On Wednesday, September 25, the Lausanne Movement issued an official apology for remarks by Ruth Padilla DeBorst during a Monday evening session where she spoke about the war in Gaza and blamed certain people for using dispensational eschatology as an excuse for violence.
The apology inadvertently created further controversy, however, as some questioned why these but not other comments were deemed offensive and called on participants of such global events to behave like “grown-ups” who can handle robust debates.
In her speech that formed part of the session on Recommitment – Calling the global Church toward faithfulness in word & deed, Padilla DeBorst spoke about the prophecy in Micah 6:8 that says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
She lamented that the many forms of injustice seen in different parts of the world today resemble the same kind of injustices the Old Testament prophet Micah would have seen in his day, and she challenged the Church not to stay silent.
As part of her remarks, she highlighted that Jesus told his disciples that love is shown in obedience to God’s Word. But she also criticized what she considers religious ideologies that perpetuate injustice.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. There's no room for doubt. God is worshiped not by rights, religious festivities, or even mission activism, all practices that can simply serve as masks, but by ethical obedience. What makes God’s people such are not superficial expressions of religious piety, ‘Christianese’ jargon, worship jingles, or colonialist theologies that justify and finance oppression under the guise of some dispensational eschatology,” she said.
Later on, as she referred to “loving mercy” in Micah 6:8, Padilla DeBorst referenced the war in Gaza, saying: “There's no room for indifference towards all who are suffering the scourge of war and violence. The world around the uprooted and beleaguered people of Gaza, the hostages held by both Israel and Hamas and their families, the threatened Palestinians in their own territories. All who around the world are mourning the loss of loved ones. Their pain is our pain.”
The two passages triggered strong reactions by some participants who accused Padilla DeBorst of blaming violence in the Holy Land on dispensational eschatology, a theological view that holds to a literal interpretation of Old Testament prophecies that speak about the nation of Israel. Further objections pointed to her assertion of Israel holding hostages and the lack of mention of Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, among others.
Apology says Lausanne failed to carefully review manuscript, consider potential offense to diverse audience
However, criticism was also directed at Lausanne’s leadership for not acting before Padilla DeBorst took the stage.
In a press conference the following day, a Lausanne spokesperson confirmed to reporters that all manuscripts had to be submitted by speakers ahead of time for review, to estimate timing and to prepare translations into other languages. He also confirmed that the manuscript contained the passages in question and that no feedback was given to or change requested from the speaker.
Finally, two days after the speech, Lausanne Congress Director David Bennett sent an official apology to all participants.
He highlighted that Lausanne is a diverse community and that “although we share a common biblical and theological foundation in our affirmation of the Lausanne Covenant, the Manila Manifesto, and the Cape Town Commitment, we include people from a great variety of cultural, theological, historical and political perspectives.”
Lausanne seeks to create space for robust discussions, including theological discourse, “in pursuit of greater wisdom in the advancement of global mission.”
Bennett acknowledged that speakers may hold a variety of views on different issues. “They will sometimes disagree with one another, even though they each affirm the foundational documents,” he said. But he also emphasized that speakers’ statements “do not necessarily represent an ‘official’ Lausanne position.”
Nevertheless, the organization’s leadership seeks to “be gracious and respectful listeners in our interactions with one another, in the spirit of Lausanne.”
Referring to Lausanne’s review of manuscripts, he then said Lausanne failed to be careful enough and did not sufficiently consider how a speaker’s words or tone of voice may come across to the diverse audience gathered at the event.
While not naming Padilla DeBorst directly, Bennett then apologized for the offense her remarks caused, saying: “As Congress Director, I would like to offer an apology for a presentation this week which singled out ‘dispensational eschatology’ in a critical tone, implying that it contributed to violence and injustice, and which failed to note that many theologies have been misused and misapplied as justifications for violence.”
“That same presentation referred to the suffering of the Palestinian people, but did not express comparable empathy for the suffering of Israeli people, nor adequately express concern for many other peoples and nations of the world that are currently in the throes of violent conflict,” he said.
“We have become aware of significant pain and offense experienced at this Congress from those in dispensational theological contexts, those who are Jews, and those engaged in ministries to Jews and/or in Israel. Our Lausanne team, including me, failed to review the wording of the presentation carefully enough in advance, or to anticipate the hurts and misunderstandings it would cause. As your brother in Christ, and on behalf of our Lausanne leadership, I ask for your forgiveness,” he concluded.
