Make safe the road from Jericho to Jerusalem!

Elmina Castle is the oldest European building south of Sahara.
A symbol of slave trade. What does it say to us today?

In the shadow of Elmina Castle, the stronghold used by European slave traders on the Cape Coast of Ghana …

A consultation of Christians, studying the Bible, praying, worshiping and listening to God and one another met in Ghana some time ago. They met to listen ...

... to the stories of individual Christians who have struggled to form their consciences and deepen their faith in churches that frequently deny the very humanity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.

I was touched by the statement that came out of this gathering. The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) was a key text that the group studied. 

The call to the Anglican Communion (but I take it as a call to the Universal Church) is to serve as ... 

... places of sanctuary for those who live under the threat of violence for working on behalf of the gospel. We understand this group to include LGBTI people, women and men living with HIV, ethnic, racial and religious minorities on both continents and those who are potential victims of gender violence. 

I was especially moved by the end of the statement (which can be found on the website of the Ujamaa Centre for Biblical and Theological Community Development and Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. 

And because we understand that the church must not only act as Good Samaritans to those who are robbed and beaten but also work at the systemic level to make safe the road from Jericho to Jerusalem that is walked by everyone who strives for just and fair societies and full inclusion in the Body of Christ, we pledge to work collaboratively in opposing the legacy of colonialism and its present day manifestations, to stand against all principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12, Romans 8:38-39), and to understand that these evils are rooted in ideologies of power and domination that have no place in the church or in our societies. 

How can we help each other to make safe the road from Jericho to Jerusalem?