The Lausanne Covenant defines evangelization as ‘the whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world’. The Biblical theme of Shalom encompasses the ideas of freedom and justice as an integral part of the ‘whole’ gospel as foretold in the Old Testament and embraced by Jesus in the New Testament. ‘The Nazarene Manifesto’, aka the mission statement of Jesus, talks about His anointing and its reason – proclaiming the good news to the poor and freedom to the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind and to free the oppressed. Following the precepts of this verse, Lausanne Covenant defines evangelization as ‘the whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world’.
Let us rise up as the Church worldwide to fight the evil of human trafficking, and to speak and act prophetically to ‘set the prisoners free’. This must include addressing the social, economic and political factors that feed the trade. The world’s slaves call out to the global Church of Christ, ‘Free our children. Free our women. Be our voice. Show us the new society that Jesus promised.’ The Cape Town Commitment II-B-3, I-7-C
The Freedom and Justice Issue Network wishes to be part of the mission of Jesus and seeks to connect organizations and individuals enthusiastic about God’s heart for justice, and his preferential option for the oppressed. The Freedom and Justice issue network has a fivefold mission.
- Identification of Issues demanding Justice
- Formation of Strategies for solutions
- Awareness creation in churches and organizations
- Engagement with the Authorities
- Involvement with the Media
The network invites like-minded people and organizations to collaboratively work together in fulfilling the mission called by Jesus.
