A near influenza pandemic that has produced far more heat than light on its nature, causes and solution; continuing crisis in South Asia; the ending of Britain's direct military role in Iraq; and further economic dislocation. Week in and week out the world's agenda gets neither easier nor less demanding. Nor does the religious response - good, bad or just indifferent.
 
Here at Ekklesia we are very fortunate to be able to draw on a wide pool of expertise, both 'in house' and much more widely, to help you (and us!) understand more about what is going on, and to shape responses which are both appropriately realistic, remembering that the status quo approach is often far from that.  Such responses can also be genuinely hopeful, because they are rooted in solutions from the grassroots not unaccountable power.
 
In this bulletin our research focus probes behind the 'Swine Flu' headlines to deeper issues. Our feature writers address the dangerous denial of the Armenian Genocide, hope beyond murderous injustice in Sri Lanka, and the question about who should head up the BBC's efforts to report, comment and reflect issues of religion and belief - including non-religious belief - in its public broadcasting mandate.
 
Behind all this lies some despair about the way Christians and others are sometimes acting, reflected both negatively and positively in our highlighted quotations from a disenchanted modern bishop and a rigorous Jewish thinker and mystic from centuries ago. Then again, we discover, Christians and those of other faith and good faith are also highly constructive actors, too.
 
The event we draw attention to is very much about finding different, non-violent ways of healing the world: the training and action of our Christian Peacemaker Teams partners. Thinking in action addresses the economy, and in particular the banking system, meanwhile.
 
In terms of media, we look at how Ekklesia is both informing and involved in debates and issues.
 
Last, but not least, our book choice challenges the simplistic sloganising and division which can characterise inter-church arguments. Lost in the Middle? Shows how the insights of both liberal and evangelical Christianity can work together in a faithful and constructive pattern. Difficult news for 'nay sayers' (be they religious or secular) but good news for the rest of us - the hopefully mobilising majority, perhaps.  

 

Since it is May Day today, we conclude with an article on faith and labour from the Boston Review.