The ecclesiology and ethics debate and the pilgrimage of justice and peace: an African perspective.

Phiri, Isabel Apawo

Lewis S Mudge stated, "The road to ecumenism lies through attention to the locality one knows best. Global issues always have their local manifestations. Local questions generally have their global implications." (1)

Similarly, the origins of ecclesiology and ethics in ecumenical debate can be found in a four-year study process initiated by the World Council of Churches (WCC) from 1993 to 1996. South Africa has taken this debate and made it its own by initiating a process to reflect on the status of ecumenism in Africa, starting from 2001. From the Porto Alegre WCC 9th Assembly, the language shifted from the ecclesiology and ethics debate to moral discernment; and since the 10th Assembly in Busan, South Korea, in 2013, the focus has been on the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace.

Drawing from the global ecclesiology and ethics debate, this essay has a three-fold purpose: first, I attempt to search for the African experience in the WCC's ecclesiology and ethics debate. Second, I seek to establish how the ecclesiology and ethics debate and the "Moral Discernment in the Churches" document are linked to the WCC call to the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. Third, I will reflect on visible participation of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace within the African context. I will conclude by arguing that the principles within the ecclesiology and ethics debate of "costly unity," "costly commitment," and "costly discipleship" are also the principles of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace.

The Ecclesiology and Ethics Debate within the WCC

The WCC study processes on ecclesiology and ethics have been well documented. (2) Visible unity of the churches meant that the churches were to focus their discussions on the ecclesiological issues of "Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry." The Faith and Order stream of the WCC has been the driving force of the ecclesiological discussion. At the same time, the Life and Work stream of the WCC focused on ethical aspects of the church. In this way, the WCC was structured such that faith and ethics were divided. This division found resonance at regional ecumenical organizations and at national council of churches.

Nevertheless, as early as 1968, at the WCC Uppsala assembly, the first general secretary of WCC, W. A. Visser't Hooft, did not agree with the separation of faith and ethics, as he perceived them to be woven together. While discussion of Visser't Hooft observations went on at various levels within WCC circles, it was only in the 1990s that a series of conferences and consultations took place between the Faith and Order and Life and Work streams of the WCC, debating the link between ecclesiology and ethics in the ecumenical movement. In this contribution to the debate, I will only revisit these consultations in the interest of highlighting the African presence in the participation and content.

The first consultation was held at Ronde in Denmark in 1993 under the theme of "Costly Unity." Out of the 25 international delegates, five were from Africa: namely, Agnes Abuom from Kenya, Erica Dolly Mphuthi from Lesotho, Neville Richardson from South Africa, Veronica Swai from Tanzania, and Louise Tappa from Cameroon. I have not been able to establish how the participation of the Africans affected the conversations on costly unity in Africa. However, an analysis of the content of the consultation shows that the African presence had a strong impact in raising the issue of apartheid in South Africa. The purpose of this consultation was to explore issues of koinonia in relation to justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Duncan Forrester has summarized it well:

   It explored ways in which discipleship means costly involvement in
   the pain, brokenness and struggles of the world and also
   involvement in a koinonia which overcomes divisions and hostilities
   many of which are ancient and deep seated. The Ronde consultation
   in its report costly unity sought to point the way to a fresh
   approach which offers new inspiration for the churches' search for
   the unity, and for their costly, reconciling and healing witnessing
   the world. (3)

Of special significance to our conversation is the suggestion that "[m]oral issues and struggle often represent the line between 'cheap unity' and 'costly' unity. Cheap unity avoids morally contested issues because they would disturb the unity of the church. Costly unity is discovering the churches' unity as a gift of pursuing justice and peace. It is often acquired at a price." (4)

Choosing to get the root of costly unity was making a bold declaration about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. An example of costly unity that had an impact on the African continent was when the WCC and other ecumenical partners declared that the issue of apartheid was a matter of faith and the theological legitimation of apartheid was a heresy. This declaration led to the WCC breaking fellowship with the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa over its theological support for apartheid. Within the WCC itself, there was opposition to the establishment of a Programme to Combat Racism because it was perceived that the WCC was supporting terrorism. But drawing from biblical imperatives, the ecumenical movement was determined to act together against racism. The programme was established and some churches withdrew their membership from the WCC.

