As a church, we remain apolitical yet we are not silent. We stand on the side of Justice.
Every Kenyan has a right to peacefully protest and voice their opinions on any issues that touch on their governance. We are convinced that God stands with the poor and the powerless. Jesus was a foreigner in a country seeking safety, Jesus lived under the oppression of a regime that thrived on forced labor and punitive taxes, and He was killed for speaking out what the regime found as speech they wanted to suppress. And we believe as scripture says, “Whoever mocks the poor, shows contempt for his maker!” (Proverbs 17:5).
His response nonetheless was nonviolent. He disarmed his disciples when it felt right for them to take up arms as Peter once did. Yet He is mighty and strong and fights for the weak. Jesus spoke Truth to the injustice of that time and continues to speak Truth to the injustices of our day. And so as a church, we stand with the least of these, we stand with the oppressed, we stand with the poor.
In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “No we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until Justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” So we render our full support to non-violent and peaceful action. We condemn the deaths of any protesters, we decry the abduction of Citizens of our Country as a path in the wrong direction taking us much closer to days past.
How can the church respond?
- We will pray, inviting our Prince of Peace and our God of Justice to intervene
- We will continue to speak the truth with boldness.
- Me eir conscie helia re to boldly and peacefully speak up for what they believe
- We encourage believers to live primarily as invited to in God’s word
- Provide care for both police and protesters,
- Safety for protesters
Edgar King,
National Director,
Association of Vineyard Churches (Kenya).
For the National Council of the Vineyard Churches (Kenya)
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