WCC and Global Issues

I. Introduction
The twentieth century witnessed a milieu of socio-political events that impacted the life
of every human in some or the other way. The events, which had a local beginning, grew into
magnanimous proportions in such a way that some were detrimental to the people and which
were unable to be contained in an easy approach. The WCC as a world consortium of churches
began to play a part in such global issues. This paper is an exploration into WCC’s role in global
issues.

II. Racism: Programme to Combat Racism

Racism can be defined as an attitude of prejudice, bias and intolerance between various
racial groups. According to Merger, “racism can be seen as a belief system on ideology,
structured around three basic ideas.
1) Humans are divided naturally into different physical types.
2) Such physical traits as they display are intrinsically related to their customs, personalities and
intelligence.
3) On the basis of their genetic inheritance, some groups are innately superior to others.”
Thus racism is the belief that humans are sub-divided into hereditary groups that are
innately different in their social behaviour and capacities, which therefore can be ranked as
superior or inferior.1

II. A. The causes for racism

1) Ideology (Slavery, colonialism)
2) Greed (Colonial power, colonized territories and subjected indigenous people)
3) Collective fear (as groups begin to fear for their physical safety).2
These three reasons are mostly inter-related and ideology can be the basis of fear and greed.

II. B. Manifestation of racism

1) Structural violence: It is based on racism that can have a more subtle form than state-
organized terror and
genocide.
2) Social stratification: It is a system of legitimated, structured social inequality in which groups
receive
disproportionate amounts of the society’s wealth, power and prestige and are socially ranked
accordingly.
3) The attitude of racism which can take many social forms (employment).3

WCC was thinking that the Bible does not use the concept of race. It is a burning issue in
Christian churches today. It violates the principles of human dignity, the commandment of love,
social justice and unity. Humankind is created in the image of God. Archbishop Desmond Tutu

1 ?
J. M. Vorster, “Racism, Xenophobia and Human Rights,” The Ecumenical Review 54/3 (July, 2002): 292.
2 ?
Ibid., 298.
3 ?
Ibid., 299.

1
says, “There could be no superior or inferior race. All human beings were of equal worth in
dignity, were born free and for that reason deserving of respect whatever their circumstances.”4
In the Vancouver Assembly in 1983, the WCC has placed the Dalit issue on the agenda
of its Programme to Combat Racism, and Bishop V. S. Azariah as consultant to the commission
has contributed significantly generating understanding for the challenge that the situation of
dalits in India poses to the witness of the churches for justice and human rights. In 1989, the
Commission of the PCR held its Commission meeting in Madras. The meeting was produced by
a number of extended team visits to different Asian countries. Among them, one team also
visited several dalit communities both in the north and in the south India. As a result, the
Commission voted to accept responsibility for the setting up of a Dalit Support Programme,
which initially planned for a five-year period. This is the origin of the Dalit Solidarity People’s
Programme which has helped to make the concerns of the dalit community widely known
throughout the fellowship of churches in the WCC.5
The PCR is a sub-unit of the WCC’s Programme Unit II, on Justice and Service. It came
into existence in 1969 following the Uppsala Assembly in 1968. The Amsterdam WCC
Assembly 1948 viewed racism as denial of justice and human dignity and called upon churches
to fight against it. In Uppsala Assembly, at least three main factors had prompted this meeting to
give racism an urgent focus.
1) The World Conference on Church and Society, which was held in Geneva in 1966, had taken
up the issue
of racism and made strong recommendations to the WCC.
2) The rise of Christian thinkers like Martin Luther King Jr., Eduardo and the unexpected
assassination of
Martin Luther King Jr. some weeks before he was to deliver a speech at the Uppsala Assembly
in 1968
stimulated ecumenical debate and action against racism.
3) The U. N. discussion and resolution against racism and racial prejudice had also influenced
WCC to think
and fight against it.6
The PCR has devoted much to the situation in South Africa. The WCC’s and the PCR’s
vision and action have in due course proved successful when some of the liberation movements
became legitimate governments. The PCR’s priority has been on the side of the oppressed and
marginalized groups in the society.

