WCC Assembly Dominated by Messy Debates and Elections, Serious Questions of Identity
Episcopal News Service. February 28, 1991 [91049]
During two weeks of deliberation on a wide range of issues, the Seventh Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) was never able to shake off the specter of a disastrous war in the Middle East. During the final day of its February 7-20 meeting in Canberra, Australia, a lengthy and at times rancorous debate finally produced a statement calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gulf War but not without frustrating most delegates and exposing the WCC to fresh charges that it has been "politicized."
The WCC Executive Committee laid the groundwork for the debate by calling for a cease-fire even before the assembly began. During the opening days of the meeting, speaker after speaker referred to the Persian Gulf crisis, and U.S. church leaders issued a call to the churches to work for a cease-fire (see ENS, February 14).
By the time the Public Issues Committee produced a seven-page draft statement for consideration by the assembly, the move toward a consensus seemed a foregone conclusion. The only clear voice against an unconditional cease-fire came from the Church of England delegation and Australian Anglicans, who contended the cease-fire must be linked to an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, as stipulated by the United Nations resolution. English bishops warned about a "cheap peace" and said that war itself may not be just, but the war in the Persian Gulf is "justifiable."
In a messy debate that careened out of control several times, the assembly decided to amend the document, leading to a whole series of proposed changes. An amendment introduced by Dr. Konrad Raiser of Germany called on churches to "give up any theological or moral justification of the use of military power, be it in war or through other forms of oppressive security systems, and to become public advocates of a just peace." It passed quickly after no real discussion.
The assembly decided to reconsider when several delegates, including WCC Moderator Dr. Heinz-Joachim Held of Germany, said the addition to the statement put the WCC on record as a pacifist organization. Held said that he and other delegates would vote against the whole statement if the amendment were included. Even WCC General Secretary Emilio Castro joined the chorus of protest and, when challenged by a delegate for attempting to influence the outcome, he said it was his duty to issue warnings when he saw the ecumenical movement threatened.
The debate touched on the larger issue of WCC identity, with some delegates arguing that the WCC had forgotten its theological task and was trying to function like the United Nations. Other delegates suggested that the WCC had sought to empower representatives of the Third World but now didn't want to listen to their opinions and experiences.
Since the debate consumed most of the time at the plenary, the only other statement passed was one calling on the churches to repent of past sins in exploiting indigenous peoples and asking member churches to "move beyond words to action" in supporting the sovereignty, self-determination, and land rights of indigenous peoples. (See separate story.)
The other statements were referred to a meeting of the new WCC Central Committee, fueling the frustration felt by delegates that the Persian Gulf crisis had pushed aside other burning issues.
The election of new leadership for the council was almost as confusing and contentious as the debate on public issues -- with long-term implications for the role of the WCC. When the original slate of 150 candidates for the new WCC Central Committee was presented, many delegates objected to what they perceived as a lack of balance among member churches, geographical regions, and gender and youth representation. As one delegate remarked, "It's time for this European/colonial domination to end."
The committee revised the slate several times in what it called a "difficult balancing act" in trying to meet WCC guidelines. Some delegates were still not satisfied with the balance and tried several times to substitute nominations without success, leading WCC President Lois Wilson of Canada to charge that a number of women nominees had been threatened and intimidated by their delegations into withdrawing their names. "The politics of the WCC stink to high heaven -- and I don't think that's what Jesus had in mind," she said.
A residual anger seemed to spill over into the election of seven new presidents. When the Nominations Committee brought in only six names, without meeting the guidelines set by the assembly for including three women and a representative from sub-Saharan Africa, it touched off a firestorm. In another stormy session, the assembly demanded a new slate.
The new slate included a woman from the Caribbean, but not an African. African church leaders accused the committee of ignoring the candidate that they had originally chosen because that candidate was a man. After a lengthy debate -- punctuated with such persistent calls for a "point of order" that it threatened to bring assembly deliberations to a halt -- WCC leadership called for a break to consider the situation. The solution was the tentative election of an unprecedented eighth president, Aaron Toland, a lay Reformed delegate from Cameroon. The election was later ratified by the new Central Committee.
In the wake of the elections, youth delegates and stewards staged a protest on the floor, accusing the WCC of "ecumenical suicide" for not meeting its goal of 20 youth members on the Central Committee. In fact, they pointed out, the number dropped to only eight. They did not appear mollified by the fact that for the first time a slot on the presidium was designated for a youth -- as well as the first president from the Pacific and the first physically handicapped or "differently-abled" person.
In addition to Toland, the new presidents are:
- Prof. Anne-Marie Aagaard, a Lutheran from Denmark
- Bishop Vinton Anderson, African Methodist Episcopal Church in the U.S.
