Lausanne World Pulse – The Sixth World Christian Gathering on Indigenous People to be Held 11-17 September 2006 in the Philippines
By Pio Gabad Arce
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God has been stirring up Christian indigenous people to be |
Indigenous People in the Philippines
The movement to see Christian indigenous people rise to leadership is important to the people of the Philippines. The island has more than 160 people groups with distinct languages and cultures. Despite more than one hundred years of evangelical Christian presence in the Philippines, there are still no indigenous people leaders represented in the Church hierarchy. Tribal peoples were the first converts when Americans brought evangelical Christianity to the Philippines in 1898. Yet tribal Filipinos soon assimilated to Western ways, believing they had to do this to become a true Christian. Anything Filipino was either thought pagan or inferior.
Identity is important to the revival of a country. A transformation with a national scale is not possible without the love for God, country and its people. Centuries of conquests whether by the sword, religion or economies, made the Filipinos who they are today. They have become a seemingly subservient people; they are also the most cosmopolitan people in the world, adapting easily to any foreign language or culture. It is typical to find a Filipino who can speak and understand three languages or dialects. Today, the Philippines is the third largest English-speaking country next to the United States and Great Britain. The cheerful accommodating attitude of Filipinos makes them easily liked in many countries of the world. Yet it is also these positive qualities which have made Filipinos feel inferior to other cultures.
Indigenous roots are part of the identity of Filipinos. God will use his Church to redeem the Filipinos’ calling to the world, but they need to be free. In many ways Filipino churches are still enslaved to other cultures and ideas. The World Christian Gathering on Indigenous People will make Filipinos look back to their indigenous roots and reclaim their identity and true virtues as Filipinos. This gathering of cultures will provide a venue for all peoples in celebrating their oneness in Christ and rediscovering their uniqueness as a people.
For more information on the Sixth World Christian Gathering on Indigenous People visit http://www.wcgip.org/.