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For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility http://www.nae.net/images/civic_responsibility2.pdf.
World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) - HISTORY: "Meeting at the Freemason's Hall, London in 1846, "Christians from ten countries, 800 representatives in all, met for the purpose of launching, in their own words, 'a new thing in church history, a definite organization for the expression of unity amongst Christian individuals belonging to different churches.' In 1951, believers from 21 countries officially formed the World Evangelical Fellowship [WEF]. Today, 150 years after the London gathering, [WEF/WEA] is a dynamic global structure for unity and action that embraces 160 million evangelicals in 111 countries. It is a unity based on the historic Christian faith expressed in the evangelical tradition. [Prayerfully consider whether or not that statement is true as you read the excerpts below] And it looks to the future with vision to accomplish God's purposes in discipling the nations for Jesus Christ." WEA Secretary General... offers challenges to evangelicals: "In his farewell letter to members of the World Evangelical Alliance, outgoing General Secretary Gary Edmonds stresses three things for Evangelical Christians to concentrate on based on three biblical tenets of the faith.... 'First, it is important that we embrace the truths affirming that the local church is God's sustaining instrument of transformation in society, that the gospel of Jesus Christ through an equipped people is to touch and transform the whole of life, and that the people of God are to minister in functional and practical unity...." But not all members of the WEA are "people of God." And the basis for unity can't be an ecumenical vision that discards "divisive" Scriptures. See Oneness and The Global Church
Evangelical leaders call for broader approach to public policy: "A leading evangelical association [NAE] has issued -- with the endorsement of such Christian leaders as Richard Land, James Dobson, Chuck Colson and Rick Warren -- a call for a broader approach to public policy issues than evangelicals have been known for in the past. "The National Association of Evangelicals recently held a discussion on Capitol Hill of a document that promises policy efforts related not only to such issues as abortion, marriage and religious liberty but poverty, human rights, peace and the environment... "Nearly 90 evangelical leaders signed on to the document, including Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission; Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship; and Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of The Purpose Driven Life. ... Other signers included... NAE President Ted Haggard; Jack Hayford, president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel; Walter Kaiser, president of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary... David Neff, editor of Christianity Today... Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action; and author and apologist Ravi Zacharias. ... "The statement, 'For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility,' addresses not only issues and goals but the method of influencing public policy. While it does not endorse specific legislation, the document calls for Christians to work for the transformation of 'both individuals and institutions.'"
The Document signed by Rick Warren & others: For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility Preamble: "...Evangelicals may not always agree about policy, but we realize that we have many callings and commitments in common: commitments to the protection and well-being of families and children, of the poor, the sick, the disabled, and the unborn, of the persecuted and oppressed, and of the rest of the created order. While these issues do not exhaust the concerns of good government, they provide the platform for evangelicals to engage in common action. ... "Our spiritual ancestors did not always agree on the specifics of governance and the best roads to social reform. Yet their passion and sacrifice inspire us to creative engagement, even when we cannot fully agree on policy prescriptions. Against this historical background and in view of these common commitments, we offer the following principled framework for evangelical public engagement." THE BASIS FOR CHRISTIAN CIVIC ENGAGEMENT "We engage in public life because God created our first parents in his image and gave them dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:27-28). The responsibilities that emerge from that mandate are many, and in a modern society those responsibilities rightly flow to many different institutions, including governments, families, churches, schools, businesses, and labor unions. Just governance is part of our calling in creation. "We also engage in public life because Jesus is Lord over every area of life. Through him all things were created (Col. 1:16-17), and by him all things will be brought to fullness (Rom. 8:19-21). To restrict our stewardship to the private sphere would be to deny an important part of his dominion and to functionally abandon it to the Evil One."
