As the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) gathered in Hannover this December to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Accra Confession, Allan Aubrey Boesak, a significant voice in the Reformed tradition, reflects on its enduring impact. The Accra Confession, adopted in 2004 in Accra, Ghana, marked a pivotal moment in the history of the WCRC, signaling the church’s commitment to prophetic faith and social justice. However, Boesak questions how far the church has come since that defining moment, and whether it has moved from a “scandalous” world to one that is more hopeful.
For Boesak, the Accra Confession cannot be understood without reflecting on its deep connection to the past. He highlights the profound experience of being in Elmina Castle, a site of immense historical trauma tied to the transatlantic slave trade. Boesak writes, “In Accra, Ghana, overcome with shocked grief at the devastating memories locked up in Elmina Castle, humbled and shaken by the inescapable presence of the spirits of our betrayed, enslaved and slaughtered ancestors still haunting that god-forsaken place, we were moved from sobered awareness to remorseful confession to prophetic boldness.” The confession, therefore, is not just a geographical marker but a spiritual awakening for the church, compelling it to confront historical and ongoing injustices.
This reflection on Elmina becomes a lens through which the church interprets Scripture and the signs of the times. Boesak argues that the world, much like the inside of Elmina Castle, is one filled with exploitation, greed, and violence. He writes, “Outside Elmina, we stepped into a world of social death, economic exploitation, overrun by imperialist greed and acquisitiveness, ruled by the heresies of capitalist consumerism. We declared that world a scandalous world.” For Boesak, the current world is far from liberated from its past. “Twenty years later, the world has changed, shockingly and seemingly irrevocably so,” he asserts, as global powers continue to perpetuate systems of domination and destruction.
The issue of Palestine, and particularly the genocide in Gaza, has become central in Boesak’s reflection on the current state of the world. Drawing from his deep knowledge of African history, he connects the suffering of Palestinians with past genocides. “The first genocide in modern history was the genocide of the Khoi and the San in South Africa by the Dutch and subsequently by the British in the 17th and early 18th centuries,” he says. He further links this to the atrocities in Palestine and Lebanon, seeing them as part of a larger, interconnected struggle for justice. He asks, “Is our concern for internal unity, financial security, and ecumenical harmony an excuse for our failure to more vigorously condemn, and act against, the genocide in Gaza and all of Palestine?” This question challenges the church’s role in standing up for justice and confronting the complicity of those who remain silent in the face of violence.
The Accra Confession’s call to stand in solidarity with the oppressed is something Boesak sees as fundamental to the Reformed tradition. He writes, “Accra reaffirms, with Belhar, that this God is ‘in a special way, the God of the destitute, the poor, the exploited, the wronged and the abused.’” For Boesak, the Accra Confession, like the Belhar Confession before it, emphasizes God’s radical justice and love. “God calls us to stand with those who are victims of injustice … against any form of injustice,” he continues, echoing the call for the church to act without excuses or hesitation.
Accra’s engagement with the economic systems that perpetuate global injustice is also crucial. Boesak critiques the prevailing neoliberal capitalist system that he argues exacerbates inequality and exploitation. “In Accra, the world is not just a fallen world; it is a ‘scandalous world,’ in the grip of ruthless, and godless imperial powers,” he states. The Accra Confession names neoliberalism and imperialism as forces that contribute to the suffering of God’s creation. He highlights how these systems of oppression are driven by powerful nations protecting their own interests at the expense of the marginalized.
Yet, even as Boesak confronts the darkness of the world, he insists that there is still hope. He draws inspiration from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s words, “It is certain that we may live always close to God and the light of God’s presence; that nothing is then impossible for us, because all things are possible with God.” For Boesak, this prophetic hope is not naïve but rooted in the belief that, despite the overwhelming crises of the world, God’s transformative power can lead the church toward a more hopeful future. He concludes, “With genocide unfolding in indescribable shades of absolute horror, unending suffering of God’s children everywhere, and terrifying uncertainties about everything in mind, but with the faith and sumud of Palestinians in our hearts … may I remind you now of the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, that martyr of the Christian faith as he speaks to us in the power of his faithfulness in the Kairos moment of his times.”
Boesak’s reflection on the Accra Confession urges the church to move beyond passive statements of faith to active engagement with the world’s injustices. The call is clear: the church must confront the powers that perpetuate evil, both within and outside its walls. In this moment of global turmoil, Boesak asks the church to remain faithful to its prophetic mission and to act for justice, truth, and love—so that the hope of a better world may one day be realized.