It is this kind of resolve that is needed as the WCC leads the ecumenical movement in the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. More importantly, the ecumenical movement in Africa must identify for itself those thorny issues of faith and ethics where they need to act together even when they know it will be costly. This would be in line with the Ronde report's declaration that the churches discovered "unity [is] a gift of pursuing justice and peace," as noted in the previous quotation. In this way, we do not have to separate unity from the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, and we are willing to accept the consequences of such unity.

The second consultation was held in Tantur, Israel/Palestine, in 1994 under the theme "Costly Commitment." Africa was represented only by John de Gruchy out of the 21 international delegates at this consultation. The purpose of this meeting was to build on the findings of the first consultation by focusing on the relationship between ecclesiology and ethics. This consultation is known for its sense of special urgency to find answers to the relationship between ecclesiology and ethics. There are two points of interest from the Tantur that I want to raise.

First, the Tantur consultation realized the churches are not fully aware of the costly commitment of costly unity. The Tantur report states:

   We believe that the churches have not yet grasped the full
   implications of this decisive "ecumenical dimension." The churches
   have not fully realised that a costly unity requires a costly
   commitment to one another. We believe that the experience of the
   churches in facing ethical issues together poses fundamental
   ecclesiological questions, not only to the ecumenical movement but
   to the churches themselves. (5)

Today it still remains to be analyzed whether the churches in Africa who belong to the ecumenical movement have fully understood the concepts of costly unity requiring costly commitment, and that facing ethical issues together has an impact on their self-understanding as church. Would the churches in Africa today really agree that if they are not engaging in ethical issues together, then none of them individually is being fully church? (6) If such a conversation is not happening among the churches, where would that awakening moment take place?

A second point of interest to the churches in Africa that came from the Tantur consultation was its focus on "ecclesial renewal amongst those who have been more deeply engaged in ethical praxis." (7) One example given was that of South Africa. It was observed that since the churches in South Africa had successfully accompanied society and the government in ensuring democracy for everyone in South Africa, it was now time to turn to matters of unity within the churches across racial lines. While the process of unity among some denominations in South Africa is ongoing and has its own challenges, Mary Anne Plaatjies van Huffel has shown that the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) is yet to reunite with the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA). (8) She writes,

   In 2015 the general synod failed to get two thirds majority vote
   needed to adopt the Belhair confession. This means that unification
   with its three sister churches, which is based on the condition
   that the DRC adopt the Belhair confession, has continued to be put
   on hold. However, room has been opened for the adoption of the
   Belhair confession at synod level and for unification to take place
   at provincial level. While this is happening in the Western Cape
   Province between the coloured and white churches, that has not been
   in the case in the Northern Province between the white and black
   churches. The four sister churches have also agreed to have a
   common Order of Service, which they are working on with the help of
   the Protestant Churches in the Netherlands. (9)

The third consultation took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1996 under the theme "Costly Obedience." It had a strong South African presence, represented by John de Gruchy, Mongezi Guma, and Frans Noko Kekane out of the 11 delegates. Its venue also influenced the detailed discussion of the South African transition to an inclusive democracy and the challenges of economic empowerment of the masses, which struggled and still continue to struggle with high levels of unemployment and links to continued violence. The consultation acknowledged the great work done by the churches in the past and the great challenge to the South African Council of Churches (SACC) for its role in maintaining a critical solidarity with the government while maintaining its prophetic voice. The position taken by SACC is still a subject for discussion.

The third consultation also wrestled with questions of what it means for the ecumenical movement to be a moral community. The statement of the consultation that was directed to the context of South Africa noted,

   If the church is to fulfil its calling to be a sign of God's reign
   in such a situation, it is imperative that it begin to understand
   itself as the ecumenical moral community. Hence the importance of
   the theme of moral formation. The church needs to ask how--with all
   its theological, liturgical and sacramental resources, it can be a
   community of relevant moral witness for such a world. (10)

The church in South Africa, and I argue in Africa, was being challenged here to consider itself as a moral community. As such, the ecumenical moral community in Africa has to pay special attention to moral issues of today within the churches and in the world. This has to go hand-in-hand with moral formation in the churches and in the theological institutions.

