GLOBAL CHRISTIAN FORUM
ASIA CONSULTATION
“JESUS CHRIST IN ASIA – OUR JOURNEY WITH HIM”
Around sixty Christians from a broad range of traditions and organisations – including Anglican, Catholic, Evangelical, Mar Thoma, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Protestant, Salvation Army, the Christian Conference of Asia, Evangelical Fellowship of Asia, Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences and World Vision – came together in Hong Kong for the purpose of reflecting on our journey together with Jesus Christ in Asia.
This coming together was the initiative of the Global Christian Forum process. It provided space for us as Asian Christians from different traditions to meet with each other and to listen to each one’s “faith journey”, our particular struggles and challenges in different situations in Asia, with all its plurality. We experienced a fresh sense of unity under the lordship of Jesus Christ, and a shared passion for participating in his mission in the world.
Arising out of this sharing we developed a new awareness of one another’s existence and spirituality, and with it the importance of each other in being church in Asia. We affirm that we need to build bridges that would facilitate co-operation in order to have a united voice in confronting the various issues facing Asia. We acknowledge that this in no way means that we would lose our individual identity or distinctiveness. We acknowledge the need to respect and uphold this diversity, among those who confess that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ as perfect in his divinity and humanity. In this spirit, we need to establish trust, openness, honesty, love and humility as we work with one another.
We affirm the need for an emphasis on holiness of life and prayer for the fostering of unity amongst us, and a deepening and strengthening of our participation in God’s mission in his world. We commit ourselves to explore together models for working, studying and addressing issues which are of common concern, notably poverty, oppression and religious intolerance.
We further affirm the need to work together and continue this initiative at the regional, national and local level. We urge the Evangelical Fellowship of Asia, the Christian Conference of Asia and the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences to assist in forwarding this initiative.
4 May 2004, Hong Kong |
