30 April 2007 | 07-0331 |

Martin Revis
Edinburgh (ENI). A call for Christian mission work to promote "non-aggressive" evangelism, and for traditional denominations to find new ways of working with Pentecostal and charismatic movements has been made by the World Council of Churches general secretary, the Rev. Samuel Kobia.

"It is of particular urgency that mission be understood and practised in a way which does not lead to an increase of hatred and violence," Kobia said, speaking in Edinburgh on 27 April during a 12-day visit to Britain and Ireland. "That's one of the reasons we are involved with the Roman Catholic, Evangelical and Pentecostal churches in searching for a code of conduct on conversion."

Kobia said there needed to be "a better theory and practice of non-aggressive or non-violent form of evangelism or proclamation".

He made his remarks in a speech to a planning conference for the 2010 centennial celebration of the 1910 World Mission Conference in Edinburgh, widely considered as the symbolic starting point of the contemporary ecumenical movement seeking to unify global Christianity.

In a wide ranging review of the movement's failures and successes over the past century Kobia noted that while the number of Christians still stood at roughly one third of the global population, the Christian landscape had changed profoundly. He cited the growth of the neo-charismatic churches in the last 30 years and the way in which the strongholds of Christian spirituality had moved towards the South and East of the globe. Still he said, formal power centres seemed set to remain for a certain time in the North.

"Some of the most dynamic mission movements are to be found among Christian traditions not represented in any of the formal fora that exist," he noted. "We must imagine new forms of meetings and dialogues, to give visibility and credit to the spiritual revolution brought about by the Pentecostal and charismatic movements and churches." Kobia said this was the precondition for starting a fruitful theological dialogue on priorities in mission.

The Geneva-based WCC has 347 member churches, principally Anglican, Protestant and Orthodox. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member, but it cooperates with the WCC in a number of areas.

ENI featured articles are taken from the full ENI Daily News Service. Subscribe online to the Daily News Service and receive around 1000 full-text articles a year. Unless otherwise stated, ENI featured articles may be re-printed, re-posted, re-produced or placed on Web sites if ENI is noted as the source and there is a link to the ENI Web site www.eni.ch

© 1994 - 2010 Ecumenical News International.

Ecumenical News International, PO Box 2100
CH - 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: +41-22 791 6111     Fax: +41-22 788 7244   
Email: eni@eni.ch