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There have been many
valuable traditions in the ecumenical movement, one of which is the creative
lay initiatives of the World Student Christian Federation, which proved to be
one of the cutting edges of the ecumenical movement. To be sure, many of the
members of the Student Christian Movement have moved on to serve the churches
in many capacities. However, the WSCF and the SCMs retain their own character
and it is important that they remain distinctly as a movement of the laity.
One of the distinct
contributions of Asian
SCMs within the framework of the ecumenical movement was recruitment and
training of the ecumenical leadership. It has been criticized by some churchmen
for the domination of the ecumenical agenda by particular orientation of SCM
trained ecumenical personalities. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that even
the Christian Conference of
The relationship between
EACC/CCA and WSCF-Asia has always been one of mutual
challenge and collaboration. Due to the personalities involved in both bodies,
many things were taken for granted.
The trend of
regionalization within the once Europe-centered ecumenical world bodies made a
formal dialogue between WSCF and EACC on the terms
and rationale of cooperation necessary. This led to a joint consultation
between them in 1966. After some happy initial years, the cooperation dropped
to a bare minimum in the 70s. There were many reasons for this development. The
Tao Fung Shan consultation enumerates these, but more
significantly it reaffirms the basic conviction and covenant of 1966, viz; the WSCF and the CCA should together attempt to
fulfill their common ecumenical responsibilities in the university world in
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One of the important
recommendations from this consultation, addressed to the both organizations, is
that they recognize the pressing need to analyze critically the present state
of university education in Asia, and do together whatever is necessary to
strengthen the SCM in each Asian country, and that in so doing they ought to
look very closely at the work with and among our university teachers. Under the
obligations of Christian mission in our lands, the Church and its members in
the academic community have mutual responsibilities proper to their vocation of
each. Each will be the poorer without the contribution of the other. This, in
fact, is the conviction that prompted the CCA and the WSCF to come together in
the Tao Fong Shan consultation.
The success of this
timely consultation owes much to everyone who was there, and particularly to
the Rev. Harry Daniel, a former Associate General Secretary of the CCA, and a
former staff of WSCF who ably chaired the sessions, the main speakers,
preachers who inspired us with meditation, those who drafted the reports till
the early hours of the morning and, finally, to the Rev. David Gill and Ms. Lidy Nacpil who put together all
the parts to form this final report.
We are happy to present
this report to the constituencies of both the CCA and the WSCF-Asia and Pacific
for their serious study and implementation.
World Student Christian Federation
Christian Conference of