INTERNATIONAL CONSULTATION ON CONTEMPORARY REFLECTION ON
GLOBAL OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES: A MULTI-FAITH APPROACH

(Organized by the NCCI and the UELCI)
Gurukul Lutheran Theological College & Research Institute,
Chennai, India
24-26th February 2003

THE STATEMENT: CALL FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT IN MISSION

Preamble:

The liberation of the oppressed is an important and an inevitable challenge for the churches, all peoples and all Faiths of the world.

We, from the communities of the Dalit, Minjung, Burakumin, Sami along with members of the Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist and Adivasi communities, from different parts of India, Asia, Europe, North America and South Africa, have reflected together for three days in an international consultation on the theme: "Contemporary reflection on Global Oppressed Communities: A Multi faith approach," February 24-26, 2003 at Gurukul Lutheran Theological College & Research Institute, Chennai organized by the the National Council of Churches in India and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India. We grappled with the problems in the context of increasing and intense forms of violence and oppression, further accentuated by religious fundamentalism and economic globalization, which through systemic deprivation and dis-empowerment have virtually eliminated the possibility for oppressed communities to live with dignity and humanhood.

We affirm that all Faiths offer human liberation and emancipation. Liberation of all the oppressed per se should be the missionary objective of all religious activities, especially of the Church, which receives the mandate for liberation from the Lord Jesus Christ.

We affirm that our faith compels us to be in the vanguard of the struggles for life and justice for the powerless millions all over the world. We identify the liberating power of God in an increasingly complex and hostile environment.

Call for a Paradigm Shift in Mission:

The present condition of all global oppressed communities demand an emphatic response from all Faiths treating the issue as a global communion so as to help build links of solidarity between communities that for too long have suffered in isolation and silence. All global oppressed communities share many common characteristics including the nature of their suffering, their despised status through birth and their present social structures, sanctioned by religions and quasi-religious dogma. The condition of Dalits is especially disconcerting since a total emancipation appears to be still a distant dream.

All past efforts by reform movements, government legislations, direct intervention by numerous social action groups and movements, self-assertion, cultural and political mobilization by Dalits themselves, and the Church's involvement in acts of liberation have not resulted in total freedom and empowerment of the Dalits. Indeed, recent resurgence of religious fundamentalism and globalization have begun to further marginalize, enslave and threaten their socio-economic and spiritual well-being of Dalits.

The achievement of the Church in the liberation of Dalits has only been modest. The Church was responsible for the initial loosening of the "cruel grip of untouchability". However, an over-emphasis on conversion and church-growth not only restricted the liberating power of the Gospel but also did not free the 'converts' from caste discrimination within the Church. The Indian Church must now accept that the liberation of dalits is a mandate from Christ himself whose ministry was one of identification with the poor and proclamation of freedom to the oppressed. This perspective is not unique to the Indian situation alone. The World Council of Churches has found the theme of liberation a catalyzing force for its ecumenical theological reflections in the 1970s when many movements of liberation emerged in different parts of the world. As the WCC dealt with a wide range of issues related to discrimination, racism, human struggle for dignity and freedom, and an understanding of "God's option for the poor" the problems facing the Dalits was already an emerging concern in the 1980s. Oppressed people everywhere will find strength in our continuing quest to understand and challenge the structures of power, and to liberate people and offer them restorative and "transformative justice".

We recognize the urgent need for a praxiological and paradigmatic change in the mission of the church in the struggle to liberate Dalits and other oppressed communities who have been subject to unparalleled oppression for centuries, without the reward of conversion.

Our Discernments:

Besides the inspiring morning worships, the program had four major components: (1) three major addresses related to the theme by Dr. Konrad Raiser, Dr. K. Rajaratnam and Dr. Richard Bleise, (2) responses to Dr. Rajaratnam's theme address, (3) presentations on the situation of the global oppressed communities, namely, the Burakumin, Minjung, Samis and Dalits, and (4) perspectives on oppressed communities presented by a Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and a Sikh. The multi-Faith community and the representatives of various social action movements were happy and appreciative of the initiative taken by the NCCI and the UELCI. The Consultation was energized by the presence of leaders from the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation and international resource agencies.

There was consensus among the speakers and participants that the response of the churches should be to all Dalits and not just Christian Dalits alone. This response must be truly ecumenical to include a multi-Faith approach based on an "unforced consensus" and should also seek support from other progressive socio-political ideologies. Dalit liberation requires a multi-faceted approach that aims at freedom from structures as well as transformation of consciousness.

