제2차 로잔대회: 세계복음주의 국제대회(Lausanne II : International Congress on World Evangelization)
1974년 7월, 스위스 로잔에서 제1차 세계복음주의 국제대회가 개최되었다. 그리고 이 대회는 로잔 언약(the Lausanne Covenant)을 발표했다. 1989년 7월 약 170개국에서 3,000여명이 같은 목적으로 마닐라에 모여 제2차 로잔대회를 개최하면서 마닐라 선언문을 발표하게 되었다. 마닐라 선언문은 이번 대회의 두 개의 주제인 ''그리스도께서 오실 때까지 그를 선포하라''와 ''온 교회가 온 세상에 온전한 복음을 전하라는 부름''에 기초하여 작성되었다.
제 1 부는 21개 항목의 신앙적 고백(affirmations)으로 구성되었으며, 제 2 부는 12항목으로 주제를 설명하였다.
아래는 원문입니다.
The Manila Manifesto
THE TWENTY-ONE AFFIRMATIONS
of the Manila Manifesto
1.We affirm our continuing commitment to the Lausanne Covenant as the
basis of our cooperation in the Lausanne movement.
2.We affirm that in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments God has
given us an authoritative disclosure of his character and will, his redemptive
acts and their meaning, and his mandate for mission.
3.We affirm that the biblical gospel is God's enduring message to our world,
and we determine to defend, proclaim and embody it.
4. We affirm that human beings, though created in the image of God, are
sinful and guilty, and lost without Christ, and that this truth is a necessary
preliminary to the gospel.
5. We affirm that the Jesus of history and the Christ of glory are the same
person, and that this Jesus Christ is absolutely unique, for he alone is God
incarnate, our sin-bearer, the conqueror of death and the coming judge.
6. We affirm that on the cross Jesus Christ took our place, bore our sins and
died our death and that for this reason alone God freely forgives those who
are brought to repentance and faith.
7. We affirm that other religions and ideologies are not alternative paths to
God, and that human spirituality, if unredeemed by Christ, leads not to God
but to judgment, for Christ is the only way.
8. We affirm that we must demonstrate God's love visibly by caring for those
who are deprived of justice, dignity, food and shelter.
9. We affirm that the proclamation of God's kingdom of justice and peace
demands the denunciation of all injustice and oppression, both personal and
structural we will not shrink from this prophetic witness.
10. We affirm that the Holy Spirit's witness to Christ is indispensable to
evangelism, and that without this supernatural work neither new birth nor
new life is possible.
11. We affirm that spiritual warfare demands spiritual weapons, and that we
must both preach the word in the power of the Spirit, and pray constantly
that we may enter into Christ's victory over the principalities and powers of
evil.
12. We affirm that God has committed to the whole church and every
member of it the task of making Christ known throughout the world we long
to see all lay and ordained persons mobilized and trained for this task.
13. We affirm that we who claim to be members of the Body of Christ must
transcend within our fellowship the barriers of race, gender and class.
14. We affirm that the gifts of the Spirit are distributed to all God's people,
women and men, and that their partnership in evangelization must be
welcomed for the common good.
15. We affirm that we who proclaim the gospel must exemplify it in a life of
holiness and love otherwise our testimony loses its credibility.
16. We affirm that every Christian congregation must turn itself outward to
its local community in evangelistic witness and compassionate service.
17. We affirm the urgent need for churches, mission agencies and other
Christian organizations to cooperate in evangelism and social action,
repudiating competition and avoiding duplication.
18. We affirm our duty to study the society in which we live, in order to
understand its structures, values and needs, and so develop an appropriate
strategy of mission.
19. We affirm that world evangelization is urgent and that the reaching of
unreached peoples is possible. So we resolve during the last decade of the
twentieth century to give ourselves to these tasks with fresh determination.
20. We affirm our solidarity with those who suffer for the gospel, and will
seek to prepare ourselves for the same possibility. We will also work for
religious and political freedom everywhere.
21. We affirm that God is calling the whole church to take the whole gospel
to the whole world. So we determine to proclaim it faithfully, urgently and
sacrificially until he comes.
A. THE WHOLE GOSPEL
The gospel is the good news of God's salvation from the power of evil, the
establishment of his eternal kingdom and his final victory over everything
which defies his purpose. In his love God purposed to do this before the
world began and effected his liberating plan over sin, death and judgment
through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is Christ who makes us free,
and unites us in his redeemed fellowship. (Col 2:15 1. Co 15:24-28 Eph.
1:4 Col. 1:19 Tit. 2:14)
1. OUR HUMAN PREDICAMENT
We are committed to preaching the whole gospel, that is, the biblical gospel
in its fullness. In order to do so, we have to understand why beings need it.