In summary, at the three consultations--Ronde in 1993, the Tantur in 1994, and Johannesburg in 1996--Africa was well represented and the issues discussed were of significance to the ecumenical movement in Africa. There are two major lessons for Africa to learn from the three consultations. First, we need to know how to ask moral questions that are relevant to our context and seek to find answers together in the churches and in the institutions where church formation takes place. This is well articulated by Mudge, who stated, "the WCC's starting point in this conversation on ecclesiology and ethics is that 'asking moral questions well begins when we learn to be the church well. And being church well means becoming a formational community whose practices--liturgical and moral alike--arise from and are made possible by the gospel message.'" (11) This means that the church in Africa should not dismiss current moral debates as un-African, but rather grapple with them with new eyes as they present themselves to the members of our churches and the African society and seek answers together. It is the willingness to work together that is important. Second, African churches are to learn from the connectedness of costly unity, costly commitment, and costly obedience as the essence of what it means to live the gospel message. If all three are embraced, then gender and human sexuality issues should not threaten the unity of the church, because we will be committed to each other and to the gospel. This raises the issue of how to discern together on moral issues.

From the Ecclesiology and Ethics Debate to Moral Discernment

The three consultations discussed above are important in the ecclesiology and ethics debate because they identified the need for thorough analysis of the process of moral formation and discernment. (12) This recommendation was taken up in a study process by Faith and Order from WCC's 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre in 2006 to the 10th Assembly in 2013. The difficulty of the ecclesiology and ethics debate is seen clearly in the "Moral Discernment in the Churches" study document addendum from the Orthodox participants of the Faith and Order Standing Commission and in a footnote in the document from the Roman Catholics stating that they did not fully agree with the method followed on moral discernment. Such comments point to the challenges of speaking with one voice on ethical issues that could threaten both progress in the study process and the unity of the churches working in co-operation with the WCC. Notwithstanding their comments, the study document started by stating that "one of the major challenges in the 21st century is the division that exists between churches--over moral issues, divisions that threaten the aim of Faith and Order for visible unity in one faith and one Eucharistic fellowship." (13) Considering the struggles that the churches in Africa are going through on issues of moral discernment, this is one document that should be studied in the various churches, ecumenical bodies, and theological institutions in Africa.

The significance of the ecclesiological and ethics debate was also felt at the WCC's 10th Assembly in 2013. The issues of gender and human sexuality were again brought to the fore. As reflected in the report of the Programme Guidelines Committee:

   Being aware of divisive issues among churches, the WCC can function
   as a safe space to enter into dialogue and moral discernment on
   matters which the churches find challenging. Examples which have
   been heard strongly in this assembly include questions of gender
   and human sexuality. Controversial issues have their place within
   that safe space on the common agenda, remembering that tolerance is
   not enough, but the baseline is love and mutual respect. (14)

The WCC has followed up this recommendation by creating a safe space for the ecumenical movement to debate on issues of gender and human sexuality. A reference group on human sexuality has been created with a specific mandate to advise the WCC general secretary on how to deal with issues of human sexuality. (15) A Gender Adversary Group has also been created. Africa is well represented in both the reference group on human sexuality and Gender Advisory Group through its leadership team and WCC staff team on human sexuality. The significance of having a reference group on human sexuality and the Gender Advisory Group is that gender and human sexuality are some of the issues for conversation on the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. It remains to be seen how the pilgrimage--whose foundation is on the oneness of the body of Christ in cooperation with people of good will as we work for healing, reconciliation and love of God in a broken and hurting world--will build from lessons drawn from the study processes on ecclesiology and ethics (Costly Unity, Costly Commitment and Costly Discipleship) and on the "Moral Discernment in the Churches" study document.

The Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace

The foundation of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace are in the WCC's (16) first assembly in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 1948, where the churches were called to "stay together" so that they can witness together despite the political turmoil of the time. Sixty-five years later, at the 10th Assembly of the WCC held in Busan, the Republic of Korea, a call was issued to the churches, the ecumenical movement, and people of good will to embark on a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. This call was about "moving together," indicating a shift from the first call of 1948. This is well explained in the assembly message, which stated that, while the 1st WCC assembly in Amsterdam in 1948 was, "We intend to stay together for the 10th Assembly in 2013 the focus is on "We intend to move together" (17) in a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. The difference is that the initial call emphasized the churches maintaining unity in a divided world, while the second call builds on the first call to emphasize movement and spirituality. The focus on peace and justice itself has remained constant throughout the work of WCC.

An increasing number of attempts have been made to describe what the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace implies. This has been deliberately left open so that it becomes part of the actual reflection of what it is, where it is going, and what it is doing. It is a journey in which all those who are participating in it from the WCC fellowship and the ecumenical movement engage in prayer, witness, and service for justice and peace. As they stay and move as a united group, they discover together anew the perfect will of God for the hurting world and commit themselves afresh to act together to bring God's healing and reconciliation.

The WCC strategic plans 2014-2017 document explains that the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace has now become the framework in which all its work is done. Furthermore, it shows the link between church unity and the pilgrimage:

The call for an ecumenical pilgrimage is firmly rooted in the conviction that unity among churches is a response to the love of the Triune God for this world, as affirmed by the assembly: "The unity of the Church, the unity of the human community and the unity of the whole creation are interconnected. Christ who makes us one calls us to live in justice and peace and impels us to work together for justice and peace in God's world." (10th WCC Assembly Unity Statement, par. 13)

The pilgrimage of justice and peace as a concrete expression of the visible unity among churches has therefore clear goals:

* to live in justice and peace; and

* to work together for justice and peace in God's world.

Churches and ecumenical partners are invited to commit themselves to these goals, to live and work together for justice and peace in God's world. Journeying together, they try to understand where God is yearning and working for justice and peace in this world. Confessing faith in God's mission (mission Dei), churches and ecumenical partners engage themselves in transforming witness and action. (18)

What has not been articulated yet is the issue of costly unity, costly commitment, and costly obedience for the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. However, the fact that the issues of gender and human sexuality were identified as significant for the fellowship of the WCC between 2014 to 2021 at the same time as the pilgrimage is a clear signal that costly unity, costly commitment, and costly obedience will become key for the pilgrimage of justice and peace.

The emphasis of unity of the churches and acting together in the pilgrimage brings ecclesiology and ethics together. Indeed, this has been the emphasis of the current general secretary of WCC, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, namely that the WCC work in Public Witness and Diakonia must be grounded in theological reflection while the work of Unity and Mission must intersect with justice and peace. Hence the decision to regard the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace as the framework in which Unity, Mission, Church Relation, Public Witness and Ecumenical Formation is done in the council.

The line of continuity between the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace and the previous work of the WCC is seen in the embrace of important background documents such as "The Church--Towards a Common Vision"; "Mission towards Life"; "Economy of Life"; and "A Call to Just Peace and the Unity Statement." The reason why the ecclesiology and ethics documents on costly unity, costly commitment, and costly discipleship are not included to shape the pilgrimage is that they were not adopted as assembly documents at the Harare assembly in 1998. However, that does not prevent us from now drawing from them to shape the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace when the issues they raised are still relevant in dealing with contested issues as we walk together.

While the ecclesiology and ethics debate centred on relationships within the ecumenical movement, the call to the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace is extended to people of good will. These are partners from other faiths and civil societies, governments, and UN agencies concerned about peace and justice. What Christians have in common with people of other faiths is that their basis for getting involved in ethical dimension of justice and peace is grounded in their faith. With civil society and other international agencies and governments, there has been an awakening in recognizing that faith organizations can work with them for justice and peace. Walking together in this case requires building trust and understanding that together we can deal with ethical issues that undermine the dignity of humanity and creation.

The Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace in the African Context

First, when reflecting on the concept of a pilgrimage in Africa, our starting point is to draw from our African spirituality. The traditional African context, south of the Sahara desert, understands the concept of a pilgrimage as a journey of faith visiting a holy place for purposes of meeting with God on issues that show the interconnectedness of humanity, the spirit world, and the environment. (19) Elsewhere, in my implicit engagement with the concept of pilgrimage in the Chewa traditional religion of Malawi, I also demonstrated that the current visits to the shrine of Chisumphi are practised by women and men coming from different Christian traditions who are drawn to act together, bound by their cultural practices that have relevance for their interpretation of creation. Although the language of ecumenism is not used in this context, it is intentionally practised to maintain the traditional harmonizing of people's lives, their animals, the environment, and their spirituality. A pilgrimage is made to the Chisumphi shrine before planting for the blessings of the seeds and at harvest time for thanksgiving for the first fruits. The people of different denominations of the Chisumphi area walk together for the purpose of protecting life as understood within the traditional spirituality.

Second, within African Christianity, the mission churches have not developed a tradition of going on a pilgrimage, as is the case in Europe where there is an awakening of visiting their spiritual heritage locations. Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are the few countries where Christians go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Israel/Palestine on a regular basis. Such pilgrimages to the Holy Land do not link spirituality with issues of justice and peace within the context of Israel/Palestine. One exception is represented by the South Africans who join the WCC-Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme on Palestine-Israel, who are exposed to issues of injustice happening in the Holy Land. South Africa has had 92 Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) participate in providing protective presence at check points in Israel/Palestine. The issue now is following up on how the 92 EAs are using their experiences to do advocacy in the churches and with the politicians in South Africa. The classical African indigenous churches that go on annual pilgrimages--for example, to Mount Moriah in South Africa--do not connect their pilgrimage with issues of justice and peace, nor are they done in the context of ecumenism. The closest ecumenical pilgrimage is the one organized by the Dikonia Centres of the Regional Council of Churches in South Africa during Easter celebrations.

Whatever the context, the key element to the pilgrimage is that it is spiritual as opposed to the previous language of decade. It therefore involves identifying the gifts that God has already given the churches in Africa in order to embark on this pilgrimage. Notwithstanding these challenges, (20) Africa is known for its vibrant, predominantly charismatic spirituality with high levels of youth participation. It draws from the concept of family or community in its self-understanding of being church. In this way, when disaster strikes, the local church is always the first to respond to restore human dignity with their local resources. They are also the last to leave when the international humanitarian bodies have moved on to respond to new emerging crises. It is these gifts of being church together in times of crisis that are important for the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace in Africa.

Third, the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace demands an analysis of particular contexts in order to identify areas of local brokenness--where God's people and creation are hurting and where the local churches feel Jesus Christ is calling them to respond. At the same time, it brings the local churches into contact with global issues of brokenness. The WCC invitation document states,

   this pilgrimage will lead us to the locations of ugly violence and
   injustices. We intend to look for God's incarnated presence in the
   midst of suffering, exclusion, and discrimination. The true
   encounter with real, contextual experiences of a broken creation
   and sinful behaviour against each other might inform us anew about
   the essence of life itself. It might lead us to repentance and--in
   a movement of purification--liberate us from obsession with power,
   possessions, ego, and violence, so that we become ever more
   Christ-like. (21)

Within Africa, the WCC has chosen to highlight South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Nigeria (22) as priority countries. At the same time, the WCC has come to the realization that one cannot solve the problems of DRC without touching the neighbouring countries, because the issues that are destroying human and ecological dignity cut across many other African countries. In terms of themes, the WCC is focusing on peacebuilding, economic justice, climate change, and human dignity. The WCC has also become aware of dealing with cross-cutting issues. For example, inter-religious dialogue and cooperation is key in peacebuilding in Nigeria and in dealing with the religious extremism manifest in the form of the presence of ISIS in Egypt and Libya, Boko Haram in Nigeria, and Al-Shabab in Kenya and Somalia. The migration of large numbers of Africans to Europe is another theme that requires a multifaceted approach on the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace.

