In 2017, we commemorated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Although associated with Martin Luther and with Wittenberg as its starting place, the Reformation was and is a movement that is both global and ecumenical. In the context of Africa, there was much to celebrate. However, we were also aware of the wounds left by the consequences of Reformation, including its connection to colonialism, neocolonialism, and denominationalism. Despite the perceived weakening of ecumenism globally and within Africa, the argument of this article is that the Pilgrimage of lustice and Peace, initiated by the 2013 assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), provides a framework in which to articulate the inheritance of the various Reformation movements for Africa today. The concept of the pilgrimage combines reflection and praxis on what the churches can do together among themselves, with people of other faiths, and with all people of good will. This resonates well with the spirit of community in the context of Africa, which holds together in a web of life those who are unborn, those living today, and those who have departed from this world and God's creation.

A Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace

In 2013, the WCC's assembly in Busan, South Korea, invited Christians and people of good will everywhere to join on a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, to walk together in a common quest in celebrating life and in concrete steps toward transforming injustice and violence. As a "pilgrimage of justice and peace," it is neither a journey toward a specific geographical place nor a simple form of activism, but rather "a transformative journey that God invites us to in anticipation of the final purpose for the world that the Triune God brings about." (1)

The pilgrimage includes at least three different dimensions--not in a linear form but rather in a dynamic, interdependent understanding: celebrating the gifts; visiting the wounds; and transforming the injustices.

Celebrating the gifts

The first dimension of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace is celebrating the God-given gifts to humanity and the rest of God's creation. The initial invitation document of the central committee of the WCC of 2014 states:

We do not journey with empty hands, nor do we walk alone. The
"original blessing" of being created in the image of God and
together--as a fellowship--we are a unique part of the wider web of
life, which amazes us. Together we celebrate God's great gift of life,
the beauty of creation and the unity of a reconciled diversity. We
feel empowered by this grace of participating in God's movement of
love, justice and peace. (2)

Looking back at the Reformation, we can see gifts for the whole of our fellowship.

First, commemorating the Reformation anniversary with an ecumenical dimension reminded us that when Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the door of the church in 1517, he was not seeking to break the unity of the church, but rather to renew Christian faith by being true to the scriptures. The division of the churches was an unintended outcome. However, we remind ourselves that the process of renewal of the Christian faith is not in opposition to Jesus' prayer for the unity of Christians: "All may be one" (John 17:21) so that the world may believe in God. In 2017 the commemoration of 500 years included celebrating the gifts of diversity of Protestant churches that have led to growth and renewal of the Christian faith. In the diverse context of the church, we celebrate the unity of the body of Christ.

Second, the Reformation commemoration was also a reminder that the salvation and the unity of Christians do not derive from who Christians are, but from who God is and what God has done for humanity. It is because of God's grace that humanity has a relationship with God. Such a liberating message ensures that Christians remain humble before God and the world, reminding us that it does not matter whether one comes from the developed or developing world, whether one is male or female, Jew or Gentile, free or slave, or any of those categories that divide Christians. The message of the scriptures remains that Christians are saved by the grace of God through faith alone and that they are free from the practice of buying salvation, seen, for example, in the selling of indulgences at the time of Luther. This understanding of scripture is a gift from the Reformation of 1517. In the words of Martin Junge, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF),

Let's not forget, here and elsewhere: we're the church that stands on
the message that it is not because of who we are and what we do, but
because of who God is and what God does that things happen in our
world. Let's walk with this sense of joy and confidence into the next
century, entrusting our being and doing into God's hands, the one who
loved us--and the whole world! (3)

Salvation and forgiveness of sins are free gifts from God to all humanity. Christians in Africa should resist all those churches that are still selling items to people for healing purposes. Spiritual healing in our world today should also be free. When, in Africa, we see church leaders misleading people by selling them God's healing, we should denounce and take action to stop it as a misrepresentation of the gospel.