"To restrict our political concerns to matters that touch only on the private and the domestic spheres is to deny the all-encompassing Lordship of Jesus (Rev. 19:16). Following in the tradition of the Hebrew prophets, Jesus announced the arrival of God’s kingdom (God’s “reign” or “rule”) (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15). This kingdom would be marked by justice, peace, forgiveness, restoration, and healing for all. Jesus’ followers have come to understand the time between his first and second comings as a period of 'already, but not yet,' in which we experience many of the blessings of God’s reign and see initial signs of restoration, while we continue to suffer many of the results of the Fall. We know that we must wait for God to bring about the fullness of the kingdom at Christ’s return.My Kingdom is not of this world." That fact hasn't changed. The earth we live on is not currently being "restored" or "transformed." There is no spiritual evolution! At the "end of the age" -- before the earth is destroyed and replaced with a "new earth" -- evil will be more rampant than ever. (See 2 Thess. 2:9, Rev. 9:13-21, 17:3-18, 13:1-18, 21:1-2)] "But in this interim, the Lord calls the church to speak prophetically to society and work for the renewal and reform of its structures."
"The Lord also calls the church to practice the righteous deeds of the kingdom and point to the kingdom by the wholeness and integrity of the church’s common life. [Including Biblical separation from immoral culture] "This example will require us to demonstrate God’s love for all, by crossing racial, ethnic, economic, and national boundaries. It will also often involve following Jesus’ example by suffering and living sacrificially for others. [True!] ... THE METHOD OF CHRISTIAN CIVIC ENGAGEMENT "...As Christians committed to the full authority of Scripture, our normative vision must flow from the Bible and from the moral order that God has embedded in his creation. ... Nevertheless, many contemporary political decisions—whether about environmental science, HIV/AIDS, or international trade—deal with complex sociological or technological issues not discussed explicitly in the Bible. ... Only if we deepen our Christian vision and also study our contemporary world can we engage in politics faithfully and wisely. "From the Bible, experience, and social analysis, we learn that social problems arise and can be substantially corrected by both personal decisions and structural changes. On the one hand, personal sinful choices contribute significantly to destructive social problems (Prov. 6:9-11), and personal conversion through faith in Christ can transform broken persons into wholesome, productive citizens."
"On the other hand, unjust systems also help create social problems (Amos 5:10-15; Isa. 10:1-2) and wise structural change (for example legislation to strengthen marriage or increase economic opportunity for all) can improve society. Thus Christian civic engagement must seek to transform both individuals and institutions. ... [What is meant by transformation? Can an institution be converted or regenerated?]"We will differ with other Christians and with non-Christians over the best policies. Thus we must practice humility and cooperation to achieve modest and attainable goals for the good of society.
"We must take care to employ the language of civility and to avoid denigrating those with whom we disagree. Because political work requires persuasion and cooperation with those who do not share our Christian commitment, we must offer a reasoned and easy-to-grasp defense of our goals.
"...As we rightly engage in supporting legislation, candidates and political parties, we must be clear that biblical faith is vastly larger and richer than every limited, inevitably imperfect political agenda and that commitment to the Lordship of Christ and his one body far transcends all political commitments."
THE STRUCTURES OF PUBLIC LIFE "...God has ordered human society with various institutions and set in place forms of government to maintain public order, to restrain human evil, and to promote the common good. God has called all people to share responsibility for creating a healthy society. ... We must support and pray for all those who shoulder the burdens of government."
"...We support the democratic process in part because people continue to be sufficiently blessed by God’s common grace that they can seek not only their own betterment, but also the welfare of others. We also support democracy because we know that since the Fall, people often abuse power for selfish purposes....
"As Christians we confess that our primary allegiance is to Christ, his kingdom, and Christ’s worldwide body of believers, not to any nation. God has blessed America with bounty and with strength, but unless these blessings are used for the good of all, they will turn to our destruction..... "A good government preserves the God-ordained responsibilities of society’s other institutions, such as churches, other faith-centered organizations, schools, families, labor unions, and businesses." PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIAN POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT "Though the Bible does not call for economic equality, it condemns gross disparities in opportunity and outcome that cause suffering and perpetuate poverty, and it calls us to work toward equality of opportunity. ... "Economic justice includes both the mitigation of suffering and also the restoration of wholeness. Wholeness includes full participation in the life of the community.
