tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16847524459493404872024-03-13T20:02:32.702+00:00engageTrying to be a network of engagement and actionmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.comBlogger257125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-88937894799258254402010-11-30T20:17:00.001+00:002010-11-30T20:18:31.920+00:00Quote of the Week # 3"A cask of wine works more miracles than a church full of saints!"<div><br /></div><div>This was on our service order this week!</div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-74859781424201903022010-09-02T11:46:00.003+01:002010-09-02T12:10:29.038+01:00Parable of the Unjust Judge<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/TH-GDqglK3I/AAAAAAAABaE/5Ud9PuMelAM/s1600/ist2_7545236-unjust-judge-and-the-importunate-widow.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 380px; height: 335px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/TH-GDqglK3I/AAAAAAAABaE/5Ud9PuMelAM/s400/ist2_7545236-unjust-judge-and-the-importunate-widow.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512271866433448818" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><i>"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about human beings. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about people, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' </i></b></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><i>And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"</i></b></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I know this will seem obvious to most people, but I was really struck, when reading this parable recently, at how much it was about justice and liberation. I had always read it as a slightly odd tale about prayer - comparing God to an unjust judge never really seemed to work for me. But, recently I have become aware of unjust judges everywhere - judges who send asylum seekers back to countries where they are threatened with their lives; </span></span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/nov/16/israel2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">this</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> judge, who acquitted an Israeli soldier after emptying his rifle into a Palestinian school girl. The parable appears, in this light, to be about the power of nagging unjust officials - apartheid ended because the international community kept going on and on about it. It is also about a conviction that justice is on its way because God is committed to justice. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As Martin Luther King said, "the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice". Keep nagging unjust officials and believe in God's commitment to justice. Is that what its saying?</span></span></span></div></div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-64487491284638767512010-08-31T15:55:00.002+01:002010-08-31T15:58:44.448+01:00Quote of the Week # 2In view of the excellent debate at the Greenbelt Festival this weekend on boycotting Israeli products, this quote comes to mind:<div><br /></div><div><b>"Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want." </b>(Anna Lappe)</div><div><br /></div><div>For those interested in boycotting Israeli goods, the key website is <a href="http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-brands.html">here</a>.</div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-78230126459473495742010-08-26T09:39:00.003+01:002010-08-26T17:45:01.252+01:00Quote of the Week # 1I have a Solomon-like fascination with great quotes that sum up truth in a pithy, often humorous way (all other comparisons with Solomon I deny!). I will try to post my favourite ones from time to time and encourage others to do the same and comment on them, if they wish). Here is the first:<div><br /></div><div>"I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed." (Nelson Mandela)</div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-307663888776234772010-08-26T08:21:00.005+01:002010-08-26T09:39:03.760+01:00To fight or not to fight!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/THYWngNqeAI/AAAAAAAABZ8/XYv3cNSrDN8/s1600/mandela.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 244px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/THYWngNqeAI/AAAAAAAABZ8/XYv3cNSrDN8/s400/mandela.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509616062052333570" /></a>Mandela's, 'Long walk to Freedom' has been my summer reading this year and I've certainly enjoyed it. While reading it, I was constantly aware that this is only one side of the story, but it is, nonetheless, the most important and fascinating side of the story. Mandela was, without doubt, a great leader, always breaking new ground.<div><br /></div><div>Mandela inevitably draws comparisons with Gandhi and Martin Luther King, but there are two glaring differences between Mandela and these two great leaders. Unlike King and Gandhi, Mandela was not religious and was not committed to non-violence - the two were no doubt connected. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mandela regarded himself as a Methodist and noted, in his early years, if anything good was being done in South Africa it was invariably done by the church. However, religion did not appear to play a significant part in his life or in the motivation for his action. In fact, no ideology controls Mandela. He comes across as a pragmatist. He does not think in universal terms - peace and justice was certainly his goal, but this could mean violence and injustice might be necessary in the process. This is evident in probably the only paragraph in the book I found distasteful. Writing about the killing of nineteen civilians in 1983, he said,</div><div><br /></div><div>"I felt profound horror at the death toll. But disturbed as I was by these casualties, I knew that such accidents were the inevitable consequence of the decision to embark on a military struggle. Human fallibility is always a part of war, and the price of it is always high. " (p.617-618)</div><div><br /></div><div>Mandela was, in