Interview
He describes as “memory lane” the time when the document was born.
“It was a moment of real crisis,” he recalled. “The people were not prepared to submit; they didn’t want to cooperate with their oppressors.”
In the midst of that crisis, the question was “Where is God?” Chikane said.
“Did God go home?” he asked. “People asked those questions—and we concluded that God is with the people.”
The church is where the people are, he added. “And then we asked questions about how you minister in a war situation,” he said. “As a servant of God, you need to be with people in their pain.”
Chikane concluded his reflections with a thought on how the church is changed. "The church must begin to be changed by being with the people,” he said.
WCC Central Committee, June 2025
WCC general secretary reflects on daring to hope amid struggle (WCC news release, 18 June 2025)
Welcomed by African churches, WCC central committee opens (WCC news release, 19 June 2025)
