely at the different traditions in order to realise the need for the other. In the words of Walls: While it is legitimate, of course, to value ones own tradition and perspective on Christ as true to the Gospel, one should still be open to the chance of discovering Christ in the other. As Matthew 25:31-46 puts it: we might meet Christ without knowing in the others, to whom we relate in love and support. Based on the works of Emanuel Levinas, a whole theology of “the Other” has come into being, confirming this attitude. I face the truth in the face of the other and in her challenge to my ethical and social action from which I am and from which I am not. Further more, we always need to be aware of the limited status of our theological knowledge and our faith. Again, Paul
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If I were a migrant – Sören Asmus: Where would we end up?
states this basic insight in 1st Corinthians 13:12: We are only able to look into a dark mirror; only at the end of time will we understand as we are understood. Different views, therefore, are only a part of the knowledge and wisdom of faith. The difficultly lies not in the defence of that which I have discovered or hold as true, but in the honest and thorough attempt to find the truth in the wisdom previously unknown to my community or in the experience of God different from my own.
3) To an ecumenical hermeneutics of being on the way and accepting difference
The reality of migration and Diaspora in Europe calls for an ecumenical hermeneutic in all churches. Living together is more than “just” knowing about each other’s existence— which in itself would be something in many cases—and different from the assimilation of different ways of belief. It
calls for an intense and consequent reflection of the different ways of faith, which only together represent Christ in our societies. This is, on the one hand, an example of co-operation and integration which the churches can give to the rest of society. On the other hand, it is a discovery of the ever-changing ways in which God is present
in our world. Thus, the chance lies in the awareness of the eschatological wisdom of Hebrews 13:14: “For we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” Or to put it in the words of the poet: “Where would we end up, if everyone asks: ‘Where would we end up’, and no-one would go and see, where we would end up?”
Suggested Reading: Andrew F. Walls: The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History – Studies in the Transmission of Faith; Maryknoll, New York, Edinburgh (Orbis, T&T Clark) 2002. Stuart Hall: Cultural Identity and Diaspora, in: Jonathan
In the religious field of any society the mainstream churches are actors, trying to establish or maintain their position in social or political structures. They have their own interests, independent of the migrant churches, which they tend to carry around in hidden agendas.
Rutherford (Ed.): Identity: Community. Culture, Difference; London (Lawrence and Wishart) 1990; pp.: 222-237. Roswith Gerloff: Das schwarze Lächeln Gottes – Afrikanische Diaspora als Herausforderung an Theologie und Kirche; Frankfurt a.M. (Lembeck) 2005. (Some Articles in English).
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Humanity and Community Christine Cargill As we explore the question ‘What is it to be human?’, it is interesting to reflect on the impact that community has on this concept. Is community necessary for us to be fully human and, if so, does this impact our Christian communities? Critical to this reflection is how we allow community to inform our faith and mission as a Church. Community is defined ‘as a group of people living together in one place, especially practising common ownership’.1 The Oxford Dictionary extends this definition to a group of people who have religion, race or other characteristics in common. How do we understand ourselves as human within this context? Does community define us or assist in our actualisation as individual humans? More importantly, do we require a community identity in order to understand our humanity? These questions have a direct impact on the way that the church understands its context of mission and on our defence of the Christian faith in an increasingly pluralistic context.
Humanity and Community
Smith2 asserts that since the late 19th century the term community has been associated with hope. Community has attempted to nurture our sense of place and being, at times for political advantage and at other times to develop a common language of value and trust. If this is true, then our understanding of humanity within the context of faith is critical to our part within the community. Christianity is contextual. Paul Lehmann3 reflects that there are many ways to do theology but whatever method we choose, we must take seriously its relationship with reality. It is difficult to get any more real than being human; living each day as an individual is existence, the fullness of our humanity. This fullness or reality of humanity is difficult. During the Easter Vigil this year I wrote this reflection in my journal. We are never who we really expect to be, or even who others think we are! We can only hope that at some point a dream or belief might be realised. This is how it has always been, though sometimes our dreams and expectations have grown out of all reality. Living is about coming to terms with our current circumstances. So how do we live with our shattered dreams and still not let go of our reality? The pain of resurrection theology is that we need to live with our realised humanity.4
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Christine Cargill is originally from Australia and worked within the Uniting Church for many years and was part of the consultation for the WCC Ecumenical Decade in Solidarity with Women. She is currently training to be an Anglican Priest in London.
In essence, this church was embedding the nature of our humanity into its current community context.