Men and women have an intrinsic dignity and worth, because they were
created in God's likeness to know, love and serve him. But now through sin
every part of their humanness have been distorted. Human beings have
become self-centered, self-serving rebels, who do not love God or their
neighbour as they should. In consequence, they are alienated both from their
Creator and from the rest of his creation, which is the basic cause of the
pain, disorientation and loneliness which so many people suffer today. Sin
also frequently erupts in anti-social behavior, in violent exploitation of
others, and in a depletion of the earth's resources of which God has made
men and women his stewards. Humanity is guilty, without excuse, and on the
broad road which leads to destruction.
Although God's image in human beings has been corrupted, they are still
capable of loving relationships, noble deeds and beautiful art. Yet even the
finest human achievement is fatally flawed and cannot possibly fit anybody
to enter God's presence. Men and women are also spiritual beings, but
spiritual practice and self-help techniques can at the most alleviate felt
needs they cannot address the solemn realities of sin, guilt and judgment.
Neither human religion, nor human righteousness, nor sociopolitical programs
can save people. Self-salvation of every kind is impossible. Left to
themselves, human beings are lost forever.
So we repudiate false gospels which deny human sin, divine judgment, the
deity and incarnation of Jesus Christ, and the necessity of the cross and
resurrection. We also reject half-gospels, which minimize sin and confuse
God's grace with human self-effort. We confess that we ourselves have
sometimes trivialized the gospel. But we determine in our evangelism to
remember God's radical diagnosis and his equally radical remedy. (Ac. 2:27
Ge. 1:26,27 Ro. 3:9-18 2 Ti. 3:2-4 Ge. 3:17-24 Ro. 1:29-31 Ge. 1:26,
28 2:15 Ro. 1:20 2:1 3:19 Mt. 7:13 Mt. 5:46 7:11 1 Ti. 6:16 Ac.
17:22-31 Ro. 3:20 Eph. 2:1-3 Gal. 1:6-9 2 Co. 11:2-4 1 Jn. 2:22, 23
4:1-3 1 Co 15:3,4 Jer. 6:14 8:11)
2. GOOD NEWS FOR TODAY
We rejoice that the living God did not abandon us to our lostness and
despair. In his love he came after us in Jesus Christ to rescue and remake
us. So the good news focuses on the historic person of Jesus, who came
proclaiming the kingdom of God and living a life of humble service, who died
for us, becoming sin and a curse in our place, and whom God vindicated by
raising him from the dead. To those who repent and believe in Christ, God
grants a share in the new creation. He gives us new life, which includes the
forgiveness of our sins and the indwelling, transforming power of his Spirit.
He welcomes us into his new community, which consists of people of all
races, nations and cultures. And he promises that one day we will enter his
new world, in which evil will be abolished, nature will be redeemed, and God
will reign forever.
This good news must be boldly proclaimed, wherever possible, in church and
in public halls, on radio and television, and in the open air, because it is
God's power for salvation and we are under obligation to make it known. In
our preaching we must faithfully declare the truth which God has revealed in
the Bible and struggle to relate it to our own context.
We also affirm that apologetics, namely "the defence and confirmation of the
gospel", is integral to the biblical understanding of mission and essential for
effective witness in the modern world. Paul "reasoned" with people out of
the Scriptures, with a view to "persuading" them of the truth of the gospel.
So must we. In fact, all Christians should be ready to give a reason for the
hope that is in them.
We have again been confronted with Luke's emphasis that the gospel is good
news for the poor and have asked ourselves what this means to the majority
of the world's population who are destitute, suffering or oppressed. We have
been reminded that the law, the prophets and the wisdom books, all the
teaching and ministry of Jesus, all stress God's concern for the materially
poor and our consequent duty to defend and care for them. Scripture also
refers to the spiritually poor who look to God alone for mercy. The gospel
comes as good news to both. The spiritually poor, who, whatever their
economic circumstances, humble themselves before God, receive by faith the
free gift of salvation. There is no other way for anybody to enter the
Kingdom of God. The materially poor and powerless find in addition a new
dignity as God's children, and the love of brothers and sisters who struggle
with them for their liberation from everything which demeans or oppresses
them.
We repent of any neglect of God's truth in Scripture and determine both to
proclaim and to defend it. We also repent where we have been indifferent to
the plight of the poor, and where we have shown preference for the rich
, and we determine to follow Jesus in preaching good news to all people by
both word and deed. (Eph. 22:4, Lk. 15 1910 Ac. 8:35 Mk. 1:14, 15 2
Co. 5:21 Gal. 3:13 Ac. 2:23,24 2 Co. 5:17 Ac. 2:38,39 Eph. 2:11-19 Rev.
