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TechnoratiAfter several long days of back-to-back meetings and zig-zagging from one end of Washington, D.C., to another, the international director of the World Evangelical Alliance had a chance to sit down, unwind and chat with The Christian Post about the WEA’s plan to open a branch in Iraq next year.
(Photo: World Evangelical Alliance)World Evangelical Alliance international director the Rev. Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe.
The following are excerpts from the interview on Tuesday with the Rev. Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe:
CP: I know that there is a lot of discussion and planning right now for a WEA Iraq branch, but is it a sure thing or only an idea at this point?
Tunnicliffe: Yes, we are committed to seeing an Evangelical Alliance launched in Iraq. We have already been working on it for a year and we think it is a very critical time for the Christians there – with the immense pressure that they are under – to have an Alliance.
They are being forced out of Baghdad because of the violence [moving] primarily to the north, into the Kurdish area. But in the Kurdish area, the church is growing and one of the reasons they are growing is because they are reaching out to the needs of their communities although they are still a very small minority.
They sense it as well that as a small minority they need to come together for joint action, to be able to respond more effectively to needs, to help with the growth of the churches, and to begin to develop a voice.
There is already an existing network [in Iraq] and we’ve been visiting there for the last year – meeting with them, building bridges of understanding, and bringing them together. As an outside body sometimes we have the capacity to convene people and bring them together even though they may be different parts of the evangelical family. We have a whole strategy and training on what it means to be part of the Evangelical Alliance – which includes going through a membership process where you have to meet guidelines.
We would help them understand how to work as an alliance, build skills of working together across denominational boundaries, and then identifying what they can do together. The question is what can you do better together than alone? So what are the key things that you can come together right now that will enhance the whole work of the Kingdom?
CP: Why has there never been a WEA branch in Iraq before?
Tunnicliffe: Probably because of the size of the church. There are quite a few countries that still don’t have an Evangelical Alliance. Part of it is because it’s part of the Middle East and the churches there are small.
Certainly the Middle East is a priority for us because we see so much of what happens in the world impacted by what happens in some ways a very small region of the world. So the conflicts that happen in that region impact the rest of the world, so it is important that we engage well in that part of the world.
I am very encourage that there is this movement towards an Alliance in Iraq and I think in the midst of the differences in opinion on the war there should be no questions from evangelical Christians that we should be supporting our brothers and sisters in Iraq no matter where we stand on the war.
CP: Everything in Iraq currently is so closely tied to the country’s politics. Would WEA in Iraq become a human rights, religious freedom advocate or what would it do exactly?
Tunnicliffe: Well they (Iraqi evangelicals) would have to determine that. One thing is … I think there is a symbolic sense that by them linking with the World Evangelical Alliance it demonstrates that even though they are a small minority they are not alone but they are part of a large family. There is something very supportive in their mind that says, ‘There are a whole lot of people around the world that you are connected to.’ So that can be a great encouragement.
And so in some of the countries around the world, where Christians are a very small minority, the fact that they are linked to a global body brings greater encouragement.
If you feel like you’re living in isolation and you think you are alone it is very easy to get discouraged and despondent and want to leave. But if you realize that you are part of a growing network of believers it doesn’t mean the problems go away, but that you are facing your problems and challenges with a growing group of people that share a common set of values with you.Continue »