In light of the resurrection readings, I had been thinking about who I was, and who I would become. But more importantly for me, where did I belong? I cannot be a human in isolation; it is a relational existence. Just as God exists as three-in-one,5 so we as human beings exist in relationship with others and in relationship with ourselves. The Easter narrative is a key to this understanding of humanity, as the very human Jesus is crucified and transforms to a risen divine Christ. This understanding of self relationship, which reflects both our relationship with each other and with God, is definitive to our Christian understanding of self. The manifestation of God embraces the whole of reality.6 At times this seems like a post modern debate, yet the question of who we are as human beings is not only the remit of our post modern society. Since the time of Christ’s resurrection, Christians have struggled with the question of humanity and divinity. In the heart of Paul’s letters, Paul himself wrestles with what being human in Christ means.7 Is this humanity in Christ any different from our humanity in any other community context? Walter Wink asserts that this question is at the centre of why we need to discover the historical Jesus, so that we can more fully understand our own humanity within our current context.8 Wink explores biblical and historical references to the ‘Son of Man’ by unpacking the significance of Christ’s humanness and the implications for this on our understanding of the divine. He tries to recover an archetypal meaning for this concept. ‘In our better moments, we may perhaps not only create God in our own image and likeness (which we undoubtedly do), but we may allow ourselves to be created in the image and likeness of the Ultimate in moments of peak insight’.9
Understanding our humanity within community
But how do we understand our humanness as being in the likeness of God, and what relevance does this have on our community relationships and our mission? The world wide church has played with this concept in a variety of settings. At the Eighth Assembly meeting of the Uniting Church in Australia in Perth, July 1997, the Assembly affirmed the following statement: “That male and female are created in the image of God. Inherent in this affirmation is the acknowledgement that: • each one of us has dignity and is of value; • each one of us has a right to be welcomed and to participate within the community of God; • we can celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and be encouraged to respect our differences; • we allow opportunities for each individual to use their gifts within the community of faith; • we use and hear language that helps us to feel included within the Church; • we express our sexuality as the embodiment of God’s creation through right and just relationships.” 10 In essence, this church was embedding the nature of our humanity into its current community context. This statement was a response to the World Council of Churches (WCC) mandate during the Ecumenical Decade in Solidarity with Women. In the WCC report of the 8th Assembly the following was recorded: As the church, we seek to live out the biblical affirmation that we are created in the image of God, male and female (Gen. 1:28) and the baptismal vision that there is no longer Jew nor Greek, slave or free, no longer male or female for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28)11
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The WCC wrestled with how we hold onto the historical wisdom of scripture within our contemporary understanding of humanity. While these appear to be grand statements of hope, and in some ways seem distant from the reality of being human; they remind us that by lifting up themes of liberation and hope in the sight of God we may recognize ourselves in the context of other relationships.12 Transformation of self occurs when we dare to engage within the mutual support of a community.13 Christianity offers a vision and promise of salvation. At times this is recorded as salvation from our humanness, and yet it is in this very humanness which is itself the image of God. We exist in the ultimate mystery of God,14 discovering our humanity and God in unison. It is this message that is at the heart of our apologetics, and therefore should be at the heart of our understanding of community. It is not enough for us to read, or talk about the incarnation of Christ in our community, we need to live it!15 The Faithful Cities report published in 2006 posed the challenge that the wellbeing and renewal of cities must be grounded in a vision of justice and human dignity.16 It is this interrelationship between community, justice and human dignity which is at the interface with our understanding of humanity and community and its formation of our mission and apologetics. This vision for justice relates to how individuals not only relate to the community within which they live, but how their identity is formed within this community, if our self understanding changes from community to community, and how this impacts our sense of self dignity. Brueggemann 17 observes that for individuals to build identity within society, they must come to accept power. The challenges of life reflect our engagement with community: employment, relationships, death and disappointment. Brueggemann quotes Durkheim’s research that meaningful relationships provide us with a more positive self image.18 When we are part of a community, our relationships nurture us in times of need and in fully realising our potential. This argument seems to indicate that our humanness cannot be fully accomplished outside the bounds of a community, however fragile or nebulas that community might be.
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Community Context
Our sense of self then seems strongly linked to our engagement with our community. It involves venturing out of our self isolation;19 risking friendships and relationships with others and ourselves. But how much does our community define who we are? In many ways our current society allows us to self select our community. We are no longer bound by geographical boundaries which restrict our local community. Many geographical communities are transient or have high levels of transient members. This creates a significant impact on our self perception. The level of internal migration within Britain, while slightly lower in 2006, it is still extensive. ‘At the local and unitary authority level within England and Wales, the top ten largest net outflows were all recorded by London boroughs with the exception of Birmingham, ranked second, and Luton, ranked ninth. Of the 32 areas that recorded a net outflow of 1,500 or more, 22 were London boroughs. Of these, 16 also had proportional net outflows equivalent to at least one per cent of their mid-2005 population estimate.’20
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If I were a migrant – Christine Cargill: Humanity and Community
This is a significant amount, and is not just about individual units who move and the make up of the community; it also impacts those who are left behind and their image of self. Geographical community is not the only community which impacts our sense of self or even our sense of place. Communities are found in many systems which attempt to bring order to the chaos of interrelated beings. God and others attempt to bring order to this chaos. God’s purpose is often to restore order;21 other systems which are imposed do not always have the desired affect. I recently moved to a new congregation and heard the following comment from a young mum22 in the congregation. ‘I am really struggling at the moment; life is hard, particularly at home. I know I need to come to church; I need it ‘cause it is tough and it gives me space, but I don’t know how to fit it in with the boys’ football, school, work, the community centre, mum and all that is going on at home. I know that the church community would help but I feel really pressured. It’s all really difficult.’ In context, this woman is really struggling at the moment with who she is, with her sense of human identity. Her communities, which Smith23 describes as providing signs of hope to identity, are actually strangling her sense of human identity. The disturbing part of this comment (which I have heard in many different contexts) is that the Church community is listed as another pressure, rather than as a sign of hope. This is not about what the church does (it provides the space that she and others are longing for) but, because it is “another community”, the pressure is on!
