‘And they shall live secure…’
Bridget Walker and Barbara Forbes report on a recent Church and Peace regional gathering
Church and Peace, the European ecumenical network which grew out of dialogue between the peace churches following the second world war, has had a fairly low profile in its Britain and Ireland region recently. This is now set to change after a meeting in Birmingham at the end of October, which was generously hosted by Central England Area Meeting.
The keynote speaker was Simon Barrow, co-director of the web-based think-tank Ekklesia, which aims to transform politics and belief and hold out for ‘something different’ from the dominant ideas of the mainstream, ‘big religion’.
Under the heading of ‘Rethinking Security: the moral and theological challenge’, Simon looked at security at local and global levels, at how strength is valued, economically, politically and militarily, and how fear is used, turning the threat of insecurity into a political weapon. Christianity, he said, disarms this form of security by offering a new way of living – sharing rather than hoarding, offering shelter, valuing vulnerability, speaking and living truthfully in a dissembling culture, which rests on the lie that Walter Wink has called ‘the myth of redemptive violence’. We are clear that our ultimate security is with God; the Christian way of revenge is called resurrection, and death is not the final word.
A panel discussion looked at these issues in particular contexts. Trevor Williams described the fear in the strongly contested society of Northern Ireland, and the work of the Corrymeela Community in County Antrim over fifty years of creating safe spaces for hearing different and difficult stories. For Pat Gaffney, of Pax Christi, there is a challenge to get across the message that nonviolent action is central to moral and pastoral thinking in the Catholic Church. Pat Nimmo, a United Reformed Church minister in one of Birmingham’s leafy suburbs, said there was every kind of ‘-ism’ in her church: racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia, and now the divisions caused by Brexit. How do we act in this context? She asked: what is the ‘strong man’ we need to bind as individuals, communities and as a nation? Paul Maxwell-Rose, of the Christian International Peace Service, is based in Brixton. He talked of the challenge of addressing the fear and powerlessness of many in inner city London. Alan Pleydell described peacebuilding work in the former Yugoslavia with which he had engaged while at Quaker Peace & Social Witness. He has struggled with pacifism – how can we deny protection to those who lack safety? The perennial imperative is to love.
The discussion groups were lively, as we addressed questions around identity, language and the role of the churches and Church and Peace. Identity is many layered; it carries power and is formed by class and education as well as nationality. It is present from the moment we open our mouths and can be used positively or negatively. How do we accept our own identity and respect that of others? Can we celebrate difference and community, and work to repair the damage to inclusivity and diversity which has come with post Brexit Britain? We have one common heritage – we are all citizens of heaven.
Church and Peace has a role in helping churches to make peace central. Its way of operating might be a challenge for some Quakers, based as it is on biblical theology and close networking with other churches. The stimulating nature of different theological approaches was clear throughout the day – and also the common threads that go through all our traditions. Quakers are represented by the Friends World Committee for Consultation/Europe and Middle East Section (FWCC/EMES), and on its board by a member of Britain Yearly Meeting.
An exciting day, we thought, pointing the way to future activity and hard work for Church and Peace and its supporters.
Further information:
Simon Barrow’s talk: http://bit.ly/2fDwDEa
Comments
Please login to add a comment