III. Women’s concerns

By the beginning of the 20th century, movements such as the Young Women Christian
Association (YWCA), the auxiliary for the support of women missionaries and sisterhood
movements were pioneering ecumenical relationship across denominations. In WMC 1910,
though the representation of women was on a minor scale, the issue of women’s work came on
the agenda. A study on “The Place of Women in Church and Mission Field” was published in
1923, asking for the recognition of women’s role in both the fields. When WCC was in the
4 ?
Konard Raiser, “Liberation of the Oppressed: A Christian Perspective,” NCCR Review CXXIII/3 (April,
2003): 186.
5 ?
Konard Raiser, “Liberation of the Oppressed: A Christian Perspective,” NCCR Review CXXIII/3 (April,
2003): 187.
6 ?
O. L. Snaitang, A History of Ecumenical Movement: An Introduction (Bangalore: BTESSC/SATHRI, 2004),
217.

2
process of formation around 1948, the research done by the YWCA led the attention of WCC
towards the worldwide ministry of women. This was one of the subjects at the first Assembly of
WCC, in Amsterdam in 1948. This paper was presented by Kathleen Bliss and it was titled ‘The
Service and Status of Women in the Churches.’7
Just before the Amsterdam Assembly, several preparatory study conferences by the
delegates were held. Women’s preparatory conference met at Baarn near Amsterdam. A
preliminary survey of the material supplied by the women from 58 countries had been made for
the use of the first Assembly in the form of an Interim Report. This conference met to consider
fresh ways in which women might serve the Church and further the ecumenical movement.8
In the second half of the century the concern about women’s participation in the whole
life of the Church, including holy order has become a focus of ecumenical controversy. On the
other side, there has been the growing awareness of the distinctive gifts of women.9
In 1952, under the leadership of Sarah Chakko and Kathleen Bliss, the Commission
prepared a small booklet discussing the relationship between men and women in the light of
biblical teaching. There was a meeting of the Commission in Bossey in September 1953. Various
reports from different representatives from various cultures on existing conditions within their
own churches and societies were presented. One recommendation was to change the name of the
Commission and it was renamed as ‘Department on the Cooperation of Men and Women in
Church and Society.’10

III. A. Subject of ‘women’ in WCC

The disasters of World War II affected the main course of the ecumenical movement.
During the time, many churches remained in the spiritual fellowship and contact through the
Geneva office of Dr. W. A. Visser’t Hooft. As he worked in the World Student Christian
Federation with women, he proposed collection of material on the contribution made by women
in the churches during the war. It had got a larger response and it was noticed that so much effort
made by the women are gone unnoticed. So a questionnaire was worked out and sent out to about
fifty countries. The response went beyond expectations, and some churches asked that the
subject of women in the church be put on the agenda for the WCC Amsterdam.11
From 1954 Evanston Assembly onwards various papers relating to women’s issues have
been considered in WCC. In 1975 Nairobi Assembly for the first time a whole plenary session
was given to the concerns of women, which led to the formation of ‘The Community of Men and
Women in the Church.’12 It was only in 1981 that WCC Central Committee decided that the
participation of women should be equal to that of men in ecumenical bodies. Efforts were taken
to ensure basic equality. One of the spheres was theological language. 13 Pope John Paul II
supported this and spoke about the discrimination of women and the attitude of Jesus towards
women in one of his speeches. He also told about the equal dignity and responsibility of women

7 ?
J. Van der Bent, Vital Ecumenical Concerns (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1986), 192-214.
8 ?
M. Kurien, Sarah Chakko – A Voice of Women in Ecumenical Movement (Thiruvalla: CSS, 1998), 88-89.
9 ?
Nicholas Lossky, Jose Meguez, et al., eds., A Dictionary of Ecumenical Movement (Geneva: WCC
Publications, 1991), 1070.
10 ?
M. Kurien, Sarah Chakko…, 106.
11 ?
Ibid., 84-86.
12 ?
Nicholas Lossky, Jose Meguez, et al., eds., A Dictionary…, 1070.
13 ?
J. Van der Bent, Vital Ecumenical Concerns…, 192-214.

