Articles

THE SOCIAL EDGE INTERVIEW: AUTHOR AND THEOLOGIAN DONALD MESSER

by Gerry McCarthy

Donald Messer is a United Methodist minister and scholar. He is past president of Iliff School of Theology, where he is currently the Henry White Warren Professor of Practical Theology. He is also Director of the Center for Global Pastoral Ministries at Iliff.

      Messer's new book Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence: Christian Churches and the Global AIDS Crisis was recently published by Fortress Press. I reached him by telephone.

Gerry McCarthy: In Breaking The Conspiracy of Silence you write that: "If the church is to effectively address global HIV/AIDS, then a theological revolution must occur. Christian behavioral change will result as people are converted --one by one by one-- from an old theology of exclusion and condemnation to a new theology of inclusion and compassion. And the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church will once again become the "church militant," but this time in the war to liberate the world from AIDS." Do you see more signs this theological revolution has begun?

Donald Messer: Some of our initial theological responses to HIV/AIDS --particularly in North America-- were not really being faithful to the fundamental and traditional values of the Christian faith. We fell into a trap of exclusion versus inclusion. Also: we fell into the trap of judgmentalism rather than expressing the grace of God in its fullness.

      A recovery of the deeper understandings of what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ calls us to a compassionate ministry of inclusiveness that doesn't get hung up on narrowness of spirit and perspective.

      I used the term "behaviour change," because we know --as do all public health officials-- that behaviour change is required by people to avoid the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It's a preventable disease, but requires a variety of behaviour changes. Including the way we treat women around the world. But before the church can pontificate too much about the behaviour changes of others, we have to change our behaviour in the way we respond to the pandemic.

GM: What are your thoughts on the campaign by religious and other concerned shareholders (through the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility in New York City) to pressure major pharmaceutical companies to take new steps on the HIV/AIDS crisis, including the pandemic in Africa?

DM: I'm very pleased by this kind of effort. We must speak out prophetically about the great gap between the availability of resources existing in the world --and the access many people don't have to these resources.

      The right of human health has to be lifted up. The pharmaceutical companies are to be commended for their breathtaking advances in life-saving medicines. But they should be criticized for keeping them so narrowly constricted to such a small population of people of wealth. They've been unwilling to open up the availability of medicines that literally could save the lives of millions of people. It's incomprehensible how our government has co-operated in allowing such a thing to happen.

      The various steps these groups are taking as shareholders are absolutely correct in the best tradition of the Old Testament prophets.

GM: You quote a section from Henri Nouwen's The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey where he wondered "if the many heated debates about the morality of homosexuality do not prevent the Christian community from reaching out fearlessly to its suffering fellow human beings." A bit later you add that: "Clearly these debates have paralyzed the church and prohibited it from meaningful involvement in the struggle against global HIV/AIDS." This is often a sign of despair --is there any hope it might be changing?

DM: At the moment, my mind is highly influenced and shaped by the context of the United Methodists General Conference I'm now attending in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There are delegates here from various parts of the world. We have been in a long debate since 1972 on homosexuality. When HIV/AIDS first appeared in the United States in the 1980s, we passed some nice sounding resolutions on the crisis. We've been passing them year after year. And we update them. At the same time we continue to pass resolutions that condemn the practice of homosexuality. We've certainly never distinguished ourselves by being in the forefront of any AIDS movement.

      Listening to the debate at the conference today, we continue to contend that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings. It's about a 60 to 40 percent split on the issue. But there has been movement within this church on the global HIV/AIDS crisis. It's beginning to breakthrough. I'm the author of a resolution that has the potential to establish for the first time a global AIDS fund. It's a bit too early to tell, but there does seem to be movement in this area as we begin to recognize the global HIV/AIDS crisis is an overwhelmingly heterosexual disease. In North America --it's not. In numerous other countries it's not either. In these countries, the majority of people with HIV/AIDS are gay persons. But right now, nearly 50 percent of the 46 million people affected with HIV/AIDS worldwide are women. As a result, there's a different kind of understanding about the disease.

      But certainly the homosexual debate --and the negative attitude of the church regarding gays and lesbians-- has been a contributing factor for the church's unwillingness to hear God's call for healing ministry.

GM: Early in the book you insist that the starting point for a Christian breakthrough from indifference to involvement in the global AIDS crisis is ultimately admitting we are all HIV-positive. Tell me why you think this is important? And what kind of reaction have you had toward this idea?

DM: In terms of the reaction --the book is very new. But I haven't had any overwhelming negative reviews yet.

      My thinking here is that until one can say that I'm HIV positive --in a symbolic stance-- one tends to have an us-versus-them position. That's been part of the denial issue. In other words: it couldn't happen in my family, church or neighbourhood.

      I've seen this denial first-hand. We have many delegates from Africa and around the world at this conference. At previous general conferences, these delegates didn't speak about HIV/AIDS. They were in denial or were ashamed. Something kept them from talking about it. Now they are very open in talking about the HIV/AIDS crisis in their country. One person talked about losing seven members of his family. There's been a radical change in these delegates over the past four years. I had help on the sub-committee with my resolution. It's a nine-member committee, and just two members were from the United States. The rest were from Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Philippines, Congo, Nigeria, and Angola.

