Reformed churches in Africa intensify commitment to justice

Reformed churches from across Africa have intensified their commitment to resist the evils of neoliberal economic globalisation and empire, which continue to ravage the continent.

At a meeting in Maputo, Mozambique on Saturday, the Alliance of Reformed Churches in Africa (ARCA) urged its member churches to continue to promote and implement the Accra Confession for the sake of the weak, poor and marginalised of Africa. ARCA is an Area Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC).

The Accra Confession is the major statement of the 24th General Council of WARC, which critiques neoliberal economic globalisation, stating that Christians cannot remain silent in the face of its destruction of people and the planet.

“The churches confirmed that the message and spirit of the Accra Confession and its critique of the current global order, economic globalisation, ecological destruction and empire are evident in Africa and the world today,” ARCA stated.

“The struggles of the people and the ecological crises posed by the current world order challenge the churches and society to engage in prophetic witness, advocacy and action, which seek transformation, justice and peace.”

ARCA stated that economic globalisation hurts communities, marginalises people, exploits labour, creates food crises and abuses women by pushing them into poverty and exclusion. The Reformed churches in Africa also said that the presence of empire is “deeply evident and prevalent" in Africa.

“The legacies of empire have been historically evident in the conquest, dispossession and commodification of human life through the slave trade era and current forms of trafficking of people.”

Pointing to the massive bailout of banks by governments in the United States, Europe and China and the failure to support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, the African churches said there is a clear alliance between political and corporate leaders that benefit the elite.

“The willingness of many countries to bail out corporate entities that are some of the main agents of the current world order requires the churches to live out their prophetic call and challenge these injustices.”

The ARCA statement added: “The current world order concentrates wealth, power, opportunities and possibilities for fullness of life among only a few elites of the world. If then the churches remain silent, inactive or collude with the rich and the elites who benefit from globalisation and empire, they will have failed to seek justice, peace and wholeness for the poor and marginalised.”

Puleng LenkaBula, African consultant to the Covenanting for Justice in the Economy and the Earth Project of WARC, was pleased with the outcome of the meeting.

“The primary impulses of the movement toward covenanting for justice and confessing against the tyranny of a world order that endangers all life was inspired by African churches in Kitwe, Zambia, in 1995,” she said.

“My hope that African churches would reaffirm that commitment, which has flowered into a covenanting for justice process, was fulfilled in this consultation.”

WARC general secretary Setri Nyomi, who attended the meetings, said he was “deeply impressed to see the commitment of African churches to living out the Accra Confession. The fact that the African churches find in the Accra Confession a resource that addresses the current financial crisis, global warming and the food crisis is critical.”

The ARCA Assembly also expressed pain and sadness on the current situation in Zimbabwe, demanding that the African Union and the Southern African Development Community pressure the regime of Robert Mugabe to respect the democratic will of the Zimbabwean people.

ARCA further called on the political leadership of Zimbabwe to find a quick solution to the current political impasse in order to end the suffering and death of babies, children, women and men throughout the country.

It expressed “shock and dismay” over the continuing deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo, condemning all forms of violence and calling for the international community to do everything in its power to stop the war there and end the suffering of innocent people.