my view, a man of peace. He held South Africa back from the brink of civil war, but was willing to use violence to achieve this peace. The reason, he said, was that there was no constitutional outlet for non-violence,</div><div><br /></div><div>"I told them [reporters] that the conditions in which Martin Luther King struggled were totally different from my own: the United States was a democracy with constitutional guarantees of equal rights that protected non-violent protest... South Africa was a police state with a constitution that enshrined inequality and an army that responded to non-violence with force. I told them I was a Christian and had always been a Christian. Even Christ, I said, when he was left with no alternative, used force to expel the moneylenders from the temple. He was not a man of violence, but had no choice but to use force against evil. I do not think I persuaded them." (p.620)</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't think he persuades me either! A great leader he may have been, a theologian, he certainly was not! Whether Christ was "left with no alternative" is a moot point. He certainly didn't kill nineteen people! What's more, Jesus was confronted by a regime much more violent and oppressive than South Africa's, with absolutely no outlet for non-violent protest, and all the evidence suggests he did not advocate violence. Strikingly, King in his sermon on 'The Meaning of Non-violence' shared the view that violence is sometimes necessary in less constitutional contexts than the US. I remain undecided.</div><div><br /></div><div>Leaving aside the universalism of King and Gandhi, simply on the pragmatic question of whether violence worked in South Africa, I also remain to be convinced. Did it bring the peace closer or hold it back? It certainly added to the lack of international support for Mandela.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite these reservations about Mandela's support of violence, I heartily recommend the book as inspiring and thought-provoking, if you've got the time to wade through it.</div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-87711112047345974312010-08-24T19:31:00.002+01:002010-08-24T19:32:55.734+01:00RevengeThis is not quite forgiveness, but it is a moving decision not to demonize the aggressor.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K4fpjDUl1vk?fs=1&hl=en_GB"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K4fpjDUl1vk?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-75810656597817787092010-08-21T21:23:00.004+01:002010-08-22T19:06:04.487+01:00Tears of Gaza<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/THA43JoKnCI/AAAAAAAABZs/kOsT6TKETSU/s1600/tears001.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 221px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/THA43JoKnCI/AAAAAAAABZs/kOsT6TKETSU/s400/tears001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507964864402463778" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I thought </span><a href="http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_tears_of_gaza_must_be_our_tears_20100809/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">this</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> speech by Chris Hedges was excellent. He mentions </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px; font-family:Verdana, Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish. Abuelaish shot to notoriety when Israeli TV had lined him up (a Palestinian doctor) to talk about the situation in Gaza. I guess he was a safe bet as he worked with Israelis and Palestinians. However, on live TV he tells the audience that his home has just been hit by a tank shell and his three daughters killed. (see </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnEe2N-kxJk">here</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">) He has since only spoken of forgiveness and reconciliation. He has a book out in </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 17px; font-family:Verdana, Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">January I'm hoping to buy.</span>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-70172242752456161832010-08-09T19:37:00.002+01:002010-08-09T19:41:40.440+01:00A Burning Light, a Cloud, a Voice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/TGBLNZXalEI/AAAAAAAABZk/reuguTZBGIg/s1600/hiroshima.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 192px; height: 262px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/TGBLNZXalEI/AAAAAAAABZk/reuguTZBGIg/s400/hiroshima.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503481438166225986" /></a>On 6th August the church celebrates the Feast of Transfiguration. It reminds us of the story of Jesus climbing a mountain with his closest friends. There was a dazzling light, a cloud that overshadowed them, and they were terrified by the cloud, and a voice.<br /><br />6th August is also the anniversary of a less auspicious event. On 6th August 1945, someone climbed, not a holy mountain, but into the cockpit of a plane - and dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. 150,000 people were killed. Other people later died from the effects of atomic radiation. 75,000 buildings were destroyed. The world has never been the same.<br /><br />There was a voice booming from heaven. Here, too, was brightness, brilliant as burning magnesium. Here, too, a cloud that has come and has covered us all with its shadow. Truly, under the shadow of this new cloud, we are right to feel afraid.<br /><br />Look at the shape of that cloud. It is the new tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We have eaten of its fruit and we shall never be the same again. Our good knowledge of the workings of God's beautiful creation has been turned to evil and annihilation.<br /><br />We should pray and work for a nuclear free world. As Britain, inscrutably, renews its nuclear arsenal, let us protest, conscious that Jesus would say today: "you have learnt that nuclear war is evil, but I say this to you, do not war at all, do not hate, do not harbour a grudge, do not envy, do not bully, do not gossip for all these are the seeds of which the bomb is but the fruit".