"Health care, nutrition, and education are important ingredients in helping people transcend the stigma and agony of poverty and re-enter community.... "We urge Christians who work in the political realm to shape wise laws pertaining to the creation of wealth, wages, education, taxation, immigration, health care, and social welfare that will protect those trapped in poverty and empower the poor to improve their circumstances. "We further believe that care for the vulnerable should extend beyond our national borders. ... "In order to fulfill their God-given tasks, all people have a right to private property. ... "Governments should be constitutionally obligated to protect basic human rights.
"Documents like the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights are attempts to articulate the kind of treatment that every person deserves from the government under which they live. Insofar as a person has a human right, that person should be able to appeal to an executive, legislative, or judicial authority to enforce or adjudicate that right....
"We urge the United States to increase its commitments to developing democracy and civil society in former colonial lands, Muslim nations, and countries emerging from Communism. "Because the Creator gave human beings liberty, we believe that religious liberty, including the right to change one’s religion, is a foundational right that must be respected by governments (Article 18, Universal Declaration of Human Rights). ...
"Jesus and the prophets looked forward to the time when God’s reign would bring about just and peaceful societies in which people would enjoy the fruits of their labor without interference from foreign oppressors or unjust rulers. But from the beginning, Christians have recognized that God did not call them to bring in God’s kingdom by force. .... "The peaceful settling of disputes is a gift of common grace. We urge governments to pursue thoroughly nonviolent paths to peace before resorting to military force. ... "We urge followers of Jesus to engage in practical peacemaking locally, nationally, and internationally. As followers of Jesus, we should, in our civic capacity, work to reduce conflict by promoting international understanding and engaging in non-violent conflict resolution. ... "...We are not the owners of creation, but its stewards, summoned by God to “watch over and care for it” (Gen. 2:15). This implies the principle of sustainability: our uses of the Earth must be designed to conserve and renew the Earth rather than to deplete or destroy it. ... "The Bible teaches us that God is not only redeeming his people, but is also restoring the whole creation (Rom. 8:18-23)." -2) That "new earth" will be His work, not ours! It will be to His glory -- not ours!] United Nations:
Economic and Social Council - Applications for consultative status received from non-governmental organizations: "...on 23 July 1997, the [UN's] Economic and Social Council decided to grant the following non-governmental organizations consultative status: ...Foundation for International Training... Geneva International Peace Research Institute .... Unitarian Universalist Service Committee United for Intercultural Action... Women's Political Network of Pennsylvania (USA), World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF)."
World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF) agreed with the following statement:
Economic and Social Council - Consultative relationship between the United Nations and non-governmental organizations - 25 July 1996: "Approves the following update of the arrangements set out in its resolution 1296 (XLIV) of 23 May 1968: ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONSULTATION WITH NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS Part I PRINCIPLES TO BE APPLIED IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CONSULTATIVE RELATIONS ....
