Some of the world’s largest church bodies expressed their concerns about the growing food crisis and shared about how their church network plans to respond as the world food summit was being held in Rome this past week.
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(Photo: AP Images / Rebecca Blackwell)Dried goods vendor Omar Diop, right, adjusts his wares as he waits for customers in a market on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal Thursday, June 5, 2008. Delegates to a Rome U.N. summit on rising food prices worked late into the night Wednesday to try to forge a compromise on a strategy to combat the crisis that is increasing hunger worldwide. The proposed final declaration calls for stepped up food production, reduced trade restrictions and more research on the contentious issue of biofuels.
The plea “give us this day our daily bread” by the world’s poor is deeply understood by Christians and a message that world leaders at the food summit need to be hear, said Sushant Agrawal, director of the Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) in India.
"The Lord's Prayer highlights that having enough to eat is, and has always been, central to the Christian idea of a world shaped by justice and mercy," Agrawal added, according to World Council of Churches (WCC). "If God's will was done, no one would go hungry.”
There are 854 million people – or one in every eight – that are short of food, and another 100 million people are expected to join their ranks with the current food crisis this year.
According to statistics from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO), the international price for rice increased by 74 percent, vegetable oils by 60 percent, dairy products by 83 percent, soybeans by 87 percent, and wheat by 130 percent.
To respond to the food crisis, churches have worked locally with rural and indigenous groups on issues such as using crops for biofuels, and advocating policies to curb global warming.
Peter Prove of the Lutheran World Federation noted that the problems of food shortage have existed for a long time, and churches have been there to help the hungry.
"Church groups around the world are and have been responding to the food crisis in a comprehensive way" said the Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory, director of the WCC's Commission of the Churches on International Affairs. "Their work in helping with the immediate emergency need and running long term development programs to improve food security is complemented by challenging unjust systems and structures that contribute to hunger."
Church leaders blame “inappropriate human actions” in general for the current food crisis, although world leaders at the food summit blamed one another’s government for the problem.
"The WCC views the primary cause of the current crisis as inappropriate human actions which have induced climate change and skyrocketing food prices," declared WCC General Secretary the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia.
"Human actions that are driven by greed have created poverty, hunger and climate change. Humanity must be challenged to overcome its greed," he said.
The World Council of Churches, Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, ACT Development and the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) plan to continue to share information and research on the food crisis and to participate in a conference slated for December entitled “Confronting the Global Food Challenge.”
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Let me clarify something: I am born again. I have not turned away from God. If anything, it has caused me to run to Him even more.
A.S. Mathew: I couldn't agree more. Just this past weekend, our family was talking about the failure of the church in helping and feeding the poor. This is one of the reasons why I don't care to associate myself with church. There was a time when I was in a situation that I needed help from the church. Did I get it,???? No
If the Churches don't have compassion for the starving humanity, then the Church lost its
real purpose; and simply playing religion like any other religion. Jesus in His ministry on the
earth, always showed special interest for the hungry followers, but the disciples were
far less concerned with the hungry gathering. We, the Christians are showing the attitude
of the disciples, but lacking the heart of Jesus Christ. While Christians of the western
countries have house of worships like the royal palace, we must remember that more than
half of the world population don't have $ 2.00 a day income, and they don't have have a
good meal in their lifetime. If we fail to accept and admit our lack of empathy, delinquency
and concern for our fellowmen of all religions; God will judge us in this world and the world to
come.