<br /><br />We commemorate Hiroshima day, world peace day, by telling again the story of another climb, another light, another voice, another cloud. Jesus was speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. The cloud of evil hung over Jesus, just as it does us, but he was not overcome by it. Evil does not have the final word, and so it is today. Let us not be overcome by evil – either in ourselves or in the world.<br /><br />Adapted from <a href="http://www.liturgy.co.nz/reflection/565b.html">here</a>.markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-65511222086443089022010-08-08T22:35:00.002+01:002010-08-08T22:37:40.229+01:00Islam & the MediaI made this video for school when we discuss the media's portrayal of Islam. I thought I'd share it.<div><br /></div><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/g7IufciPADI&hl=en_GB&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/g7IufciPADI&hl=en_GB&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-11537728414216053252010-05-01T22:19:00.010+01:002010-05-01T22:57:26.945+01:00Breaking the silence!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/S9yes8j9fYI/AAAAAAAABYY/WNxEYkMfYUI/s1600/DSC_3159.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/S9yes8j9fYI/AAAAAAAABYY/WNxEYkMfYUI/s400/DSC_3159.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466418542729330050" /></a><br />It would need something pretty special to break my recent silence on this blog, but I guess the shooting of three children in their school is a pretty good reason. During my recent visit to Palestine, I went to a school where three pupils had been shot through the head the previous week for looking towards a Jewish settlement. In another school, one teacher left early to receive his son home from prison, after 18 months without charge. Another young prisoner was not so lucky. He had been beaten to death. I could go on... The situation in Palestine is much much worse than I ever imagined. Most of the men appear to have been in prison, for no other reason than being Palestinians. The ones I met were good people and certainly not terrorists.<div><br /></div><div>On leaving 'Israel', I had everything in my suitcase taken out in front of everyone. Everything was read and I was questioned about it all - I was 2 hours being interrogated. I felt so angry at the intrusion into my privacy. Then I recalled how Palestinians had complained about soldiers coming into their house - always at night - searching and interrogating. I got a sense of the resentment they must feel.</div><div><br /></div><div>But what am I doing about it? I knew before I left that I would come home and become absorbed by the mundane. And, I've been proved right. The people out there are desperate for the West to do something, telling me in no uncertain terms, that they wanted me to take the message back to Britain. So, this is a first attempt to break the silence about Palestine. Please help me in doing so, and don't let me forget it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember the protests and collective condemnation of South Africa in the 1980s. But, what is happening in Palestine is much more than apartheid (which it is), it is ethnic cleansing in slow motion. Where is the collective spirit of protest?</div><div><br /></div><div>What to do? The <a href="http://palsolidarity.org/">International Solidarity Movement</a></div><div><a href="http://www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk/drupal/sheffield_voices">Sheffield Solidarity Movement</a></div><div><a href="http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-brands.html"> Boycott Israeli Goods</a> (eg. M&S)</div><div>Read <a href="http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2010/04/30/10922/frankie_boyle:_bbc_are_cowards">Frankie Boyle's</a> challenge about Palestine.</div><div><br /></div><div> Ask me more!</div><div><br /></div><div>By the way, the picture at the top is of a house from which Palestinians have been evicted. Their homes are now lived in by Israelis, while the original occupants live in a tent outside. As the Israelis go in and out of the house they taunt the 'former' owners (I witnessed this myself), apparently to provoke an incident. Apparently, they started throwing stones at one - an 87 year old woman the week before I was there. More photos <a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/108141010355967583952/SheikhJarrah?authkey=Gv1sRgCObq3bmjlPzlag#">here.</a></div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-7154247140221505342010-01-12T20:29:00.005+00:002010-01-12T20:36:00.441+00:00Cartooning in Conflict<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/S0zbzZjubII/AAAAAAAAAN0/07Re9XR3d28/s1600-h/palestine.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 201px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/S0zbzZjubII/AAAAAAAAAN0/07Re9XR3d28/s400/palestine.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425953327155145858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/S0zbvfLD0KI/AAAAAAAAANs/cPfn50UmzuQ/s1600-h/zebras.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/S0zbvfLD0KI/AAAAAAAAANs/cPfn50UmzuQ/s400/zebras.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425953259942826146" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I was really impressed when I first came across the 'Parents Circle' - bereaved Palestinians and Israelis getting together to promote reconciliation as an alternative to hatred and revenge. Yesterday they opened an exhibition in London, "Cartooning in Conflict". I've posed a couple of my favourite cartoons above. See <a href="http://www.theparentscircle.org/">here </a>for more info.</div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-9299585644652847012009-11-17T19:02:00.003+00:002009-11-17T19:07:17.800+00:00Having sex for virginity!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SwLzimNAFkI/AAAAAAAAANE/WFc2Q_65lYM/s1600/cnd.