Introduction: Peace, Justice & Reconciliation
Derek Poole

Comment
Lesley Macaulay

From the Director
David Porter

Now and Not Yet
Stephen Williams

Grace: An Attribute of Reconciliation
Graham Cheesman

Reflections on ECONI
Ken Wilson & Brian Moore

Stanley Who?
Alwyn Thomson

Justice
Billy Mitchell

Peace
Ethel White

Reconciliation
Brian Cruise

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REFLECTIONS ON RECONCILIATION
Let me begin by telling you a story. I can remember as an eight-year old boy walking along the Comber Road in Dundonald on the way home from a friend's house. Almost at home I encountered three boys, a bit older that myself. They asked me a to spell 'Harry', which I did. They told me I got it right but they still gave me a kick and I ran on home in tears, totally confused. It was only later that I realised I had managed to pronounce the letter h in the 'prod' way. I have often thought over that incident. The more I get involved in reconciliation work, the more I see how that small encounter illustrates many of the issues which must come out on the table if we are to make any headway as a church or society.

Let me first define my understanding of the word 'reconciliation'. I have always taken the view that christians should mirror the one they follow. Colossians chapter 1 sets before us a picture of the Supremacy of Christ. It tells us that God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Christ, and through his death on the cross he reconciled all things to himself, therefore making peace. In the cross God began a process where he could be reconciled with his now redeemed yet still sinful people. Through the Holy Spirit he empowered us to change and become more like the perfect one - Jesus, a process that will never end until we reach heaven. If God, who is holy and perfect, is willing to restore relationship with fallen man, who are we to say that we as fallen men can not get into relationship with each other?

For me reconciliation work is not just something we do if we feel inclined. There is a responsibility on us as the children of God. Let me remind you of the prayer Jesus prayed, recorded for us in John 17. He prayed that the church would be one. He did not pray about the other issues the church spends many hours discussing and falling out over. He prayed that they might be one, not just a nice happy family, although that would be a refreshing change. His reason was so that people might believe that he is the one from God, the Messiah. To our shame the church is seen by many as a bunch of people who should have much in common, but who fight and squabble over largely secondary issues, and all the time our broken relationships block out the vision and reality of the love of God for the world. I'm prepared to accept there are legitimate theological and doctrinal concerns too important to ignore. But I am not prepared to accept that this can be used as a reason to be rude, aggressive, negative, condemnatory or just plainly lacking in love and friendship towards other people.

So how do we respond? The dictionary tells me that one of the meanings of 'reconcile' is to become friendly with someone after estrangement. My starting point is to recognise that we are a divided people Many reasons may be given for these divisions, differences of faith, religion, class, money, possessions, or even personality. But why should these differences lead to broken relationships? For me, and I think for many of us, it is because of ignorance.

The concept of reductionism has helped me understand how I react to certain people or groups of people. We very often reduce people to be the sum total of what we know of them, and therefore relate only to that limited part. As a pastoral minister and in mediation work I have learned that all people are much more than what I have 'reduced' them to be. Because I grew up in East Belfast I developed a reduced understanding of what a Roman Catholic was. I am ashamed to admit that I believed they all worshiped idles, did not believe the Bible, hated all Protestants, supported the IRA and were going to hell unless they stopped being Roman Catholic. No one ever taught that to me formally, it was something I absorbed over a length of time. But no one ever taught me anything different. In Northern Ireland we believe the stereotype, we use and abuse it, allowing it to be the reason why we must not, at any cost, be friendly with the 'other sort'.

For me the work of reconciliation is providing people with the space and opportunity to begin to relate to the whole person. We must try to entice people away from thinking that they have nothing to learn from one who is different from them, and in the most difficult of relationships to keep saying, "Help me understand" no matter how long it takes.

I thank God for giving me an increasing liberty to make new friends and learn from many different people, allowing me to see the wider picture of the work of Christ in the lives of others. I firmly believe that the walls put up in parts of our land in the name of peace have been symbols of the ignorance that has prevented us from relating to one another, serving as covers for us to throw hurtful and painful insults at each other. Let us find ways to begin to pull down these walls, find another way to relate to people, and let the name of the reconciling Christ once again be raised high.

Brian Cruise - Rector of the parishes of Kildress and Altedesert. He is a member of the ECONI Steering Group.