The HIV/AIDS track of the conference consisted of 26 presentations at three plenaries and six panel discussion groups. Participation at the closing discussion on Saturday afternoon entitled, “The Christian Role and Future Directions in the Fight against AIDS” was lively as participants jointly summarized the main points presented in the HIV/AIDS sessions, voiced their concerns from various Christian perspectives, and contributed to defining future directions for the church in HIV/AIDS ministries. More than 47 different comments from at least as many participants were recorded during the discussion. Although a distilled version of the discussion is presented in the Abstracts contained in this issue, it does not give a real sense of the importance attributed to any particular issue or the richness of the discussion around those points.

The discussion was prefaced by an acknowledgement that the number of people infected by HIV/AIDS has reached epidemic proportions in many communities around the world and continues to increase at an alarming rate. Women and children are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. In all but a few places around the world, measures to control and reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS have been largely ineffective in changing the behaviors that put people at risk (notable exceptions include Uganda, Senegal, and Thailand). The early judgmental and condemnatory attitude of many churches towards persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) has been slowly changing. As a result of these combined factors, there is an unprecedented urgency for Christians to respond positively and compassionately to the current crisis, with a vision for a long-term, sustained response towards the many orphaned children and orphaned grandparents resulting from the pandemic. Many of the comments during the discussion highlighted the urgency to act and to “gear up” our efforts in the various HIV/AIDS ministries in which Christians are involved.

One of the early comments eloquently framed the sexual nature of the HIV/AIDS problem from a Christian perspective, affirmed the church’s role in addressing the issue of HIV/AIDS, and set the tone for many of the subsequent comments (paraphrased): “The HIV virus is taking advantage of one of the most beautiful and loving relationships in which two humans can be involved. The church is well placed to address this issue, to preserve this relationship and protect it from the destructive and divisive nature of HIV.”

Most of the comments seem to fit into at least one of the following five main categories:

•    Our unique ecclesiastic foundations, biblical mandates, and our Christian faith and heritage.
•    Knowledge, information transfer, education, training, and communication.
•    Advocacy for persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and families of PLWHAs.
•    Collaboration and good stewardship.
•    Empowerment and sustainability issues.

(Note: In following section text in italics highlight future directions)

1. Unique Foundations

More than three quarters of the comments pertained to the unique ecclesiastic foundations, biblical mandates, and elements of Christian faith and heritage from which Christian groups have been responding to HIV/AIDS. Many comments served as callings or reminders: calls to prayer; reminders of the power of prayer; a reminder that divine healing still occurs in this day and age; reminders of the need for a holistic response to HIV/AIDS including body, mind, and spirit; an acknowledgement that evangelism is part of a holistic response; exhortations to show compassion even as Christ has shown us compassion; the need to remember that the greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves; a reminder that abuse of free will (sin) and the fallen nature of man are the source of disease and suffering; reminders that there is no room for judgment and condemnation in the church; and several calls to set aside our theological differences and to work and network together to address the HIV/AIDS crisis by promoting the things that we are able to agree upon (prevention through abstinence and fidelity).

We were reminded that the Bible is the powerful, living Word of God and the ultimate authority in all issues of faith and life, and that by it we are reminded that we continually fall short of God’s expectations for our lives and are in constant need of His unmerited grace. Our response of thanksgiving for God’s gracious gift is to try and live according to His precepts, and to model Godly behavior—free from sexual immorality—regardless of personal cost or possibility of persecution. As fellow recipients of God’s unmerited grace, and in order to help people encounter a loving God that desires all people to enter into a personal relationship with Him, Christians need to repent of their judgmental attitudes towards persons living with HIV/AIDS and be the “aroma of Christ,” modeling an attitude of loving acceptance.

There were many affirmations of the various ministries to which God has called us and through which we express His compassion and love towards people infected and/or affected by HIV/AIDS, both within in our communities of faith, and especially to our neighbors in the wider global community.

An important direction of Christian HIV/AIDS work will be the continued promotion of open, active, and on-going inter-faith dialogue to collaboratively address HIV/AIDS prevention. The promotion of active listening and the provision of safe places to respectfully express differing theological points of view are foundational to collaboration and the development of a rich variety of Christian responses to HIV/AIDS.

2. Knowledge, Education, and Training

It was recognized that the sexual nature by which HIV is most often contracted has been troublesome for the church. Sex, sin, shame, and stigma have caused many churches to remain publicly silent about HIV/AIDS. This stance, combined with the cultural taboos against open dialogue about sexual matters that exist in many cultures, has been an obstacle to the dissemination of preventive and protective messages about HIV/AIDS. The church needs to help overcome the stigma of HIV/AIDS through education and training, and by promoting ministries of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Although many churches have responded to the need for uniquely Christian preventive education and training materials for HIV/AIDS, the on-going development of culturally-sensitive, and age and developmentally-appropriate Christian educational and training materials on HIV/AIDS needs to continue to be promoted in order to help meet the diverse educational needs of the many populations encountering HIV/AIDS.