Third, the Reformation brought the gift of the centrality of the Bible in worship and in the lives of believers through the translation of the Bible into many languages. In the context of Africa, this has promoted the growth of the church. Hearing God speaking to us, his people, in our own language, interpreted into our own context, has been liberating for the church in Africa. As Kenneth Mtata has stated, "Any faithful commemoration of the Reformation will seek to put the biblical text, with all its interpretive challenges, at the centre of the celebration." (4) During the Reformation commemoration, we celebrated the Bible Society for making the Bible available in many African languages. We also celebrated the fact that the truth is not owned by one church, but that God speaks to all of God's children through the Bible.

Fourth, we have celebrated the gift of the Holy Spirit in transforming the lives of people who have read the Bible, have heard the voice of God afresh, and have acted on it. This gift is not only in the hands of theologically trained Christians, but also in those of ordinary Christians who interpret the Bible as the Spirit leads. In the context of Africa, this has led to the founding of many indigenous churches, by women and men on the margins of the leadership of the mission churches, who read and interpreted the message of the Bible according to their context. Despite conflicts and divisions in Africa, we have continued to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit guiding our feet toward the truth.

Visiting the wounds

The second dimension of the pilgrimage is that of "visiting the wounds":

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. (5)

The biggest wound left by the Reformation was the division of Western Christianity between the Roman Catholic and the Protestant churches: it split "the ecclesiastical structure of the Middle Ages and thereby shattered the framework of that society called Christendom." (6) The Reformation was a catalyst for unintended political, economic, and social reforms in its time.

In our reflecting on the wounds of today in church and society in Africa, the church today has learned, first and foremost, to be self-critical. Like the church at the time of the First Letter to the Corinthians, the church today is dealing with wounds caused by power struggles, judgmental attitudes, doctrinal disputes, and disparities of treatment between rich and poor members. The church faces corruption and mismanagement of funds, the overburdening of members with financial contributions beyond their capability, and the receiving of gifts from politicians, making churches unable to speak prophetically to the political situation of our times. Finally, churches continue to face wounds opened by racism, xenophobia, sexism, and homophobia.

Second, Christians together are visiting the wounds of inequality and poverty. In the context of Africa, there has been an increase in unemployment, especially among youth. Having a university qualification is no longer a guarantee for a job. We also see an increase in the gap between rich and poor. New HIV infections have continued to increase in Africa, especially among adolescents, and adolescent girls in particular, despite messages of prevention. Poverty among the youth is linked to education systems that are not preparing people for relevant jobs, health systems that are not affordable, and high levels of corruption in all systems of the government, leaving people with no hope for change.

Third, Christians must visit the wounds of political conflict that destabilizes people in Africa. Civil war in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic has continued to increase the number of people who are internally displaced and refugees in neighbouring countries, poverty, and food and medicine shortages, causing premature deaths. In the context of war, there has been an increase in gender-based violence, which continues to rise even in countries that are not at war.

In this context, increasing numbers of churches are moving away from being prophetic, choosing instead to adopt a theology that does not engage with the reality in which Christians live. What would motivate the churches in Africa to move toward a common voice of solidarity in dealing with issues that require the church to be ecumenical and speak prophetically again?

The general secretary of the WCC, Olav Fykse Tveit, has summarized things well. Writing about Reformation and mutual accountability, he states,

In theological terms, the lack of capacity to relate to the "other" or
the neighbour in responsible ways reflects the brokenness of community
with the other and with God. Such brokenness of the most basic set of
relationships is called sin in the biblical tradition. Sin is a
reality that disrupts and diminishes human relationships and destroys
the life given to us as human beings in God's creation. It is a
destructive reality in our own lives. To build up our lives and new
relationships, a kind of conversion toward the other is needed--a new,
more inclusive understanding of identity that includes the material,
moral, and spiritual dimensions of life. (7)

The categories of the Reformation, he writes, help address the underlying dimension of these contemporary challenges: "There is no way to avoid the need for repentance, conversion, and the renewal of life." (8)

