***Please note Ekklesia's bulletins will be taking a break from Friday 24th July for the summer.  They will resume again on Monday 7th September*** 

 

One essence of the shift from Christendom to post-Christendom is that the churches no longer have the same degree of control of the terms of engagement with society, governing authority and culture. For many, this loss of power is a threat. For others (and certainly for Ekklesia), this shift creates an exciting new opportunity to recover Christian values and practices which have been submerged by the dangerous alliance of faith with power.
 
First, however, it is vital to understand and critically explore the changing context. The language of 'Spiritual Capital' has emerged of late as technocratic societies seek ways of harvesting its benefits for a variety of ends. We see both gains and problems in this. Our Research Focus this week features a paper offering some initial reflections from a positive angle. Our highlighted Event, meanwhile, is the upcoming International Society for the Sociology of Religion conference on the challenges of religious pluralism.
 
The moving ground we are operating on in contemporary society poses many questions about adaptation and transformation. The first of our feature articles this time looks back to the events of Stonewall in 1969 and forward to the churches' struggle with issues of equality and sexuality today. As a counterpoint, the second article looks at the nature of social hope from a theological perspective, contrasting it with optimism and wishful thinking.
 
Memory and hope to resource a creative encounter between faith and a world in transition is also the focus of our book selection, a practical, reflective and exegetical work by highly-regarded scholar Walter Brueggemann, who brings together biblical studies and the quest for justice and peace.
 
In a more meditative vein Thinking in Action features two talks on peacemaking by Jean Vanier, known for his pioneering work bridging the worlds of the able bodied and those living with particular disabilities. Our quotations act as further reminders about how we respond, and to whom, in a changing world.