- Dr. Leslie Boseto, United Church in Papua New Guinea
- Priyanka Mendis, a 25-year-old Anglican from Sri Lanka
- Patriarch Parthenios of Alexandria (Egypt) and All Africa
- The Rev. Eunice Santana, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from Puerto Rico
- Pope Shenouda of the Coptic Church in Egypt
When asked at the closing press conference about the messy decisionmaking processes of the WCC, Castro said with a smile, "When you have democracy you have accidents... you must pay the price."
Throughout the two weeks there were murmurings that some churches -- especially the Orthodox -- may reconsider the price tag of WCC membership based on perceptions that the WCC was losing its balance and moving away from theological to political issues.
The Very Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, president of the National Council of Churches and an Orthodox delegate, pleaded with U.S. delegates at a regional caucus to remember that "the issues are theological, not ideological," trying to determine "the nature of the Christian teaching for our culture and every culture." He said that the Orthodox sometimes see themselves as "relics of the past, museum pieces, victims of stereotypes." He warned that "the ecumenical involvement of the Orthodox churches is very fragile."
Kishkovsky was only echoing a larger sentiment that became more and more obvious during the assembly. The Orthodox and some northern European delegates openly criticized a plenary address on the assembly theme, "Come Holy Spirit -- Renew the Whole Creation," by Prof. Chung Hyun Kyung, a Presbyterian theologian from South Korea. In a dramatic presentation, she argued for a vision of a new creation based on living in harmony with the earth, a recognition that all of life is interconnected, and that we must move from a "culture of death" to a "culture of life." Joined by Korean and Aboriginal dancers, Chung invoked the spirits of people throughout history who had died at the hands of oppressors, and then she dramatically burned the list of names on the stage. She received a standing ovation.
Orthodox leaders charged Chung with "syncretism," a deliberate blending of pagan and Christian elements. The Rev. Stanley Harakas of the Greek Orthodox Church in North and South America said that Chung was equating the Christian message with every other religious affirmation and tradition, denying that "there are elements which are contradictory to the Gospel" in every tradition, nation, and culture.
"Theology does not come from the sky," Chung responded. Drawing on her own experience of liberation theology, she said it was time the church listened to the voice of a Third World woman because "many, many women's voices in history were not heard -- and all the women before me gave me strength to speak out for all women." Pointing out that the Orthodox had also drawn on their culture, Chung maintained that Asian theology was different, that she was only drawing on its unique strengths.
A defiant Chung said church fathers and privileged male theologians have set the limits of the Holy Spirit in the past. Post-colonialist Third World theologies are "the new paradigm, the new wine that you can't put in your wineskins. Yes, we are dangerous, but it is through such danger that the Holy Spirit can renew the church." She asked not to be judged by Western theological standards. Many saw Chung's challenge as a sign of a potential power shift in the WCC -- and not everyone was pleased.
Orthodox reaction was so strong it led to rumors that they were reconsidering their membership in the WCC. Dr. Constance Tarasar, an Orthodox delegate from the United States and an executive with the National Council of Churches, said, "The Orthodox are not on the verge of withdrawing so much as asking for a complete rethinking of what their place is within the WCC." She agreed with Harakas that Chung did not seem to discern what is acceptable within the Christian context. "You can't just take non-Christian things and rename them Christian without discernment," Tarasar said. "For us it's a matter of truth. The Orthodox understand their theology experientially, through the liturgy. We may not always be able to theologize about the truths of our faith, but we can understand and grasp that vision."
"The restoration of the visible unity is the sole reason for our presence in the WCC," said Prof. Nicolas Lossky, a Russian Orthodox delegate and member of the WCC's Faith and Order Commission. The Orthodox think that the WCC is departing from that main goal as articulated by its constitution. The Orthodox stand on the principles of unity in faith and unity in diversity but "not pluralism of any sort. They stand for the conversion of the whole being to the reception of Jesus Christ incarnate."
"The WCC is our home -- and we see the WCC as the cradle of the one church for which we are all working," added Archbishop Kirill, head of the External Relations Department of the Russian Orthodox Church, at a press conference. "We have a special responsibility for the fate of the WCC." He said the consequences of decisions by the WCC are the same for the Orthodox as for other member churches.
Near the end of the assembly the Orthodox released a statement summarizing their frustrations. It said that the WCC seemed to be at "a crucial point in the history of the ecumenical movement" and that the Orthodox experience at the assembly "has heightened a number of concerns that have been developing among the Orthodox since the last assembly." It expressed regret that other members did not understand that the Orthodox could not invite others to share the Eucharist because "it is the supreme expression of unity and not a means toward unity," and that unity does not yet exist. "The present situation in the ecumenical movement is for us an experience of the cross of Christian division."
Many participants left Canberra convinced that the challenge by the Orthodox was a clear sign that resolving the issue of identity will be the major task for the future -- and may even lead to some restructuring of the WCC itself.
The statement on "Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry" (BEM), released in 1982 after decades of theological dialogue by WCC members, "demonstrates our growth in mutual understanding and our ability to reach at least an intermediate stage in common convictions," Moderator Held said in his report to the assembly. Even the Roman Catholic Church officially responded to the document, the first time it had responded to any WCC document. Communion can exist even though churches can't share the Eucharist, Held added.