Each year the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace will focus on a particular region and theme. For 2015 the focus is on climate change. Churches are gathering in different stations to reflect and pray together as they move on a pilgrimage of climate justice to the UN Conference of Parties (COP21), which will take place in the Le Bourget area of Paris on 7-8 December 2015. Africa is participating in the pilgrimage of climate justice through the launch of the Pan Africa Cycling Caravan for Climate Justice. "Cyclists are setting off on a 6500 km journey from Maputo to raise the voices of people at the forefront of a changing climate. The caravan will go through South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, and Tanzania to Kenya." (23) Along the way they will collect one million signatures and plant one million trees. In 2016, the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace will focus on The Middle East, particularly on just peace in Israel/ Palestine. In 2017, the focus will be on the African continent. It will respond to the African Union's Agenda 2063: "The Africa We Want." (24) The All Africa Council of Churches is taking the lead in the theological reflection on the Agenda 2063.

Fourth, the pilgrimage is transformational. The call here is to bring healing, reconciliation, and peace with justice to the brokenness identified through social analysis. The WCC document describes the pilgrimage as transformational as follows:

   Being transformed ourselves, the pilgrimage may lead us to concrete
   actions of transformation. We may grow in our courage to live in
   true compassion with one another and with nature. This will include
   the strength to resist evil--injustice and violence, even if a
   church finds itself in a minority situation. Economic and
   ecological justice as well as the healing of the wounded and the
   striving for peaceful reconciliation is our call--in each and every
   context. The credibility of our actions might grow WCC Central
   Committee--from the quality of the fellowship we share--a
   fellowship of justice and peace.--We are transformed through prayer
   and act in prayer. (25)

The transformational agenda of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace resonates well with the language of costly unity, costly commitment, and costly discipleship. It gives room for theological institutions in Africa to create safe spaces where comprehensive engagement with gender and human sexuality can be done.

Conclusion

The ecclesiology and ethics debate has a contribution to make to the call of the WCC to walk together on a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. The call is an opportunity for the churches, ecumenical partners, and people of good will to walk together in discussions and action because we have a common vision of a better world, one in which each human being is treated with dignity and God's creation is protected. It is an ecumenical journey where not all the answers are already figured out but are discovered through discourse and action for transformation. The journey is to where God is. On this journey, there is need to draw from what has been done in the past in the area of ecclesiology and ethics. The principles of costly unity, costly commitment, and costly discipleship are the principles of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. Similarly, notwithstanding the controversies over "The Moral Discernment of the Churches" document, it is a further development of the ecclesiology and ethics debate and is significant for the pilgrimage, as it provides the method for dealing with contested issues as the churches walk together toward justice and peace.

DOI: 10.1111/erev.12195

(1) Lewis S. Mudge, The Church as Moral Community: Ecclesiology and Ethics in Ecumenical Debates (Geneva: WCC Publications, 1998), 12.

(2) See the following works: Church and World: The Unity of the Church and the Renewal of Human Community, Faith and Order Paper No. 151 (Geneva: WCC Publications, 1990); Thomas F. Best and Wesley Gransberg-Michaelson, eds., Costly Unity Koinonia and Justice, Peace and Creation, WCC Faith and Order/Unit I and III (Geneva: WCC Publications, 1993); Thomas F. Best and Martin Robra, eds., Costly Commitment: Ecclesiology and Ethics, WCC Faith and Order/Unit I and III (Geneva: WCC Publications, 1995); "The Ecumenical Dialogue on Moral Issues: the Potential Sources of Common Witness or of Divisions," JWG Document, Ecumenical Review 48 (1996); Thomas F. Best and Martin Robra, eds., Ecclesiology and Ethics: Ecumenical Ethical Engagement, Moral Formation and the Nature of the Church (Geneva: WCC Publications, 1997); Duncan Forrester, The True Church and Morality: Reflections on Ecclesiology and Ethics (Geneva: WCC Publications, 1997); Mudge, Church as Moral Community; Duncan Forrester, "Ecclesiology and Ethics," in The Dictionary of Ecumenical Movement, 2nd ed., ed. Nicholas Lossky, Jose Miguez Bonino, John Pobee, Tom F. Stransky, Geoffrey Wainwright, and Pauline Webb (Geneva: WCC Publications, 2002), 348-49; and Moral Discernment in the Churches: A Study Document, Faith and Order Paper No. 215 (Geneva: WCC Publications, 2013).