21:1-5 22:1-5 Eph. 6:19,20 2 Ti. 4:2 Ro. 1:14-16 Jer. 23:28 Php. 1:7
Ac. 18:4 19:8-9 2 Co. 5:11 1 Pe. 3:15 Lk. 4:18 6:20 7:22 Dt. 15:7-11
Am. 2:6,7 Zec. 7:8-10 Pr. 21:13 Zep. 3:12 Mt. 5:3 Mk. 10:15 1 Jn. 3:1
Ac. 2:44,45 4:32-35)
3. THE UNIQUENESS OF JESUS CHRIST
We are called to proclaim Christ in an increasingly pluralistic world. There is
a resurgence of old faiths and a rise of new ones. In the first century too
there were "many gods and many lords". Yet the apostles boldly affirmed
the uniqueness, indispensability and centrality of Christ. We must do the
same.
Because men and women are made in God's image and see in the creation
traces of its Creator, the religions which have arisen do sometimes contain
elements of truth and beauty. They are not, however, alternative gospels.
Because human beings are sinful, and because "the whole world is under the
control of the evil one", even religious people are in need of Christ's
redemption. We, therefore, have no warrant for saying that salvation can be
found outside Christ or apart from an explicit acceptance of his work
through faith.
It is sometimes held that in virtue of God's covenant with Abraham, Jewish
people do not need to acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah. We affirm that
they need him as much as anyone else, that it would be a form of
anti-Semitism, as well as being disloyal to Christ, to depart from the New
Testament pattern of taking the gospel to "the Jew first...". We therefore
reject the thesis that Jews have their own covenant which renders faith in
Jesus unnecessary.
What unites us is our common convictions about Jesus Christ. We confess
him as the eternal Son of God who became fully human while remaining fully
divine, who was our substitute on the cross, bearing our sins and dying our
death, exchanging his righteousness for our unrighteousness, who rose
victorious in a transformed body, and who will return in glory to judge the
world. He alone is the incarnate Son, the Saviour, the Lord and the Judge,
and he alone, with the Father and the Spirit, is worthy of worship, faith and
obedience of all people. There is only one gospel because there is only one
Christ, who because of his death and resurection is himself the only way of
salvation. We therefore reject both the relativism which regards all religions
and spiritualities as equally valid approaches to God, and the syncretism
which tries to mix faith in Christ with other faiths.
Moreover, since God has exalted Jesus to the highest place, in order that
everybody should acknowledge him, this also is our desire. Compelled by
Christ's love, we must obey Christ's Great Commission and love his lost
sheep, but we are especially motivated by "jealousy" for his holy name, and
we long to see him receive the honour and glory which are due to him.
In the past we have sometimes been guilty of adopting towards adherents of
other faiths attitudes of ignorance, arrogance, disrespect and even hostility.
We repent of this. We nevertheless are determined to bear a positive and
uncompromising witness to the uniqueness of our Lord, in his life, death and
resurrection, in all aspects of our evangelistic work including inter-faith
dialogue. (1 Co. 8:5 Ps. 19:1-6 Ro. 1:19,20 Ac. 17:28 1 Jn. 5:19 Ac.
10:1,2 11:14,18 15:8-9 Jn. 14:6 Ge. 12:1-3 17:1,2 Ro. 3:9 10:12 Ac.
13:46 Ro. 1:16: 2:9,10 Ac. 13:38, 39 Jn. 1:1,14,18 Ro. 1:3,4 1 Pe. 2:24
1 Co. 15:3 2 Co. 5:21 1 Co. 15:1-11 Mt. 25:31,32 Ac. 17:30, 31 Rev.
5:11-14 Ac. 4:12 Php. 2:9-11 2 Co. 5:14 Mt. 28:19,20 Jn. 10:11,16 2
Co. 11:2,3, 1 Ti. 2:5-7)
4. THE GOSPEL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The authentic gospel must become visible in the transformed lives of men
and women. As we proclaim the love of God we must be involved in loving
service, as we preach the Kingdom of God we must be committed to its
demands of justice and peace.
Evangelism is primary because our chief concern is with the gospel, that all
people may have the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Yet Jesus not only proclaimed the Kingdom of God, he also demonstrated its
arrival by works of mercy and power. We are called today to a similar
integration of words and deeds. In a spirit of humility we are to preach and
teach, minister to the sick, feed the hungry, care for prisoners, help the
disadvantaged and handicapped, and deliver the oppressed. While we
acknowledge the diversity of spiritual gifts, callings and contexts, we also
affirm that good news and good works are inseparable.
The proclamation of God's kingdom necessarily demands the prophetic
denunciation of all that is incompatible with it. Among the evils we deplore
are destructive violence, including institutionalized violence, political
corruption, all forms of exploitation of people and of the earth, the
undermining of the family, abortion on demand, the drug traffic, and the
abuse of human rights. In our concern for the poor, we are distressed by
the burden of debt in the two-thirds world. We are also outraged by the
inhuman conditions in which millions live, who bear God's image as we do.
Our continuing commitment to social action is not a confusion of the kingdom
of God with a Christianized society. It is, rather, a recognition that the
biblical gospel has inescapable social implications. True mission should
always be incarnational. It necessitates entering humbly into other people's
worlds, identifying with their social reality, their sorrow and suffering, and
their struggles for justice against oppressive powers. This cannot be done
without personal sacrifices.