Transforming the injustices

The third dimension of the pilgrimage is "transforming the injustices":

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 from the quality of the fellowship we
share--a fellowship of justice and peace. We are transformed through
prayer and act in prayer. (9)

The 20th and 21st centuries will go down as a time of serious efforts by the churches to overcome the wounds and transform the injustices of the Reformation. In 1973, Reformed, Lutheran, and United churches in Europe signed the Leuenberg Agreement to show that despite their differences they regard each other as churches, recognize each other's ministries, and can celebrate the eucharist together. And with respect to those who were persecuted as Anabaptists and sectarians in the Reformation era, the LWF's assembly in 2010 featured an act of repentance and request for reconciliation with the Mennonites, as their spiritual heirs.

In the same spirit, the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation saw a marked transformation in the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant churches, evidenced in the global joint Catholic-Lutheran commemoration in Lund, Sweden, that opened the Reformation year on 31 October 2016. In a joint statement, Pope Francis and Bishop Munib Younan, then-president of the LWF, pledged to work to "remove the remaining obstacles that hinder us from attaining full unity," and to "stand together in service, upholding human dignity and rights, especially for the poor, working for justice, and rejecting all forms of violence." (10) They stated that theological differences were accompanied by prejudice and conflicts, and religion was instrumentalized for political ends: "We pray for the healing of our wounds and of the memories that cloud our view of one another." (11) They went on to underline,

God summons us to be close to all those who yearn for dignity,
justice, peace and reconciliation. Today in particular, we raise our
voices for an end to the violence and extremism which affect so many
countries and communities, and countless sisters and brothers in
Christ. We urge Lutherans and Catholics to work together to welcome
the stranger, to come to the aid of those forced to flee because of
war and persecution, and to defend the rights of refugees and those
who seek asylum.

The statement also stressed the need to work together on issues of peace building, economic justice, ecological justice, and human dignity--themes that are also a priority for the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. (12)

These themes of reconciliation and transforming past injustices were also reflected in Germany, where the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the German Bishops' Conference, as a contribution to a joint commemoration of the Reformation, together published the document "Healing Memories: Witnessing to Jesus Christ." (13) On the African continent, Rwanda, in attempting to bring healing and reconciliation in the context of political violence that cuts across the country's Christian denominations, has drawn upon its indigenous knowledge. Having learnt from the experience of the truth and reconciliation process in South Africa, as well as setting up a United Nations tribunal system to try genocide cases, the government of Rwanda also set up traditional courts for reconciliation called "gacaca courts"--local courts based upon communitarian values recovered from previous traditions by the post-genocide government. They do not necessarily focus on punishment, but first and foremost on forgiveness and reconciliation. (14) Therefore, confession of injustices, forgiveness of one another, and reconciliation based on Christian and African values become important for the African continent.

Another significant event to mark 500 years of Reformation that reveals transformation on an ecumenical level took place in Wittenberg on 5 July 2017, when the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) joined the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, signed by the LWF and the Roman Catholic Church in 1999, and later by the World Methodist Council in 2006. On 31 October 2017, a service at Westminster Abbey marked the Anglican Communion's affirmation of the joint declaration. This means a consensus between the major Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church on the essence of justification, one of the main areas of conflict during the Reformation.

Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), who headed the Vatican delegation in Wittenberg for the signing ceremony with the WCRC, explained the significance of the document by stating that the "bone of contention" at the heart of the Reformation was whether "we are saved by grace, or we are saved by good works." In the ecumenical process, there is now a common understanding "that we are saved by grace, but that that requires that we show our changed relationship to God in good works." (15) According to a PCPCU note about the association agreement, the Reformed churches

bring to the ecumenical consensus around this fundamental doctrine a
particular concern for the relationship between justification and a
commitment to justice in the world. Grace leads to and requires "good
works" in bringing about God's kingdom of justice, peace and
reconciliation. Justification leads to solidarity with the victims of
social disorder and opposition to systems of social and economic
injustice. (16)

This emphasis on linking salvation by grace with bringing about God's kingdom of justice is also found in the WCC's call to join the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. Taking part in this pilgrimage means participating in God's mission toward life, moving to issues and places relevant for life and the survival of people and the earth, deepening the fellowship of churches on the way with a strong spiritual dimension of common prayer and theological reflection. It is a journey of hope, looking for and celebrating signs of God's reign of justice and peace already here and now, discovering opportunities for common witness and transformative action that make a difference in today's world with an open invitation to all people of good will.

