PRESS RELEASE
Haigazian University
Mira Yardemian, Public Relations Director
Mexique Street, Kantari, Beirut
P.O.Box. 11-1748
Riad El Solh 1107 2090
Tel: 01-353010/1/2
01-349230/1
The Leadership of the National Council of Churches, USA Visits Haigazian
University
Dr Michael Kinnamon lectures on "Prophetic Witness and People of Faith"
Beirut, August 1, 2008- On July 30, 2008, Dr Michael Kinnamon, General
Secretary of the National Council of Churches, USA, delivered a lecture
entitled "Prophetic Witness and People of Faith" in the Haigazian
University Auditorium.
The NCC delegation included its President Archbishop Dr. Vicken
Aykazian, the General Secretary, Dr. Kinnamon, and Executive, Middle
East anad Europe Common Global Ministries Board of the United Church of
Christ, Dr. Peter Makari.
The lecture, organized jointly by Haigazian University and the Arab
Group for Christian Muslim Dialogue, was attended by high ranking
clergy, diplomats, and interest groups.
The program opened with the welcoming words of Haigazian University
President, Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian, who briefed shortly about the NCC
and its activities carried out in the United States, since its founding
in 1950.
He said that the NCC "has been the leading force for ecumeniacal
cooperation among Christians in the United States, and it includes 45
million persons in more than 100 thousands local congregations in
communities across the nation."
Archbishop Vicken Aykazian presented the two main objectives NCC wants
to achieve in the world, namely, Peace and Justice. "The NCC is
committed to that by judging people as human beings, irrespective of
race, gender, and religion," Haykazian elaborated.
Dr. Kinnamon began his lecture by explaining the concept of Prophetic
Witness in the Christian tradition as being "the testimony to one’s
faith in word and in deed."
Kinnamon added that "witness can be called prophetic when it brings to
bear the Gospel on current social injustice, thus giving hope of a
different way of living in social community."
In this respect, Kinnamon talked about the role of the churches, which
he considered "is not simply to focus on spiritual things, and eternal
life only, but to be a credible sign and instrument of social
transformation towards the day God’s will is more fully done". Kinnamon
highlighted the concept of the Social Gospel Movement, which formed the
basics of the Industrial Revolution at the beginning of the 20th
century. "Salvation is not simply an individual quest to be saved out of
the world, but it’s a communal effort in response to God, to build a
better society on Earth," Kinnamon noted.
In his concluding remarks, Kinnamon presented a self-critique of the NCC
itself, and stated the major reasons in which it has failed to be more
prophetic. According to him, the prophetic witness of the mainline
churches in the USA (i.e. the Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican, Baptist,
United Churches of Christ), has diminished because of the churches’ loss
of members, financial resources, and public influence. In addition,
there was an evident gap between the leaders of the churches and local
church members, leading to a lack of support to leaders’ initiatives.
Kinnamon noted the issue of polarization in issues of social concern and
the inability to deal constructively with conflict.
Finally, Kinnamon stated his judgment on the biggest problem according
to him, and that is "the US mainline churches generally lack the
biblically grounded vision of social life, and without such a vision the
church will leave the status quo untouched," Kinnamon concluded.
At the end of the lecture, on behalf of the Arab Group for the
Christian-Muslim Dialogue, Judge Abbas Halaby shared with the audience
their document titled "Mutual Respect Among Religions", published by
the Group.
Tokens of appreciation from the NCC were given by Dr. Kinnamon to each
of Haigazian University and the Arab Group for Christian-Muslim
Dialogue.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress