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| Issue: # 65 |
22 January 2010 |
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Unsurprisingly, given recent events, there is an international slant to our bulletin this week, including features on Haiti and religion, poverty and wealth as a political and theological issue, and the impact of post-war and pre-election violence in Sri Lanka.
These articles highlight the major challenge that conflict and economic inequality pose in our world, not least to people of faith committed to justice. But that creates positive opportunities for setting out alternatives, too. Our quotations include a reminder of Martin Luther King Jr (MLK day was on 18 January in the USA), who proclaimed that "a different world is possible" - but only on the basis of a commitment to transformation at the level of action as well as idea.
That too was the stance of pioneering Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder, whose posthumous book on violence, peacemaking and war we highlight as our 'Reading Allowed' choice this week - available as always through our online book store, which we naturally encourage you to use regularly. http://books.ekklesia.co.uk Yoder saw the rejection of violence as foundational for a proper understanding of the Christian message, and we strongly concur with him on this. But he was also keen to see how peace could be made possible rather than 'ideal'.
In terms of research, we have recently updated the briefing on the range of work we are involved with on 'Reconsidering the secular', a hot topic in the media and in terms of public policy at the moment. Our event focus - the first-ever public debate about bishops in the House of Lords, ties in with this.
Last but not least, 'Thinking in Action' looks at the creative and thoughtful role of the European churches in pushing for affirmative action on impoverishment across the continent, as the EU launches a year devoted to work on poverty and exclusion.
Meanwhile, the plight of people in Haiti - for the long haul, as well as in the immediate crisis - remains on all our minds. So Ekklesia will continue to monitor issues and developments closely.
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| Ekklesia works on a not-for-profit basis, and deliberately maintains its independence from large institutions and their funding. If you value this bulletin please consider making a donation to keep it going and support Ekklesia's work. You can do it through PayPal here |
| Why poverty and wealth remain the issue |
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By Simon Barrow
Modern political discourse often denies the centrality of wealth and poverty to the concerns it addresses, says Ekklesia's co-director. It is in denial. But so are Christians when they fail to see the centrality of wealth and poverty to the biblical narrative and to the Gospel vision. The consequences are starkly seen in Haiti at the moment, where natural disaster has been compounded by grinding poverty to create human catastrophe. Read the full article here |
| Demonising Haiti, ignoring slavery |
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By Spencer Dew
It is not enough simply to denounce tele-evangelist Pat Robertson over his remarks about Haiti, says a Chicago-based theologian. Without honest confrontation of the legacies of our past as a slave society, some 'they' will always be demonised and some 'devil' will always be imagined as a mask for our earthly hatreds and fears.
Read the full article here |
| Secrets and lies in post-war Sri Lanka |
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By Savitri Hensman
Behind the bravado and bold promises of the election contenders in Sri Lanka is the shadow of past violence, says an Ekklesia associate with a special research interest in the region of her birth. Many are in denial about the effects of a violent heritage, she says, but unless the grim legacy is at least acknowledged, future unity and stability may be undermined.
Read the full article here |
| Quota |
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Sayings from the week and wisdom from the tradition
"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear... Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend." - Martin Luther King Jr
"We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavouring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still." - John Stuart Mill (1859)
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| Research Focus |
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Reconsidering the secular
An ongoing research, reporting and action project from Ekklesia with a number of overlapping elements. This includes cooperation with academic and civic bodies, working towards the development of an inclusive vision of secularity in the public square - one based on dialogue and free expression; a proper distinction between religious and public authorities; and maintaining a fair civic arena for the widest range of public actors, both religious and non-religious.
Read the brief and extensive links here |
| Media and web debate |
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 Ekklesia in the news this week
Ekklesia works on a not-for-profit basis. Please support Ekklesia's work with the press and other media by donating through PayPal here |
| Event: First-ever public debate on the future of bishops in the House of Lords |
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The Lords' Speaker, Baroness Hayman, has given permission for the first-ever debate in the Palace of Westminster on the future of the bishops in the House of Lords.
The unprecedented debate involving Ekklesia co- director Jonathan Bartley, will be attended by the Rt Revd Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, who in November last year was appointed 'Convenor of the Lords Spiritual'. Joining him to defend the status quo will be Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, formerly one of the most senior judges in the country; well known for cases like the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the decision to grant lifelong anonymity to the killers of Jamie Bulger.
The event takes place in Committee Room 10, Houses of Parliament, on Wednesday 27 January, at 7:30pm. It will be held at Parliament and chaired by Times columnist and broadcaster David Aaronovitch.
See the full press release here
Tickets for the debate are free and available to the public via the event website, www.evict-the-bishops.com |
| Thinking in Action |
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European Churches' reflection and action on poverty
Poverty is a stark social and spiritual issue as well as an individual one, churches in Europe are saying as the European Union prepares to promote a special year to highlight the fight against its dehumanising effects. The European Year 2010 against poverty and social exclusion was launched on 21 January 2010 in Madrid.
79 million people in the EU - or 16 per cent of the population - currently live at risk of poverty, according to the Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion in 2009.The percentage of people living at the risk of poverty in Europe outside the EU is even higher, points out a document entitled 'Poverty Hurts Your Soul' from the Conference of European Churches (CEC).
The churches' response to the EU initiative urges that it should not simply be a "publicity event", but should lead to real change in policies on the economy, integration, employment, social policy and migration. 'Poverty Hurts Your Soul' sets out theological as well as strategic perspectives on poverty, encouraging a holistic vision of society and a preparedness to "put the least first" in accordance with the core message of the Christian gospel. Further details here
Read the full CEC document here (*.PDF Adobe Acrobat document).
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Reading Allowed |
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 The War of the Lamb: The ethics of nonviolence and peacemaking by John Howard Yoder, Glen Stassen, Mark Theissen Nation, Matt Hampsher (Eds)
Mennonite scholar John Howard Yoder was one of the major theologians of the late twentieth century. Before his death, he planned the essays and structure of this book, which he intended to be his last work. Now two leading interpreters of Yoder bring the work to fruition. The book is divided into three sections: pacifism, just war theory, and just peacemaking theory. The volume crystallizes Yoder's argument that his proposed Christian ethics was/is not sectarian and a matter of withdrawal. He also clearly argues that Christian just war and Christian pacifist traditions are basically compatible--and more specifically, that the Christian just war tradition itself presumes against all violence. ISBN: 9781587432606 (SKU, 2009) 240pp, £22.25 For more information and to purchase through Ekklesia | |
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