Understanding Humanity within Community – Witness to mission!
The challenge for both our understanding of human identity and for our mission is how the Church is a community which is different from the other communities of which we are apart while still being a community in itself. How are the hope we offer and the positive relationships of power we aspire to signs of human fulfilment rather than pressure? If we return to Walter Winks24 comments about realising God’s divinity and our humanness in the everyday experiences of life and community, we may find an answer – how can we create spaces that allow reflection on the essence of being human, and how do we enable this to be life-giving?
I know I need to come to church; I need it ‘cause it is tough and it gives me space, but I don’t know how to fit it in with the boys’ football, school, work, the community centre, mum and all that is going on at home.
A New Mission – or reclaimed humanity
How do we reflect on how we are human in a way that captures the fullness of our individuality rather than our individualism25 and its relationship to the many communities of which we are a part? In many ways it takes us back to the question of whether we are formed or shaped by our community. Or like my young mum, do our communities stress our identity or enable us to realise our potential? For this,
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we need to look deeply into life and extract the good in living.26 We need to be able to recognise the impact that communities have on our individuality, and use this as a tool to reach our full potential – otherwise our humanity is wasted, and we are unable to be the full people we are created to be! As Elaine Storkey reflects, our concern for the individual risks that individual becoming devalued.27 This is the challenge that faces the mission of the Church. We must be the frontier of this realisation of humanity through our understanding of God’s incarnate divinity within us. As we see in the material from the WCC, we are created in God’s image, and our mission and apologetics need to be at the heart of this self understanding as human persons.10 The Mission Shape Church28 report stated that a mission opportunity is to connect the church and gospel with the culture it is engaging with, to look at the way that people are living, the communities that they are part of, and begin there. We need to have a passion for the communities of which we are apart. Alister McGrath points out that the Church needs to be firm that ‘Christians are special’29 and we are offering something different. We need to hold onto our heritage and assert the values of our community which are realised when our humanity embraces the fullness of Christ’s incarnation and in doing so the fullness of our engagement in our communities. As such, Church is not about offering another community to belong to, but is the community that sustains our human identity as creations of the one true God in all our other communities.
Conclusions
‘The Christian encounter with God is transformative’,30 and as such our understanding of our humanity is critical to our engagement with ourselves and with our communities. We are beings created in the image of God and as such we are required to engage with the human and the divine simultaneously;31 we have no choice! This engagement causes us to relate to each other in a particular way as we long to actualise ourselves as fully human. This actualisation cannot happen alone and is only realised in our engagement within community. In our current, and probably historical, context this community is plural and reflects the diversity of circumstances we are faced with in our humanity. As such, the Church’s apologetics need to reflect a strong understanding of how the incarnation impacts our humanity and our engagement with our fellow humans. We are not human individuals in isolation. As a missionary community, the Church must offer its truth – we believe in Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God amongst us. This belief requires faith communities to be different and not a replication of other communities of which we are a part. Our Church needs to be a space to reflect on the nature of our humanity, as persons fully engaged with Christ. Our mission is to provide worship, reflection and hope, free of individual power and embracing God’s gift to us all – Christ, the incarnation of humanity and divinity, of whom we are created to be part of. We come to understand that, as Wink points out, the son of man is a difficult role model, but our humanity is capable of this embrace! What we seek is love itself, revealed now and again in human form. The love we seek overrules human nature. Love never counts the cost, to itself or others, and nothing is as cruel as love. There is no love that does not pierce the hands and the feet.32 This is the essence of our humanity, realised as we engage with God, ourselves and our community - to live out the mission of our faith.