3
with men. By this time the question of women’s equal opportunity and participation had become
the matter of debate.14
Women’s issues were also raised in Evangelical Association of Third World Theologians.
The Geneva meeting in 1983 set motion plans for several national and continental consultations,
which laid a foundation for International Assembly of Women a week before second Geneva
Assembly in Oaxdiapeo in 1986.15
In the midst of struggles against women’s discrimination in church and society and
churches’ unpreparedness to agree upon changes in the cultural setup, the WCC Central
Committee that met in January 1987 took a drastic decision in support of and in solidarity with
women that there should be a decade for women, during which churches would demonstrate their
approval and togetherness in positive thinking and action.16

III. B. Ecumenical Decade of the Churches in Solidarity with Women

It was approved by the WCC Central Committee at its meeting in January 1987 for action
in solidarity with women. It was the result of several important events and decisions in the
history of the WCC.
1948: At first WCC Assembly Amsterdam, a report on the role and status of women in the
church by Sarah Chakko was published.
1949: The Commission on the Life and Work of Women in the Church.
1954: Department of Cooperation of Women and Men in the Church.
1974: A World Consultation on “Sexism as recognized as an oppression and just place of women
in Church.
1975: WCC fifth Assembly coincided with the UN International Women’s Year. There was a
session on
women’s issues.
1978: As a result of the WCC recommendations, the study process on the community of women
and men in
the Church was started.
1981: International Conference in Sheffield, England highlighted on the “Web of Oppression” in
which
women are trapped.
Following this the WCC Central Committee affirmed that equal participation of men and
women should be a goal, starting with the composition of the WCC decision-making and
consultation bodies, during and after the Vancouver Assembly.
1983: Vancouver recommended that the concerns and perspectives of women should become
integral to the
work of all WCC units and subunits.
1985: WCC urged member churches to eliminate the teachings and practices that discriminate
women.
1986: A questionnaire was sent by the subunit on women to all member churches to assess the
status of
women in the Church.

14 ?
Nicholas Lossky, Jose Meguez, et al., eds., A Dictionary…, 1070.
15 ?
Anna Karim Hammer, “The Decade – Its Links to JPIC,” The Ecumenical Review 4/2 (April, 1994): 178-179.
16 ?
O. L. Snaitang, A History of Ecumenical…, 205-207.

4
1987: Responding to the findings of this questionnaire, the Central Committee in January
approved plans to
launch the Ecumenical Decade, which was launched in 1988.
Its objectives are:
1) Empowering women to challenge oppressive structures in the global community, their
churches and
communities.
2) Affirming the contribution of women.
3) Giving visibility to women’s perspectives and actions in the work and struggle for JPIC in
creation.
4) Enabling the churches to free them from teachings and practices that discriminate women.
5) Encouraging the churches to take actions in solidarity with women.17
In the WCC’s 7th Assembly at Canberra in 1991, where the theme was “Come Holy
Spirit, Renew the Whole Creation”, the section “Spirit of truth – Set us free” said regarding the
issue of “Justice for women” that “the church has a responsibility to ensure that adequate health
care is available to all women.” New reproductive technologies and other family planning
programmes that affect women and their rights raise serious ethical issues that the churches must
help to resolve.18