In the African context, the transformative character of the Reformation can be seen in the fight for liberation by local people against colonialism. Before the Second Vatican Council, it was in Protestant-established schools that Africans were allowed to read the Bible for themselves. When they did so, they were quick to see the injustices of the missionaries and used the Bible to demand self-determination in both church and society. It is thus no surprise that the first political leaders of Africa were products of Protestant mission schools. What we now need to see is a combination of Christian values and African values being put into practice by Christian politicians so that they become accountable to their people. Mercy Oduyoye made the important observation that Ghana claims to be a Christian country and there is a visible display of the people's religiosity in the way they name their businesses and children--yet this does not resonate with the nation's high crime rate. This can be said for almost all African countries with a substantial Christian population and yet high crime rates. Transforming injustices requires a comprehensive analysis of why our beliefs are not transferred into action.

Finally, the accessibility of the Bible for African women has also led to their realization that sexism in the church should be challenged and that church leadership ought to include women. The publication of "Reading the Bible with New Eyes" has given women the courage to challenge gender injustice and demand increased meaningful participation of women in theological education, ordained ministry, and other senior positions in the church. It has also meant the inclusion of gender as a tool of analysis in some theological institutions. This is an area of growth, as many Christian institutions still need to embrace women's experiences as an integral part of the church and society.

A Pilgrim's Way forward through Diakonia

One of the key elements to have come out of the 2017 commemoration of the Reformation is working together to heal the world by emphasizing peace-building, economic justice, climate justice, and human dignity based on the biblical mandate to all Christians. There is a new impetus for churches to work together in diakonia and sustainable development as a response to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In June 2017, the WCC, the LWF, and the ACT Alliance approved a working document on ecumenical diakonia. This document defines ecumenical diakonia from two perspectives: a theological understanding of diakonia, seeing it as a dimension integral to the nature and the mission of the church, and a practical perspective describing how churches are engaged in diaconal action across confessional and geographical boundaries.

Diakonia thus expresses a strong link between what the churches are and what they do: on the one hand, the churches' existence and their joint action as a worldwide communion of Christians and institutions, and on the other, the social reality in which diaconal action is performed. At the same time, this requires recognizing the rich variety of diaconal traditions in the churches, as well as the particularity of each context. Ecumenical diakonia builds on the understanding that it is faith-based and rights-based action. The two dimensions are closely interrelated; they affirm each other mutually, calling churches and those involved in diakonia to engage in transformative and liberating action, to develop forms of prophetic diakonia, to defend human dignity, and to promote justice and peace.

As we have been celebrating 500 years of Reformation, so we have noted that the centre of gravity of Christianity has moved toward the global South, focusing on new experiences of Christian faith, often conditioned by the struggle for human dignity, justice, and peace. New forms of ecumenical life are emerging, urging traditional ecumenical organizations such as the WCC to rethink their role and mission. The WCC's invitation to join the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace reflects an understanding

of the need to be a "servant church," and a commitment to the social reality of vulnerable and marginalized communities and to their insights and expressions of faith and hope. This approach encourages churches and diaconal actors to be innovative--"to re-imagine diakonia from the vantage point" of the margins, supporting a "diakonia from below." At the same time, it urges diakonia to be bold, providing services through advocacy and public witness and seeking new forms of prophetic diakonia.

