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12 L Di og a 11 The Joint Globalisation Project– Dialog on �Basic Issues Africa and the Reformed Church in Germany. Ahlerich Ostendorp, Leer, Germany � Incentive for the joint project on Globalisation. � � � The “Declaration of Accra” caused turmoil! The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) rejected unequivocally not Globalisation qua se but an economic globalisation dictated by neo-liberal ideology. Many Churches and Christians in the countries of the South are thankful for this theological declaration by the WARC in 2004. For those who with justification regard themselves as victims of neo-liberalism this “Confession” expresses what they as Churches �and �Christians who emulate Jesus in their political and economic context believe: God is a God of righteousness and liberation; he shows solidarity with the exploited and oppressed. Some churches and Christians in the countries of the north are confused by the “Declaration of Accra”, some are also annoyed, and many are unsettled. They sense that their way of being a Church of Jesus Christ within the area of “empire” is being put in question. In this tense and electrifying situation the Reformed Church in Germany (RCG) and the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) decided to conduct a joint project which in the meantime has become known as “The Globalisation Project”. In this project, planned to last three years, political and econom- �� – The Joint Globalisation – Dialog on Basic Issues – 113
DiaLo g ic analyses which already existed were discussed and new analyses have been worked out, in both cases with the aim of achieving a common, theologically justified statement on neo-liberal globalisation. Here the “Declaration of Accra” was not questioned but was taken as a starting-point. Shortly before the end of this project – I am writing this report on the 15 th January 2010 – one can assume that the joint venture was successful. A great help here was the very good partnership which has linked the two Churches since the time of the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. Faith in Christ and the trust which evolved between the two Churches was the basis on which we could travel this very interesting and successful but yet tense way together. The Organization of the Joint Work. Globalisation committees were formed in both Churches. Together they determined the various aspects of globalisation which should be dealt with. Members of both committees then worked out analyses and positions on the topics agreed upon or asked external experts for assistance on individual subjects. The discussion of various theological questions raised by the “Declaration of Accra” took up a great deal of space, e.g. status confessionis, ‘Empire and God’s option for the poor’. Among other topics dealt with I mention as examples: the history of inequality; the politics of globalisation; international financial markets and development; world trade and development; the worldwide crisis in foodstuffs; gender and globalisation; militarization and globalisation; democracy and globalisation; ecological justice. All these topics and others are to be found in the final joint document of the two Churches. In these roughly �three �years the �two Globalisation � Committees � of the URCSA and the RCG have met for three intensive symposia on these topics. The Essential Features of the Joint Position on Economic Globalisation. We are in agreement “that global economic justice is essential to the integrity of our faith in God and our discipleship as Christians” (Accra, Thesis 16) and that the question of ecological justice is inseparably connected to this. Particularly also in the confrontation with the ideology of neo-liberalism it is clear how relevant the Theological Declaration of Barmen from 1934 still is. There Thesis II reads: “We reject the false doctrine, as though there were areas of our life in which we would not belong to Jesus Christ but to other lords – areas in which we would not need justification and sanctification through him.” In the spirit of the Declaration of Accra – or as many prefer to say: In the spirit of the “Confession of Accra” – we are firmly convinced that God’s option for the poor is binding on the Churches so that they too are placed by their Lord on the �� 114 – The Joint Globalisation – Dialog on Basic Issues –
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eak the chains of oppresion and the
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BREAK THE CHAINS OF OPRESSION AND T
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PContents REAChing Preface There is
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PREFA ce There is No Unjust Communi
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PREFA ce Let us remember: there sho
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PREFA ce ed, stripped bare, when th
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PREAChing 1 Preaching on Justice: T
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PREAChing message of the free grace
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PREAChing come aware of how abundan
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PREAChing I draw attention again to
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PREAChing who believe that “those
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EnGAGEMEnT 2 Commitment after Accra
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EnGAGEMEnT which has become spiritu
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EnGAGEMEnT worries more, is more ea
