Justice

Accra Confession
The Accra Confession, a prophetic statement on economic and environmental justice, was adopted by the delegates of the 24th General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in Accra, Ghana (2004), a predecessor body of the WCRC. It is based on the theological conviction that the economic and ecological injustices of today’s global economy require the Reformed family to respond as a matter of faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Broken for You
This anti-human trafficking campaign alerts all to the self-giving, courage and dignity of women, men and children, all around us, whose bodies are daily broken in physical labour or sexual exploitation for the sake of their families.

Created in God’s Image: From Hegemony to Partnership
This is a church manual on men as partners for promoting positive masculinities. It is a dynamic resource on men, gender and masculinity from the stand point of the Christian faith. The concepts of masculinity and gender are explored with the aim of enabling men to become more conscious of gender as a social construct that affects their own lives as well as that of women. Masculinity is explored from lived experiences as well as from the perspective of social practices, behaviour and power constructions through which men become conscious of themselves as gendered subjects.

Created in God’s Image: From Hierarchy to Partnership
The overall goal of Created in God’s Image: From Hierarchy to Partnership is to support the development of church leaders and facilitators as they model patterns of ministry that foster partnership between women and men which can bring about transformation in the church and in society. It challenges unequal power relations which are legitimized in patriarchy and sustain a structure of unequal power relations not only between women and men but also within every unit in society. This manual can be a key instrument of empowerment for churches as they engage in critical reflection on gender relations and current models of leadership and their accompanying limitations. It also brings new challenges to the mission of the church and its relevance to the community. It is an invitation to churches to rediscover life and to share in the vision and hope for a new community which embraces life in fullness for all.

Focus: Palestine
A comprehensive resource that lifts up Christian Palestinian voices while placing the situation into theological, historical, and political contexts.

Gender Justice Policy
Gender justice includes just and right relationships, mutual respect and accountability, respect for creation and the rights of all people to live life in all its fullness. Gender justice addresses gender and economic injustice, gender-based violence, and a whole range of social issues that are rooted in unequal power relations. It is a fundamental building block for church and society. This Gender Justice Policy was created to transform who we are, what we do, and how we act. This policy has been prayerfully worked on with the full recognition that there are places and contexts within the Communion that this will be difficult. It is hoped that this policy will be the space from which conversations on the policy will be opened up.

The Just Stewardship of Land and Creation
Across the globe, human kind is violating its God-given mandate to care for Creation.
Driven by motives other than seeking the Kingdom of God, driven by systems people create to fuel desire and get ever more from the earth, human beings are degrading Creation. In this report, we speak out on the impact of unjust structural adjustments put upon the most vulnerable among peoples whose governments find themselves in debt bondage to their creditors. We also provide a basis for constructive contributions toward human rights and the care of Creation in our resident nations in which we are called to be salt and light.

Life-Enhancing Learning Together
One of the clear awarenesses coming from the Oikotree movement is that a new epistemology and methodology for theological thinking and theological education/training is urgently needed for churches and theology in order to respond to the enormous challenges of the contemporary life-annihilating human “civilization” manifested in economic injustice, ecological destruction, the threat of Empire and the escalation of religious conflicts today. This is a collection of the papers contributed as brainstorming voices from various regions to the Oikotree Workshop on Transformative Education in February 2015. It is our hope that this book is used as one of the stepping stones by which more resources in various forms, including the arts and actions as well as written, will be generated.

Listen to the Land! Responding to Cries for Life
While we struggle for justice with people’s movements and other organizations, the issue of ‘land’ has emerged as a crucial factor in the destruction of creation itself, with all its beings. The Oikotree Transformative Theology Working Group has prepared these materials as a resource for churches, other faith communities and social movements in their response to the economic and ecological crises facing the earth, her peoples and all her beings.

Power to Resist and Courage to Hope: Caribbean Churches Living out the Accra Confession
This book on economic and ecological justice is about the struggles and hope of Caribbean people in times of economic crisis and climate change. It was written by the Reformed faith community of the Caribbean, who in addressing these critical life issues, call for a radical transformation of the logic undergirding the prevailing economic system and the degradation of the earth.

Righting Her-Story: Caribbean Women Encounter the Bible Story
This book brings a refreshing wind to point in the direction of transformation inspired by the rereading of scriptures. While it focuses on one part of the world, the Caribbean, the insights can be applied to all parts of the world. Reading the scriptures in a manner that is consistent with the liberating power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will free women and men to build communities characterized by justice and genuine love. The stories told and the principles of biblical interpretation recorded in this book can inspire all towards the exciting journey of reading and rereading the Bible for new insights for living in a just and inclusive world.

ZacTax Toolkit
The Zacchaeus Tax Campaign calls for a global tax and economic system that acts like Zacchaeus, the tax collector who repented of his wicked ways, which delivers equity and makes reparation for exploitation and injustice. The campaign advocates for tax justice, addressing social and ecological debts, including reparations for colonialism and slavery, at local, national and global levels. The campaign serves both to educate churches about the issues involved while advocating for tax justice and reparations at the highest level. To both educate and enable churches to organize around the issue of tax justice, the campaign has recently released the ZacTax Toolkit.

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Ecumenical Prayers

This week we pray for