Padilla DeBorst points to limited time, emphasizes importance of speaking up
Approached by Christian Daily International for comment, Padilla DeBorst shared her response to the apology, which she said she prepared after a conversation with Bennett and began circulating even before Lausanne issued their statement.
She started by recalling how the Lausanne Program Team asked her “to talk in Seoul about a theme that is central to God’s character, to the Good News, and to the calling of God’s people in the world.” Properly addressing such a vast topic, however, would have required significantly more time than what she was assigned in the program, she pointed out.
“I was given 15 minutes to speak about justice. Perhaps, I should never have accepted the invitation! There are so many expressions of injustice in our world, how could anyone thoroughly and responsibly tackle such a deep and broad ranging theme, and the complicated scenarios related to it from a biblical and theological standpoint in only 15 minutes?” she asked.
She went on to present her stance on the importance of speaking out on critical issues: “Seeking justice is a marker of God’s people and this requires mourning the pain, naming wrongs, repenting for our complicity, and acting in accordance with God’s character through the work of the Holy Spirit.”
God hears the cries of those suffering injustice, she said, and echoing God’s compassion means weeping with the poor and marginalized, whether they be victims of racism, abuse, displacement or other issues. “We weep with all who suffer war the world round. Their pain is our pain,” she said.
“We are sent into the world in all its messiness as Jesus was. We do not shy away from reality in spite of its complexity. Instead, we name what we see, recognizing that our perspective is marked by our experience and context, that others have different views, that we can only gain a fuller picture by listening humbly to one another and that, at the same time, we are to actively seek justice, echoing with God’s heart to make all things right.”
Referring to her remarks about dispensational eschatology, she emphasized that this was “not in any way a blanket dismissal of dispensational theology and, even less, of sisters and brothers who subscribe to that stance.”
“For the pain my statement might have caused, I am sorry,” she added, and clarified that what she actually referred to in her speech was “the troubling theological rationale sustained by some people to perpetrate injustice against certain other people.”
Speaking to the second issue, she explained why she decided to highlight the war in Gaza.
“Although I did refer to ‘all who are suffering’ and ‘all who are mourning’ the world round, why would I zero in on Gaza and Palestinians? Why explicitly name only them? I am convinced that this is a current justice issue in relation to which we, as Christians, have a particular responsibility,” she said.
She continued by stating, “Truly, the Hamas attack almost a year ago was abhorrent and absolutely reprehensible, and truly people who live in Israel, Jewish, Palestinian and others are being threatened as I write. Their pain is our pain.”
“At the same time, the long-standing suffering of Palestinians has been compounded by the attacks on Gaza since October 7 where over 40,000 people have been killed, many of them, children. Additionally, settler attacks have only increased in the West Bank. Their pain is our pain – or it should be,” she said.
She asserted, however, that “far too many evangelicals around the world a-critically ‘stand with Israel’, and remain oblivious to the suffering Palestinians. This injustice must be named.”
She concluded by referencing another speaker at the Lausanne Congress, saying, “It is my prayer that, as the Reverend Dr Anne Zaki so clearly challenged us, we might courageously raise our voices and not be silenced and that we might humbly engage in respectful conversation in the midst of our differences so that, together, we might declare and display Christ in a broken world.”
Lausanne apology risks contributing to more division
While Lausanne’s apology sought to quiet down criticism from some corners, it risks stirring up even greater controversy as participants expressed concerns about the leadership’s selective judgment by singling out these two particular issues and ignoring others.
“In my view this apology was totally against the ethos of Lausanne,” said Tim Adams, General Secretary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in comments sent to Christian Daily International.
“Within the agreed theological framework of previous Lausanne statements, Lausanne has been a place which brings people together to overcome barriers and unite to serve the Great Commission,” he said, adding: “My fear is this apology will do more to divide than to unite.”
Speaking from his own experience as head of “a global movement that embraces those with different theological perspectives, within an agreed doctrinal basis,” he also challenged those who took offense by Padilla DeBorst remarks.
Without commenting on the content of the speech, Adams said, “Lausanne is a place for grown-up Christians who can handle robust debate with fellow evangelical believers without throwing their toys out of the pram.”
At the same time, he believes it’s not too late to come together to resolve disagreements and find a way forward that reflects the Spirit of Lausanne.
“The congress is not over, and I hope we can work through this.”
