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Comment:
Promoting Supporters
David Hewitt
Editorial:
A Future with Hope
Alwyn Thomson
A
FUTURE WITH HOPE
We enter 1995 with greater hope than at any time in recent memory. With
the tragic exception of the murder of Frank Kerr, the ceasefires have
held. Exploratory talks are taking place between gov-ernment representatives
and republican and loyalist parties. Economic investment is being heralded
as the path to a new future.
But there is still an uneasy sense of unreality about it all. People know that the real issues are still there and will not easily go away. Is the union safe, or does this development mark yet another step on the road to a united Ireland? Will the British withdraw, or at least become persuaders for Irish unity?
Yet the core issue facing us is not one of constitu-tional status within the UK or Irish nationhood. The problem in our community is one of relation-ships - can we, do we, want to live together in mu-tual respect and acceptance? Partition, as J C Beck-ett reminds us, is in the hearts and minds of Irish people.
For a Christian this is not a downbeat analysis. The gospel is all about relationships - relationships of love with God, our neighbour and our enemy. Our hope is in Jesus who can transform hearts and minds and so bring about renewed relationships. The challenge for us is, Have we allowed his gos-pel of love to transform us and our relationships in this divided community? Are we a people of living hope?
Whatever it may bring, 1995 will be the greatest test of the professed Christian character and disci-pleship of our community as we seek to build a fu-ture with hope.
Alywn Thomson - ECONI's Research Officer
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