(3) Forrester, "Ecclesiology and Ethics," 347.

(4) Best and Robra, Ecclesiology and Ethics, 6.

(5) Ibid., 28.

(6) Ibid., 29.

(7) Ibid., 27.

(8) Mary Anne Plaatjies van Huffel, "The Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa's Enactment on Church Judicial and Legal Issues," Nederduitse Gereformeerde Teologiese Tydskrif SA (July 2013), 101-13, at 102.

(9) Conversation with Prof. Rev. Dr Mary Anne Plaatjies van Huffel on Friday, 16 October 2015 at Stellenbosch.

(10) Best and Robra, Ecclesiology and Ethics, 52.

(11) Mudge, Church as Moral Community, 9.

(12) Best and Robra, Ecclesiology and Ethics, 48.

(13) Moral Discernment in the Churches, 1.

(14) WCC 10th Assembly, "Report of the Programme Guidelines Committee," Doc. No. PGC 01, 5.

(15) The full terms of reference for this group includes the following: to give advice on the development and content of the WCC work related to human sexuality for the period of 2014-2017; to bring coherence to the work of the member churches on human sexuality with WCC programmatic work that relates to human sexuality; to review the previous work and documents of the WCC on Human Sexuality; to give advice on how the churches can engage each other in conversations on human sexuality; to accompany the WCC's human sexuality staff group in carrying out the recommendations of WCC governing bodies and to offer advice on further development of the work; to analyse the religious, cultural, legal, medical, political, and social consequences of government legislations on human sexuality, starting with specific case studies; to identify resources and developments from the churches and the civil society that are helpful in fostering conversations on human sexuality; to prepare reports on its work and process to the central committee meetings through the general secretary. See also the background document on Terms of Reference to see how the WCC has dealt with the issue of human sexuality in the New Delhi WCC assembly in 1961 to the Busan assembly in 2013.

(16) According to the constitution of the WCC, article 3, the WCC's self-understanding is that it is a fellowship of 345 churches representing over 500 million Christians in 120 countries "to call one another to visible unity ... witness and service to the world and to advance towards that unity in order that the world may believe." Official Report of the 10th Assembly of the WCC, 425.

(17) Ibid.

(18) WCC Strategic Plan 2014-2017, approved by the WCC central committee, July 2014.

(19) See Isabel Apawo Phiri, "African Traditional Religion and Eco-feminism: The Role of Women at Chisumphi Shrine in Preserving Ecology," in Women Healing Earth, ed. Rosemary Radford Reuther (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 1996), 161-71.

(20) Challenges that Africa need to acknowledge and find solutions may include the many of the Pentecostal and charismatic churches that are not affiliated with the ecumenical organizations and tend to oppose the agenda of ecumenism because of conservative interpretations of scripture on ethical issues that are central in the pilgrimage of justice and peace.

(21) WCC Central Committee, "An Invitation to the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace," Doc. No. GEN 05, 3.

(22) The other priority countries of the WCC between 2014 and 2017 are the Korean Peninsula, Israel/Palestine, and Syria/Iraq.

(23) "We Have Faith--ACT Now for Climate Justice" is a joint initiative of ACT Alliance, We Have Faith, PACJA, and the National Council of Churches of Kenya. Email sent by Vitumbiko Chinoko, 25 August 2015, www.actclimate.org.

(24) Agenda 2063, The Africa We Want, 2nd ed., African Union website, August 2013, at: http://agenda2063.au.int/ en/sites/default/files/agenda2063_popular_version_05092014_EN.pdf.

(25) "An Invitation to the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace" (revised), Doc. No. GEN 05, 4.

Isabel Apawo Phiri

Isabel Apam Phiri is Associate General Secretary for Public Witness and Diakonia, the World Council of Churches, and honourary professor for Theology at the University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.