New federal law requires U.S. action New federal law requires U.S. action World Council of Churches has ‘shameful record on this subject’ By Parker T. Williamson The Presbyterian Layman Friday, January 22, 1999 Just before final adjournment, the 105th Congress enacted legislation that encourages the U.S. to apply diplomatic pressure to stop religious persecution in foreign nations. The International Religious Freedom Act was signed by President Clinton after his earlier opposition failed to prevent Congress from adopting the measure. Evangelicals led the effort for the law, which creates a nine-member, bipartisan commission to investigate and report annually on nations that commit or permit “a systematic, widespread and ongoing or consistent pattern of egregious violations’’ of religious freedom. Presidential accountability The law requires that the president be accountable to Congress and the American people. Four months after receiving the commission’s report, he must publicly suggest action that should be taken against persecuting nations. Additionally, the law creates an ambassador-at-large in the State Department to be the point person on religious freedom issues. The law does not single out Christians as the only persecuted group. But reports from around the globe indicate that Christians, and particularly evangelicals, are among the most severely persecuted because of their faith. Some of the harshest persecution occurs in nations such as China, where an “official” Christian group is recognized but evangelicals are systematically imprisoned and/or tortured. In some nations, Christians have been crucified.
Speaking to a gathering during the WCC’s 8th Assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe, Knippers said, “There are glaring omissions in the political and social agenda of the ecumenical movement, and one of the major omissions is its failure to stand up for the persecuted church.” High on Knippers’ prayer list are Christian people in Southern Sudan who suffer virulent forms of persecution at the hands of Islamic government officials. Inhabitants of entire villages are being systematically slaughtered. Children are killed in front of their parents. In areas of severe food shortages, Islamic government officials distribute food given by other countries only to persons who sever their ties with Christianity. Ignoring the evidence In spite of overwhelming evidence documenting these crimes, the WCC has distanced itself from any public stance on behalf of Christians in Southern Sudan. “Officials from the WCC go to Khartoum and have conversations with the government of Sudan and don’t address the situation of Christians there,” Knippers said. “The WCC has a shameful record on this subject.” Knippers’ words came into graphic focus when Mrs. Sarah Ajae Omot Obal, a member of the Presbyterian Church of the Sudan, appeared the following day at a hearing on “Peace, Justice, and the Integrity of Creation.” Speaking in a gentle voice, her words came in stark contrast to soap-box tirades delivered by proponents of “gender rights.” Describing the suffering of her people, she made no demands, and only one request. “Please pray for us.” Later that day, a special “crisis meeting” of delegates and visitors from Sudan called on the WCC Assembly not to be party to a conspiracy of silence surrounding the genocide in Southern Sudan. They issued a statement that sharply criticized the WCC. “We … are deeply disturbed by the lack of concern by the WCC on the issue of the Sudan conflict,” the statement said. On Dec. 5, Bishop Paride Taban, Roman Catholic bishop of Torit, Sudan, made a special appeal to the WCC. Shortly thereafter, bombs were detonated in Narus, where the bishop’s headquarters are located, killing six Nuer people and injuring 16 others. Unconfirmed reports say that the bombing attack was in retaliation for the bishop’s appeal to the WCC. Persecuted Christians in other areas of the world have also found the WCC silent in response to their plight. An open letter to the WCC from unregistered churches in China has received scant attention from WCC officials. Instead, WCC leaders invited representatives of the government-recognized China Christian Council to the Harare assembly where they were given a platform to present their perspective. Pressure against embargo Similarly, the WCC has honored the Korean Christian Federation, an organization recognized by the communist dictatorship of North Korea while ignoring the cries of unregistered Christians who will not compromise their faith. The WCC has also pressured the U.S. to lift its embargo against Cuba, but it has failed publicly to recognize the plight of Christians whom the Castro regime has persecuted. Knippers’ warning that the WCC not repeat past mistakes refers to the fact that, following the fall of the Soviet Union, KGB records were discovered, documenting years of collaboration between WCC leaders and government officials who systematically persecuted Christians in Russia and Eastern Europe during the Cold War. Following an expose by Readers’ Digest and CBS television’s Sixty Minutes, WCC officials admitted that their support for persecuted Christians in Soviet-dominated Europe had been minimal. In contrast to the WCC’s silence, Jewish communities have stepped forward on behalf of persecuted Christians. Remembering those Christians who endangered, and, in many cases, sacrificed their lives to shelter, feed and rescue Jews during the holocaust, Jewish organizations are joining Christian groups who are crying out on behalf of the persecuted church. Knippers says she traveled to Harare, believing that it is not too late for the WCC to take up this concern. She reminds those who will hear her that since persecutions under the Caesars in ancient Rome, Christians have protected, defended and sustained brothers and sisters who were under attack. She is calling on the WCC not to abandon Christians who are suffering and dying for their faith. – Parker T. Williamson |
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| The Presbyterian Layman Jan/Feb 1999 | |||
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