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COMPOSITE WORKSHOP REPORT
INTRODUCTION
Christian
witness in the midst of the present socio-political realities remains the main
challenge to the Church and the WSCF. Today, they are constantly challenged to
review/define their roles in relation to the training and equipping of students
and young people for the betterment of society. Hence, the thane of this
CCA-WSCF Consultation: "A New Ecumenical Vision for the Church and
University in Society".
After the
input sessions, the participants were divided into four working groups as per
their respective sub-region. Each group worked within the framework of the
following guidelines:
a) Evaluate the strategies
mentioned in the CCA-WSCF Consultation Report (pp. 58-63) held in
b) Prepare a framework for
action and reflection within the Asia/Pacific context.
c) Outline strategies and
priorities for common ministry (CCA-WSCF) in Student and University work.
Following is
a composite report of the four working groups:
COMPOSITE WORKSHOP REPORT
A. Our Vision of Society
Our
ecumenical vision of society is one that is humane, just, participatory and
sustainable. However, the reality of the Asian society is quite opposite to the
vision. Most of the Asian countries are economically and politically
underdeveloped. Most of them are also
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ruled by the strong arm of the military under the pretext of national
security. An examination of this sad phenomenon showed that the close alliance
of the national elites and/or the ethnical majority with foreign superpowers
has produced socio-political and economic structures which have oppressed,
exploited and dehumanized the people. The majority of the population are
excluded from the decision-making processes of the government, while the
minority (i.e. the ruling elites and capitalists) acquire large profits and
power at the expense of the majority.
It is
therefore, imperative for us to oppose all forms of foreign domination on Asian
countries. The superpowers should retreat from the
B. Our Vision of Church and
University
The
Church, as a community of faith and a people of God, believes in justice, peace
and love. Its vision of the "new heaven and new earth" has its
foundation on a humane, just, participatory and sustainable society. Hence, it
is the mission of the Church to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the poor
and the powerless. The Church, as the symbol of salvation should be the church
of the poor, expressing solidarity with people in their struggle for a new
society. Only through struggling with the poor can the Church fulfil its
priestly, pastoral and prophetic role in realizing its vision of the "new
heaven and new earth".
In order
to be a Church of the poor, it should renew itself. It has to rid itself of the
Western theology and mentality which are culture-bound, age-dominated,
church-centred and pro-capitalist. Through renewal, the Church will be able to
identify itself more with the struggles of people in
The
University as an institution for academic excellence and a tool for nation
building should be
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given the freedom to achieve these goals. Therefore* it is important and
essential to develop a dynamic understanding of the Church and University, both
of which are still very much trapped in the oppressive socio-political
structure.
The
Student Christian Movement should encourage critical analysis and participation
of students and Christians in the affairs of the university and society.
C. Our Vision of the People's Movement
The future
of the people's movements in
In the
growth and development of the people's movements, we can see a positive role
played by Christians. In fact, more and more Christians are beginning to
co-operate with and share what they have, even their lives, with the struggles
of the Asia/Pacific people. Their involvement and commitment is a result of
their understanding of the Gospel for the poor and the powerless.
RECOMMENDATIONS
In the
workshop discussions it was felt that, although the proposals and strategies
set forth by the Bangkok Consultation were very comprehensive, they were
somewhat idealistic and difficult to achieve. However, it was agreed that the
proposals should be kept as a long term strategy because they needed a certain
period of time for implementation. Therefore, it is necessary for the OCA and
the WSCF to set specific priorities for the implementation of the proposals.
With this in mind, the workshop discussed the following as a supplement to the
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A.
Leadership
formation is the most important aspect in movement building, programmes should
be planned and implemented at different levels to help students respond
authentically to the realities they face in schools, colleges/universities and
the larger society.
1) At the Local/National level,
SCMs should:
a) begin leadership formation
programmes at the secondary school level as teenagers of today mature early
because of extended and comprehensive exposure to the mass media;
b) consolidate their
relationship with senior friends and other national SCMs and secondary school
SCMs;
c) develop and continue strong
working relationships with campus/university chaplains and ensure that Bible
Study, prayer and worship remains the focus of life together;
d) develop effective
communication skills for SCMers and church youth which will help in reaching a
greater number of students;
e) encourage SCMers to be
concerned for and participate in people's movements.
2) At the Regional level, WSCF should:
a) sponsor leadership formation
programmes which include emphasis on social exposure and theological
reflections. These programmes should be held annually at Local level and
bi-annually at Sub-regional level;
b) give more emphasis to
ecumenical leadership training;
c) facilitate the rebuilding of
links with SCMs in the Pacific Sub-region, especially among countries where
SCMs are weak or non-existent such as at the University of the South Pacific in
3) At the Ecumenical level,
CCA-WSCF should:
a) facilitate ecumenical
exposure of national SCMers by inviting
them to participate in their conferences and events;
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b) facilitate and provide
internship programmes;
c) explore further possibilities
of organizing joint leadership formation programmes.