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SwLzimNAFkI/AAAAAAAAANE/WFc2Q_65lYM/s400/cnd.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405150278494197314" /></a>I was very proud of one of my pupils today as I marked her work. She wrote:<div><br /><div>"I believe all war is pointless and avoidable. It is my belief that fighting for peace is like having sex for virginity. Once a war begins, peace is already lost."</div><div><br /></div><div>Go Girl!</div><div><br /></div><div>Needless to say, she has sanitised this for my ears. The original version of this phrase is somewhat more graphic!</div><div><br /></div></div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-46761083158526927632009-11-11T20:04:00.004+00:002009-11-11T20:16:04.065+00:0010 step plan for peace!<div>When talking to Palestinians recently, they said that most people in their country had lost any sense of hope. They saw no possibility of peace talks ever giving a fair deal to Palestine, because it is always a discussion between unequal parties. This loss of hope is leading to ever more radicalisation, which only makes matters worse.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite saying all this, I liked the video below because I felt that what is being presented is a fair, equitable solution to the Palestinian situation. Will it ever happen? I think we have to believe sometimes, because we have no alternative.</div><div><br /></div>This video is a little long, but for anyone interested in the Palestinian crisis I recommend 02.57 - 23.20. At the end a Jewish theologian makes a point which is very similar to my post <a href="http://engagesheffield.blogspot.com/2009/11/christians-supporting-israel-or.html">here</a>:<div><br /></div><div>"Christians don't know how to stand up to Jews when they're wrong... What is it about Christians? What is it about Christianity?"</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RPKPjflymqw&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RPKPjflymqw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-20414218842414294402009-11-08T18:30:00.009+00:002009-11-11T19:46:40.678+00:00Remembering War!<div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SvcOVQMF7fI/AAAAAAAAAM8/rEg4BGRnrwk/s1600-h/Poppy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401802036339928562" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 355px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SvcOVQMF7fI/AAAAAAAAAM8/rEg4BGRnrwk/s400/Poppy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I have long felt uneasy about some of the ways Remembrance Sunday is kept. The language, at times, seems to glorify war. In fact, the term "glorious dead" is frequently heard. The idea that these people have "won our freedom" is also not always true. But, even where there may be some truth in it, it communicates the message about redemptive violence I don't feel entirely comfortable with. For me, remembering should be what it was always intended to be - remembering war so that it would never be repeated. It was instituted so that the First World War would be the 'war to end all wars'.</div><br /><div>So, it was very good this morning to hear Jonathan Bartley of Ekklesia, on the radio, echoing some of these same ideas. They have done a full report on the subject, which is worth a read and can be found <a href="http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/ReimaginingRemembrance.pdf">here</a>.</div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-40745617044991938702009-11-05T18:36:00.010+00:002009-11-05T19:44:54.359+00:00Christians supporting Israel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SvMd0EtNFnI/AAAAAAAAAM0/7iDWAxllh_g/s1600-h/pic+1001.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SvMd0EtNFnI/AAAAAAAAAM0/7iDWAxllh_g/s400/pic+1001.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400693158601102962" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I love this picture.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It was drawn by a pupil in Palestine and given to me as part of the exchange programme we are running.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It shows the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the way Palestinians are forbidden access to it, even though it is in their city.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This only touches the tip, though, of the human rights abuses Palestinians face on a daily basis.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Another picture given to me (since destroyed in the rain) was a picture of a pupil’s home – a tent.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">His parents were forced out of their homes 40 years ago and are now living in camps.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">They have lost all rights to their homes and aren’t even allowed to travel into Israel, let alone go back to their home towns.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Every day Palestinians face humiliating and intimidating treatment at the hands of Israeli soldiers.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">An enormous wall has been erected around the West Bank.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One school we are linked with is on the wrong side of the wall.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Each day pupils must go through the wall.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It is only open between 7am and 7.30.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sometimes soldiers arrive early and pupils miss getting through.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">They have to wait at the wall until 2 o’clock before it opens again.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I know a lot of this is familiar to most of you who are reading this, but I just want to make a point about Christian allegiances in this conflict.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Many Christians have an instinctive support for Israel, based on the fact that they were the people of God in the Old Testament and that they were promised the land of Israel “for ever as an everlasting possession.”