Introduction: Christian Citizenship
Derek Poole

Comment
Priscilla Reid

From the Director
David Porter

Outside the Camp
Donald Watts

Citizenship
From 'For God and His Glory Alone'

Love: An attribute of Citizenship
Graham Cheesman

Memory and Redemption
David J Montgomery

Holy Nation
Lois Barrett

Grace Healed Eyes
Steve Stockman

Negotiating the Future
Deirdre Mullan

Book Reviews
Alwyn Thomson and Dorothy McMillan

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LOVE ... An Attribute of Citizenship
Love is a difficult word to write about because it is used in such a messy way these days. Perhaps this has always been so. It is a sort of suitcase word, into which every generation, culture, even individual, packs what they will, picks it up and goes off on the journey of life looking for, and even sometimes showing that sort of love.

Our generation has all sorts of things in the suitcase; warm feelings, a dose of western Europe's romantic tradition, a colourful package from Hollywood and some of the baggage from how we were loved (or not) as children. So it is ill equipped to read the New Testament on love or put it into practice. But what is Christian love?

A non-emotional love

Emotion often accompanies Christian love Jesus wept over Jerusalem - but that emotion is not of its essence. You can love without going weak at the knees. After all Jesus said, "Love your enemies". Its core is deeds. We need to dump the sentiment and get on with the actions. Positive actions, that is. For too long, evangelical Christians have defined themselves by what they don't do. Love defines us by what we do.

A love that is persistent when unrequited

It is all very well to admire, even enjoy, romantic unrequited love, but in the real world 'she doesn't love me' is a reason to say 'I won't love her'. No such luxury exists for the Christian because of the way he has been treated by Christ. My attitude to the other person is independent of their attitude to me.

A self disregarding love

Not that we shouldn't love ourselves, but that Christian love is directed towards the good of the other, at cost to ourselves. Marriage is a good example. By all means go to the rugby match, but if that means your wife cannot go to the woman's meeting, you know which one you are asked to prefer. It is not an abdication of your identity, it is the affirming of the priority of the other person, a following of Christ.

A love for God and His kingdom

Paul had rights, to be paid for his work for instance, but he did not work for his rights in Corinth because he judged the Kingdom would be best served by not insisting. At other times, such as leaving Philippi, he insisted on his rights because, once again, he judged this would best serve the kingdom. In love, rights are subservient to what is best for God's purposes.

An unexpected love

This is because it is counter-cultural, and time and again comes as a surprise. Can you imagine the surprise on the face of the Roman soldier, the occupying enemy, when the Christian carried his pack the second mile? Can you see the believer's difficulty explaining to his friends that it was love, not collaboration with the other side?

A love which validates other actions

And if love validates everything else we do, a lack of love invalidates all other things in the life of the believer. Paul in 1 Cor 13 mentioned tongues, self sacrifice, good deeds and prophecy but he could just as easily have mentioned truth without love, justice without love, Protestantism without love, as all counting for nothing.

Politics and Love

Jesus was particularly insistent about Christians living this sort of love across a political, religious and cultural divide in the story of the good Samaritan. What could that mean in our situation?

Firstly, it could mean working for a new image of our community, in the eyes of ourselves and those of the other community. How do you want to be represented? Helder Camara once famously said, "Love that is not political is not love". In a situation where Christians are represented by politicians, we ought to insist that 'politics that is not love is not Christian politics'.

Every profession has its temptations which Christians in that profession must resist. In Law, the Christian must be careful to tell the truth. In Accountancy, she must be careful to be honest. In Medicine, you cannot treat the next patient as another piece of meat but rather you must be caring. In Politics, the danger for the Christian is that he or she does not love the other side. But Christians can ask their politicians not only to represent their interests, but also their love. There are some outstanding examples of this in private constituency work but we can ask for more 'surprising love' in public stance and utterance.

Secondly, it could mean a new concept of citizenship, where each group works for its own interests and rights, but also for the interests of the other groups. Love does not mean ignoring your own aspirations but, for the Christian, it means that where a clash between your aspirations and the valid aspirations of another occurs, you work to fulfil the desires of the other rather than your own. Even alone in the polling booth, the Christian loves his enemy before himself. Christian citizenship, theory and practice, is love.

Graham Cheesman - the Principal of Belfast Bible College. His previous work included eight years in Nigeria teaching theology and service as a Baptist minister in England.