The Council for World Mission (CWM) Assembly headed into its final day with five workshops concluding the series of 16.
Mission in a Digitalised World
Rev. Dr Young-cheol Cheon, CWM Mission Secretary for Communications expressed the view that as digital transformation accelerates, the physical world with the virtual (cyber) world are integrated. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a core technology in this digital transformation. Along with the benefits, AI brings several challenges, such as economic shifts, competition, labor market transitions, and implications for democracy and human rights.
These changes and paradigm shifts bring about new ethical norms. Without a corresponding shift in consciousness or appropriate ethical standards, societal problems will likely worsen. This workshop explored alternative ethical standards from a CWM perspective to address and overcome these challenges.
Tax Justice for an Economy of Life
Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock, Executive Secretary, Justice and Witness of the World Communion of Reformed Churches painted a grim outlook of a world post-economic liberalization and globalization from the 1970s as current governments are increasing privatization and reducing social spending on health and education in lieu of an economic system that is increasingly driven by profit.
The entire situation is made worse as countries introduce various schemes of tax reductions for wealthy individuals and corporations to retain foreign interests and investments. Most super-wealthy individuals and corporations pay little or no tax or a tax that is grossly disproportionate to income. Many dodge paying tax altogether by tax avoidance, tax evasion, and tax havens; this has caused a shortage of tax revenue and plunged public finances around the world into deficits.
The workshop thus closely examined the effect of such trends and asked the question of how an effective system of tax justice can be enacted to create a life-flourishing economy.
It also examined what churches, ecumenical organisations, and congregations can do to covenant for justice in the economy and the earth through tax justice advocacy. It particularly looked at re-reading Luke 19 and highlighting the ZacTAX campaign.
Building a Movement for Eco-Justice
Rev. Daimon Mkandawire, CWM Mission Secretary for Ecology and Economy, led a highly personal session as he related a story of how he lost a cousin after unknowingly swimming in polluted waters, underscoring the urgency of creating a global movement for eco-justice especially in the global church where many are still largely ignorant of the ill effects of climate change wrought by careless and exploitative use of the earth’s resources.
Mkandawire presented a stance that outs the environmental crisis as one that is not only a physical and economic issue but deeply rooted in moral and ethical dimensions, reflecting a profound disconnection from the principles of justice, stewardship, and care for creation.
Community De(en)velopment Towards Transformation
Rev. Dr Lesmore Gibson Ezekiel, Director of Programmes (DOP) at the All Africa Conference of Churches gave a sobering presentation of a modern world comfortable with a development culture that fosters and sustains all forms of violence, injustices, and blatant abuse of the dignity of creation, especially the brutality that characterise human relations.
Ezekiel opined that the world needs recalibration and reengineering, employing and entrenching a development culture that safeguards the dignity of all creation rooted in authentic justice against consumerism, racism, xenophobia, casteism, populist nationalism, patriarchy, tribalism, and misleading theologies amongst others.
The workshop aimed to stimulate fresh imagination on the nature and methods of community de(en)velopment that manifest real transformation, not deformation, anchored on the transformative notion of communitarianism that transcends boundaries created by greed and individualism.
Within the session, participants were also challenged to rethink their roles as agents of transformation in the wider society.
As a response, participants, together with the facilitator, collectively conceptualised initiatives that will contribute towards transforming lives for the better, and also came up with methodologies that challenge life-destroying systems and structures.
Creating Space? Frustrated Youth
The youth are the pillars of the church, and by extension the world, and yet the perspectives and energies of young people are often overlooked within the church, ecumenical space, and in mission.
The session put a spotlight on the specific frustrations that youth face in the mission field, such as feeling undervalued, not being adequately listened to, or lacking opportunities to influence decision-making processes.
This session encouraged participants to be the catalyst for meaningful dialogue and action, paving the way for a mission that is more reflective of and responsive to the needs and ideals of its younger members.
Additionally, participants also worked together to identify and address the key sources of frustration among youth in mission activities and explore innovative strategies to incorporate youth perspectives effectively into mission planning and execution.