World Evangelical Alliance S I T E M A P: "About WEF/WEA" Apparently WEF and WEA are the same global organization. World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) - HISTORY: London 1846. Christians from ten countries, 800 representatives in all, met for the purpose of launching, in their own words, 'a new thing in church history, a definite organization for the expression of unity amongst Christian individuals belonging to different churches.' In 1951, believers from 21 countries officially formed the World Evangelical Fellowship [WEF]. Today, 150 years after the London gathering, WEF is a dynamic global structure for unity and action that embraces 160 million evangelicals in 111 countries. It is a unity based on the historic Christian faith expressed in the evangelical tradition. And it looks to the future with vision to accomplish God's purposes in discipling the nations for Jesus Christ."The Articles of the [original] Evangelical Alliance: Report of the Proceedings of the Conference, held at Freemasons' Hall, London, from August 19th to September 2d inclusive, 1846. Published by Order of the Conference. London (Partridge & Oakey, Paternoster Row), 1847. ..."It is a voluntary society for the manifestation and promotion of Christian union, and for the protection of religious liberty. Its object is not to bring about an organic union of Churches, nor a confederation of independent Churches, but to exhibit, and to strengthen union and co-operation among individual members of different Protestant denominations without interfering with their respective creeds and internal affairs.... "The Alliance extends to all nationalities and languages, but is confined, so far, to Christians who hold what is understood to be the Scriptural or evangelical system of faith.... "The part of the proceedings with which we are concerned here is the attempt made to set forth the doctrinal consensus of evangelical Christendom as a basis for the promotion of Christian union and religious liberty. ... "The American branch, at its organization in New York, Jan., 1867, adopted it with a qualifying preamble, subordinating it to the more general consensus of Christendom, and allowing considerable latitude in its construction."
Canada Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) USA National Association of Evangelicals (NAE)The National Association of Evangelical (NAE): "'Now with 30 million members, and with the responsibility of speaking for over 40 million evangelicals in America, the NAE finds itself in an increasingly influential role. ... The goal of the NAE is to represent, mobilize and network evangelicals in America. Moreover, as evangelicalism has increased in influence throughout the world, NAE’s responsibility to represent born-again Christians continues to grow....' Ted Haggard President."Benefits of Membership: "Fifty-two member denominations currently serve as the foundation for the NAE. Along with these denominations a variety of coalition partners, commissions, affiliates, churches, schools, Para-church ministries, and a host of individual members the NAE is making an impact on the future of America." NEA - Benefits of Membership: "The lobby arm of the NAE is a potent force in the arena of state, national and international politics. The force of 30 million Americans united under a common banner is an effective and powerful tool in shaping legislation. ... The lobby arm of the NAE is a potent force in the arena of state, national and international politics. The force of 30 million Americans united under a common banner is an effective and powerful tool in shaping legislation." May 2006: Ngo committee recommends four organizations for special consultative status with Economic and Social Council: "The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, in two meetings today, recommended four non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council [they included "Youth Empowerment Alliance, a national organization based in the United States, which wants to assist large organizations, such as United Nations agencies, in developing youth programmes that empower youth to become more informed about the world around them].... "A standing committee of the Council, the 19-member body uses various criteria to recommend general, special or roster status with the Economic and Social Council, including the applicant’s mandate, governance and financial regime. Organizations that have general and special consultative status can attend meetings of the Council and circulate statements of a certain length. Those with general status can, in addition, speak at meetings and propose items for the Council’s agenda, while NGOs with roster status can only attend meetings. Non-governmental organizations with general and special consultative status must submit a report to the Council every four years. .... "The Committee took note of the quadrennial reports for the period 2001-2004 the reports of: Christian Children’s Fund; Fundación Intervida; Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children; Islamic Relief; Covenant House; Foundation for International Training; International Association of Democratic Lawyers; International Centre for Ethnic Studies... Oxfam America; Tebtebba Foundation; and World Evangelical Alliance. .... "The Committee members are Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, France, Germany, India, Iran, Peru, Pakistan, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sudan, Turkey, United States, and Zimbabwe."
Thousands Worldwide Take Part in Micah Sunday to Fight Poverty: "Thousands of Christians from over 20 countries celebrated Micah Sunday on 15 October, participating in festivals, prayer services and exhibitions all aimed at raising awareness of the UN Millennium Development Goals and poverty. Micah Sunday is an annual effort by Micah Challenge, a global campaign of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and the Micah Network, to mobilise churches and Christians against poverty through unified gestures. This year Micah Sunday overlapped with ‘Stand Up’, which is an international anti-poverty event of 2006 where millions around the world are attempting to break a world record on the number of people standing up against poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals."
See also Freemasonry, occultism & global oneness and UNESCO's Declaration on the Role of Religion in the Promotion of a Culture of Peace |
