The Referendum and the Church in Sudan

By Hakim Tiberius

September 12, 2010 — These days are momentous period in the history of Sudan is a fact that cannot be over emphasized. Time is short and urgent reflection and action is needed to ensure a peaceful future too is a statement that cannot be over emphasized. What is also clear is that we are living through turbulent but exciting times where we are watching day in and day out the metamorphosis of a country to two or more units. Sudan will never be the same again whether Sudan remains united or becomes two different countries after the referendum has been said and said again and again in many occasion too.

We live at a time when theatrics may be elevated to the level of profound drama. We also live at a time when the loud shouts of those who engage in histrionic hyperboles to make rather mundane points may be taken as profound wisdom when put on the sensational headlines of our news papers, television, pulpits and rallies. We now live at a time when wise counsel, quietly delivered, may not reach the ears of the silent majority as the vocal minority, dominates the airwaves in assertion of their personal interests asserted in the name of a community, tribe and hence the majority. In times like this we need the resurrection of visionaries and idealist to turn and negotiate the corners necessary for us.

In these colossal times of our history with all its urgency, it becomes necessary to question what are the mandate and the role of the Church and the people who are professing the Christian faith in the Sudan? The Sudan Council of Churches speaking on behalf of over fourteen denominational member Churches called for the people of the Sudan comes, the referendum to choose life. “I set before you life and death; blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19).” The SCC further stated that “the Sudanese Church commits itself to speak the truth fearlessly, and to continue its Gospel mission to give a voice to the voiceless, the poor and the marginalized, and addressing issues of national concern”. The SCC further assured the Sudanese people and the world at large that “we shall continue to fulfill the God-given role as prophetic voices and a positive instrument of peace, equality and justice for all.” This statement has set the Church apart for rather a special place in society, claiming God given mandate, roles and legitimacy at the same time. God forbids that the role be that of using the pulpit to do the work of politicians to campaign for neither unity nor separation. That decision should be left to the people to choose because in a Church, there are those for separation and there are those for unity just like in an election. The role of the Churches is then to encourage and tell the follower to choose wisely as has been projected by the Sudan Council of Churches.

However, of late the loudest voices for separation and unity are coming right from the pulpits of Churches across the country. This is a time when major decisions on our future as a nation, on governance and social progress are facing this nation direly and men and women of principle and commitment to the nation are in great need. Where are the men and women who will steer this nation towards the path of righteousness rather than having some clergy preachers grabbing sacred time of worship and reflection on God and changed the worshiping procession to a political rally with incongruent references from the Bible for the justification of their political agenda. Where were they when it was neither easy nor fashionable to talk about human right and the right for self determination in this country? Today, it is much easier and sometimes, you can make money to stand on the platform and shout in defense of right for self-determination and ultimately democracy. It is common to witness these days worship and preaching time being turned to political campaign in the name of addressing the impeding matter of the referendum. The irony of our situation is that even the oppressors of yesterday are today’s democrats and liberators but they were not there when the journey was penniless and the liberators were few and far in between.

I am not saying that the Church in the Sudan must not express their views. I also believe that it is right for the Church as a body or individual denominational Churches to take a stand and along that line of their stand to guide and encourage their followers. Neutrality as an approach by some of the Churches in a national issue is not helpful in times crucial such as this and in helping the spiritual needs of the people in the Sudan. Time has come for the Christians to seriously question or rather discard neutrality in favor of taking stand in all national issues facing our country and communities. As part of our religious duties, we believe in giving priority to measures, which advances a more just system, good governance, equal representation, just distribution of services and ensuring that the poor gets and benefits from governmental services. This is highly political plain that involves fighting for human rights as well as power relations issues. However it must be remembered that Churches are part and parcel of the ever on-going conflicts for a better society and hence they need to be involved in finding the solution of the ills of the communities.

In this manner and knowing the history of our country, the Sudan, it is only natural that the Church will not find it difficult to stand at the side of the oppressed and marginalized people be it from the South or North. However, the Church being the bigger side of the civil society in the Sudan, what is crucially important is for the Church to clearly sticks to its mandate and at all cost must not compromise it stand in society. Therefore, the Church needs to define its role in terms of it calling in Society without being used by governments and political forces to do their maneuvers in the pulpit. In a well working societies, there must be a State, and civil societies of which in our case is highly dominated by Churches that is rivaling in coverage only with SPLM across tribal line in Southern Sudan. It is said that there are two important sections of society’s leadership. If one swallows the other, governance suffers or the spiritual life of society suffers. The politicians are more or less like Kings and religious leaders are suppose to be like the prophets and in the old testaments, King are often being rebuked and sometime advised by the Prophets without compromised. The Prophets warn the kings and rulers of their day on issues of governance and concerns such as the needs of the weak in society like the orphans, widows and the poor.

Before the CPA, a controversial statement from the SPLM/A Chairman that stated “the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) was the spiritual wing of the movement, the SPLM” that time, raised many eyebrows, especially of the Evangelical theologians, who were arguing that the Church cannot be the wing of a political movement and rightly so. But these days it is a common knowledge that some of the men of God standing in the pulpit every Sunday are either recruited agents working for the government or they have seriously compromised their position and their roles as those who should steer the nation to righteousness. There is no doubt that the Government of National Unity (GNU) of the Sudan, dominated by the National Congress Party (NCP) in the North and the SPLM in the South (GOSS) are both using different groups of people to influence the mind of the people pro unity and for separation in preference of their agenda as political forces.

If we accept that Churches are part of the civil society, then we will have no problem to also accept that Churches are the dominant structures in Southern Sudan at least and hence cannot live in isolation from the political realities facing the Country. It is also right that pastors and preachers are left to express their political views and opinions, however the Church and the Pastors must never allow themselves be co-opted and used by government as mouthpiece. It is not acceptable to let some believes of some politicians be fulfilled that sees organizations like the Churches as instruments of governments. However there are crucial areas for interaction between Churches and government and that need to be in policy-making, priority setting and coordinated and efficient and transparent implementation of the referendum. The relationship between the Church and political forces must be that of advocacy. In times like these there is a need for critical engagement with the Government and the international community. The Church as part of the stronger civil society need to be engage in policy advocacy and monitoring of government policies and practices but not to be co-opted.
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So far from the media, one is encouraged to see that different bodies like the Sudan Council of Churches, Sudan Catholic Bishops Conference and some other in one way or the other are advocating and lobbying internationally and they are encouraging the Christians in the Sudan to remain steadfast as they face the historical challenges in the Country. At a time like this, we should remember that our journey for democracy, freedom and justice has just begun and that our journey is still long. We are still far from liberating our people nor be tempted to shout out in joy with a song of victory. We are still far from giving our people the kind of life our fallen heroes wanted them to have: a life of dignity and self-respect; a life full of genuine love and mutual social responsibility overarching tribal boundaries.

The author is from Buluk Juba