We repent that the narrowness of our concerns and vision has often kept us
from proclaiming the lordship of Jesus Christ over all of life, private and
public, local and global. We determine to obey his command to "seek first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness". (1 Th. 1:6-10 1 Jn. 3:17 Ro.
14:17 Ro. 10:14 Mt. 12:28 1 Jn. 3:18 Mt. 25:34-46 Ac. 6:1-4 Ro.
12:4-8 Mt. 5:16, Jer. 22:1-5 11-17 23:5-6 Am. 1:1-2,8 Is. 59 Lev. 25
Job 24:1-12 Eph. 2:8-10 Jn. 17:18 20:21 Php. 2:5-8 Ac. 10:36 Mt. 6:33)
B. THE WHOLE CHURCH
The whole gospel has to be proclaimed by the whole church. All the people
of God are called to share in the evangelistic task. Yet without the Holy
Spirit of God all their endeavors will be fruitless.
5. GOD THE EVANGELIST
The Scriptures declare that God himself is the chief evangelist. For the Spirit
of God is the Spirit of truth, love, holiness and power, and evangelism is
impossible without him. It is he who anoints the messenger, confirms the
word, prepares the hearer, convicts the sinful, enlightens the blind, gives life
to the dead, enables us to repent and believe, unites us to the Body of
Christ, assures us that we are God's children, leads us into Christlike
character and service, and sends us out in our turn to be Christ's witnesses.
In all this the Holy Spirit's main preoccupation is to glorify Jesus Christ by
showing him to us and forming him in us.
All evangelism involves spiritual warfare with the principalities and powers of
evil, in which only spiritual weapons can prevail, especially the Word and
the Spirit, with prayer. We therefore call on all Christian people to be
diligent in their prayers both for the renewal of the church and for the
evangelization of the world.
Every true conversion involves a power encounter, in which the superior
authority of Jesus Christ is demonstrated. There is no greater miracle than
this, in which the believer is set free from the bondage of Satan and sin,
fear and futility, darkness and death.
Although the miracles of Jesus were special, being signs of his Messiahship
and anticipations of his perfect kingdom when all nature will be subject to
him, we have no liberty to place limits on the power of the living Creator
today. We reject both the skepticism which denies miracles and the
presumption which demands them, both the timidity which shrinks from the
fullness of the Spirit and the triumphalism which shrinks from the weakness
in which Christ's power is made perfect.
We repent of all self-confident attempts either to evangelize in our own
strength or to dictate to the Holy Spirit. We determine in the future not to
"grieve" or "quench" the Spirit, but rather to seek to spread the good news
"with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction". (2 Co. 5:20 Jn.
15:26,27 Lk. 4:18 1 Co. 2:4 Jn. 16:8-11 1 Co. 12:3 Eph. 2:5 1 Co.
12:13 Ro. 8:16 Gal. 5:22,23 Ac. 1:8 Jn. 16:14 Gal. 4:19 Eph. 6:10-12 2
Co. 10:3-5 Eph. 6:17 Eph. 6:18-20 2 Th. 3:1 Ac. 26:17,18 1 Th. 1:9-10
Col. 1:13,14 Jn. 2:11 20:30,31 Jn. 11:25 1 Co. 15:20-28 Jer. 32:17 2 Ti.
1:7 2 Co. 12:9,10 Jer. 17:5 Eph. 4:30 1 Th. 5:19 1 Th. 1:5)
6. THE HUMAN WITNESS
God the evangelist gives his people the privilege of being his "fellow
workers". For, although we cannot witness without him, he normally chooses
to witness through us. He calls only some to be evangelists, missionaries or
pastors, but he calls his whole church and every member of it to be his
witnesses.
The privileged task of pastors and teachers is to lead God's people (laos)
into maturity and to equip them for ministry. Pastors are not to monopolize
ministries, but rather to multiply them, by encouraging others to use their
gifts and by training disciples to make disciples. The domination of the laity
by the clergy has been a great evil in the history of the church. It robs
both laity and clergy of their God-intended roles, causes clergy breakdowns,
weakens the church and hinders the spread of the gospel. More than that, it
is fundamentally unbiblical. We therefore, who have for centuries insisted on
"the priesthood of all believers" now also insist on the ministry of all
believers.
We gratefully recognize that children and young people enrich the church's
worship and outreach by their enthusiasm and faith. We need to train them
in discipleship and evangelism, so that they may reach their own generation
for Christ.
God created men and women as equal bearers of his image, accepts them
equally in Christ and poured out his Spirit on all flesh, sons and daughters
alike. In addition, because the Holy Spirit distributes his gifts to women as
well as to men, they must be given opportunities to exercise their gifts. We
celebrate their distinguished record in the history of missions and are
convinced that God calls women to similar roles today. Even though we are
not fully agreed what forms their leadership should take, we do agree about
the partnership in world evangelization which God intends men and women
to enjoy. Suitable training must therefore be made available to both.
