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Sr
Donna Geernaert, SC Introduction May they all be one . . . that the world may believe that you sent me" (Jn 17:21). These words from Jesus’ prayer at the last supper define the goal of the ecumenical effort among Christians around the world. Insofar as unity among Jesus’ followers witnesses to the credibility of the Gospel, mission and ecumenism are necessarily linked. Thus, it is not surprising that the 1910 Missionary Conference in Edinburgh is usually identified as the beginning of the 20th century ecumenical movement. In its assertion that the Church is a "kind of sacrament or sign" of the unity of the whole human race (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 1), moreover, the Second Vatican Council offers a doctrinal basis for the linking of mission and ecumenism. Yet, the practical implementation of this conciliar teaching continues to challenge reflection and action. As a means of exploring some of the ways in which ecumenism and mission might be linked, I would like to begin with a review of Catholic perspectives on ecumenism. The presentation will then take a case study approach with a focus on one of the Canadian inter-Church coalitions for social justice. In light of the specific lessons learned from this coalition experience, some more general reflections will be offered. Catholic Perspectives on Ecumenism Theological Basis In the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church was given a mandate for ecumenism which has been supplemented by authoritative post-conciliar texts including: the Codes of Canon Law for the Roman and Eastern Catholic Churches (1983 and 1990), the Directory for the Application of the Principles and Norms of Ecumenism (1993), two apostolic letters, of Pope John Paul II, on Preparation for the Jubilee of the Year 2000 (Tertio millennio adveniente, 1994) and Light from the East (Orientale lumen, 1995), and Pope John Paul II’s encyclical on Commitment to Ecumenism (Ut unum sint, 1995). These documents underline the responsibility of the "entire college of bishops and of the Apostolic See" to foster ecumenism "which the Church is bound by the will of Christ to promote" (Canon, 755.1). In brief, the Catholic Church’s commitment to ecumenism is irrevocable and this commitment has a firm theological foundation. Catholic principles of ecumenism are based on two premises: the will of Christ and the shared communion of all Christians through baptism. Since the Church founded by Christ is "one and unique", the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism declares that discord among Christians: "openly contradicts the will of Christ, provides a stumbling block to the world, and inflicts damage on the most holy cause of proclaiming the good news to every creature" (cf. Unitatis redintegratio, n. 1). While the Church of God is one, its unity has been ruptured by human folly and sinfulness. But even though divided, Christians are still in communion with one another. Baptized into the one body of Christ, divided Christians share a certain, though imperfect, communion. Commitment to Christian unity is for the sake of the world. "Ecumenical cooperation shows to the world that those who believe in Christ ... can set about overcoming human divisions, even about such sensitive matters as religious faith and practice" (Ecumenical Directory, n. 205). Conversely, divisions among Christians are a major obstacle to the preaching of the Gospel in the world today. For Pope John Paul II, this is a particular challenge in preparation for the year 2000. "Among the sins which require a greater commitment to repentance and conversion should certainly be counted those which have been detrimental to the unity willed by God for his People.... The approaching end of the second millennium demands of everyone an examination of conscience and the promotion of fitting ecumenical initiatives, so that we can celebrate the Great Jubilee, if not completely united, at least much closer to overcoming the divisions of the second millennium" (Tertio millennio adveniente, n. 34). The call to seek unity is an imperative for all Christians. According to the Second Vatican Council, "Concern for restoring unity involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike. It extends to everyone, according to the talent of each, whether it be exercised in daily Christian living or in theological and historical studies" (Unitatis redintegratio, n. 5). In fact, commitment to ecumenism is a "duty of the Christian conscience enlightened by faith and guided by love" (Ut unum sint, n. 8). Thus, "where ecumenical work is not being done, or is not being done effectively", the Ecumenical Directory states, "Catholics will seek to promote it" (n. 23). Prayer, Dialogue, Practical Cooperation In the documents of the Catholic Church the promotion of Christian unity has three interrelated elements: spiritual means, theological dialogue, practical cooperation and common witness. Each of the three elements builds on the others and