Prophetic discourse in a time of AIDS

Abstract

"The context for prophetic discourse regarding HIV prevention encompasses not only societies but churches. Biblical prophets, after all, spoke more to the people to whom they belonged than to other peoples who might be oppressing them. There is no doubt that churches (as well as temples and mosques) have been in the forefront of responses to HIV and AIDS – in some countries providing more than forty per cent of the care of the sick and dying, and also making important strides in education, counselling, and multiple forms of support. More, of course, is needed. As context for prophetic discourse, however, perhaps the most important element undergirding any widespread response from religious traditions and institutions is the developing self-understanding of their own reality. For the Christian churches, in particular, this involves new insight into the meaning of Christianity as ‘world church’. Unfortunately, many Christians still understand ‘world church’ to mean that the Christian gospel has been taken to the far corners of the world. But ours is a time when the concept of ‘world church’ has a different content and provides a different call. Now more and more Christians recognize that the Christian gospel was never meant to be only or even primarily a Western European or North American gospel exported like the rest of Western culture to other parts of the world. At last we must all realize that God’s self-revelation can not only be received in every language and culture, but given, spoken out of every language and culture. We stifle its possibilities when any one culture claims nearly total control over its forms."(pg 60)