Lay witness takes place, by women and men, not only through the local
church (see Section 8), but through friendships, in the home and at work.
Even those who are homeless or unemployed share in the calling to be
witnesses.
Our first responsibility is to witness to those who are already our friends,
relatives, neighbors, and colleagues. Home evangelism is also natural, both
for married and single people. Not only should a Christian home commend
God's standards of marriage, sex and family, and provide a haven of love
and peace to people who are hurting, but neighbors who would not enter a
church usually feel comfortable in a home, even when the gospel is
discussed.
Another context for lay witness is the workplace, for it is here most
Christians spend half their waking hours, and work is a divine calling.
Christians can commend Christ by word of mouth, by their consistent
industry, honesty and thoughtfulness, by their concern for justice in the
workplace, and especially if others can see from the quality of their daily
work that it is done to the glory of God.
We repent of our share in discouraging the ministry of laity, especially of
women and young people. We determine in the future to encourage all
Christ's followers to take their place, rightfully and naturally, as his
witnesses. For true evangelism comes from the overflow of a heart in love
with Christ. That is why it belongs to all his people without exception. (2
Co. 6:1 Ac. 8:26-39 14:27 Eph. 4:11 Ac. 13:1-3 Ac. 1:8 8:1,4 Co. 1:28
Eph. 4:11-12 Mt. 28:19 2 Ti. 2:2 1 Th. 5:12-15 1 Co. 12:4-7 Eph. 4:7
Mt. 21:15,16 1 Ti. 4:12 Ge. 1:26-27 Gal. 3:28 Ac. 2: 17-18 1 Pe. 4:10
Ro. 16:1-6,12 Php. 4:2,3 Mk. 5, 18-20 Lk. 5:27-32 Ac. 28:30,31 Ac.
10:24,33 18:7, 8 24-261 Co. 7:17-24 Tit. 2:9,10 Col. 4:1 Col.
3:17,23,24 Ac. 4:20)
7. THE INTEGRITY OF THE WITNESSES
Nothing commends the gospel more eloquently than a transformed life, and
nothing brings it into disrepute so much as personal inconsistency. We are
charged to behave in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Christ, and
even to "adorn" it, enhancing its beauty by holy lives. For the watching
world rightly seeks evidence to substantiate the claims which Christ's
disciples make for him. A strong evidence is our integrity.
Our proclamation that Christ died to bring us to God appeals to people who
are spiritually thirsty, but they will not believe us if we give no evidence of
knowing the living God ourselves, or if our public worship lacks reality and
relevance.
Our message that Christ reconciles alienated people to each other rings true
only if we are seen to love and forgive one another, to serve others in
humility, and to reach out beyond our own community in compassionate,
costly ministry to the needy.
Our challenge to others to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow
Christ will be plausible only if we ourselves have evidently died to selfish
ambition, dishonesty and covetousness, and are living a life of simplicity,
contentment and generosity.
We deplore the failures in Christian consistency which we see in both
Christians and churches: material greed, professional pride and rivalry,
competition in Christian service, jealousy of younger leaders, missionary
paternalism, the lack of mutual accountability, the loss of Christian standards
of sexuality, and racial, social and sexual discrimination. All this is
worldliness, allowing the prevailing culture to subvert the church instead of
the church challenging and changing the culture. We are deeply ashamed of
the times when, both as individuals and in our Christian communities, we
have affirmed Christ in word and denied him in deed. Our inconsistency
deprives our witness of credibility. We acknowledge our continuing struggles
and failures. But we also determine by God's grace to develop integrity in
ourselves and in the church. (2 Co. 6:3,4 Php. 1:27 Tit. 2:10 Col. 4:5,6 Pr.
11:3 1 Pe. 3:18 1 Jn. 1:5,6 1 Co. 14:25,26 Eph. 2:14-18 Eph. 4:31-5:2
Gal. 5:13 Lk. 10:29-37 Mk. 8:34 Mt. 6:19-21 31-33 1 Ti. 6:6-10,17,18
Ac. 5:1-11 Php. 1:15-17 1 Co. 5:1-13 Jas. 2:1-4 1 Jn. 2:15-17, Mt. 5:13
Mt. 7:21-23 1 Jn. 2:4 Eph. 4:1)
8. THE LOCAL CHURCH
Every Christian congregation is a local expression of the Body of Christ and
has the same responsibilities. It is both "a holy priesthood" to offer God the
spiritual sacrifices of worship and "a holy nation" to spread abroad his
excellences in witness. The church is thus both a worshipping and a
witnessing community gathered and scattered, called and sent. Worship and
witness are inseparable.