aspects of all three are present in each. This suggests a way of testing the authenticity of any particular ecumenical endeavour. Christian unity is a gift of the Holy Spirit for which all must pray "with ever greater insistence" (Tertio millennio adveniente, n. 34). Ecumenism reaches into the depths of Christian spirituality. It requires that "change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians" that the Second Vatican Council calls "spiritual ecumenism" and identifies as "the soul of the whole ecumenical movement" (Unitatis redintegratio, n. 8). Even when prayer is not specifically offered for Christian unity, it actually becomes an expression and confirmation of unity. Ecumenical prayer is at the service of Christian mission and credibility. Thus, it is not surprising that the Ecumenical Directory and the apostolic letter on the relations with the Orthodox churches highlight the special vocation of religious orders and congregations in fostering ecumenical thought and action. "Those who seek holiness will be able to recognize its fruits also outside the visible boundaries of their own Church" (Directory, n. 25). While prayer is the "soul" of ecumenical renewal and of the yearning for unity, it is also the basis and support for theological dialogue. Rooted in today’s personalist way of thinking, dialogue is an indispensable step toward the self-realization of human individuals and communities. More than just an exchange of ideas, dialogue is an exchange of gifts. There is a close relationship between dialogue and prayer in that deeper prayer makes dialogue more fruitful and prayer becomes the ever more mature fruit of dialogue. Dialogue may take place in a variety of formal and informal settings including conversations that occur in daily life, sessions for the common examination of Christian perspectives on issues of concern to particular professional groups, and study groups for specifically ecumenical subjects (Directory, n. 174). In Canada, there are formal bilateral dialogues between the Roman Catholic and the Anglican, Lutheran, and United Churches. In addition, the Canadian Council of Churches’ Commission on Faith and Witness provides an opportunity for multilateral dialogue. Other occasions for dialogue occur through the presence of ecumenical guests and partners at denominational meetings. For Christians, ecumenical cooperation is "a clear expression of the bond that unites all the baptized" (Directory, n. 211). It is "a true school of ecumenism, a dynamic road to unity" (Ut unum sint, n. 40). Echoing the famous question asked by the Third World Conference on Faith and Order (Lund, 1952) as to whether the churches "should not act together in all matters except those in which deep differences of conviction compel them to act separately", the Directory affirms that Christians "will want to do everything together that is allowed by their faith" (cf. n. 206). Among the many possible areas for cooperation, the Directory lists: "working for a more just society, for peace, for promotion of the rights and dignity of women, and for a more equitable distribution of resources ... joint services for the poor, the sick, the handicapped, the aged and all who suffer because of unjust ‘structures of sin’ ... the problem of migrants, refugees, and victims of natural catastrophes" (n. 215); collaboration "in such areas as education, public and private morality, social justice, matters connected with culture, learning and the arts" (n. 44, h); pastoral care in "schools, hospitals and prisons" (n. 64); joint efforts in the field of medicine and social communications media (nn. 216, 217). Cooperation in Missionary Activity Recognizing the divisions that exist among Christians as a major obstacle to the preaching of the Gospel, the Directory maintains that "efforts being made to overcome them do much to offset the scandal and to give credibility to Christians who proclaim that Christ is the one in whom all things and people are gathered together into unity". Thus, "the common witness given by all forms of ecumenical cooperation is already missionary" (n. 205). Further, ecumenical cooperation is particularly necessary in the mission to people in the modern world. Specifically, the ability of divided Christians to bear common witness "can be a powerful invitation to a renewed appreciation of Christian faith in a secularized society" (ibid., n. 208). In this context, a number of ecumenical coalitions for social justice have been active in Canada since the early 1970’s. Whether dealing with human rights, poverty, corporate responsibility or disarmament, the tendency among Canadian Christians over the past 30 years has been to seek ecumenical partners for collaborative research and effective advocacy. At present, various social and religious concerns are located in more than 50 different coalitions. These include: Aboriginal Rights Coalition, Canada-Asia Working Group, Church Council on Justice and Corrections, Ecumenical Coalition on Economic Justice, Interchurch Fund for International Development, Interchurch Coalition on Africa, Interchurch Committee on Human Rights in Latin America, Interchurch Committee on Refugees, Project Ploughshares, Task Force on Churches and Corporate Responsibility. Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United Churches participate in most of these coalitions. Other churches, such as the Mennonites, Religious Society of Friends and Salvation Army, participate according to specific interests. A number of the inter-Church coalitions express their concerns about social issues by responding to government policies and actions with various briefs or statements. Some of these are in the form of an open letter signed by church leaders as in 1987, on Canada’s defence policy. Others take the form of an annual report forwarded to a particular department such as External Affairs, on human rights in Latin America. Still others attempt to challenge legislation which is seen as unjust. Since 1989, for example, the Inter-Church Committee on Refugees has been seeking to amend legislation through court action. Over the past few months, initiatives by various inter-Church coalitions have enabled church leaders to issue a statement and appear before a House of Commons’ Standing Committee to discuss the moral urgency of a global drive to abolish nuclear weapons. Also, letters have been sent to the federal government opposing military action in Iraq and Kosovo; urging the government to address the grave and growing problem of domestic poverty, especially of child poverty; and supporting a settlement of Aboriginal land claims for the Lubicon people. In recent years, new issues have given rise to new partnerships as the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) have collaborated on a number of common concerns. In this context, a number of ad hoc committees have worked ecumenically to produce statements, briefs or court interventions on abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, pornography, and violence against women. Involvement with the EFC has encouraged contacts between the Roman Catholic Church and some of the smaller churches which usually are not participants in the inter-church coalitions. The social justice coalitions provide a means of practical cooperation in missionary activity not only as witnesses to the overcoming of Christian divisions but also as agents of the churches’ mission. Roger Hutchinson, a United Church minister and professor of church and society at Emmanuel College in Toronto, describes an emerging ecumenical model of mission based on the work of David Bosch.1 Three biblical understandings of mission are central to his approach: Luke’s emphasis on solidarity with the poor, Matthew’s stress on making disciples and keeping the commandments, Paul’s focus on membership in the covenant community. With these biblical models as a framework, Hutchinson maintains that coalition activities can be seen as integral parts of the mission of their sponsoring denominations. He states, "Insofar as the missionary paradigms of Luke and Matthew both stress doing justice in the world, they provide suggestive models for coalition activities in the present".2 Further, "His [Paul’s] emphasis on the experience of reconciling, sustaining love as the primary motivation for mission is consistent with the view of the coalitions and their sponsoring churches that the experience of injustice and brutality is a primary motivation for effective action against such evils".3 Thus, through their support for coalition activities, church members are agents of mission and not simply contributors to someone else’s good works. Hutchinson’s interpretation of the role of the inter-Church coalitions seems quite consistent with the theology of mission presented in Pope Paul VI’s Evangelii nuntiandi which affirms: "For the Church it is a question not only of preaching the Gospel in ever wider geographic areas or to ever greater numbers of people, but also of affecting and as it were upsetting, through the power of the Gospel, mankind’s criteria of judgment, determining values, points of interest, lines of thought, sources of inspiration and models of life, which are in contrast with the word of God and plan of salvation" (n. 19). This apostolic exhortation offers a comprehensive description of the mission of the church in which dedication to the liberation of men and women is a constitutive element (ibid., n. 30). Specifically, evangelizing means "bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new" (ibid., n. 18). Reflecting the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity (Ad gentes), mission is seen as a function of the essence of the church and a task shared by the whole church. In light of this integrative view of mission, any of the various ecumenical coalitions for social justice could provide a case study for reflection on relationships between mission and ecumenism. Within the framework of the one mission of the church, however, different situations give rise to different activities and a specific mission ad gentes can still be