Many groups have been involved in research to aid in the development of programs and materials. Organizations involved in research need to report their research experiences to the global HIV/AIDS research database.

Several other participants emphasized that special attention to the knowledge and information needs of pastors and church leaders is essential to the process of demystifying HIV/AIDS in the church. Church leaders need to be “AIDS-competent.” They also need to be trained in methods and techniques to transmit knowledge to promote behavior changes that will prevent HIV infection.

The church’s main message needs to center on the fact that sexually transmitted HIV/AIDS is completely preventable through abstinence and fidelity. Christians—especially pastors and church leaders—need to model abstinence and fidelity regardless of the personal cost (ridicule and persecution for unashamedly teaching and living their views about these behavior changes).

Finally, although there is disagreement among Christians over the promotion of the use of condoms as an HIV preventive measure, we need to acknowledge that it cannot be dictated or decided for others, from the outside. We must respect the decision of individual Christians, churches, and Christian organizations to promote or not promote condom use, based on their sensitive and prayerful deliberation on the subject. The urgency of the current situation supercedes our arguments over the use or nonuse of condoms, and calls us to be actively engaged in other preventive and caring measures for those already infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, even as we continue an open dialogue on condom usage.

3. Advocacy

Concerning those things which call us to a ministry of advocacy for persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and families of PLWHAs, there were several comments that eloquently addressed these issues. Two comments specifically addressed stigma and discrimination based on HIV status. Not only should Christians take a personal stand against discrimination and stigma based on HIV status, but they should also advocate for and promote policies in the church and in civil society that eliminate discrimination and stigma. As Christians address issues that adversely affect PLWHAs, it soon becomes evident that although our individual efforts are important, there are more globally pervasive issues that undermine them.

The united voice of the church raised towards government and civil society, advocating on behalf of PLWHAs, widows, orphans, and the poor, can have a great impact on global issues like poverty and access to health care—issues that place people at a greater risk of HIV infection. Effectively addressing these issues and placing greater emphasis on the needs of women would go a long ways to help reduce infection rates and curb the growing problem of increasing numbers of orphans.

4. Collaboration and Stewardship

Collaboration is integral to an effective Christian response to HIV/AIDS. Churches need to advocate and promote increased involvement and networking through inter-faith dialogues to collaboratively address HIV/AIDS prevention. Christians, churches, and church organizations need to listen to each other, share with each other, and promote networking.

We have a Christian responsibility to be good stewards of the gifts and resources that God has given or made available to us for use in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Often, we need look no further than the collective pockets of the church as we reach out to help others. However, governments, other civil society organizations, and the private sector often look favorably upon faith-based organizations and can be powerful allies and partners in the fight against AIDS. Therefore, we need to promote alliances and partnerships with various governmental and non-governmental agencies that do not compromise our Christian values.

5. Empowerment and Sustainability

Finally, we come to those things which address empowerment and sustainability issues. More than the development of sustainable projects and activities in HIV/AIDS, we need to plan for a sustained response. In the past, the church has shown that it is there for the long-term, even as others tire, drop out, or shift energy to other crises. While governments and civil society think and fund in terms of three to five year projects, the church has always been concerned about having a sustained presence. There was also a concern that the current resources being used for prevention education may soon need to be redirected to respond to the needs of the increasing number of orphans resulting from HIV/AIDS. With an estimated 43 million people living with HIV/AIDS, the potential number of orphans continues to increase.

Conclusions

Immediately following the CCIH conference, a brochure was drafted for distribution at the June, 2001, United Nations General Assembly Special Session in New York City on the global fight against HIV/AIDS. The following points summarize continued and future directions for how Christians and Christian groups can contribute to the struggle against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis:

    ●    Rise above theological differences to collaborate in addressing the suffering caused by HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB.

    ●    Share information, educational materials, and successful practices.

    ●    Mobilize Christian health networks to scale up their focus on the major infectious diseases through training, public education, community outreach, care, and treatment

    ●    Form partnerships among churches, and between the Christian community and the private sector, governments, and global institutions to capitalize on the comparative strengths of each.

    ●    Break the silence to eliminate the stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV/AIDS and provide a welcoming community to those infected and affected.

    ●    Empower youth, men and women to rise above the predominant, often destructive, patterns of sexual practice by abstaining from sex until marriage and remaining faithful to their spouses. (Such “positive deviants” have contributed significantly to the HIV/AIDS successes in Uganda and the Dominican Republic.)

    ●    Experiment with community outreach strategies that integrate Christian health networks with the life and influence of congregations and parishes, e.g. community-based TB control through DOTS and malaria control through bednet promotion.

    ●    Advocate boldly in global and local settings for greater fairness and resources to confront these diseases.

May God bless us and help us as we move forward within His agenda.