We believe that the local church bears a primary responsibility for the spread
of the gospel. Scripture suggests this in the progression that "our gospel
came to you" and then "rang out from you". In this way, the gospel creates
the church which spreads the gospel which creates more churches in a
continuous chain-reaction. Moreover, what Scripture teaches, strategy
confirms. Each local church must evangelize the district in which it is
situated, and has the resources to do so.
We recommend every congregation to carry out regular studies not only of
its own membership and program but of its local community in all its
particularity, in order to develop appropriate strategies for mission. Its
members might decide to organize a visitation of their whole area, to
penetrate for Christ a particular place where people assemble, to arrange a
series of evangelistic meetings, lectures or concerts, to work with the poor
to transform a local slum, or plant a new church in a neighboring district or
village. At the same time, they must not forget the church's global task. A
church which sends out missionaries must not neglect its own locality, and a
church which evangelizes its neighborhood must not ignore the rest of the
world.
In all this each congregation and denomination should, where possible, work
with others, seeking to turn any spirit of competition into one of
cooperation. Churches should also work with para-church organizations
, especially in evangelism, discipling and community service, for such
agencies are part of the Body of Christ, and have valuable, specialist
expertise from which the church can greatly benefit.
The church is intended by God to be a sign of his kingdom, that is, an
indication of what human community looks like when it comes under his rule
of righteousness and peace. As with individuals, so with churches, the gospel
has to be embodied if it is to be communicated effectively. It is through our
love for one another that the invisible God reveals himself today, especially
when our fellowship is expressed in small groups, and when it transcends
the barriers of race, rank, sex and age which divide other communities.
We deeply regret that many of our congregations are inward-looking,
organized for maintenance rather than mission, or preoccupied with
church-based activities at the expense of witness. We determine to turn our
churches inside out, so that they may engage in continuous outreach, until the
Lord adds to them daily those who are being saved. (1 Co. 12:27 1 Pe
. 2:5,9 Jn. 17:6,9,11,18 Php. 2:14-16 1 Th. 1:5,8 Ac. 19:9,10 Col. 1:3-8
Ac. 13:1-3 14:26-28 Php. 1:27 Lk. 12:32 Ro. 14:17 1 Th. 1:8-10 1 Jn.
4:12 Jn. 13:34,35 17:21,23Gal. 3:28 Col. 3:11 Ac. 2:47)
9. COOPERATING IN EVANGELISM
Evangelism and unity are closely related in the New Testament. Jesus prayed
that his people's oneness might reflect his own oneness with the Father, in
order that the world might believe in him, and Paul exhorted the Philippians
to "contend as one person for the faith of the gospel". In contrast to this
biblical vision, we are ashamed of the suspicions and rivalries, the
dogmatism over non-essentials, the power-struggles and empire-building
which spoil our evangelistic witness. We affirm that co-operation in
evangelism is indispensable, first because it is the will of God, but also
because the gospel of reconciliation is discredited by our disunity, and
because, if the task of world evangelization is ever to be accomplished, we
must engage in it together.
"Cooperation" means finding unity in diversity. It involves people of different
temperaments, gifts, calling and cultures, national churches and mission
agencies, all ages and both sexes working together.
We are determined to put behind us once and for all, as a hangover from the
colonial past, the simplistic distinction between First World sending and
Two-Third World receiving countries. For the great new fact of our era is
the internationalization of missions. Not only are a large majority of all
evangelical Christians now non-western, but the number of Two-Thirds
World missionaries will soon exceed those from the West. We believe that
mission teams, which are diverse in composition but united in heart and
mind, constitute a dramatic witness to the grace of God.
Our reference to "the whole church" is not a presumptuous claim that the
universal church and the evangelical community are synonymous. For we
recognize that there are many churches which are not part of the
evangelical movement. Evangelical attitudes to the Roman Catholic and
Orthodox Churches differ widely. Some evangelicals are praying, talking,
studying Scripture and working with these churches. Others are strongly
opposed to any form of dialogue or cooperation with them. All are aware
that serious theological differences between us remain. Where appropriate,
and so long as biblical truth is not compromised,cooperation may be possible
in such areas as Bible translation, the study of contemporary theological and
ethical issues, social work and political action. We wish to make it clear,
however, that common evangelism demands a common commitment to the
biblical gospel.
Some of us are members of churches which belong to the World Council of
Churches and believe that a positive yet critical participation in its work is
our Christian duty. Others among us have no link with the World Council. All
of us urge the World Council of Churches to adopt a consistent biblical
understanding of evangelism.
We confess our own share of responsibility for the brokenness of the Body
of Christ, which is a major stumbling-block to world evangelization. We
determine to go on seeking that unity in truth for which Christ prayed. We
are persuaded that the right way forward towards closer cooperation is
frank and patient dialogue on the basis of the Bible, with all who share our
concerns. To this we gladly commit ourselves. (Jn. 17:20,21 Php. 1:27 Php.