identified. For the purposes of this presentation, therefore, it seems most appropriate to discuss the formation and mandate of the Aboriginal Rights Coalition, a coalition which reflects the experience of Christian mission to the country’s indigenous population. The Aboriginal Rights Coalition Missionary Activity in Canada An educational resource booklet4 published by the Aboriginal Rights Coalition in 1995 lists a history of key contacts between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the country now called Canada. The text begins by noting that prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the country was inhabited by numerous Indigenous nations with different dialects of many languages, different cultures and spiritual traditions. In July 1534, Jacques Cartier’s contact with the Iroquois Confederacy at Gaspé included a presentation of Christian teaching. After a gap of more than 70 years, Jessé Fléché began missionary work among the Mi’kmaq in 1610. Early relationships between European settlers and the Aboriginal population were characterized by commercial arrangements, inter-marriage, and military alliances. This relationship was formalized in treaties between various European monarchs and Indigenous nations which recognized each other’s independence and sovereignty. The Two Row Wampum Treaty of 1613 between the Iroquois and the Dutch expresses this understanding. Specifically, the beads represent the two nations’ canoes travelling down the river in parallel; neither going ahead nor cutting the other off from its path. A period of colonization and treaty-making began with the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which declared: Aboriginal nations had rights to the lands they traditionally occupied; they "should not be molested or disturbed" on their lands without formal treaties being negotiated; only the Crown would have the authority to enter into such agreements on behalf of the settlers. In 1867, the British North America Act gave exclusive jurisdiction over "Indians and lands reserved for Indians" to the federal government of the newly formed Canada. From 1871 to 1921, a series of numbered treaties (#1 – #11) negotiated land surrender of First Nations from Western Ontario through Alberta and the Northwest Territories. In 1876, the first of several versions of the Indian Act was passed. In an attempt to regulate all aspects of life, these Acts required First Nations to receive permission from Indian Agents to travel or engage in trade and prevented First Nations from voting. From the mid-1800’s to the early 1970’s, Residential Schools established by the federal government were operated by four major Christian denominations. These schools contributed to the government agenda of assimilation, identified as official policy in the White Paper of 1969. Churches and Aboriginal peoples organized strongly against this Paper and defeated it. By the time the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples released its six-volume report in November 1996, there was a recognition that: "Assimilation policies have done great damage, leaving a legacy of brokenness affecting Aboriginal individuals, families and communities".5 In light of biblical assertions about Jesus Christ as the "one mediator between God and humankind", (1 Tm 2:4-5) as well as the only name in which salvation is given (Acts 4:12), it is not surprising that many Christians have felt that the Gospel mandate to "make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:18-20) compels them to engage in missionary activity. Yet, as John Webster Grant points out, this sense of compulsion to propagate the faith may remain latent until activated by some external stimulus. Specifically, he maintains that Christian attention was directed to the Indians of Canada by two movements of religious resurgence: 1) the late flowering of the Catholic Reformation in France which inspired the heroic missions of the 17th century, and 2) an impulse beginning with late 17th century German pietism, growing through a series of 18th century evangelical revivals in English-speaking countries, and finally including Roman Catholic reactions to the French revolution, which marked the 19th as the ‘great century’ of Christian missions.6 Associated with movements of renewal, missions tended to attract "adherents of ardent versions of Christianity that linked salvation closely with the holding of specific beliefs or the profession of particular forms of religious experience".7 While differing on many fundamental issues, ultramontane Roman Catholics and evangelical Protestants agreed in seeing little value in any but their own form of religion. Believing in the fundamental unity of the human race and the universality of God’s offer of salvation, missionaries necessarily held a high view of the spiritual potential of Aboriginal people.8 Yet, this theological conviction did not translate into a positive assessment of the actual spiritual state of those they encountered. Aboriginal practices which were seen as either irreligious or idolatrous were to be replaced by commitment to Christ. As they attempted to achieve their desired goal, however, Protestant and Roman Catholic missionaries were themselves engaged in a conflict that went much deeper than mere denominational competition, "for each party was convinced that the other was leading the Indians to perdition".9 In an atmosphere of hostility, often exacerbated by international situations such as anti-clericalism in France or Pius IX’s restoration of an English hierarchy, missionaries communicated their suspicions of Protestant heresy or Catholic superstition to Aboriginal converts.10 At the end of the 19th century, the great majority of Aboriginal people in Canada were at least nominally Christian. By the 1971 census, the total had risen still higher with a smaller proportion of Aboriginal people than those of British origin declaring adherence to "other" or "no" religion. Of those listed as Christian in 1971 Roman Catholics accounted for 174,000, or somewhat more than half. Anglicans were second with 69,000, a figure that included a large proportion of the Inuit. The United Church, inheriting Methodist and some Presbyterian work, had 32,000. There were 6,000 Pentecostals, representing a remarkable increase in recent years and one that has presumably continued. Baptists and Presbyterians each numbered 4,000.11 This impressive rate of growth involved not mere acceptance but active initiative on the part of Aboriginal people. Zealous converts became effective missionaries to their own people and there were many reports of various communities’ readiness to receive the Christian message. For the Aboriginal people, Grant argues: "Conversion to Christianity was essentially a phenomenon of the moon of wintertime, when ancestral spirits had ceased to perform their expected functions satisfactorily and angel choirs promised to fill a spiritual vacuum".12 Under relentless pressure from a technically superior and militarily more powerful society, traditional values of Aboriginal culture had broken down. Among the factors which contributed to the Indians’ situation of poverty and sense of helplessness, Grant notes: "depletion by fur traders, lumbermen, and settlers of the resources on which their economy had originally depended; the diseases and demoralizing influences that seemed to be inevitable concomitants of white contact".13 In this context, Christianity might well appear to be a movement for revitalization and a source of spiritual power. Thus, when Aboriginal people identify the churches with the government and trading companies as elements of a single oppressive presence, they do so with a particular sense of disappointment and betrayal. It was to the churches that they looked for a sense of belonging and "on them as on no others they pinned hopes of reintegration which have not been fulfilled".14 The Inter-Church Project on Northern Development By the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, churches were recognizing the need for radical change in the historical relationship with aboriginal peoples, many of whom were church members. Based on the kind of solidarity evident in Anglican and Roman Catholic responses to the federal government’s 1969 White Paper on Indian Policy, this new relationship would include political action on social, economic, environmental and cultural issues. The new church focus acquired added urgency as transnational and crown corporations joined with governments to develop energy resource megaprojects and aboriginal people were again left out of the decision-making process. The Inter-Church Project on Northern Development, or Project North, was launched by the Anglican, Roman Catholic and United Churches on 1 September 1975.15 The Lutheran Church in America – Canada Section, the Mennonite Central Committee, and the Presbyterian Church of Canada joined in 1976. The Council of Christian Reformed Churches in Canada, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and two religious communities, the Jesuits and the Oblates, became partners in subsequent years. A programme of research, communication and education was offered to assist the churches in: a) supporting the creative activities of northern native peoples in their struggles for justice and the settlement of their land claims; and b) challenging the peoples in southern Canada to become involved in creative action on ethical issues of northern development. Specific activities included: a statement of evidence before the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry (1976), a submission to the Royal Commission on the Northern Environment (1977), a submission to the Alaska Highway Pipeline Inquiry (1977), organizing of the Northern Native Rights Campaign (1979), a telex to the Minister of Indian Affairs concerning the government’s failure to appoint a negotiator for the Dene Nation claims as promised (1981), a telex to the Minister of fisheries asking for a moratorium on the Amax Mine Development and a full judicial examination of the operation (1981), sponsoring