Take interest in politics; Prof. Asante urges Christians

The Chairman of the National Peace Council, Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, has called on Christians to take keen interest in political and national issues.

At the maiden edition of “Conversations in the Cathedral” at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra last Wednesday, Prof. Asante said “when the Church cuts itself from the rest of society and lives in isolation, it becomes irrelevant and alienated.

“Such a Church becomes paralysed and perishes altogether,” he noted.

“The Church should not hide under the cult of neutrality and shun involvement in delicate social and political issues. The Church must be rooted in the society within which it has grown up. Its members are a part of that society, sharing its judicial point of view influenced by its past history,” Prof. Asante stated.

Conversations in the Cathedral

‘Conversations in the Cathedral’ is an initiative by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, to bring together both secular and religious leaders to discuss issues of common concern.

The maiden edition which was on the theme: “Reflections on being a Christian in Ghana today: in preparation for Christmas 2019” brought together members of the Catholic Church and the clergy.

In attendance were former President John Dramani Mahama; the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto; the Auditor-General, Mr Daniel Yao Domelevo; a former Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; Ambassador Victor Gbeho; the Founder and General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Pastor Mensa Otabil and the host, Most Rev. Kwofie.

Religion and politics

Contrary to popular opinion that religion should not mix with politics, Prof. Asante described the assertion as “a misunderstanding of the nature of religion and politics”.

“The double standard approach where we do politics according to its rules without any religious consideration and practice our religion without any political consideration also do not hold water. To accept it is to violate the integrity of the Christian life which sets out to be single in obedience to God in Christ, faithful in life both at home and at the altar,” he stated.

“There is no doubt that the Christian has a dual citizenship. The Christian’s citizenship of heaven must not be defined in terms of aloofness from this world. The Christian is a citizen of heaven, as well as a temporary citizen of a particular human society. The Christian is earth-bound; therefore, he or she is not above the laws of nature. He/she is also subject to the socio-cultural and political influences of his or her community. The Christian cannot live unaffected by what goes on around them. Even if this world is not your home, it is a path to where you are going; therefore, we need to clear the path,” Prof. Asante explained.

Sense of gratitude

Recounting Christmas celebrations from his childhood days, Pastor Otabil described the story behind Christmas as a story of wonder and a time of gratitude, hope, and celebration.

“We would go around greeting people, wishing them a Merry Christmas, singing and dancing and they usually gave us something to share. This gave us a sense of gratitude and hope that the next year would be better,” he said

Those experiences, according to him, stuck with him through adulthood and shaped his upbringing as it gave him a sense of hope, anticipation and gratitude.

He, therefore, called on parents to inculcate the values of Christmas in their children.

“If we are not careful to nurture this sense of wonder, hope, celebration and gratitude in our children, they will grow up very cynical, bitter, angry, dark and foreboding,” he indicated.
Pastor Otabil also lamented the fading aspect of Christmas which involved sharing, saying: “There’s not much to be shared these days because we have become so aware of our own needs that sharing has now ceased from our community and our lives.”

Drawing inspiration from Mary being able to give birth to Jesus even though she was a virgin, Pastor Otabil said it was a testament of God’s ability to birth great things out of people.

“It speaks to us that God can take us from wherever we are in our naivety, simplicity, inexperience and birth great things out of us. No matter how simple we are, irrespective of our family background, the wonder of Christmas can happen to us. I hope that this nation will live up to the expectation that we can also conceive great things in our nation and achieve great wonder for ourselves,” he added.