Uganda Joint Christian Council is right
<b>Letter of the day </b><br><br>EDITOR—Recently, the leadership of the Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) warned against donating the proceeds of corruption to the church. If they did not suggest means of stopping corruption, at least their messag
Letter of the day
EDITOR—Recently, the leadership of the Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) warned against donating the proceeds of corruption to the church. If they did not suggest means of stopping corruption, at least their message was an indication that they are united in identifying corruption as a cancer eating at our social fabric.
Corruption lines the pockets of the few and in the process condemns the many to a life of destitution and death.
A clear example is that of the Global Fund monies meant for treatment of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. Corruption also produces a two-nations society, one bathing in wealth and consumption and the other pauperised like the biblical Lazarus.
The Church or sections of it have had a fixation on lifestyle moral issues, the most controversial to date being same-sex relationship. In this they have been joined by some government spokesmen. But they should not look at Jesus' Gospel as a whole especially Jesus’ concern for community.
Jesus’ healing ministry was meant not merely to restore health to the sick, but to restore them to the status of participating members in society. For the sick and demon possessed suffered from social exclusion as were tax collectors and loose women.
He healed people before requiring that they repent of their sins first. Liberation Theology speaks of Jesus’ ‘preference for the poor’, meaning not that God loves people to be poor, but rather that God takes those on the margins of society seriously.
Another positive sign about the UJCC is that in my opinion the development holds the key to Christian unity.
The old world of Europe, home to the old centres of Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christianity was rather too locked up in their divisions and they seek to impose them on developing countries.
They must learn from Africa that our perception of our social and cultural realities means that we are less likely to stress the old denominational divisions and concentrate on what is good for our people.
Rev Amos Kasibante
United Kingdom
EDITOR—Recently, the leadership of the Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) warned against donating the proceeds of corruption to the church. If they did not suggest means of stopping corruption, at least their message was an indication that they are united in identifying corruption as a cancer eating at our social fabric.
Corruption lines the pockets of the few and in the process condemns the many to a life of destitution and death.
A clear example is that of the Global Fund monies meant for treatment of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. Corruption also produces a two-nations society, one bathing in wealth and consumption and the other pauperised like the biblical Lazarus.
The Church or sections of it have had a fixation on lifestyle moral issues, the most controversial to date being same-sex relationship. In this they have been joined by some government spokesmen. But they should not look at Jesus' Gospel as a whole especially Jesus’ concern for community.
Jesus’ healing ministry was meant not merely to restore health to the sick, but to restore them to the status of participating members in society. For the sick and demon possessed suffered from social exclusion as were tax collectors and loose women.
He healed people before requiring that they repent of their sins first. Liberation Theology speaks of Jesus’ ‘preference for the poor’, meaning not that God loves people to be poor, but rather that God takes those on the margins of society seriously.
Another positive sign about the UJCC is that in my opinion the development holds the key to Christian unity.
The old world of Europe, home to the old centres of Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christianity was rather too locked up in their divisions and they seek to impose them on developing countries.
They must learn from Africa that our perception of our social and cultural realities means that we are less likely to stress the old denominational divisions and concentrate on what is good for our people.
Rev Amos Kasibante
United Kingdom