| Home | Publications | | |||
Publications |
 |
||
|
REVEALING OUR BEST KEPT SECRET What does the Church have to contribute to political debates in the country? The way I ask that question tells you that I have already answered YES to another question: Should the Church get involved in politics? Of course it should! To be faithful to its mission, the Church must speak out on political matters in Zambia – human rights, poverty, elections, the economy, treatment of women, family issues, etc. As followers of Jesus, the prophet of the New Testament, the Church must be clear and courageous in promoting social justice. The Church won’t be partisan –endorsing a particular party, but it will be political – supporting good policies. But what does the Church have to say? Is there any particular message that is relevant to the political-economic-social-cultural-environmental situation in Zambia today? I can with confidence answer that question by pointing to the “Church’s Social Teaching” (CST). Because not many people know about it, it sometimes has been called “Our Church’s best kept secret!” It certainly should not be a secret here in Zambia! And so each future issue of THE CHALLENGE will present a column explaining some key points in the CST and how this applies in Zambia. Let’s begin by asking: what is this social teaching and where can we find it? The CST can be described as a body or collection of “social wisdom.” That means it is something that touches both our head (understanding) and our heart (motivation). It instructs us about the human person – every woman, man and child – living in society – in families, villages, tribes, work places, schools, etc. The CST guides us about the values, structures and practices that contribute to a full human life. By that I mean we can learn what principles (like equality) and organisations (like businesses) and activities (like fair elections) really make it possible for human beings to live life to the fullest, as God our Creator desires for all of us. This body of social wisdom is something founded on the World of God, the scriptural teaching of both the Old Testament and the New Testament. And it develops over time through the “reading of the signs of the times.” That means a faith-filled attention to the changing situations and emerging needs of people to find out what God is calling for in our efforts to live authentically as God's’ daughters and sons. You can see, therefore, that first and foremost the CST is found in the teachings of the Old Testament (e.g., the social challenges of the prophets) and the New Testament (e.g., the sermons and parables of Jesus). Who can read Isaiah’s message that God ignores the prayers of those who ignore the just demands of the poor (e.g., Isaiah 58), or listen to Jesus’ listing of the Beatitudes (e.g., Matthew 5), and not appreciate that there is a very strong social teaching in the Bible? A second major source of CST is the explanation found in the great theologians in early, medieval and contemporary times, including the insights of recent writers such as liberationists, feminists, ecologists, etc. Theologians like the imminent African saint of the early church, Augustine, who wrote about war and peace. Or Thomas Aquinas, a European in the Middle Ages who explained the foundations of human dignity. Or Jon Sobrino, a Latin American who today speaks for the liberation of the poor. Or Laurenti Magesa, a Tanzanian scholar who finds profound social lessons in African traditions. Statements found in church documents are a third source for the social teaching. These include statements that come from the Vatican (the letter of Pope John Paul II about the Jubilee Year, or the documents of the Second Vatican Council about the church’s role in the modern world). There are also regional declarations (texts from the African Synod on inculturation) and national letters (Zambian bishops on the Structural Adjustment Programme). Ecumenical documents from the World Council of churches or the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia are another important source. Finally we have a very rich source of the social teaching found in the witness for justice and peace offered by our sisters and brothers. This is found in the lives, examples and actions of individuals, families and communities who attempt to live out their Christian vocation in the midst of all the challenges of society. Indeed, the good witness of our parents can teach us much about social living today! So, this is what the Church’s social teaching is and where it is found. In subsequent columns we will look at more specifics, in our effort to reveal our “best kept secret”! Pete Henriot, S.J. 04 October 2002 Peter Henriot, S.J.,
is the Director of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, Lusaka |
|||
