In a story first published by Assist News Service, Rev CHRISTIAN ZEBLEY reports from Cape Town on the Third Lausanne Congress…
As the Third Lausanne Congress neared its conclusion on Sunday, 24th October, 2010, the international gathering of over 4,000 delegates from 197 countries turned from discussing the role of the church in the world to a hard glance at internal issues crippling the evangelical church worldwide.
LOOKING AT THE HARD ISSUES: More than 4,000 delegates from 197 countries attended the Lausanne Congress. Shown here is the Congress website.
Exhorting Christians to “clean up their lives and churches”, Chris Wright, the international director of Langham Partnership International and the retiring chair of the Lausanne Theology Working Group, called for “humility, integrity, and simplicity” and “a radical return to the Lord – as the prophets called for in all the generations of Old Testament Israel, as Jesus called His hearers to do.”
During the morning Bible study on Ephesians 4: 17-6:9, Rev Calisto Odede, senior pastor of Nairobi Pentecostal Church, warned the assembly that Christians must not resemble the world around them but rather reflect the Lord they serve. He emphasised that “transparency is not an option” for Christians but an imperative for a true walk with Jesus. “Cover-ups lead to flare-ups (but) exposure leads to healing,” he added.
Participants were then encouraged to share their own burdens around table discussions.
In the first plenary session, Chris Wright, the international director of Langham Partnership International and the retiring chair of the Lausanne Theology Working Group, proclaimed boldly: “Evangelicals worldwide have a lot to be ashamed of…we need a second reformation.” His proclamation was immediately welcomed with applause throughout the convention centre.
Wright continued, “What hurts God the most (is) the failure, disobedience, and rebellion of those He has redeemed.” Holding back no punches, Wright highlighted three idols that he said are “especially seductive, even for evangelical Christians: the idol of power and pride; the idol of popularity and success; (and) the idol of wealth and greed.”
In response to idolatry, Wright emphasised, “Reformation is once again the desperate need. It needs to start among those who claim the name ‘evangelical,’ but who are characterised by these and other failures and abuses.”
Exhorting Christians to “clean up their lives and churches”, he called for “humility, integrity, and simplicity” and “a radical return to the Lord – as the prophets called for in all the generations of Old Testament Israel, as Jesus called His hearers to do.”
He stated that “Repent, and believe the Gospel” was a word that came, “not to pagan unbelievers, but to those who already claimed to be God’s covenant people. So it comes to us.”
Throughout the day, several speakers identified the dangers of the “prosperity Gospel”.
Dr Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, of Trinity Theological Seminary in Ghana, said that the “prosperity Gospel” as “teaching the Word of God and Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord in a self-serving manner that places its emphasis on consumerism to suggest that the possession of material things are necessary to show Christianity and God’s approval.”
Then, Femi Adeleye, associate general secretary for Partnership and Collaboration with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), attacked the prosperity Gospel as, “nothing less than seduction into a false delusion. It is an unrealistic solution to challenges of daily life…it reduces God to the ‘genie in the bottle.’”
Mr Adeleye then elaborated on how the “prosperity Gospel” causes havoc among impoverished communities. It “often wears the mask of advocacy for the poor, (but) it is hardly good news,” he continued. “It is the shepherds fleecing the flock…the poor who sow the seed are not the ones that get richer. It is leaders and pastors who wear better suits, drive better cars and acquire bigger homes.”
In contrast, Mr Adeleye encouraged delegates to embrace those living in poverty with realistic solutions. “We need to take the plight of the poor seriously enough to reject this Gospel and work at better ways of meeting their needs than offering false shortcuts,” he declared.
Another important issue highlighted by the congress for the church’s integrity was the role of men and women in ministry. Elke Werner, author and international speaker, shared, “Women are not second-class citizens in God’s kingdom,” adding, “Let us treasure and value our gender differences and at the same time see Christ in each other. Let us work together, love and respect one another and serve together, so that the world might see that God has sent His Son.”
She continued, “In an age of sex trafficking, of new definitions of gender, of legalising homosexual behavior, of legalising pornography and making it accessible to everyone through the internet, of breaking up of families and marriages, we as a church can make a difference.”
She then reaffirmed Lausanne’s “Manila Manifesto” regarding the inclusion of women, saying, “The gifts of the Spirit are distributed to all God’s people, women and men, and…their partnership in evangelisation must be welcomed for the common good.”
After a long day of tough reflection, Saturday evening concluded with worship and a time of prayer and repentance among the table groups. Delegates were encourage to kneel and offer personal repentance to God before sharing their own struggles with fellow delegates at their table.
~ www.lausanne.org/cape-town-2010
