++Kenya on the Millennium Development Goals

A week ago, I had some fun at the expense of --Schori pushing the UN Millennium Development Goals as a Lenten focus. But on a more serious note, the Anglican Archbishop of Kenya notes why that is not an appropriate Lenten focus in his pastoral letter for Lent. After advocating that God’s people should work “to transform society with the gospel,” he adds:

Some church leaders seem to think that the transformation of society will simply come through commitment to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and at home in Kenya, the Vision 2030 initiative and the new constitution. While it is obvious that such good things as feeding the hungry, fighting disease, improving education and national prosperity are to be desired by all, by themselves any human dream can become a substitute gospel which renders repentance and the cross of Christ irrelevant.

Moreover, we need to be discerning about the values behind these visions. For instance the Millennium Development Goals have grown out of a secularised Western culture which is pushing Christianity to the margins and uses the language of human rights and equality to promote irresponsibility in social life and diminish personal responsibility.