Churches are too quiet

Namibia's hosting of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Assembly has served as a reminder to many of us that the church has an important role to play in society. An overwhelming majority of Namibians consider themselves to be Christian and the expectation is that they live up to the values of Christianity and uphold morality. Today there are many and unprecedented problems facing humankind. Whereas there exist lasting solutions to these issues, there is a little evidence pointing to the fact that the many of us are actually demonstrating a caring attitude, especially when it comes to problems affecting the poor and downtrodden. Indeed the church has made significant contributions during our struggle years, becoming a voice to the voiceless when the fight was solely about freedom. So much has changed now since we gained our independence in 1990, but the church and its leaders remain respected. The spotlight is now on the issues of the day, ranging from social injustices, society's moral decay, abuse of power and the exploitation of women and children, among others. The mainstream church should not only look at rebuilding and reforming itself while repairing and restoring interreligious relationships. We need the church through religious discourse to play a bigger role in the public space. The church should be able to influence political debate on issues of the day. The church holds massive influence in community and it should never be overlooked when it comes to tackling social challenges such as moral decay. The young and old clergy must be able to plunge into social and political problems without fear or favour. Freedom of expression is guaranteed by our constitution and should there be any wrongs in our society, the church must not be silenced. We need to see more religious statements – across all faiths – in the mainstream media even if it means stepping on boundaries that are not welcome by the government of the day. At the moment, the church's silence is deafening to the say the least.