of a letter-writing campaign and a number of forums concerning the First Ministers’ Conference and constitutional rights of Aboriginal peoples (1983), statement on the Entrenchment of Aboriginal Self-Government in the Constitution (1985), a submission to the West Coast Offshore Exploration Environmental Assessment Panel (1985), publication of Moment of Decision – Aboriginal Self-Government and the Constitution (1985). The Aboriginal Rights Coalition From its earliest days, Project North had given priority to developing contacts with regional indigenous organizations and to supporting solidarity networks in the churches and regions of Canada. The strength of these regional solidarity networks was evident in an impressive record of making submissions to bodies such as the Berger Commission and participating in national action campaigns. Yet, there was a growing sense of dissatisfaction among the network groups which had no effective involvement in the coalition’s national decision-making structures. In March 1987, the sponsoring churches and church bodies agreed to suspended Project North’s operation for a year of review and restructuring. After an extensive evaluation/consultation process, the Aboriginal Rights Coalition (ARC) was launched in December 1988. Based on a decentralized model, ARC describes itself as "a coalition of Churches and Church bodies working in partnership and alliance with both Aboriginal (political) organizations and regional network groups".16 With an emphasis on consultation, participation and networking, ARC notes its evolution "from an inter-church group to a coalition of three partner groups who make decisions and carry out the work together: churches, network groups doing the work on the ground across the country, and Aboriginal partners".17 Through its programme of public education and action, ARC works to support Aboriginal peoples in: achieving just settlements of land rights issues; enhancing economic and political development; realizing the entrenchment of historic rights in the Canadian constitution; reversing the erosion of basic social rights of Aboriginal peoples and communities; seeking reconciliation between Aboriginal peoples and all levels of the Christian community and Canadian society; clarifying the moral and spiritual basis for action on Aboriginal justice concerns; opposing industrial and/or military projects that threaten specific Aboriginal communities and the environment. While ARC has an impressive history of action on behalf of Aboriginal justice issues and a clear commitment to achieving a more honourable relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples of Canada, the coalition continues to face serious challenges. Issues have become more complex and participants more sophisticated. Aboriginal organizations, often with the help of professional advisors, have assumed many of the roles once performed by the churches. Yet, concern for aboriginal justice is the oldest human rights issue in Canada and ARC must find ways of broadening its base of solidarity beyond a small core of activists. Two specific challenges have been identified: 1) to identify the structural links between aboriginal communities and other sectors of Canadian society; 2) to explore the theological and spiritual dimensions of commitment to aboriginal justice issues. Unless these challenges are met, it will be impossible to create a new covenant with the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. Reflections on Mission and Ecumenism At the request of the WCC’s Central Committee, the Council’s Commission on World Mission and Evangelism prepared an Ecumenical Affirmation which was published in 1982. The text identified a number of convictions under which "churches in their diverse confessions and traditions and in their various expressions as parishes, monastic communities, religious orders, etc.", covenant to work for the kingdom of God.18 Specifically, the Commission asserts: "The impulse for common witness comes from the depth of our faith. ‘Its urgency is underlined when we realize the seriousness of the human predicament and the tremendous task waiting for the churches at present’".19 Among the tremendous tasks which the churches must address is the challenge of inculturation. John Webster Grant’s assessment of missionary activity in Canada offers a succinct expression of this challenge: "If the measure of success is that most Indians have become Christian, the measure of failure is that Christianity has not become Indian".20 With its source and inspiration in the mystery of the incarnation, inculturation sees mission in the perspective of the concrete human and created reality "which the Word assumes in a particular individual, community, institution or culture". Inculturation occurs when Christians express their faith in the symbols and images of their respective culture and the variety of Amerindian responses to the preaching of the Gospel are increasingly well documented.21 Since "solidarity is the best teacher of common cultural values", however, the