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If I were a migrant – Christine Cargill: Humanity and Community
Bibliography Arch Bishops Council, Mission Shaped Church. London: Church House Publishing, 2004. D. Bonhoeffer. Ethics. London: SCM Press, 1971. J. Brueggemann, ‘Negotiating the Power of Meaning and the Meaning of Power’, Theology Today 63 no 4 Jan 2007. P. Casement, P, Learning from Life – Becoming a Psychoanalyst. East Sussex: Routledge, 2006. Durkheim quoted by J. Brueggemann, ‘Negotiating the Power of Meaning and the Meaning of Power’, Theology Today 63 no 4 Jan 2007. D.Evans. Struggle and Fulfilment – The Inner Dynamics of Religion and Morality. London: Routledge, 1980. Faithful Cities: A call for celebration, vision and justice. London: Methodist Publishing House and Church House Publishing, 2006. R. Holloway. Godless Morality – Keeping Religion out of Ethics. Edinburgh: Canongate, 1999. Abbot Christopher Jamison, Finding Sanctuary – Steps for Everyday Life. Phoenix Press. 2007. Nico Keilman, ‘UK national population projections in perspective: How successful compared to those in other European countries?’ National Statistics, Population Trends 129, Autumn 2007. P. Lehmann. ‘Contextual Theology’ in On Doing Theology: A Contextual Possibility, in Prospect for Theology: Essays in Honour of H. H. Farmer, edited by F. G Healey, James Nisbet & Co. Ltd. Herts: Welwyn, 1966. A.McGrath, The Renewal of Anglicanism. London: SPCK, 1993. D. McRae-McMahon. Prayers for Life’s Particular Moments. Australia: Des Books, 2001. J. Moltmann. The Spirit of Life – The Universal Affirmation. London: SCM Press, 1992. E. Moltmann-Wendel. Autobiography. London: SCM Press, 1997. T. Moore. The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life. Australia: Hodder and Sloughton, 1996. B,Myers. Walking with the Poor. London: Orbis Books 2002. Oxford University Press. Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2006. M.K Smith. ‘Community’ in the encyclopedia of informal education,’ http://www.infed.org/community/ community.html . Last updated: October 23, 2007. E, Storkey, The Search for Intimacy. London: Houghton and Stoughton 1995. Union within the Uniting Church in Australia. Sydney: UCA Assembly 1997 page 11. Resolution. 97.37.04 (c) Minutes of the Eighth Assembly ’97. Uniting Church in Australia. Colours True and Splendid. Australia: Gospel and Gender UCA, 1999.
N. Victorin-Vanggerud. The Raging HearthSprit in the household of God. Missouri: Chalice Press, 2000. Walter Wink, The Human Being- Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of Man Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002. K,Ward. What the Bible really Teacher- A challenge to Fundamentalists. Great Britain: SPCK, 2004. K. Ward Re-thinking Christianity. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2007. H.A.Williams Living Free. London: Continuum UK, 2006. J. Winterson. The Powerbook. London: Random House, 2000. World Council of Churches, Together on the Way 8.2. Response to the plenary on the Ecumenical Decade -- Churches in Solidarity with Women, WCC, 1999. Minute 8.2 (Endnotes) 1 Oxford University Press. Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2006. pp 289 2 M.K Smith. ‘Community’ in the encyclopedia of informal education,’ http://www.infed.org/ community/community.html . Last updated: October 23, 2007. 3 P. Lehmann. ‘Contextual Theology’ in On Doing Theology: A Contextual Possibility, in Prospect for Theology: Essays in Honour of H. H. Farmer, edited by F. G Healey, James Nisbet & Co. Ltd. Herts: Welwyn,1966. 4 Excerrt from personal Journal Easter Vigil 2007. 5 B,Myers. Walking with the Poor, London: Orbis Books 2002. 6 D. Bonhoeffer. Ethics . London: Routledge, 1971. pp184 7 K. Ward Re-thinking Christianity. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2007,p47. 8 Walter Wink, The Human Being- Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of Man Minneapolis :Fortress Press, 2002.pp11 9 Walter Wink, The Human Being- Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of Man Minneapolis :Fortress Press, 2002.pp39 10 Union within the Uniting Church in Australia. Sydney: UCA Assembly 1997 page 11. Resolution. 97.37.04 (c) Minutes of the Eighth Assembly ’97. 11 World Council of Churches, Together on the Way 8.2. Response to the plenary on the Ecumenical Decade -- Churches in Solidarity with Women, WCC, 1999. Minute 8.2 12 N. Victorin-Vanggerud. The Raging HearthSprit in the household of God. Missouri: Chalice Press, 2000.pp37.
13 N. Victorin-Vanggerud. The Raging HearthSprit in the household of God. Missouri: Chalice Press, 2000.pp178 14 H.A.Williams Living Free. London: Continuum UK, 2006. pp43 15 P. Casement, P, Learning from Life – Becoming a Psychoanalyst. East Sussex: Routledge, 2006. pp66 16 Faithful Cities: A call for celebration, vision and justice , London: Methodist Publishing House and Church House Publishing, 2006. 17 J. Brueggemann, ‘Negotiating the Power of Meaning and the Meaning of Power’, Theology Today 63 no 4 Jan 2007.pp 485. 18 Durkheim quoted by J. Brueggemann, ‘Negotiating the Power of Meaning and the Meaning of Power’, Theology Today 63 no 4 Jan 2007.pp 485. 19 D.Evans. Struggle and Fulfilment – The Inner Dynamics of Religion and Morality. London: Routledge,1980.pp129 20 Nico Keilman, ‘UK national population projections in perspective:How successful compared to those in other European countries?’ National Statistics, Polulation Trends 129, Autumn 2007. pp48 21 R. Holloway. Godless Morality – Keeping Religion out of Ethics, Edinburgh: Canongate, 1999. pp112 22 Verbatim recorded 48 hours after conversation November 2007. 23 M.K Smith. ‘Community’ in the encyclopedia of informal education,’ http://www.infed.org/community/community. html . Last updated: October 23, 2007. 24 Walter Wink, The Human Being- Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of Man Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002. 25 Jamison, Abbot Christopher Finding Sanctuary – Steps for Everyday Life, Phoenix Press. 2007 pp121 26 D. Bonhoeffer. Ethics London: SCM Press, 1971. pp185 27 E, Storkey, The Search for Intimacy. London: Houghton and Stoughton 1995. 28 Arch Bishops Council, Mission Shaped Church. London: Church House Publishing, 2004. pp 77 29 A.McGrath, The Renewal of Anglicanism London: SPCK, 1993. pp141 30 A. McGrath The Renewal of Anglicanism London: SPCK, 1993 pp86 31 K. Ward Re-thinking Christianity. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2007 and Walter Wink, The Human Being- Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of Man Fortress Press Minneapolis, 2002 32 J. Winterson, The Powerbook. London: Random House, 2000.
