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Resolution
on South Africa, 1987
Mennonite Church USA
The General Assembly, gathered
at West Lafayette, Ind., July 7-12, 1987, expresses its concern
and prayers for justice and peace in southern Africa. We affirm
the August 29, 1986, statement of the Mennonite agencies working
in southern Africa.
We believe apartheid is sin and incompatible with the Christian
gospel and express our solidarity with the Christians in South
Africa who attempt to live out that biblical conviction. In our
own communities and society, we are still struggling to eliminate
prejudice and discrimination. Yet we believe the Bible calls
us to be liberated from oppression and from oppressing others.
We have been heartened by and learned from the faithful witness
of many Christians in southern Africa. We are saddened that some
members of the body of Christ in South Africa still give moral
support to the apartheid policies of the present government.
We challenge these Christians to greater faithfulness to the
Gospel imperative for the establishment of just and loving relationships
among all people in South Africa.
We pray that the government of South Africa will stop the worsening
repression and violation of human rights by measures sbch as
dismantling the system of apartheid, lifting the state of emergency,
involving all authentic leaders in South Africa in preparation
of a new constitution to facilitate a truly participatory democracy,
releasing all political prisoners, restoring freedom of press,
assembly, and speech for all citizens, and discontinuing its
policy of destabilization of neighboring states.
We affirm the steps taken by Canada to promote social justice
in southern Africa. We urge the United States to end its complicity
with the militarization and violence of southern Africa. We call
upon our congregations in North America to act in faithfulness
to Jesus Christ:
I. Pray for our sisters and brothers in southern Africa.
2. Examine our consciences regarding our financial involvements
in companies doing business in South Africa.
3. Repent of our personal and church attitudes and actions which
still reflect a spirit of racism and separation.
4. Bring public witness as we have opportunity to the overt racism
in our own society and take action in the Spirit of Jesus which
will bring the reconciling love of Christ to heal the divisions
in our own society and those divisions elsewhere in the world
to which our actions contribute.
5. Support our church efforts in the countries of southern Africa
to strengthen church initiatives there in alleviating suffering
and promoting justice, healing, and peace; and to support the
Mennonite Central Committee Servanthood Sabbatical Program which
provides us opportunity to learn from South Africans who come
to our communities for brief visits.
Adopted by the Ninth Mennonite Church General
Assembly, July 11,1987, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana,
Proceedings, p.25.
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