- published: 30 Apr 2009
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Konrad Raiser (born 25 January 1938) is a former General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).
Born in Magdeburg, Germany on 25 January 1938, Raiser studied spent his childhood in Schwerin, Göttingen and Bad Godesberg. After graduating from high school in Tübingen in 1957, Raiser spent six months working in a steel mill in Dortmund, in a programme organised by his church, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD).
His father, a well-known professor of law, was for some years president of the national synod of the EKD. Raiser began studying theology in Tübingen in 1957, moving on to the theological school in Bethel, and later to the universities of Heidelberg and Zürich. He concluded his academic theological education in Tübingen in February 1963, was ordained in May 1964 and finished pastoral training in 1965.and started working with the World Council of Churches, first in the department for Faith and Order.
He later became the Deputy General Secretary. Leaving the WCC in 1983, Raiser began to teach theology at Bochum University in Germany until he returned again to Geneva in 1992. In August 1992, the WCC Central Committee elected Raiser as general secretary for a five-year term. He assumed his responsibilities in January 1993, and in September 1996 was re-elected for a second five-year term which ran until the end of 2002. Noting the press of business facing the Council due to probable changes to be recommended by the Special Commission, and other items, the Central Committee, meeting in Potsdam in 2001, extended his term by one year to December 2003.
Forces beyond your control
expose you to hazardous waste
Arson, the deviants play,
igniting the lead that you taste
Acid, the rain starts to fall,
smokescreen develops above
Nature, the balance destroyed,
killing the life that you love
Legions protest in the streets
The people aren't willing to die
Riots, the masses are angry
Exposing the corporate lie (again)
Fighting the ignorant scum,
they do anything that they please
Fatcats, they don't have the time
to help us prevent this disease
Violence grows with the problem,
an issue the big shots ignore
Anger, the people revolt,
the legions will even the score
Terrorism by another name, the end result's the same
Nobody wants to drink the acid rain, no way!