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Introduction:
Ministry in a Divided Society
Ruth Hutchinson
Comment:
Conscientious Objector
Adam Turkington
From
the Director
David Porter
Christian
Perspectives on Reconciliation
Norman Taggart
Ministry in a divided society
1. Pastor John Dickinson
2. Priest Ken Clarke
The
Laughing Minister
Graham Cheesman
Forgetting
to Remember
Peter Stevenson
Ministry in a divided society
3. Prophet Derek Poole
4. Peacemaker David Porter
Review:
A New Start
Heather Morris
FROM
THE DIRECTOR
As I write Northern Ireland faces another anxious wait to see what the
future holds. The vision for inclusion and accommodation that is at the
heart of the Belfast Agreement must now confront the reality of the deep
mistrust that is at the heart of our society. It could well be that we
are asking too much of ourselves, that our capacity to work together is
severely diminished by the hurt and the trauma we have inflicted on each
other. All of course in the name of lesser and distorted visions that
promote our particular versions of exclusion and domination.
In such a context where trust is at a premium it is important to remember that trust is not so much given as created. Over the last year our politicians have succeeded in many areas, setting out new structures that will require a level of inter party co-operation that is quite remarkable. They presuppose a dynamic of people working together and therefore learning to trust one another. It is hoped that in the activity of getting on with real politics we will find our common concerns and the mutual benefits to be had through new relationships across previously impenetrable boundaries. But we are finding it hard to get to the start.
We live in a place where the shadow cast by the tragedy of Omagh, the hatred and bitterness evident through events surrounding Drumcree and the calculating brutality of the murder of Rosemary Nelson all resonate with our shared experience of the fear and suspicion that stalks our community. The impasse over decommissioning did not occur in a vacuum, but draws on the mistrust in us all that the best intentions of the other side are somehow not compatible with our best interests.
It is very easy at times like this for the church to respond in ways that reflect more of naive optimism than a robust biblical faith. Our convictions of Christian hope are based on the sovereignty of God and not the expediency of the political order. Equally our capacity for vulnerable engagement with both enemy and neighbour is rooted in the example of Jesus and not our expectation of change in the other. The realism of our faith is in this ability to face an indifferent and hostile world and still hold to and act on the basis of the values of Jesus and his kingdom.
The truth of the matter is that we cannot expect others who do not share such faith to take the risks that we as disciples are willing to take. There must be at this point a healthy distinction between the church and the wider community. We are called to be the church of Jesus Christ, a distinctive body of people who exist because of our faith and act primarily for the sake of the gospel.
There are risks I can take as a Christian for peace and for the gospel of peace that I don't expect others to share. The gospel calls the church to a point of vulnerability in the task of witnessing to kingdom values of peace, justice and reconciliation that risks even our survival. We urge politicians to follow this way assuming success as we ourselves fail to grasp the radical implication that the very strategy we are advocating puts everything on the line. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies — and even then there is no guarantee of a harvest in our generation.
Our political leaders have taken their risks. But we need to be careful not to confuse their need for courage in honouring the agreement and building confidence with the wild faithful abandon that is at the heart of Christian faith. We may need to accept the reality that the matrix of trust is too weak to make it possible for our community to take the necessary steps to take us to the next stage. Yet our response should not be despair but the determination to risk all in being the church for a divided, distrustful community because our trust is in God.
David Porter - ECONI's Director
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