</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Whatever you think of these promises, and the extent to which they are still applicable today, it seems to me there is one thing we could all agree on: Israel, in the Bible, was never beyond criticism – even damning criticism - when it neglected justice.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jesus called Jerusalem to </span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">repentance</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Luke 13:34).</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In fact the promises to Israel were conditional (Lev. 20:22)</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and in the New Testament, John the Baptist railed at those who claimed exemption from judgement by claiming, "We have Abraham as our father." (Matthew 3:9) We, also, should not support Israel while it engages in the confiscation of property and racial apartheid, simply on the basis that Abraham was their father. It was always the extent to which they followed justice that determined whether or not they were the people of God.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.” (Lev. 20:22)</span></span></p>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-46260400034268432362009-10-25T16:23:00.004+00:002009-10-25T17:03:37.699+00:00The Bible and the Postmodern Imagination<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SuSDDr_fyDI/AAAAAAAAAMs/smWwoFHYHlI/s1600-h/brueggemann-texts-under-negotiation.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396582352868591666" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SuSDDr_fyDI/AAAAAAAAAMs/smWwoFHYHlI/s400/brueggemann-texts-under-negotiation.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Having read Brueggemann's book recently - Texts Under Negotiation: The Bible and the Postmodern Imagination - I just want to say that I think it is outstanding. Brueggemann is a brilliant writer and thinker and I think in this book he hits the nail on the head in terms of the direction the church should take and the role of the Bible in the postmodern world. What I like about it is:<br /><br /><br /><ul><br /><li>He understands the power of the 'story' (or 'propaganda', depending which word you want to use). Advertisers wouldn't spend so much on telling us their story if it didn't matter.</li><br /><li>He understands the key role of the Bible in countering that story. If a biblical counter-imagination is not employed, "the Christian congregation will rely on the dominant infrastructure of consumerism." For me, this is why the Bible really matters - the insfrustructure of consumerism is debilitating and dehumanising.</li><br /><li>He makes the Bible utterly relevant to our age, without being under the thumb of postmodern preoccupations.</li><br /><li>He demonstrates brilliantly the signifance of the Bible as story, rather than a set of propositions. </li><li>It is hopeful, yet academically rigerous. So often academia can lead to cynicism and can get caught up in concerns about modernist truth claims. Somehow he remains utterly postmodern, academic, yet faithful and hopeful.<br /></li></ul><p>Nothing I have read in ages has inspired me so much. Read it and enjoy.</p>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-44476776413780100912009-10-23T16:55:00.002+01:002009-10-23T17:04:15.835+01:00Sheffield hosts CAP conference<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SuHT7lEqNxI/AAAAAAAAAMk/lCVUghviW1g/s1600-h/Church-Action-on-Poverty_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395826849083963154" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 101px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 114px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SuHT7lEqNxI/AAAAAAAAAMk/lCVUghviW1g/s400/Church-Action-on-Poverty_1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><strong>Redefining prosperity</strong><br />St Mary's Community Centre, Sheffield</div><br /><div>Saturday 14 November 2009, 11am – 4pm<br />with...Anne Pettifor Leader of Jubilee 2000, author of The Real World Economic Outlook (2003) and The Coming First World Debt Crisis (2006)<br />Cathy McCormack, Grassroots activist & author of The Wee Yellow Butterfly<br />Professor Tim Jackson, Sustainable Development Commissioner, author of Prosperity without growth?<br /></div><br /><div>An opportunity to think theologically about economics!</div><br /><div><br />“It began with a squeeze, then the squeeze became a crunch and the crunch became a downturn and the downturn became a crisis. A crisis of faith as the temple of Mammon on which we have all sought to build our economic prosperity was tried in the fire of truth, honesty and reality, and was revealed to have shaky foundations. …When the day of reckoning came - and there is always a day of reckoning - the winds of truth blew away the countless houses of cards.” John Sentamu, Archbishop of York</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The conference will examine the following questions:<br />What are the immediate and longer-term impacts of the economic crisis for those directly affected?<br />Do we need to fundamentally rethink our idea of prosperity?<br />What can be done to build a major just, equal and sustainable society and economy in future?<br />What positive contribution can faith communities make?<br /></div><br /><div>A donation of £10 waged or £3 unwaged will cover the conference which includes lunch. Please return the <a title="http://www.church-poverty.org.uk/event-items/capconferenceflyer2009 CAP conference booking form" href="http://www.church-poverty.org.uk/event-items/capconferenceflyer2009" target="_blank">booking form</a>, together with your donation (cheques payable to Church Action on Poverty), to the CAP office, Central Buildings, Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JQ. – or email <a title="mailto:janeta@church-poverty.org.uk email CAP" href="mailto:janeta@church-poverty.org.uk" target="_blank">janeta@church-poverty.org.uk</a> to reserve your place.