B. Theological Foundation
As an
egression of the ministry of the Church and as an embodiment of witness to the
Gospel, the SCMs must continually reflect upon their membership in the
community of faith and their work with others in that community for the renewal
of churches. They must be a part of that ongoing search for new ways of
understanding and expressing the meaning of Christian faith. In developing a
solid theological foundation, the SCM needs to:
1) assess its theological basis
for praxis and reflection.
2) promote a new Christian
consciousness which is sensitive to the suffering of the oppressed people.
3) relate its reflection to the
present social context and also relate itself to other movements of liberation
in various parts of the world.
4) develop an Asia/Pacific
oriented theology that is reflective of and relevant to the Asia/Pacific
experiences and struggles for liberation. It must be liberated from the
traditional Western theology which is male-dominated, clergy-centred,
age-dominated and pro-capitalist, and conduct training programmes which would
bring about awareness amongst laity, women, students and youth.
5) make worship, prayer and
Bible Study a priority in their common life as a movement.
C. The Role of SCM
The nature
and role of the SCM is an interplay of being on the one hand, the vehicle for
the ecumenical witness of the church in the campus and on the other, a Christian
student body that shares the anguish and aspirations of the general student
movement which seeks to be obedient to the Gospel in this context. However, in
the light of the present socio-political realities in
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1) Solidarity action network
a) In the Pacific region, the
SCM needs to be in solidarity with the indigenous people in their struggle against
colonialism and the imperialist nuclear powers. In particular, we are concerned
with the plight of the Kanak people in the French
colony of New Caledonia, the people of West Papua who are now refugees in Papua
New Guinea, the people of Polynesia who suffer from contamination and
colonisation because of French nuclear testing at Moruroa,
and the people of Belau, Kwajalein,
Rougelap and Guam who are under the American rule.
b) In the
c) The SCM needs to be in
solidarity and work with students and organisations of other religions that are
struggling for peace and justice.
d) An effective and efficient
way of information exchange and solidarity work is the exchange of
publications. This can facilitate the sharing of theoretical and theological
reflection between the SCMs and people's movements.
e) The SCM can mobilize and
support people's movements through active participation as well as through
financial, ideological, moral and political support. They can learn from the
experience of the people through close cooperation with the grassroot
organisations.
2) Educational/consciousness
promotion in
a) National SCMs need to
undertake educational, consciousness promotion programmes regarding its unique
and particular role, and also hold consultations with faculty, pastors, senior
friends and other student/campus groups.
b) Common problems concerning
socio-political and ecumenical realities abound in the Asia-Pacific region. The
SCM needs to study such problems, particularly relating to the linkage between
faith and ideologies, religious conflicts prospects for the Peace movement and
Christian witness in socialist countries such as China and
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c) SCM members can act as agents
to articulate and exchange the experiences of people's movements in different
countries.
D. Partnership with Churches
That the
SCM and the Church share a close relationship is an unqualified fact. The SCM
and the WSCF were pioneers and vital components of the two major sources of
renewal of the modern Church, namely, the missionary movement and the modern
ecumenical movement. The foundation of the SCM and the WSCF is rooted squarely
and firmly on the faith of the Church and commitment to the Church's life and
mission. The basis of the WSCF is faith in God and its aim is to call students
and other members of the academic community to become "disciples of Jesus
Christ" and to be committed to "the life and mission of the
Church".
However,
their programmes and organizational life have always been autonomous; related yet
not integrated into the structure of the Church. As a lay movement, its witness
is located less in the inner structures of the Church's life and more in that
part of the world where its members live and work.
On the
other hand, the Church as the larger partner in the relationship with the SCM
has yet to deal seriously with the urgent issues of peace and justice. Toe
burden of understanding lies more heavily on the Church. It must indicate what
options it is willing to take in the continuing struggle for liberation in our
time. Therefore, in the light of this, the SCMs requests the Church to:
1) define its vision and
ministry on campus or in society;
2) remove the mild and meek
image of Christians that has been inculcated in the minds of people by the early
missionaries and instead encourage Christians to be actively involved in the
struggles of the people, even to give their lives for others;
3) rid itself of the Western
captivity and encourage the development of indigenous churches which are
relevant and sensitive to the Asia/Pacific realities and give its support in
terms of finance and theological training to new developments like the
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Minjung/People's Church;
4) bear responsibility for
raising awareness among the congregations regarding racism, colonisation and
their national sovereignty in the South Pacific.
Dr. Baw Tananone