1:15,17 2:3,4 Ro. 14:1-15:2 Php. 1:3-5 Eph. 2:14-16 4:1-6 Eph. 4:6,7
Ac. 20:4 Jn. 17:11, 20-23)
C. THE WHOLE WORLD
The whole gospel has been entrusted to the whole church, in order that it
may be made known to the whole world. It is necessary, therefore, for us to
understand the world into which we are sent. (Mk. 16:15)
10. THE MODERN WORLD
Evangelism takes place in a context, not in a vacuum. The balance between
gospel and context must be carefully maintained. We must understand the
context in order to address it, but the context must not be allowed to
distort the gospel.
In this connection we have become concerned about the impact of
"modernity", which is an emerging world culture produced by industrialization
with its technology and urbanization with its economic order. These factors
combine to create an environment, which significantly shapes the way in
which we see our world. In addition, secularism has devastated faith by
making God and the supernatural meaningless urbanization has dehumanized
life for many and the mass media have contributed to the devaluation of
truth and authority, by replacing word with image. In combination, these
consequences of modernity pervert the message which many preach and
undermine their motivation for mission.
In AD 1900 only 9% of the world's population lived in cities in AD 2000 it is
thought that more than 50% will do so. This worldwide move into the cities
has been called "the greatest migration in human history" it constitutes a
major challenge to Christian mission. One the one hand, city populations are
extremely cosmopolitan, so that the nations come to our doorstep in the
city. Can we develop global churches in which the gospel abolishes the
barriers of ethnicity? On the other hand, many city dwellers are migrant
poor who are also receptive to the gospel. Can the people of God be
persuaded to relocate into such urban poor communities, in order to serve
the people and share in the transformation of the city?
Modernization brings blessings as well as dangers. By creating links of
communication and commerce around the globe, it makes unprecedented
openings for the gospel, crossing old frontiers and penetrating closed
societies, whether traditional or totalitarian. The Christian media have a
powerful influence both in sowing the seed of the gospel and in preparing
the soil. The major missionary broadcasters are committed to a gospel
witness by radio in every major language by the year AD 2000.
We confess that we have not struggled as we should to understand
modernization. We have used its methods and techniques uncritically and so
exposed ourselves to worldliness. But we determine in the future to take
these challenges and opportunities seriously, to resist the secular pressures
of modernity, to relate the lordship of Christ to the whole of modern culture,
and thus to engage in mission in the modern world without worldliness in
modern mission. (Ac. 13:14-41 14:14-17 17:22-31 Ro. 12:1,2)
11. THE CHALLENGE OF AD 2000 AND BEYOND
The world population today is approaching 6 billion. One third of them
nominally confess Christ. Of the remaining four billion half have heard of him
and the other half have not. In the light of these figures, we evaluate our
evangelistic task by considering four categories of people.
First, there is the potential missionary work force, the committed. In this
century this category of Christian believers has grown from about 40 million
in 1900 to about 500 million today, and at this moment is growing over twice
as fast as any other major religious group.
Secondly, there are the uncommitted. They make a Christian profession (they
have been baptized, attend church occasionally and even call themselves
Christians), but the notion of a personal commitment to Christ is foreign to
them. They are found in all churches throughout the world. They urgently
need to be re-evangelized. Thirdly, there are the unevangelized. These are
people who have a minimal knowledge of the gospel, but have had no valid
opportunity to respond to it. They are probably within reach of Christian
people if only these will go to the next street, road, village or town to find
them.
Fourthly, there are the unreached. These are the two billion who may never
have heard of Jesus as Savior, and are not within reach of Christians of
their own people. There are, in fact, some 2,000 peoples or nationalities in
which there is not yet a vital, indigenous church movement. We find it
helpful to think of them as belonging to smaller "people groups" which
perceive themselves as having an affinity with each other (e.g. a common
culture, language, home or occupation). The most effective messengers to
reach them will be those believers who already belong to their culture and
know their language. Otherwise, cross-cultural messengers of the gospel will
need to go, leaving behind their own culture and sacrificially identifying with
the people they long to reach for Christ.
There are now about 12,000 such unreached people groups within the 2,000
larger peoples, so that the task is not impossible. Yet at present only 7% of
all missionaries are engaged in this kind of outreach, while the remaining
93% are working in the already evangelized half of the world. If this
imbalance is to be redressed, a strategic redeployment of personnel will be
necessary.
A distressing factor that affects each of the above categories is that of
inaccessibility. Many countries do not grant visas to self-styled missionaries
, who have no other qualification or contribution to offer. Such areas are not
absolutely inaccessible, however. For our prayers can pass through every
curtain, door and barrier. And Christian radio and television, audio and video
cassettes, films and literature can also reach the otherwise unreachable. So
can so-called ""tent-makers" who like Paul earn their own living. They
travel in the course of their profession (e.g. business people, university
lecturers, technical specialists and language teachers), and use every
opportunity to speak of Jesus Christ. They do not enter a country under
false pretenses, for their work genuinely takes them there it is simply that
witness is an essential component of their Christian lifestyle, wherever they
may happen to be.