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WSCF in Focus 38
As an organisation, WSCF works on many issues concerning peace, solidarity and justice. In this section we will introduce some of these themes and actions that run throughout WSCF at a global, regional and local level. We will focus on the inter-regional event on migration in Mexico City that was attended by Sonja Kosunen from Finland and by Torbjørn Askevold from Norway as delegates from the European Region.
Sonja Kosunen
Migration Reflections from the Inter-Regional conference When families move to a new culture, children have to adapt to many things. Migration can cause a stressful stage in life for every migrant for a certain period of time; however, children especially have to start building their identities as migrants in a new country as soon as they arrive into the culture. In general, it is not very important how the child feels about migration as a process or about her or his own ethnical group itself. According to Carmela Liebkind’s research in Helsinki University, the most important factor is the way that the parents support the child within the entire process of migration. Children have to adapt even more than adults when going to school to learn the language, which can be a difficult process. Adapting is a psychological as well as a socio-cultural process.
MOZAIK 2008 spring
In September, WSCF held its annual inter-regional conference in Mexico City. The Inter-Regional WSCF office and a group of Latin-American SCM members organized the event. During the conference, we were engaged in many different methods of learning about and reflection upon the issue of migration. We attended lectures giving classical academic presentations on the topic. We did Bible studies on different scriptural passages; theological analyses and all worships were somehow focused on the situation of migrants. We watched documentaries and were visited by Mexicans working with the social and pastoral realities following migration in Mexico. Torbjørn Askevold
In his research, John Berry (1986) found four different ways that people act when adapting to life in a new country. These possibilities are assimilating, separating, marginalizing and integrating. Assimilation is what happens when migrants abandon their own cultural values and traditions and take all parts of their identity from the new culture. In Finland, for example, some Russian migrants may feel that it is easier to give up their previous Russian cultural identity and take a Finnish one instead. In this process, the parents have to stand strong, because otherwise children might stop speaking their original first language. Assimilation is especially harmful when it results in an unfinished childhood identity, as the child is still putting together difference pieces of the two surrounding cultures. In the separation method of adaptation, the migrants coming to a new country separate from the major population in the country and keep their old identities whole. This usually happens when people, feeling isolated, seek their own tradition and group control. This leads into a total separation from the majority society and causes massive problems. These migrants stick together with other migrants from the same culture. Separation has been a big issue in cultures such as Roma. Families face the greatest problems when their children get involved with the majority society, for example in school. Some people say they can not see separation as a solution for the upcoming problems in the new culture and it can be seen as a problem caused by the majority population. Ethnical or cultural groups that separate are usually afraid of rejection from the major population and it is easier for them to stay removed. Marginalization might be the most difficult way of adapting (and not adapting) to a new country and culture. In this case, the migrant separates from both the old and new culture. Marginalization causes identity problems and the migrant drops out of the society. The fourth method of adaptation is to integrate to the culture. In the other three methods (assimilation, separation and marginalization), people always give something away. Either part of the old or new culture has to go in order for migrant to get an identity she or he can live with. In integration, one keeps some parts of one’s old culture and integrates them with some parts of the new one. In order to integrate, migrants have to take part in the social life of the new country; they must take part in the economical, political and social life of the society. Much depends on the people responding to the migrant’s request to become a part of “their” society. One of the most important factors for integration is that both parties, the migrants and the locals, feel that they all have same the rights and obligations. This leads to the best psychological basis for bi- or multiculturalism. Integration is both an internal and external process, according to Professor Mirja Talib’s research. Inner balance can be achieved, but it takes a lot of work. When a migrant learns the new spoken language, gets social contacts and status in society, for example through getting a job, it becomes easier to accept things in past and present life. The whole process of integration could be called “building a bridge between past and present selves”.
Assimilation is what happens when migrants abandon their own cultural values and traditions and take all parts of their identity from the new culture.
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WSCF in Focus
Of course, the process is a lot more complex than this theory represents. In some cases, people experience all of the four possible ways of adapting. In families, children might assimilate to the new culture while their parents unconsciously separate from it. Different combinations of integration, separation and assimilation can happen in just one person as well. A migrant might assimilate to the new culture at work by learning the social code and not keeping the code from her or his old culture. At the same time, they might integrate with the language, meaning that the migrants know the language and it’s conventions in the new country, but may also use their own first language. It is also possible that they separate when getting married; they may only think of marrying
from within their own ethnical group. They then keep their marital life apart from the new culture. However, the most important thing is that the migrant finds a way to live a good life in the new culture. This usually happens in different stages, as they find their identities again in a new home country. Integration seems to give the best psychological basis for migrants to do so.