The Dalits and all oppressed people will continue their own struggles. We must participate in their liberation, taking advantage of the solidarity expressed by people and movements as well as the strength derived from the efforts of various international human rights institutions including the recent resolution of the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) which concluded that descent-based discrimination is equivalent to racial discrimination. Ultimately the struggle of the oppressed people will be won through the empowerment of the local people and the internationalization of their struggles which provides them with added strength.

Act Now:

The Consultation gave a clarion call to the Churches in India to adopt the theme of liberation of the Dalits as an agenda of the Church. The Consultation was characterized by the remarkable unanimity in the understanding of the need to act, and act now. Recommendations: We recommend the following for consideration and action by the Churches and related institutions and social action groups:

CHURCH:

Self-definition of the Church is (1) That the church define itself as the People's Movement and conceive its role as an instrument of the liberation of the oppressed. Towards this, it should make use of the political space to engage political systems, structures and policies for dalit liberation. (2) That the Church which is predominantly a dalit church needs to shed its stigma and start acknowledging its dalit identity. Mission of the Church. (3) That the dalit liberation should be the new agenda of the Church and the Church in India should struggle for the liberation of the dalits without the reward of conversion. (4) That the local congregation be motivated to become communities of resistance and struggle to fight against untouchability, oppression, injustice, social inequalities etc. (5) That the Church as a faith community in fulfilling its prophetic responsibility should reject and condemn caste system and the continuing practices of untouchability, exclusion and discrimination and reject them as sin. Church Order and Governance. (6) That efforts be made to include the representation of oppressed communities in all areas of governance of the church. (7) That the affirmative action (reservation) for dalits should be introduced as a priority in the Church managed educational institutions. Life of the Church. (8) That the churches explore and introduce dalit liturgical symbolism in their services. (9) That the Churches address the issues of dalit women and integrate them as part of the gender justice movements within the Church and society. (10) That the Church highlight and address the problems of dalits living in rural areas with greater seriousness and urgency. (11) That the Churches engage in concrete programmes towards the empowerment of dalit children. (12) That the church's efforts to align with all national and international networks to promote the concerns of all oppressed communities and the dalits be affirmed and continued.

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION:

Paradigm Shift in the formulation of Theology: (1) That the Theological commissions of the Church be encouraged to influence the revision of curriculum in theological education based on the struggles and life experiences of the oppressed. That representatives of these communities be involved in this process of curriculum formation. (2) That the experiences of the victims of oppression be emphasized and used as sources and resources for doing and articulating a theology of the oppressed and that all subjects taught in theological institutions converge on the liberation of all the underprivileged irrespective of their faith affiliations. (3) That the Christian education curricula and methodology of teaching should also reflect the life experiences of the poor and the oppressed. That the programmes of Christian education should equip and empower the emergence of lay leaders, lay preachers, youth workers and women leaders. (4) That the theological institutions in association with the Churches should develop processes by which local congregations can be equipped with the knowledge and methodology of doing theology from a dalit/adivasi perspective. (5) The Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College in particular is requested to take steps to reformulate the curriculum of theological education in consonance with Dalit liberation. The Seminaries of the Churches should also take initiatives to give importance and primacy to Dalit Studies. Equipping the Educators. (6) That efforts be made for the identification and training of leadership in the local congregations and communities and that programs of theological education be introduced reflecting a theology of the oppressed. (7) That theological institutions appoint experts from other faiths on the faculty who are committed to the liberation of the oppressed, multi-Faith relations and to establish solidarity among people of diverse faiths.

CHURCHES AND SOCIAL ACTION MOVEMENTS:

Churches and Social Action: (1) That the Churches be encouraged to work out mechanisms for effective coordination among churches' development programmes. (2) That churches engage in a continued process of societal analysis responding to the kairotic moment in which we live. (3) That service agencies, both educational and health institutions give priority to the oppressed. That a social audit system be developed to monitor the services of Christian institutions and to ensure that members of oppressed communities be given priority for training and education, for the development of human resources, through scholarships, appointments and in the extension of services. Churches and Social Action Groups Coordination. (4) That the social action movement help the Churches with their experiences and social research methodologies to adequately understand the problems faced by the dalits. (5) The Church and social action movements work towards the transformation of structures for the liberation of oppressed groups in society. This working together should enable the emergence of effective networking and putting our resources together for the liberation process. (6) That the churches and social action movements initiate dialogue for effective coordination and to avoid duplicacy of work. (7) That the networks between churches and social action movements take place at the global, national, regional and local levels. (8) That the Churches and social action groups involve in the process of documentation of issues and work out mechanisms for collection, collation and dissemination of information in church and society. (9) Churches and social action groups lobby for employment policies and opportunities with government and private agencies.