We are deeply ashamed that nearly two millennia have passed since the
death and resurrection of Jesus, and still two-thirds of the world's
population have not yet acknowledged him. On the other hand, we are
amazed at the mounting evidence of God's power even in the most unlikely
places of the globe.
Now the year 2000 has become for many a challenging milestone. Can we
commit ourselves to evangelize the world during the last decade of this
millennium? There is nothing magical about the date, yet should we not do
our best to reach this goal? Christ commands us to take the gospel to all
peoples. The task is urgent. We are determined to obey him with joy and
hope. (Ac. 18:1-4 20:34 Lk. 24:45-47)
12. DIFFICULT SITUATIONS
Jesus plainly told his followers to expect opposition. "If they persecuted me",
he said, "they will persecute you also". He even told them to rejoice over
persecution, and reminded them that the condition of fruitfulness was death.
These predictions, that Christian suffering is inevitable and productive, have
come true in every age, including our own. There have been many
thousands of martyrs. Today the situation is much the same. We earnestly
hope that glasnost and perestroika will lead to complete religious freedom in
the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc nations, and that Islamic and Hindu
countries will become more open to the gospel. We deplore the recent brutal
suppression of China's democratic movement, and we pray that it will not
bring further suffering to the Christians. On the whole, however, it seems
that ancient religions are becoming less tolerant, expatriates less welcome,
and the world less friendly to the gospel.
In this situation we wish to make three statements to governments which are
reconsidering their attitude to Christian believers.
First, Christians are loyal citizens, who seek the welfare of their nation. They
pray for its leaders, and pay their taxes. Of course, those who have
confessed Jesus as Lord cannot also call other authorities Lord, and if
commanded to do so, or to do anything which God forbids, must disobey.
But they are conscientious citizens. They also contribute to their country's
well-being by the stability of their marriages and their homes, their honesty
in business, their hard work and their voluntary activity in the service of the
handicapped and needy. Just governments have nothing to fear from
Christians.
Secondly, Christians renounce unworthy methods of evangelism. Though the
nature of our faith requires us to share the gospel with others, our practice
is to make an open and honest statement of it, which leaves the hearers
entirely free to make up their own minds about it. We wish to be sensitive
to those of other faiths, and we reject any approach that seeks to force
conversion on them.
Thirdly, Christians earnestly desire freedom of religion for all people, not just
freedom for Christianity. In predominantly Christian countries, Christians are
at the forefront of those who demand freedom for religious minorities. In
predominantly non-Christian countries, therefore, Christians are asking for
themselves no more than they demand for others in similar circumstances.
The freedom to "profess, practice and propagate" religion, as defined in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, could and should surely be a
reciprocally granted right.
We greatly regret any unworthy witness of which followers of Jesus may
have been guilty. We determine to give no unnecessary offence in anything,
lest the name of Christ be dishonored. However, the offence of the cross
we cannot avoid. For the sake of Christ crucified we pray that we may be
ready, by his grace, to suffer and even to die. Martyrdom is a form of
witness which Christ has promised especially to honor. (Jn. 15:20 Mt. 5:12
Jn. 12:24 Jer. 29:7 1 Ti. 2:1,2 Ro. 13:6,7 Ac. 4:19 5:29 2 Co. 4:1,2 2
Co. 6:3 1 Co. 1:18,23 2:2 Php. 1:29 Rev. 2:13 6:9-11 20:4)
CONCLUSION: PROCLAIM CHRIST UNTIL HE COMES
"Proclaim Christ until he comes". That has been the theme of Lausanne II. Of
course we believe that Christ has come he came when Augustus was
Emperor of Rome. But one day, as we know from his promises, he will
come again in unimaginable splendor to perfect his kingdom. We are
commanded to watch and be ready. Meanwhile, the gap between his two
comings is to be filled with the Christian missionary enterprise. We have
been told to go to the ends of the earth with the gospel, and we have been
promised that the end of the age will come only when we have done so.
The two ends (of earth space and time) will coincide. Until then he has
pledged to be with us.
So the Christian mission is an urgent task. We do not know how long we
have. We certainly have no time to waste. And in order to get on urgently
with our responsibility, other qualities will be necessary, especially unity (we
must evangelize together) and sacrifice (we must count and accept the cost).
Our covenant at Lausanne was "to pray, to plan and to work together for
the evangelization of the whole world". Our manifesto at Manila is that the
whole church is called to take the whole gospel to the whole world,
proclaiming Christ until he comes, with all necessary urgency, unity and
sacrifice. (Lk. 2:1-7 Mk. 13:26,27 Mk. 13:32-37 Ac. 1:8 Mt. 24:14 Mt
. 28:20)
대한예수교 장로회 창문교회(WINDOW CHURCH)
