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Kenya: Repentant Churches Pledge to Work for a Better Nation Print E-mail
Written by CISA   
Thursday, 28 August 2008
The church has failed to be an instrument of peace and unity in Kenya because its own moral credibility is questionable, church leaders have admitted.

Quite often "the church has been caught up in the destructive ethnic, social and economic divisions and conflicts in the nation," some 1,300 pastors said at the weekend.

This admission comes after more than one report on the post-election violence early this year implicated the church in promotion of tribalism and political intolerance.

In its latest report on the ethnic-based chaos in which over 1,200 people were killed, the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights described the partisanship of the church as "shocking and disillusioning" to Kenyans. Instead of the expected unity of voice, some churches and church leaders preached hatred against other communities in total disregard of biblical teaching.

Pastors, mostly from member churches of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), attending a conference that ended in Nakuru on Saturday agreed with that assessment. The conference focused on healing and reconciliation under the theme: " and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

The church leaders said: "We therefore own up [to] our sins of, among others, taking partisan positions on national issues, elevating our ethnic identities above our Christian identity, direct involvement in party politics and participation in post-election violence which are made more ominous by the deteriorating national values, sinful political strategies and failure to faithfully stand for biblical values and principles.

"We ask God to forgive us, and to renew and empower our witness to His grace."

The pastors pledged to participate in the ongoing national healing and reconciliation processes that include constitutional review, legal and institutional reforms, resolution of historical injustices, unemployment, economic and social disparities and accomplishment of the truth, justice and reconciliation process.

They will work for national unity by fighting against exclusiveness, inequality and inequity in the churches, families, work places and the nation. The pastors also undertook to develop a culture of mutual understanding, tolerance, shared responsibility and accountability among Kenyans.

The leaders observed that Kenya faces a crisis with regard to children and youth. They said they will dedicate more time, energy and other resources to empowering youth inside and outside churches through education, skills development, discipleship and mentorship.

NCCK will also address the issues of climate change, HIV/Aids and unjust international socio-economic and political systems. The churches will soon develop programmes and strategies to attain these objectives.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 August 2008 )