LAGOS, Nigeria — Baptists should engage in deeds of mercy and address justice issues and not merely verbally proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, two Baptist World Alliance staff members told Baptist leaders in Africa Nov. 15.
BWA general Secretary Neville Callam and Emmet Dunn, director of the BWA youth department, led discussions at the Bread of Life Conference, an international evangelism training program sponsored by the Baptist World Alliance. The meetings in Lagos, Nigeria, were specially geared to Baptist leaders and delegates from French-speaking countries in Africa.
Callam
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Dunn
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Callam, in referring to Jesus’ self-designation as the Bread of Life, said that while the preaching of the Word is important, Baptists should give heed to the “proclamation of the gospel in life through deeds of mercy” and “the kinds of things we do in our churches.”
Baptists, he said, should commit themselves to justice in society, seeking to create an “alternative society, establishing communities that make a difference where they live.”
Dunn implored Baptists to make a difference in the lives of their communities and countries. He noted that 95 percent of people of Rwanda regard themselves as Christians, yet the central African nation descended into genocidal chaos in 1994 when more than 800,000 people were killed in a matter of weeks.
Dunn also referred to his native country of Liberia, whose population is more than 85 percent Christian, yet the country underwent decades of civil war that cost thousands of lives, devastated families, and destroyed countless properties.
“Evangelism must be about the truth of the gospel and not just about planting churches and increasing the numbers of regular Sunday worshippers,” Dunn challenged the audience. “The truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ must have an impact on the lives of those who respond to the Great Commission. It must be reflected in the way we relate to our Muslim neighbors as well as how we respond to issues that affect us politically as well as socially.”
Africa, Dunn said, is experiencing rapid numerical growth. In 1900 there were nine million Christians on the continent. In 2000, that figure rose to 380 million, and is expected to reach 600 million by 2025. “With this kind of growth, it is easy to believe that all is going well with the church in Africa,” he said.
But Dunn indicated that “the lack of a Christ-like lifestyle in dealing with matters of politics, ethnic tension and social challenges” needs to be urgently addressed by African Christians.
In confronting these pressing issues, the BWA youth leader urged Baptists on the continent to pay keen attention to the evangelism mandate of Mark 16:16, the discipleship mandate of Matthew 28:19-20, the missiological mandate of John 17:18 and the global mandate of Acts 1:8.
Christians and churches, he said, should commit themselves to evangelism, the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God; to discipleship, teaching, baptizing and nurturing new believers in the ways of the kingdom; to service, responding to people in need through love and compassion; and to justice, seeking to transform unjust structures in society. The church, Dunn declared, should remember that “the call to reach out and seek the lost, the least, the last and the left out, is not an option.”
The Bread of Life conference ended Nov. 16, just prior to the Nov. 16-20 assembly of the All Africa Baptist Fellowship, a network of more than 50 national Baptist unions and conventions.
Eron Henry (ehenry@bwanet.org) is associate director of communications for the Baptist World Alliance.