ELCA NEWS SERVICE
July 3, 2006
Lutherans and Muslims Assess Tsunami Relief, Plan Cooperation
06-093-FI
MEDAN, Indonesia (ELCA) -- The earthquake and tsunami of
December 2004 was centered off the coast of Banda Aceh,
Indonesia. The predominantly Muslim area began working closely
with Christian relief agencies, and inter-religious friendships
developed across the region. Approximately 85 Muslim and
Lutheran leaders came here to the capital of the North Sumatra
province for a seminar, "Dialogue in Life," June 27-30 to discuss
and plan their future cooperation in meeting human needs.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and president of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF), Chicago, addressed the seminar on June
30. The Rev. Rafael Malpica-Padilla, executive director, ELCA
Global Mission, Chicago, and he were among ecumenical guests from
beyond the region.
The LWF is a global communion representing 62.3 million of
the world's nearly 65.4 million Lutherans. The LWF reports there
are more than 4.3 million Lutherans in Indonesia, with 3 million
in the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (Protestant Christian Batak
Church) (HKBP). The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
is a member of the LWF.
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the LWF sent a mission team to
Indonesia after the tsunami to assess conditions in Aceh and
Nias. It found Christians and Muslims cooperating fully in
response to the disaster.
Eighteen months after the tsunami, the LWF National
Committee in Indonesia hosted the seminar to develop Christian-
Muslim friendship, cooperation and mutual help. Participants
were mainly from Indonesia but included representatives from
other countries affected by the tsunami and earthquake: India,
Malaysia and Thailand. The representative from Sri Lanka was
unable to attend.
Participants heard a series of presentations exploring
Christian-Muslim relations from the perspective of each religion
and from those perspectives before and after the tsunami. The
Rev. Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Jordan and the Holy Land, Jerusalem, was unable to attend but
sent a paper on the Muslim-Christian relationship in Palestine
and Jordan.
On June 29 seminar participants went by plane to Aceh and
visited Christian and Muslim communities there to hear from local
leaders what needs remain and what can be done to address them.
Back in Medan, participants met in small groups and drafted
affirmations and recommendations. They affirmed diversity among
religious leaders, the importance of dialogue to discover common
and universal values, and the need to act. They affirmed the
harmony of Christians and Muslims in response to the tsunami and
the importance of local leadership in directing that response.
Seminar recommendations included forming a local continuing
committee of Christians and Muslims in Aceh and Nias that would
develop an action plan to address needs there. Another
recommendation was to build upon the network of relief agencies
created in the tsunami-affected region and around the world.
The Rev. Mark H. Swanson, associate professor of Christian
history and Islam, and director of the Islamic studies program,
Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., was a seminar participant who
helped draft the recommendations. Luther is one of eight ELCA
seminaries.
"I think what we imagine is that once the local committee
has defined its work and gotten involved in its work," Swanson
said, "there will be a conference to bring these people together
with folks who have been involved in tsunami relief in other
parts of the region, to share experiences and to share best
practices."
The Rev. Ginda P. Harahap, Asia secretary, LWF Department
for Mission and Development, told the gathering that the size of
the seminar and the visit to Aceh gave him hope. "I believe
future programs will be just as full," he said, adding that the
Muslim-Christian relationship had been strengthened in Indonesia.
LWF President, ELCA Presiding Bishop Addresses Seminar
In his address to the seminar, Hanson said, "God loves
all humanity. God desires to give life." Christians and Muslims
share the responsibility to preserve life beyond the members of
their own faiths, he said.
"Lives should be rebuilt. Homes should be rebuilt," Hanson
said. "We should be a part of that humanitarian effort."
"We are called to walk with people who are suffering,"
Hanson said, "not to take advantage of their suffering."
Hanson reassured the Muslim participants that, in keeping
with international standards for humanitarian assistance, the LWF
did not proselytize or try to convert disaster victims from Islam
to Christianity in exchange for its help.
"We cannot work together in a relationship of trust unless
we first know each other through dialogue," Hanson said. "We
build relationships by learning more about each other," he said.
Hanson related a conversation he had last year with His
Royal Highness Prince Ghazi, personal envoy and special advisor
to Jordan's King Abdullah. The prince suggested that Christians
and Muslims hold a global consultation to develop an
international code of conduct. "This seminar is an example of
what the prince and I spoke about," Hanson said.
"As I travel the world, I look for signs of hope. I have
found one in this room," Hanson said. He said inter-religious
councils in Jerusalem, Rwanda and the United States were signs of
hope, as were "truth and reconciliation" efforts in Liberia and
Sierra Leone.
Hanson also talked about the LWF-operated Augusta Victoria
Hospital in East Jerusalem, which provides health care mostly for
Palestinians. Most of the Palestinians served by the hospital are
Muslims.
HKBP Hosts Hanson in Indonesia
The Rev. Bonar Napitupulu, HKBP bishop or ephorus, hosted
Hanson and Malpica-Padilla July 1-2 in Medan.
"You come at the right time and at the right place,"
Napitupulu told Hanson July 1 in front of an audience of more
than 300 here at the HKBP's Nommensen University. He said
Indonesia has suffered natural disasters and social strife, and
"you give us strength to face all these realities."
"I have come to learn from you how to sustain the Christian
faith in the face of natural disasters," Hanson replied in his
address, adding that he saw also how Lutherans can coexist and
work with people of other faiths.
Hanson called for events similar to the Dialogue in Life
seminar, encouraging "dialogue for the sake of understanding each
other." He said it is possible to "speak of your faith while
respectfully listening."
Honest dialogue will lead to understanding and justice,
Hanson said, adding that the Holy Spirit works through such
dialogue.
Hanson Preaches at HKBP Medan Sudirman
The HKBP invited Hanson to preach during worship July 2 at
the "cathedral church" here. He spoke about the Bible lessons
read for that Sunday, calling Christians to lives of faith not
fear.
"Since September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we are reminded almost daily
of the reality of terrorism," Hanson said. "You in Indonesia
know the reality of fear. The tsunami made us all aware of the
destructive power of nature, so we rightly fear another volcano,
earthquake or tidal wave," he said.
"Faith in Christ Jesus frees us. Fear enslaves us. Faith
in Christ frees us from the power of sin, death and the devil.
Fear grants them power over us. Faith in Christ joins us to the
community of believers. Fear isolates us from one another,"
Hanson said.
"Living by faith in Christ rather than in fear, we will be a
confessing church, speaking the truth. Fear drives people to
tell lies, to be deceptive, and to distrust the words of others.
Faith frees us and calls us to speak the truth. We are free to
speak the truth about God, the truth about ourselves and the
truth about our lives," he said.
"I do not know what it is like to be a Christian in
Indonesia. I do not know all the challenges you face in living
your Christian identity in a predominately Muslim nation. I have
great respect for you and thank God for you," Hanson said.
Hanson said Lutherans in Indonesia are constant reminders of
the gospel of Jesus Christ -- "the good news that God forgives
sinners, the good news that life is a gift of God's grace."
"We share that calling as 66 million members of the LWF. We
share it with all other Christians. So we are sent into the
world in the power of the Holy Spirit with the promise of the
gospel. Living by faith not fear is a holy and joyful calling,"
he said.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
