The head of the World Council of Churches has affirmed its ties with the U.S. National Council of Churches, praising churches in the United States for “bringing change and reformation in this sinful world”.
“The ‘old world’ of Europe brought the teaching of Martin Luther; you had the Baptist leader and visionary dreamer of a new future, Martin Luther King,” WCC general secretary the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit said on 11 November at the NCC’s centennial ecumenical gathering in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The WCC leader noted that the rest of the world has often criticised U.S. dominance in the 20th century, a period sometimes called the “American century”. But the Norwegian Lutheran cleric said the century would also be noted for the role of the U.S. churches in the development of the international ecumenical movement.
“This needs to be recalled at a time when you and also many others in the world are aware of less beneficial effects of the American century on others in the world,” said Tveit.
[blockquote] “This needs to be recalled at a time when you and also many others in the world are aware of less beneficial effects of the American century on others in the world,” said Tveit.[/blockquote]
One of those “less beneficial effects” being that the official language of Norway is not German. Or Russian. Gag me with a spoon.