      We still have an enormous way to go, because the stigmatization and discrimination is so widespread. I hear it in Africa. But it's still in our country too.

GM: You explain that Christian communities are essentially sleeping on the sidelines when it comes to the global HIV/AIDS crisis. What are some things these communities can initially do in waking up to this emergency?

DM: I've been tempted to ask pastors, bishops, and church leaders to submit to me three sermons they've preached in the last 20 years on the global HIV/AIDS crisis. I'm afraid you'll find slim pickings. We've had silence from the pulpit. There are exceptions. But the vast majority of churches have simply not addressed the issue from the pulpit. And we haven't been aggressive with church/school materials either. Even theological schools --at least in the United States-- are relatively silent. You'd have a hard time finding any curriculum on this issue. There's no network among theological students on the HIV/AIDS crisis either. It's an example of how we have to address this issue.

      My passionate writing in the book was an attempt to bring the crisis to the forefront. I have an open market, because there are hardly any books written on this subject over the past 15 years. So there's been silence in the scholarly writing community of the church too.

      The laity respond positively to this HIV/AIDS crisis. Especially messages about the millions of orphans this crisis has produced. Surely we're all fundamentalist about Matthew 25 --regardless of our theological persuasion. Have you ever met a Christian that didn't believe in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick? I haven't. We might argue about issues of Christology or other questions. But nobody ever argues about Matthew 25 being fundamental to our faith.

GM: What are some of the most important actions governments and faith communities in sub-Saharan Africa can undertake in the face of the HIV/AIDS crisis?

DM: Typically people point to Uganda as a country where HIV/AIDS has grown out of control. The political leadership finally woke up and began to mobilize all segments of society, including government and non-government. The church became involved along with interfaith groups. They worked together on programs together and individually to raise awareness of this crisis. There's so much work to be done. Everyone doesn't need to do the same thing. But a focus on prevention and care is critical.

     

Rev. Donald Messer (right) visits with a patient at Tambaram hospital, the largest AIDS hospital in India. The photograph was taken in 2002.

Last summer in various parts of Africa I saw brochures and posters about programs for prevention of HIV/AIDS. In India, I've seen efforts by the National Council of Churches trying to get churches and individual Christians involved. Also: I saw nuns doing street drama to provide information on programs of action. There are varieties of examples like this throughout the world. They just need to be multiplied.

GM: At one point in Breaking The Conspiracy of Silence, you write how early in the AIDS crisis Catholic Bishop Francis Quinn administered the sacrament of anointing to a man with AIDS. You explained that: "Following ancient rituals, the person kneeled in the cathedral and the bishop placed oil on his forehead. Then Bishop Quinn helped the man to his feet. To the shock of the congregation, the bishop himself then kneeled and asked to be anointed by the person living with HIV/AIDS." In your view, this is one of the best examples of the kind of healing and forgiveness we should provide and receive isn't it?

DM: Yes. It touched me when I read this. Remembering how afraid people were of those who had AIDS in the early years. People are still afraid of individuals with HIV/AIDS. Even though it certainly isn't passed by hugging or using the same utensils. But there's still a fear about the disease. And it's wider and broader than we might hope or think.

      There's also the idea of shame built into people who have HIV/AIDS. People often feel ashamed because of the condemnation that the church has given.

      So you have the symbolic gesture of the Bishop needing the person living with HIV/AIDS --as much as the person with HIV/AIDS needed the blessing of the Bishop.

      It's a symbolic way of saying what I tried to say earlier about us all being HIV positive. Trying to break that separation of one person having grace and the other not.

      There's something very special about meeting a person living with HIV/AIDS. Whether it's meeting with people in the U.S. or Canada dealing with a manageable chronic disease. Or whether it's a person in Africa who isn't receiving treatment. These people radiate a certain inside grace about the preciousness of life. Often times they convey a sense of humour and humility that I lack. I feel in their presence a holiness and grace. That's really the blessing these persons give to us.

GM: Can you talk to me about a few signs of hope you see in the work to eradicate the global HIV/AIDS pandemic?

DM: In my own church I've witnessed some efforts to move the issue forward. We may give $3 million in the worship fund --even though we need $30 million. But $3 million is far more than we've done for 20 years.

      The Bush administration has shown more leadership on this issue than his predecessors. He proposed a $15 billion allocation for Africa and the Caribbean. I stand with the critics who say his rhetoric hasn't been matched with delivery to date. It's not like we're doing enough. Or even that we're doing what he promised. But it's a sign of hope that as U.S. President he is concerned about it.

      Also: Kofi Annan of the United Nations is to be commended for his initiation of the Global AIDS Fund. He kept the issue front-and-center when others were ducking it.

      Signs of hope are tempered by signs of despair. The allocation of funds is still inadequate for HIV/AIDS. Also: we have a very high degree of unilateralism in the U.S. when it comes to international affairs. That's undermining our best efforts at times to work co-operatively on the HIV/AIDS crisis.

      As people of faith if we don't act now --then when? If not us then whom? Are we going to have others do it alone? Or are we going to join in as the United Nations invited us to do?

Gerry McCarthy is Editor of The Social Edge.