Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – Building Bridges in the West and the World on World AIDS Day

By Brian Considine
December 2006

Each 1 December since 1988 the world recognizes World AIDS Day as a day to remember the millions suffering globally with this pandemic. Activities are scheduled, campaigns launched, celebrities speak, the media reports and even United States President George W. Bush publishes a statement. A few Christian organizations and churches plan events, but for the vast majority of Christians and local churches, nothing special happens on 1 December; World AIDS Day seems to be a non-event. There are some reasons for this: the day is principally promoted by secular organizations, AIDS remains an essentially distant problem and there is social disconnect with those most affected in the West and throughout the world. But what would Jesus do?

Recently, I met with my dear friend John for lunch. Our visit opened my eyes further to the unconditional mercy God has for each of us. John is a wonderful Christian; he is passionate about the things of Christ and serves the Lord faithfully in missions in South Africa and India. John is HIV positive and has been for several years. He came out of a homosexual lifestyle and is just one of the faces of AIDS in the US.

While much of the news about the HIV/AIDS pandemic filters to us through reports from Africa, how much do we hear about AIDS in our Western cities? For the past sixteen months I have lived in Dallas, Texas, USA. It is here that I had lunch with John. While our conversation focused primarily on the international issues involved with AIDS, just a few miles away many live with the same burdens of the disease.

This particular sector of south Dallas, a predominately black and Hispanic neighborhood, has one of the highest HIV rates in the United States. Nationally, rates among black and Hispanic populations continue to escalate. Although African-Americans and Latinos represented thirteen percent and fourteen percent of the US population, respectively, in 2004, they accounted for forty-nine percent and twenty percent of new AIDS diagnoses today.¹ This is the growing face of AIDS in the US.

Building Bridges Of Compassion in the United States
While much ministry is directed to nations most impacted, little focus is directed to our own HIV positive “Jerusalem.” More than one million people are HIV positive in America. The evangelical US Church for the most part is absent from caring for these neighbors. The number of US churches who have any outreach to the local AIDS population is abysmally small. This has caused a backlash from affected communities and a sense of distrust toward the Church. One leading US pastor has diagnosed that we are known more for what we stand against than what we stand for.

The question we must answer is: “Why?” Until we can answer this, we will not be able to address the “how.” Introspection is necessary to understand this issue. As those who uphold the Bible and desire to follow Jesus Christ’s example, why would we remain complacent in our lack of attention? Our neighbors are lonely, sick and socially outcast, but what role are we playing—the Good Samaritan or one of those passing by on the other side of the road? The heart of the “evangel,” God’s love for the least, last and lost, must inform and direct our lives. However, too frequently fear, judgment, stigma and misunderstanding continue to communicate louder than our message of hope.

Brian Considine is the international coordinator for the Global AIDS Prayer Partnership. GAPP serves as the official voice of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization on HIV/AIDS.