Held admitted, however, that the call from the Vancouver assembly for concentration on theological work to "develop a vital and coherent theology" had not been successful. During a joint news conference, Held and WCC President Lois Wilson discussed the role of emerging theologies. Wilson said that she believed that "the sharing of the Eucharist may come from suffering, developing countries rather than through statements."
During a plenary emphasizing the quest for unity, people from different nations shared their personal experiences. Women spoke of their place in an inclusive community and of the potential of the Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women to lead the church to discover new dimensions.
At a session on "Gathering Around a Divided Table," Rose Renato, a delegate from the United Church of Christ in the U.S., said that theological disagreements that keep the churches divided over the Eucharist "are the futile words of men who want to hold onto power." She said male clericalism was making it difficult "for us to come together," that "Jesus would never institute a meal of separation." A lay delegate from India lamented, "I have been waiting all my lifetime for the freedom to take communion in other churches. How much longer will it take?"
The Rev. Jude Weisenbeck, a Roman Catholic observer, said that "one of the weaknesses of the ecumenical movement is that it does not make people adequately experience the pain of our division," and that pain is an important stimulus to keep people committed to the search for unity.
An American theologian who helped produce the BEM document agreed enthusiastically. "The fundamental ecumenical confession is that we are not self-sufficient," said Dr. Michael Kinamon, a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who served on the Faith and Order Commission. "Our grasp on the Gospel is partial. Thus, we need each other -- not tolerate each other -- for the sake of our own faithfulness. It is a way of expressing our belief that our diversity is essential to the pursuit of the truth about God."
Suggesting that mere tolerance is "anti-ecumenical," Kinamon said, "If we simply settle for a kind of ecumenism as inter-church relations, or ecumenism as cooperation, we actually are avoiding the encounter with one another through which we may be changed toward being more truly the church."
There has been a tendency in the church "to play off renewal against unity. Those who were interested in unity were often fearful that those in the renewal movements would disrupt it," Kinamon continued. "Those interested in the renewal movements were often suspicious of unity, because they thought it put the lid on possible renewal through monolithic structures." He said that the genius of the ecumenical movement is its insistence on holding the two together. "You cannot be renewed in isolation."
Archbishop Edward Cassidy, president of the Vatican Council for Promoting Christian Unity, paid tribute to the growing mutual trust between the Roman Catholic Church and the WCC. "We may now speak openly of our difficulties," he said during a press conference. There is no move toward membership in the WCC, however, because there is much theological work yet to be done.
No matter how difficult the debates and how confusing the decisionmaking process, participants were able to meet together every day for worship, gathering around the table of the Lord, sharing their hopes and dreams, as well as their frustrations.
In addition to several major worship events, different traditions within the Christian family shared the uniqueness of their worship every morning. Orthodox chants, African drums, hymns with a Brazilian bounce or the intensity of Wesley or the measured grandeur of Bach-all were part of the richness available to delegates every day.
"Maybe this is still what we do best," one delegate muttered to a companion after a service sponsored by the traditional black churches of the United States.
A section report "recognizes the place of Christian lifestyle, spiritual discipline, holiness, a spirituality of active non-violence, personal and common prayer, worship, art and icons" and suggested that the WCC explore various forms of "ecumenical spirituality."
Whatever its theological direction in the future, the WCC must confront some serious pocketbook issues. The financial state is worse than expected because of a combination of inflation and an unfavorable exchange rate in international currencies.
"There was general agreement in the Finance Committee, especially from U.S. and European members, that the council's business practices must be strengthened so that it can live within its income," said George McGonigle, a delegate of the Episcopal Church who served on the committee. He said the council may be facing "a complete revamping of its structure, planning, and budgeting process" and oversight by member churches.
The committee decided not to set a minimum annual contribution for members but stressed financial responsibility for supporting the work of the WCC. The committee also recommended exploration of other sources of revenue and a long-range planning process and priorities for staffing and structure.
A final assembly message, intended to dwell on "the positive aspects of the ecumenical movement," rejoiced and gave thanks to God for "the diversity of cultures and traditions and of the expressions of Christian faith." It affirmed the participation of women and youth and "differently-abled persons" and urged their continued participation in the church.
Referring to the presence of guests representing other world religions, the message "reminded us of the growing need to respect the image of God in all people, to accept each other as neighbors, and to admit our common responsibility with them for God's creation, including humanity."
"In a time when the fragile environment is in crisis, we have recognized that human beings are not the lords of creation but part of an integrated and interdependent whole, and we resolved to work for the sustainability of creation," the message said.
The churches still experience brokenness, and reconciliation is still incomplete, the message added. "We seek under the guidance of the Holy Spirit ways to be more accountable to each other and to the Lord Jesus Christ... but we also recognize that the fullness of reconciliation is a gift of God."
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