Churches Asked To Educate Members On Civic Rights

Accra,(Greater Accra) 20 Oct. Professor Kwesi Dickson, newly-elected President of the All-Africa Council of Churches, has called on the church to use the ministry to educate its members on their civic responsibilities. ''It seems to me our teaching ministry has not been what it should be and we should do something about it,'' he told a breakfast meeting in parliament today. Prof Dickson was speaking on ''The theological basis for the churches' involvement in the promotion of the democratic culture of Ghana''. He said it is essential for churches to strengthen their teaching ministry regarding democracy as a proactive approach rather than a reactive one. He said out of their concern to ensure the welfare of the people, churches have made attempts to engage the government and opposition parties in dialogue. Theology, he said, must take account of the prevailing human circumstances, adding that the theologian of today should not be expected to sound very relevant if he or she theologizes as it was done sometime ago. Prof Dickson described as paradoxical the fact that most people are having it tough to make a living... and yet become more extravagant during funerals where a bereaved family goes in for a coffin costing not less than four million cedis. ''Something paradoxical is going on in this country. At such a time, we're being more expensive and more bizarre and I think we need to go into that very carefully to find out if it's simply the economic problem that's making us myopic to that extent,'' Prof Dickson declared. He said although the church seems to be always interested in the welfare of the individual, he had a feeling that the ''discussions that have taken place in the church have more or less passed by the ordinary member of the church.'' He was reacting to concerns from some panellists who questioned the over-reliance on prayer as the only means to an end as being practised by some churches. Prof Dickson admitted that sometimes the teachings of the church have not been that good. ''They teach some terrible things, absolutely untheological rubbish,'' he said, adding ''people seem to be ready and waiting to be duped''.