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Europe’s Discussion about Justice
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were being seen - because of this -
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Discus sion Church and State are fu
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The Reformed tradition with the ope
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DEMoc rAcy However democracy is sti
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DEMoc rAcy of the homo politicus -
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viewers, the programme is “cut to
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DEMoc rAcy Finally it would natural
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point modern democracies are open t
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DEMoc rAcy Naturally, in many cases
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cove nanTi ng 59 Europe’s Road to
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cove nanTi ng Western neighbor coun
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cove nanTi ng focused on. On the on
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5 pE o H 6 Theology of hope in time
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At the bottom of these enormous ent
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The question has to be raised wheth
Page 64 and 65: in the communio with Christ. In thi
Page 66 and 67: anity has been closely related to e
Page 68 and 69: world: the oppressed, the poor, the
Page 70 and 71: 8 p EM ire 7 Empire - Provocation w
Page 72 and 73: EMpire thors also supply an ambitio
Page 74 and 75: EMpire Aspects of a difficult relat
Page 76 and 77: governments in southern countries e
Page 78 and 79: EMpire Talk of empire, as this exam
Page 80: EMpire hand, and realpolitik talk a
Page 83 and 84: Ethics two? Globethics.net proposes
Page 85 and 86: Ethics 2. Performance-related justi
Page 87 and 88: Ethics difficult to implement all o
Page 89 and 90: Ethics instrument, which correspond
Page 91 and 92: Ethics tice. In some cases it may s
Page 93 and 94: Ethics 6. The Principle of Transpar
Page 95 and 96: Ethics to others what we ourselves
Page 98 and 99: Litur gy 49 The Liturgy of Holy Com
Page 100 and 101: Litur gy chosen was that one of the
Page 102 and 103: Litur gy stronger weighting towards
Page 104 and 105: Litur gy It may be argued that few
Page 106 and 107: Litur gy but here particularly so.
Page 108 and 109: Litur gy turn out to be. For if we
Page 110: For the shaping of the liturgy the
Page 113: PRojec ts The scope of the children
Page 117 and 118: DiaLo g suppression as a power-alli
Page 119 and 120: DiaLo g Dreaming a Different World
Page 121 and 122: DiaLo g We remember together the in
Page 123 and 124: The Further Development of the Conc
Page 125 and 126: DiaLo g come to stand: do they belo
Page 127 and 128: DiaLo g dividuals who come into vie
Page 129 and 130: EXPLoita Tion formation and counsel
Page 131 and 132: there is emerging here a specific i
Page 133 and 134: EXPLoita Tion wealthier lands in No
Page 135 and 136: study 5 of children’s attitudes t
Page 137 and 138: EXPLoita Tion Christian understandi
Page 139 and 140: EXPLoita Tion gal prosecution of cr
Page 141 and 142: these questions. An approach that r
Page 143 and 144: of governments for the regular fina
Page 145 and 146: We recommend EXPLoita Tion The orga
Page 148 and 149: Hope in God’s Future: Christian D
Page 150 and 151: FuturE I Approaching God in the con
Page 152 and 153: FuturE All of these changes will ha
Page 154 and 155: FuturE ship; God’s sacrifice in C
Page 156 and 157: FuturE between rich and poor becomi
Page 158 and 159: FuturE Reflection 5 Low-lying count
Page 160 and 161: gry and those now first finding the
Page 162 and 163: FuturE Even to sinners like us, God
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FuturE UK Government Committee on C
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FuturE Reflection 11 “A commitmen
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FuturE Alertness to disproportionat
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FuturE set out on a journey of free
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seeking 2. It has become much more
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seeking tions and in the Synod, was
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LEArnin G Praying for growth Food,
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we, with 20% of world-population, a
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LEArnin G hunger, but sooner from a
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LEArnin G And they wonder: what doe
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LEArnin G The richer the USA and Eu
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A Globalance - Christian Perspectiv
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A GLoB LAncE uence on political and
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Recommendations The position paper
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Pov y ert 17 „Don’t Leave Us Ha
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Group Children’s Summit 2006” r
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Pov erty our doorstep as relatively
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Pov erty This well-founded option f
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All these rights could be provided
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Pov erty The action “Hiding is no
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