MULTI-FAITH APPROACH :

(1) That opportunities for multi-Faith and multi-Faith dialogue be created for a greater mutual understanding among the various communities and sections of groups towards the liberation of the oppressed. (2) That the multi-Faith networking should also enable the process of working out a political framework for common agenda and joint action. (3) That the multi-Faith networking should involve in advocacy and lobbying and should also include the issues of oppression in the World Religion Forums.

NETWORKING:

(1) That national and global networking should be consciously built among the oppressed and to enable them to develop and progress into a united movement of protest and liberation against oppression and for the creation of a global network which will be in solidarity with the globally oppressed communities. (2) That issues of oppression needs to be internationalised involving international NGOs, social action groups, church bodies and governments. That space needs to be provided for the exchange of ideas and experiences of the oppressed communities. (3) That the setting up of an international dalit information and research centre be encouraged including development of dissemination processes. That systematic research and analysis of national and global structures needs to be developed. (4) That avenues and mechanisms for the collection, collation and dissemination of information be developed for the sharing and exchange to provide for better networking among oppressed groups and mutual empowerment. (5) That the resource agencies and churches should support the people's movements and strengthen the national movements of adivasis and dalits.

CALL FOR ACTION: OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Action in implementing all the above recommendations should engage three ecclesial levels: national, regional and local. (1) The National Council of Churches in India - (National) The National Council of Churches in India eminently representative of all the Protestant and Orthodox churches in India, should organise national level programmes of action that stimulate member churches including local congregations for constructive and positive action in the context of these recommendations.
(a.) National Task Force (NTF) The immediate task of the National Council of Churches is to set up a National Task Force for implementing Dalit Liberation as mission objective of the Church in India. Therefore this Task Force should consist of all the major denominations of the church, if possible, all the member churches. This task force should meet at least once a year to hear the reports and lay down policies in relation to implementation of the agenda for Dalit Liberation. (b.) NTF Working Group In order to monitor regular programmes of action, the National Task Force can have a Working Group which can meet more often to monitor the implementation of the agenda. This Working Group can consist of at least seven Dalit activists representing member churches of NCCI, social action groups, church related social action groups and at least one representative from the multi-Faith group.

(2) Recommendations to the Churches Churches particularly the main line churches i.e., members of the National Council of Churches must appoint their own Task Force for implementing Dalit Liberation agenda at the church level and undertake programmes of study, research and action in relation to Dalit Liberation. They may even seek bilateral funding with their partners for promoting their work. They may even set up the publication and news division so that they become the pivotal level for linking the national level and the local level activists. (3) The Congregations (Local) The implementing unit of dalit liberation in the country should be the local congregation. All national level as well as church level programmes must aim at strengthening the local levels with necessary training and information resources considering the fact that the suffering of dalits, as victims of oppression is experienced at the local level. So the thrust of our action programme is at the level of the congregation. Once this is attained the church is alive to its new awakening and responds in a way that church as a whole in India becomes a liberation force. (4) Multi-Faith Action As we envisage cooperation of other faiths, it is important that all the three levels - national, church and local congregations establish contacts with other faith leaders and moderate co-elements who are prepared to extend their hand of cooperation in challenging the oppressive forces at local, regional and national levels. (5) Adivasi Representation The Adivasi representation was also present in this Consultation and in view of the ethnic, qualitative and quantitaive differences between dalits and adivasis, it is recommended that the NCCI organise a similar consultation on the adivasi issues.

Conclusion:

The oppressed will always challenge the church to redefine and/or rediscover its mission and to reform its structures and revise its dogma. The response of the Church in turn will renew the Church and help generate new theologies and new models of dialogue in action. This is an opportunity that will provide the Church with many things new: dignity, credibility, meaning, vigor, inspiration, resources, purpose, integrity and excitement and above all the joy of being coworkers with the Triune and God in God's Kingdom.


Participants & Organisers of the International Consultation on
"Contemporary Reflection On Global Oppressed Communities: A Multi-Faith Approach"
Chennai, February 2003