While many churches and theological institutions do not use the word diakonia, it is an integral part of the mission of the church. The word links very well with the African way of life in which I grew up, of sharing things in common, before capitalism became entrenched in the African mind-set through Western education and politics. Although African communal living is undermined by modernity and postmodernity, the African spirit of the extended family is not dead. That is why those of us who are working in the global North value the practice of sending money back to our home countries--so that our family members who are HIV positive can have access to quality food and medication, so that the next generation can have access to education and dream of a better life, so that we have homes to be proud of. These things may sound ordinary, but on a continent where the majority of people live on less than a dollar a day, we do not depend on the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to uplift us. We help each other, with no strings attached. To me this is evidence that Reformation does not come from giants such as Luther, but from acts of kindness to each other at the level of family, community, and church--as we recognize God-given dignity in other people.

Conclusion

This article has attempted to show the impetus that has come out of the Reformation commemoration for the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. It has illuminated the theological milestones in attempting to heal the wounds of the past, and also in the attempts to move forward together through diaconal action. The UN Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals represent an important opportunity for action, with the objective that "no one is left behind." (17) The objective of ecumenical diakonia is "justice for all," prioritizing themes such as migration and refugees, economic justice, climate justice, gender justice, and health justice. In moving forward into our pilgrimage together, we can ponder these questions: What is the relevance of these themes in the context of Africa? What do we need to affirm in what we already have in order to strengthen an ecumenical dimension of the way forward for Reformation in Africa? What can we do as individuals to transform the lives of those who are less fortunate than ourselves, starting at the family level? And what can be done at the congregational level to promote practical actions that reflect justice for all?

Isabel Apawo Phiri

Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri is a deputy general secretary of the World Council of Churches, responsible for public witness and diakonia. She is an honorary professor in the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at the University of KivaZulu-Natal, South Africa. From 2003 to 2008 she was general coordinator of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians.

DOI: 10.1111/erev.l2335

(1) "An Invitation to the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace," Statement by the World Council of Churches' Central Committee, 8 July 2014, https://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-programrnes/an-invita--tionto-the-pilgrimage-of-justice-and-peace.

(2) Ibid.

(3) Martin Junge, "Sermon on the occasion of the commemoration of the 500 years of the Reformation and 50 years of the foundation of the Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Switzerland and in the Principality of Liechtenstein," LWE website, 10 September 2017, https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/2017/geneva_-_sermon_.pdf.

(4) Kenneth Mtata, "The Political Theology of Commemoration: Global South Perspectives on 500 Years of Reformation," Ecumenical Review 69: 2 (July 2017), 174.

(5) "An Invitation to the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace."

(6) Roland H. Bainton, The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, enlarged ed. (Boston: Beacon Press, 1985), 4.

(7) Olav Fykse Tveit, "Reformation and Mutual Accountability: A Common Agenda for the Reformation and the Ecumenical Movement Today?" Ecumenical Review 69: 2 (July 2017), 158.

(8) Ibid.

(9) "An Invitation to the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace."

(10) "Joint Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation," Ecumenical Review 691:1 (March 2017), 114.

(11) Ibid., 114.

(12) Ibid.

(13) Tveit, "Reformation and Mutual Accountability," 153.

(14) Moara Crivelente, "Recovery in Rawanda: Traditional Courts for Reconciliation,Transconflict website, 28 May 2012, http://www.transconflict.Com/2012/05/recovery-in-rwanda-traditional-courts-for-reconciliation-285.

(15)"Catholic and Reformed Churches mark ecumenical 'milestone,'" Vatican Radio website, 4July 2017, http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/07/04/catholic_and_reformed_churches_mark_ecumenical_milestone/1323039.

(16) "Vatican note on Reformed Churches' signing of Justification Declaration," Vatican Radio website, 4 July 2017, http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/07/04/vatican_note_on_reformed_churches_signing_of_justification/1322981.

(17) UN News Centre, '"No-One Left Behind' Is Ethical Imperative of New Development Agenda--UN Deputy Chief," UN News Centre, 13 January 216, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52992#.W13tuFPTU2w.