Torbjørn Askevold
“We are all sons and daughters of a wandering Aramean” Reflections on WSCF´s solidarity theme for 2007: Migration Now that I am home in Norway, the obvious question I would like to ask is how do we deal with this issue in our local SCM’s? How should we analyse migration as a phenomenon, and how can we reflect theologically about it? A recurring point that was often mentioned at the conference in Mexico was how we are all “sons and daughters of a wandering Aramean”. The Bible-studies were led by theologians and scholars who understood the Bible as a collection of stories about people who have lived their lives as migrants. We learned how Abraham was living in an Aramean tribe that led a nomadic life in the MiddleEastern region. The Exodus from Egypt is a central story to this theme, and we looked at other Biblical passages about characters facing migration. The story of the Holy Family’s flight from Palestine to Egypt is a well known, showing us how Christ himself had to flee from persecution.
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MOZAIK 2008 spring
WSCF in Focus – Torbjørn Askevold and Sonja Kosunen - Interregional Reflection
If we use these Biblical accounts as normative descriptions of the human condition, we are forced to revise our idea of what is normal in regards to migration and being settled. Is being settled the “normal” way of life for most people? How did we end up where we now live? How many of us, as students and members of a student movement, have migrated at a certain point in our lives? Both our own history and the central Biblical figures show us how ‘settledness’ is not a given part of the human condition. Considering the normality of this fact, how do we then deal with this from a theological point of view? Christian theology speaks of the value and dignity of every man and woman as something innate and given, based on the idea that we are all created in the image of God. The Gospels tells us that what we do towards the stranger, the homeless and the poor, is being done to Christ. In this way, we can say that every migrant carries the Face of Christ, and this compels us to act in a way that protects this innate dignity. What does this imperative mean to us as Europeans, living inside the mighty fortress of the Schengen agreement? How should we deal with migrants so that their dignity is cared for? It’s impossible to look at migration as an isolated phenomenon, if we are to take the tools of historical analysis from the tradition of liberation theology seriously. Why are people migrating? What are the causes for migration? The unequal distribution of wealth, the climate crisis, war and conflict are all causes that force people to flee. If we are to address migration, we have to address the causes of it. Looking at the European context, we are facing obvious challenges on the field of migration. The issue of integration is a hot topic in most countries, and it´s perhaps the most widely debated subject in this field. In Norway, the debate has taken a more hostile turn, and the earlier focus on hospitality and compassion for refugees has turned into a debate of suspicion and prejudice. Samuels P. Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations has entered our own neighbourhoods, and the polemic is sharper than ever before. Conservative parties are claiming that our “Christian heritage” is threatened and that we have to protect our “Christian values”. This so called conflict of values is seen in close connection to Huntington’s ideas. Earlier we could speak of immigrants as important promoters of family values and social responsibility. Today the immigrants are treated with the opposite approach; their values pose a threat until they can prove the opposite. What are these Christian values that we are supposed to protect? What does the Bible tell us about migration and the tradition of hospitality and every man and woman’s dignity? In my opinion, the right-wing understanding of these values is seriously distorted and has
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to be claimed back by the Churches and the Christian movements. We cannot let Christianity be used in the political game of fear-mongering and identity-politics. Christianity does not imply being irresponsible towards migrants, but it compels us to show deep and honest hospitality towards newcomers to our countries. We should all work for and promote the Kingdom of God - a Kingdom of social and economic justice; in the mean time, we have to care for those who are seeking the chance of a better life. As of today, European countries have a stricter policy on migration than ever before. A good example to mention is the case of Denmark and the UK, countries which participated in the American-led invasion of Iraq but refused 97% and 88% of the applications from Iraqi refugees for asylum in 2006 according to UNHCR statistics. The issue of migration is complex and cannot be analyzed without looking at the causes for it. Even though migration seems to be an unavoidable reality to all of us, we should not approve of the economical and political systems that force people to migrate. The WSCF Migration Statement and Solidarity Plan that was written at the conference in Mexico states “that each person has a right to move in safety and with their dignity respected”. We still need to recognize that “in looking at migration we have to critique the global economic system, international financial institutions and unjust economic structures as the major causes and to look for just alternatives.” These are just a few of the things that were debated at the inter-regional meeting. The Solidarity plan is an excellent summary of the conference and is a good starting point for looking deeper into this issue. The plan both summarizes the theological and political analyzes and suggests concrete forms of action for the different levels of WSCF and our local SCM´s.
Sonja Kosunen is a student of education science and social psychology in Helsinki University. She will get her Bachelors Degree this spring from the Faculty of Behavioral Sciences. In the future, she plans to concentrate on social sciences. Sonja used to be the vice president of her SCM, OOL in Finland, she can be contacted via sonja.kosunen@helsinki.fi.
