Cape Town 2010: The Third Lausanne Congress On World Evangelization

[Jetavan]

"CAPE TOWN 2010: THE THIRD LAUSANNE CONGRESS ON WORLD EVANGELIZATION

To be held in Cape Town, South Africa, 16-25 October 2010
And at GlobaLink sites around the world

Cape Town 2010, held in collaboration with the World Evangelical Alliance, will bring together 4,000 leaders from more than 200 countries to confront the critical issues of our time – other world faiths, poverty, HIV/AIDS, persecution, among others - as they relate to the future of the Church and world evangelization."

One particularly interesting issue discussed at Cape Town 2010 is the Christian response to environmental change. John Houghton, Presbyterian and atmospheric physicist, wrote a paper for the congress on climate change, in which he concluded with this:

"Finally, let me refer to one of the best-known stories in the Old Testament that takes up 12 chapters of the book of Genesis. Around 4000 years ago, Pharaoh king of Egypt had a dream. Joseph with God’s help interpreted the dream in terms of a climate crisis. Seven years of plenty were to be followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh believed the message from God and placed Joseph in charge of management of the grain storage over the years of plenty for use in the subsequent years of famine. Joseph’s brothers came to buy corn. Joseph made himself known to them and said, ‘Do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you’ (Genesis 45:5). God used Pharaoh and Joseph as his agents in ameliorating the famine that came from the climate crisis.

Today, we face a climate crisis of enormous magnitude and proportions, not local but global, not of seven years duration but lasting indefinitely. Information about it has come not through dreams but through science – a God-given activity. The world scientific community have described as honestly and accurately as possible the likely impacts of changing climate and indicated the actions to be taken. As with Egypt in Joseph’s time, the next seven years are likely to be crucial. May I urge the world Christian community to rise to the challenge."

[Jetavan]

The Lausanne group is also interested in converting non-practicing Orthodox to 'evangelical' Christianity:

"Lausanne Occasional Paper 19

Christian Witness to Nominal Christians among the Orthodox

Report of the Consultation on World Evangelization  Mini-Consultation

on Reaching Nominal Christians Among Orthodox

held at Pattaya, Thailand from 16-27 June 1980

Sponsored by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization"


One of the "hindrances" to converting Orthodox to 'evangelical' Protestantism is:

"(ii) Pride, Ignorance, Prejudice and Fanaticism:

Most of the Orthodox people feel that they belong to the only True Church, because historically the Orthodox Church is the oldest one. The leaders of the Orthodox Church emphasise again and again to her adherents that they should be proud of their church and that everyone else is either heterodox or heretic. Thus the average Orthodox has been prejudiced against Christians of all other traditions. Fanaticism is supported by the ignorance of most Orthodox about their faith and the truth of the gospel. Being religious at the sacramental and ritual level, they develop a form of godliness which often denies the power of God to transform them."


Once converted to 'evangelical Protestantism', the 'Orthodox' person may choose to join an 'evangelical Protestant' church, or he or she may choose to stay in the Orthodox Church and work for 'reform' from within:

"(ii) To stay inside the Orthodox Church.

In some areas of the world, those who come to personal experience of salvation can remain in their own churches with the hope of bringing reformation and renewal to the church. The Orthodox believer can continue to have fellowship with his Evangelical brothers for growth and edification. The things he learns from the Evangelicals can be passed on to his own friends in the Orthodox church."


The head editor of this report is from Greece:

"The report was drafted by members of the "Mini-Consultation on Reaching Nominal Christians among Orthodox," under the chairmanship of Rev. Apostolos D. Bliates, who also served as International Coordinator of the pre-COWE study groups on Reaching Nominal Christians among Orthodox."


The Rev. Apostolos Bliates pastored, from 1988 to 2002 an 'evangelical' church in Athens:

"The 2nd Greek Evangelical Church of Athens was founded in 1924 by refugees that had been forced to abandon their homes in Asia Minor after the Greek-Turkish War. These refugees were members of three main Evangelical Churches that had existed in Smyrni, in Magnesia and in Flaviana (Zintzidere) of Kappadokia."

[Tags:]

OrthodoxChristianity.net > General Forums > Christian News (Moderator: serb1389) > Topic: Cape Town 2010: The Third Lausanne Congress On World Evangelization