IV. JPSS (Just, Participatory and Sustainable Society)

The JPIC took concrete shape in the Vancouver WCC Assembly in 1983. The JPSS,
which was initiated from Nairobi Assembly in 1975, was a precursor to the JPIC. The issue of
justice became more important because discrimination against women, human rights violation
and various forms of oppression that have become deeply entrenched in political, social, and
economic structures posed a serious threat to world peace.19
JPIC: The JPSS programme paved the way for the Vancouver WCC Assembly’s momentous
decision for launching JPIC programme. Niles stated, “While JPIC is a fundamental expression
of the Church, it should not be understood as purely Christian concern.” The Vancouver
Assembly made its definition on Christian involvement in world affairs clear by giving due
emphasis on confessing the faith rather than on a translation of the kingdom’s values into
achievable social goals or a concern of Christian ethics.20
In setting forth its position, the JPIC seeks to provide a theological affirmation on the
three interconnected concerns – Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, to identify the powers of
death and their relation to the said three concerns, and to fight against these demonic powers
together with churches in unity. The WCC programme unit has a vision in which ecumenical
body of churches should work together in solidarity and should implement a common struggle in
their areas for effectiveness and positive results. The word ‘covenant’ for JPIC, which was
placed in parenthesis in its formula was gradually explained to mean a renewal of a broken
covenant with God, to rebuild an inclusive covenant community that doesn’t shut its doors to the
real world, which resists oppressive and destructive forces and seeks to affirm life in all its
fullness for all humanity.21

17 ?
Nicholas Lossky, Jose Meguez, et al., eds., A Dictionary…, 339.
18 ?
Birgitta Larssen, “A Quest for Clarity,” The Ecumenical Review 50/1 (January, 1998): 30-40.
19 ?
Roger E. Hedlund, Roots of the Great Debate in Mission (Bangalore: TBT, 1993), 341-343.
20 ?
Ibid., 344-350.
21 ?
Ibid., 350-435.

5
 The ecumenical concern to overcome violence developed after 1960s. The conciliar
process for JPIC developed in connection with the question of justice in greater depth. At the
WCC meeting at Harare in 1998, it was clear that these issues have not yet been answered.
Delegates again asked the question of overcoming violence. One of the things that encouraged
the delegates in Harare to renew this commitment was the Peace to the City campaign started in
the mid 1990s.22 Seven cities in different parts of the world were chosen as examples of places
where successful attempts to overcome violence had been launched (Belfast, N. Ireland; Boston,
USA; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Durban, S. Africa; Kingston, Jamaica; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Suva,
Fiji). Regarding good governance, the ecumenical team recommends the policies of government
should address the root cause of impoverishment and environmental destruction, fair and
sustainable distribution of social and public goods, legislation built on the existing human rights,
etc.23
The UN World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) took place from 26 th Aug.
– 4 Sep. 2002 in Johannesburg. The title was ‘Justice: The heart of sustainability.’ It is
th

recognized for its inclusiveness, diversity and strong focus on the ethical dimension of the issues
at stake from a faith-based perspective.24 Sustainability has further marginalized the poor
sections of the society undermining their basic access to land, water, food, employment, and
healthy environment. The summit came out with many results. Clarity was given as to how
sustainable economic practices and policies undermine livelihoods, especially poor and
marginalized people. There was a critique of the underlying economic paradigm, and the
destruction of the environment, based first on the churches’ experience in light of their
involvement in development work, and second on spiritual values for just and sustainable
communities. Alternatives were discussed related to communities struggling for life.25 Social
justice and sustainability includes: 1) Respect for diversity, 2) Equity, 3) Full and meaningful
participation, 4) Mutual accountability, 5) Solidarity, 6) Sufficiency. All these will contribute to
a just and moral economy.26

V. Other Concerns
a) WCC and human sexuality: The 3rd Assembly at New Delhi in 1961 put forward many
requests coming to the WCC for help in clarifying contemporary problems in the general area of
human sexuality by means of an authoritative declaration. While acknowledging these requests,
the Assembly refrained from making a generalized statement, arguing that contemporary
Christian ethical teaching in these areas needs to be drawn from the interaction between
individual local situations, which differ widely in their cultural and religious settings, and the
biblical and theological tradition. This was repeated in the succeeding assemblies. Within the
past years, there has been growing concern about homosexuality, which was discussed at the 8 th
WCC Assembly at Harare in Dec. 1998. The general secretary invited 7 members of WCC
governing bodies, representatives of member churches from a range of national, cultural and
confessional situations, including persons active in gay and lesbian groups within their churches,
and some WCC staff, especially those with direct responsibilities for assembly preparation, to