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Torbjørn Askevold lives in Oslo and is in a Masters Programme at the University of Oslo on “Religion and society”. He is writing his thesis on a modern esoteric movement, the followers of the “perennialist”-thinking, a universialistic religious philosophy. He has a Bachelors Degree in Christian Theology and he is currently the chairperson of the Norwegian SCM. Torbjørn can be reached at askevold@gmail.com
MOZAIK 2008 spring
WSCF in Focus – Torbjørn Askevold and Sonja Kosunen - Interregional Reflection
The First Ecumenical Training and Formation for Students and Youth in Hungary: A Report from the Magyar Student Christian Movement
(KÖD)
In his 2006 report the WCC moderator Catholicos Aram I wrote: “The ecumenical formation of youth is of decisive importance for the future of the ecumenical movement. “The quality and quantity of persons interested in ecumenical life, both in the World Council of Churches (WCC) and elsewhere, is declining. The survival of the ecumenical movement is largely conditioned on the active and responsible involvement of youth. “A vision requires visionaries to dream and struggle for its realisation. The preparation of a new ecumenical generation is imperative. It must become a major focus for the ecumenical movement. The future belongs to those who have the vision and courage to shape it.”
A Broad and Representative Cooperation
We joined and reflected upon this initiative of the World Council of Churches (WCC) on ecumenical formation, and we have been engaged in the process of the Third European Ecumenical Assembly (Sibiu, Transylvania, 2007) on the national level. Thus the idea of an ecumenical formation for youth was raised by the Magyar Ecumenical Student Christian Movement (KÖD) and the Benedictine Békés Gellért Ecumenical Institute (BGÖI), Pannonhalma, in Spring 2006. Following this idea, the two mentioned organisations,
in cooperation with the Youth Committee of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary (MEÖTIB) and the Ecumenical Youth Office (ÖKI), organised a formation for Christian youth and student leaders. The Youth Committee of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary (MEÖT-IB) is the broadest and most representative ecumenical youth body in Hungary. Even the Roman Catholic church is a full member in it, although in MEÖT they are only observer members. Apart from the members involved in its functioning, our ecumenical training and formation project was financially supported by the Roman Catholic Alliance for Youth and Adult Education (KIFE).
Based on SCM Methods and Attitudes
In Autumn 2006, the MEÖT-IB finally accepted this idea and entrusted a team of ten (plus two) delegated members with elaborating a thematic plan and organising the first ecumenical formation for Christian youth leaders in Hungary. They worked together with the Ecumenical Youth Office (they were the two additional members), responsible mainly for logistics. The team represented a broad Christian spectrum of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical-Lutheran, Calvinist-Reformed,
After a thorough introduction and some icebreakers, through discussions, the participants uncovered their stereotypes and prejudices about different denominations.
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Methodist and Baptist denominations, grassroots ecumenical organisations like KÖD, and ecumenical theological institutes such as the Benedictine BGÖI. From among the organisers, around seven arrived from SCM circles, and they included even the chairperson of the Magyar Orthodox Youth Federation (MORISZ), which is a member movement of Syndesmos, the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth. Among others, the lecturers included former and active chairpersons and general secretaries of the Magyar SCM (which also supported the event financially); former and active members of the Central European, European and global leadership of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF); and former and active executive committee (ExCo) members of the Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe (EYCE).
Recognizes Recognizing the Scandal of Disunity
This ecumenical training and formation did not primarily deal with practical cooperation, since that has its own fora, but rather was an effort for trying to reach convergence in the goals shared by Christian youth and student organisations, questioning the denominational divisions that often look petrified. The topic, therefore, was Christian unity and its scandalous absence in many fields, areas and dimensions. When inviting participants and lecturers, the same broad Christian presence was always maintained, and even enlarged by a Greek Catholic presence. The key task of the resource persons was determined as follows. We endeavour to bring to light the fact that divisions between denominations – beyond diminishing the efficiency of mission and evangelism – are grave scandals before God and humanity, and therefore constitute obstacles to overcome according to our possibilities and responsibilities, accepting the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in obedience.
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Nevertheless, mutually enriching diversity opens the door to a more complete reception of the Good News and the visible unity of the Church of Jesus Christ. In order to fulfil this serious and soul-lifting task, we prepared a weekend seminar as a first step, from 9–11 February 2007. The seminar’s venue was the Conference House of the Society of the Divine Word (Societas Verbi Divini, SVD) in Budatétény (inside the borders of Budapest). We chose workshops, panel discussions and lectures as our most important means and methods.
By Experts of Various Fields
All the events of the seminar were pervaded by the force of a close and friendly being together. Twentyfive resource persons helped sixty participants from all parts of Hungary (and beyond) in deepening their ecumenical, and thus Christian, consciousness. The academic field was represented among the resource persons, for example, by the rector of the Károli Gáspár Reformed University (KGRE) in Budapest; as well as by professors of ecumenical theology, systematic theology, Biblical theology, hermeneutics and canon law. Also, a member of the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC) shared his knowledge with us, as well as the chairperson of the Mission and Evangelism Committee of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary (MEÖT). From the clerical side, we listened, for instance, to a Methodist superintendent; a protoierei of the Magyar Orthodox Diocese; school and university chaplains; and Benedictine, Verbita and other monks. Finally, we could hear the Secretary of the Youth Committee of the Magyar Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops; the director of the Roman Catholic Pastoral Institute (OLI) in Hungary; the general secretary of the Magyar Bible Society; and the leader of the Synodal Office of the Reformed Church in Hungary.
