Representantives from Church of Norway, NGOs involved in mission, and academics have been gathered in Tromsø 18-19 January 2018 discussing the relationship between the indigenous peoples and church and mission.
A brief summary follows:
We, the participants of the discussion in Tromsø wish to acknowledge that:
- all of humankind is created in the image of God (Gen 1,26)
- traces of God can be found in all places and among all peoples shall and are called to participate in the praise of God (Rev 7,9-10;21,24.26)
- as Christians we are all one in Christ (Gal 3,28).
- our diversity as peoples is part of the diversity in God´s creation
- all of humankind are in need of Christ and the Church is constituted to bring Christ to all peoples
- while as followers of Jesus Christ we have a vocation to bring the gospel to all people, we have no right to impose our culture on other people, or consider one culture as superior to another
- Our christian faith both affirms and challenges different aspects of all cultures
We want to encourage our churches and organizations to
- recognize God in all cultures and creation
- focus on sharing the gospel in a holistic way through forgiveness of sins, struggle for justice, reconciliation and healing
- join the often impoverished indigenous peoples in the struggle for livelihood, their own perception of history, maintain their roots and identity, and self-determination of governance and planning their future
- peel off the layers of colonialization so that the gospel can be received and implemented in a way that is relevant in different cultures among the peoples
- focus on the struggles of indigenous youth with their identity as Christians, struggles that are caused by the churches’ role in assimilation and cultural oppression
- recognize, name and counteract the dynamics of the abuse of power and structures of inequality
- continue to work in coalition with indigenous peoples in ways that empower and liberate
- strengthen indigenous peoples ownership of Christian faith
- learn from genuine and life-affirming aspects of indigenous cultures, and let them enrich the various churches´ understanding of Bible and faith
- take steps to assure that Christian mission is a humble, accompanying and empowering presence among indigenous people
We encourage indigenous communities to
- take part in ecumenical and cross-cultural networks and dialogue
- share their experience and understanding of the christian faith with others
The discussion was hosted by
Sami Church Council, Church of Norway
Congregation in Mission, Church of Norway
Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations
Nord-Hålogaland Diocese, Church of Norway
