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In addition, their views are different from those in other countries like Rwanda. The FMC in this context is a member of the Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR) which is a collective of Protestant churches and a full member of the WCC. CPR was led by a Free Methodist pastor some years ago until 2009, and through it, the WCC has sponsored the studies of one Rwandan Free Methodist bishop who graduated with a Master‘s degree from the University of KwaZulu- Natal in April 2008125.
This therefore means that although the views of these pastors may disturb the partnership of the Church with institutions such as the WCC, this is not the norm in the FMCSA and elsewhere.
But one then needs to ask, what is the reason for these conflicting views in the same Church?
Literature shows numerous controversies among Christian churches, including the evangelical churches, around sexuality. The Baylor Religion Survey of 2005 has shown that 81% of evangelical Protestants, 57% of Catholics, and 54% of mainline Protestants in America are of the opinion that same sex relationships are wrong (Scheitle and Hahn, 2011:2). The ordination of homosexuals in the Evangelical Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion in America has found opposition, especially from Africa (Goldingay et al., 2011: 2-3; Legge, 2011). Therefore, although these two pastors in the FMSKZN did not specify exactly what is wrong in the WCC, issues of sexual orientation may be one of their points of reference. This is because the WCC believes that people infected or affected by HIV are to be loved and assisted regardless of their sexual orientation (Ngure, 2007:122) while homosexuality was raised in this study by one of these two church leaders as a source of spreading HIV and AIDS.126
To conclude this section, the FMSKZN has not developed any consistent partnership in addressing HIV and AIDS. Even the EHAIA, which could assist this Church to be HIV and AIDS competent, is looked down upon by some church leaders. However, their position is not the norm.
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nature of HIV and AIDS; health and social initiatives integrating the response to the pandemic, and partnerships initiated with the intention to address HIV and AIDS.
All of the steps taken show that the FMSKZN has failed to act positively in dealing with HIV and AIDS. Firstly, results display no influence of the FMSKZN on the improvement of the community‘s attitude towards HIV and AIDS and PLWHA. Church leaders are silent because they are afraid to discuss sex-related matters. Other participants suggested that the pandemic is already known while others tried to justify their inaction by suggesting that HIV is a (an unholy) subject which cannot find place in the holy Church. Some attempts of the Church‘s initiatives are also suggested but are rather seen in this study as merely moralistic rather than a concrete response to the pandemic.
Secondly, nothing constructively or demonstratively has been done in the HIV prevention and care of PLWHA. Reasons advanced include that the government is already responding to the pandemic in such a way that the Church is left with nothing to contribute. This study interprets this as the Church‘s tendency to isolate itself from other potential partners and hence the demonstration of missional incompetence in dealing with HIV and AIDS. Similar incompetence was observed in the lack of monitoring of potential internal initiatives. Participants also submitted that the Church is inactive because there are no PLWHA in the Church. However, it may be argued that some church members may be in a state of denial of the pandemic or that they lack compassion for the suffering of others. Moreover, the Church‘s unfunded project proposal, based upon unhealthy dependency on external donors and neglect of local resources, demonstrated its missional short-sightedness.
Thirdly, results do not show any response to the gendered nature of HIV and AIDS. Both clergy and laity were sceptical about the Church‘s possibility or right to address gender-based violence in families because they claimed that family and cultural matters are immutable. They also failed to realise that the male‘s risk of HIV infection may be as a result of negative masculinities. The analysis has traced the possible origin of this perception to the mind-body dualism and imago Dei doctrines; Free Methodist‘s doctrine of marriage and family life as well as the interrelation between religion, culture and gender socialisation. Nevertheless, one project, The Haven, was conceived to address both gender and HIV issues but the objective relating to HIV and AIDS was not implemented.
Fourthly, the study has found no current health initiative in the FMCSA, thus, in the FMSKZN.
Some social initiatives such as housing projects, The Haven shelter, pastoral services as well as
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assistance to the sick and the poor were found in the Church but with no discernible link to HIV and AIDS. The same situation was observed in the empowerment initiatives in gender equality, poverty alleviation, education and spiritual life.
Lastly, no partnership has been initiated by the FMCSA/FMSKZN in the context of responding to the pandemic. The Church did not even attempt to nurture relationships with organisations which attempted to initiate such partnerships. Even the network initiated to help churches being competent in HIV and AIDS, the EHAIA, was poorly known and sometimes contested on the basis of the understanding of holiness and doctrine.
All of these five points were initially understood as ways of addressing the pandemic. However, the FMSKZN did not use them or undertake any other alternative. This inaction seemingly reflects its attitude of silence towards HIV and AIDS as observed in chapter 5. It is therefore submitted that as long as this Church remains silent, indifferent and inactive in the face of this pandemic, it is not likely to produce a substantial response in order to address it. However, in the theoretical framework of this study,127 it was demonstrated that WHCR, which is part of the Free Methodist foundation can be reclaimed as a valuable resource for the fulfilment of the missio Dei in the time of HIV and AIDS. It was therefore the intention in this study to examine the extent to which this resource was valued by the FMSKZN and how it can inspire the closing of exposed gaps. This is the objective of chapter 7.
127 See Chapter 3.
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CHAPTER SEVEN
RELEVANCE OF THE WHCR IN THE FMCSA’S RESPONSE TO HIV AND AIDS