22 ?
Fernando Enns, “Brewing the Cycle of Violence,” The Ecumenical Review 53/1 (January, 2001): 180-185.
23 ?
Martin Rohra, “Justice: The Heart of Sustainability,” The Ecumenical Review 54/3 (January - April, 2002):
271.
24 ?
Ibid., 271-272.
25 ?
Ibid., 273.
26 ?
Ibid., 274-277.

6
take part in a small informal private consultation after the WCC Central Committee meeting in
Sep. 1997.

b) AGAPE (Alternative Globalization Addressing People and Earth): This was an action
plan after a 7-year global study process of the churches’ responses to economic globalization,
which came out at Porto Alegre, Brazil. This called for poverty eradication and sustainability;
justice in international trade relations through critical analyses on free trade and trade
negotiations, and to collaborate closely with social movements in making those agreements just,
equitable and democratic; finance - campaign for responsible lending, unconditional debt
cancellation and for the control and regulation of global financial markets; sustainable use of
land and natural resources; joining the global struggle against the imposed privatization of
public goods and services, and to actively defend the rights of countries and peoples to define
and manage their own commons; working for land reforms, opposing the production of
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as well as trade liberalization; decent jobs,
emancipated work and people’s livelihoods; Church and power of empire - take a firm faith
stance against hegemonic powers because all power is accountable to God.27

c) Ecumenical movement and biotechnology: In 1970, the WCC convened scientists from all
over the world to discuss the rapid development of science and ethical implications of it. At the
conference on “Technology, Faith and the Future of Man” in Geneva in 1970, the topic of
biotechnology was discussed. The WCC initiated a five-year study process which resulted in a
document “Genetics and the Quality of Life.” The topic was taken up at the large ecumenical
conference at the MIT in Cambridge, USA, in 1979, which devoted one section to the ethical
questions related to the biological manipulation of human life. In 1981, the WCC’s Sub-unit on
Church and Society established a working group which published a report in 1982 under the title
“Manipulating Life – Ethical issues in Genetic Engineering.” This document was finally adopted
by WCC in 1989. This is the official statement of WCC on questions of biotechnology. It marks
a fine line between a fundamental critique of genetic manipulation of human life and
instrumentalisation of early human life on the one hand, and on the other the hope for new
possibilities of healing currently incurable diseases. The WCC calls for a ban on using genetic
diagnosis for selecting gender and warns against using genetics as a basis for discrimination at
the work places and in insurance industry. It bans germ line therapy (manipulating genes which
influence the genetic basis of future generations).28
The WCC advises governments to ban research with human embryos in normal
situations. The international ecumenical working group on bio-ethics, established in 2001 needs
the support of WCC to achieve its ends. Two burning issues not treated in the 1989 document
are: the use of embryonic stem cells for research and cloning of human embryos.

VI. Conclusion
The WCC has been instrumental to a certain extent in conscientising the Church with
issues that are crucially touching the life of humanity. The results were seen in issues like racism,
oppression of women and their role in churches, etc., where steps for betterment were adopted.
27
http://www.wcc-assembly.info/en/theme-issues/assembly-documents/3-preparatory-and-background
?

documents/alternative-globalization-addressing-people-and-earth-agape.html (20 Jan 2008).

28 ?
Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, “Sacred Body? Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning,” The Ecumenical Review
54/3 (July, 2002): 242.

7
But how far are they successful? The implementation of various decisions taken need to be
evaluated. How much the WCC has a say in world issues is another thing to ponder.
Nevertheless, all the churches should come forward and cooperate with the WCC in alleviating
the problems and addressing the issues as they escalate day by day.

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April, 2002):
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