MOZAIK 2008 spring
WSCF in Focus – Report from the Magyar Student Christian Movement (KÖD)
Thus Starting a Whole New Series and Era
On one hand, we worked together intellectually as true disciples, which involved passing on knowledge and understanding concerning the importance of unity. On the other hand, we took part in ecumenical prayers and worship, which furthered our involvement into the spirituality of unity. After a thorough introduction and some ice-breakers, through discussions the participants uncovered their stereotypes and prejudices on denominations and on the ecumenical movement as a whole. A panel discussion dealt with the models of visible unity. Lectures followed, dealing with Jesus Christ’s call for unity as a Biblical introduction, as well as the history of the four branches of the ecumenical movement: mission and evangelism, faith and order, life and work, and ecumenical formation. Group discussions gathered spiritual, theological and practical means of unity. One panel discussion was on obstacles on the way towards unity, and another on an emerging ecumenical vision. The seminar ended with an ecumenical worship and an overall evaluation by the participants and the organisers. Following the participants’ advice and considering their evaluation, we have already started to prepare the continuation and further development of this ecumenical training and formation for students and youth, and to confirm our commitment to support such initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as in Europe as a whole.
She graduated from the faculty of Theology in 1999 (Aristotle’s University of Thessaloniki) and she started her master degree in ecumenical area. She graduated with a master’s ecumenism in Dogmatical studies (Chambesy – Switzerland, 2001 - 2003). Her Thesis dealt with Confessions of faith’s literal typology. She is writing a PhD in Theology about the relation between theology and poetry in writings of the Church Fathers. She is working in secondary education (since 2005) as a teacher of Theology, History and Psychology. She is a poet and a member of the literature group “Ale Amoroza”. She is publishing poems (since 1996), theological and literature articles in journals, reviews and anthologies such as (Epi-Koinonia, Kath’Odon, Nea Poreia, Meteikasma) She has published a number of articles dealing with the Greek poet T. Livaditis. Her own poetry collection entitled : “I Know ! it’s late…” was published in 2000 (ed. Paratiritis). She is translating articles on behalf of the “Academy of Theological Studies” She was awarded with medals and prizes from many Greek and international Poetry and Literature associations such as : Griechischer Kunst und Literatur Verein, Union of European Writers, Intellectual Cultural center of Rafina, MusicHeaven, Literature Association Zalonis, Conservatory Foudoulis.
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Thus Starting a Whole New Series and Era
On one hand, we worked together intellectually as true disciples, which involved passing on knowledge and understanding concerning the importance of unity. On the other hand, we took part in ecumenical prayers and worship, which furthered our involvement into the spirituality of unity. After a thorough introduction and some ice-breakers, through discussions the participants uncovered their stereotypes and prejudices on denominations and on the ecumenical movement as a whole. A panel discussion dealt with the models of visible unity. Lectures followed, dealing with Jesus Christ’s call for unity as a Biblical introduction, as well as the history of the four branches of the ecumenical movement: mission and evangelism, faith and order, life and work, and ecumenical formation. Group discussions gathered spiritual, theological and practical means of unity. One panel discussion was on obstacles on the way towards unity, and another on an emerging ecumenical vision. The seminar ended with an ecumenical worship and an overall evaluation by the participants and the organisers. Following the participants’ advice and considering their evaluation, we have already started to prepare the continuation and further development of this ecumenical training and formation for students and youth, and to confirm our commitment to support such initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as in Europe as a whole.
She graduated from the faculty of Theology in 1999 (Aristotle’s University of Thessaloniki) and she started her master degree in ecumenical area. She graduated with a master’s ecumenism in Dogmatical studies (Chambesy – Switzerland, 2001 - 2003). Her Thesis dealt with Confessions of faith’s literal typology. She is writing a PhD in Theology about the relation between theology and poetry in writings of the Church Fathers. She is working in secondary education (since 2005) as a teacher of Theology, History and Psychology. She is a poet and a member of the literature group “Ale Amoroza”. She is publishing poems (since 1996), theological and literature articles in journals, reviews and anthologies such as (Epi-Koinonia, Kath’Odon, Nea Poreia, Meteikasma) She has published a number of articles dealing with the Greek poet T. Livaditis. Her own poetry collection entitled : “I Know ! it’s late…” was published in 2000 (ed. Paratiritis). She is translating articles on behalf of the “Academy of Theological Studies” She was awarded with medals and prizes from many Greek and international Poetry and Literature associations such as : Griechischer Kunst und Literatur Verein, Union of European Writers, Intellectual Cultural center of Rafina, MusicHeaven, Literature Association Zalonis, Conservatory Foudoulis.
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