Ecumenical Affirmation asserts: "the best way to stimulate the process of inculturation is to participate in the struggle of the less privileged for their liberation".22 In this context, the Aboriginal Rights Coalition may play an important role in the inculturation of the Gospel. Here, it may be helpful to note the Coalition’s own recognition of its need to explore the theological and spiritual dimensions of commitment to aboriginal justice issues. Inculturation may be defined as "the new response of a given culture to the initial proclamation of the Gospel and to the subsequent process of evangelization".23 The very newness of a specific culture’s response to the Gospel will give rise to diversities which may seem to threaten the Church’s unity. Yet, ecumenical discussion has consistently affirmed that Christian unity is not to be understood as uniformity. In fact, the unity of the Church is to be realized in the midst of a rich diversity, a diversity that is a function of the Church’s catholicity. In the documents of the Second Vatican Council, it is clear that unity does not require the sacrifice of the diverse forms of spirituality, discipline, liturgical rites and theology that have developed among Christians as long as this diversity remains faithful to the apostolic tradition (cf. Unitatis redintegratio, nn. 4, 15-16, Directory, n. 20). Inculturation has had an impact on the theology of mission. Tracing the development of an understanding of mission from the documents of the Second Vatican Council to the present, Giancarlo Collet demonstrates the key role played by voices from the churches of Africa, Asia and Latin America in the Catholic Church’s emerging perception of itself as a "world church".24 When a concept of mission is derived from the real situations in which the churches find themselves, he contends, "it is possible to start from a mutual combination of items of equal importance". Based on a reading of the "signs of the times", an integral understanding of mission reflects "existing social conditions, cultural and religious traditions which can be made the point of reference for theological reflection on the mission of the church". Missionary activity which takes place in a multiplicity of different contexts will show a broad spectrum of expression. "No longer limited to the proclamation of the gospel, church implanting, the extension of the church, conversion, etc.," mission "embraces a shaping of the ‘world’ which is expressed with terms like ‘total liberation’ or ‘comprehensiveness’". In this context, ARC can be seen as functioning within the framework of a contextualized theology of mission. Further, it is important to note that this theology of mission is being lived and developed ecumenically. Among the convictions identified in the 1982 Ecumenical Affirmation, the section on "Good News to the Poor" seems particularly applicable to the work of the Aboriginal Rights Coalition. Through the poor of the earth, the text asserts, churches are learning afresh "to overcome the old dichotomies between evangelism and social action". In brief, "there is no evangelism without solidarity; there is no Christian solidarity that does not involve sharing the knowledge of the kingdom which is God’s promise to the poor of the earth".25 While ARC and the other coalitions are readily seen as assisting the churches in Canada to maintain their common commitment to social action, it is less easy to identify agencies which support these same churches in joint efforts at evangelization.26 Conclusion In 1982, the Joint Working Group between the Roman Catholic Church and the WCC issued its statement on Common Witness. Drawing on reports of actual experience in common witness, the text affirms: Witness moves from one unity to another – from that of the members of the Body of Christ in the one Spirit to the greater unity in which all things in heaven and earth will come together under the one Head who is Christ (Eph. 1:10). Essentially it is a work of reconciliation, of people with God, and with one another. To take part in Christian witness also deepens the unity that already exists among Christians. Witness tends always to extend the fellowship of the Spirit, creating new community. At the same time it is an essential help for Christians themselves. It promotes among them the conversion and renewal which they always need. It can strengthen their faith and open up new aspects of the truth of Christ. As such it is a fundamental part of the life of the community that is fully committed to Christ.27 This document was circulated to promote study and discussion. What steps need to be taken to integrate its vision into contemporary missionary activity? Notes 1
Roger Hutchinson, "Missiology," in Christopher Lind and Joe
Mihevic, eds., Coalitions for Justice (Ottawa: Novalis, 1994),
pp. 320-331. He refers to: David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission:
Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books,
1992).
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