</div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-70057085629478390252009-10-04T20:13:00.005+01:002009-10-04T20:29:56.775+01:00A few things on my mind...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/Ssjz96GcDMI/AAAAAAAAAMc/Yc6kyvWHIt4/s1600-h/banksy+madonna.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 323px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/Ssjz96GcDMI/AAAAAAAAAMc/Yc6kyvWHIt4/s400/banksy+madonna.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388825199042628802" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial;">I'm writing this post because I want to attempt to articulate a few things that are on my mind at the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Theology has to relate to real life and answer real questions, so here is my attempt to articulate what is real for me at the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’d really love to be able to engage with others in discussing some of these questions theologically.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">Church</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Having been seriously screwed up by religion and pretty negative of a lot of what I see (not all, by any means) and having had some pretty bad experiences in some churches, I guess I’m pretty surprised that I still believe in church at all.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Having not been a part of a community for nearly a year, I’m surprised by how unsettled I feel by being an isolated </span><st1:personname><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">Chris</span></st1:personname><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">tian.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Forgetting all the baggage that gets put up around church (and there’s a lot of it!) stripped to its bear essentials I still think it’s a great idea.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My take on church is that it is a community of people who choose to come together to be ethically challenged and to be mobilised to take action with that in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>How good is that?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And how relevant to the needs of our age?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">But, this is where I struggle… first, there are so few decent churches out there.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m sorry if I’m just unaware of the good ones and I’m sure there are some out there, but on my tour of churches this year I’ve been disappointed by how far so many are from the ideal I’ve just presented.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So many are caught up in modernist baggage which seems to be more about defending the faith and less about equipping people to live.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">A bigger struggle is with the way life is structured in the 21<sup>st</sup> century.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If, like me, you have kids and a full-time job, you have little time for community or even putting your faith into practice.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s so easy to adopt an individualistic religiosity that does little more than read / write blogs and listen to podcasts on your ipod. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>To be religious is to be like the Madonna with her ipod!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">This last point provokes a lot of questions for me: After all, I’m sure capitalism wants to make me compliant and wants my religion to be private and non-political.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think it has little to gain from giving me time to protest, march, or engage in ethical action that doesn’t involve simply changing my shopping choices.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The ‘system’ (whatever that is) has little interest in giving me time for the counter-cultural church I described above. No dominant ideology wants people meeting together to think independently and question.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p>So, I am in something of a quandary: the reason we need church, is precisely the thing that makes it so difficult. It is the lack of community and the dominance of the capitalist hegemony that means church is so vital and so hard.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p>I feel compelled to ask questions about what all this means.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> Yet, here is another quandary: Without a community w</span>ho is there to help me think these things through theologically and practically? Well, I'm hoping someone in the blogging fraternity might.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p>I’m sorry, I’ve rambled on a lot and I said at the beginning of this post that I had a ‘few’ things on my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I guess I’ll have to leave the others for a later post. So, what's on your mind?</o:p></span></p>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-76160425446847022282009-09-25T11:50:00.001+01:002009-09-25T11:54:33.380+01:00Laugh/Cry/?Click it to view it<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_InNpnOx8uQI/Srygn7mGTHI/AAAAAAAAAfA/enTHFZLIZv0/s1600-h/billion_dollar_960.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385355862301101170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 368px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_InNpnOx8uQI/Srygn7mGTHI/AAAAAAAAAfA/enTHFZLIZv0/s400/billion_dollar_960.gif" border="0" /></a>DShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11333505258698640765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-43459061884768355562009-09-24T17:10:00.002+01:002009-09-24T17:26:50.481+01:00Do you see this woman?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SruaEWkCCHI/AAAAAAAAAMU/Dx_fywNPM54/s1600-h/jesusfeet_04.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SruaEWkCCHI/AAAAAAAAAMU/Dx_fywNPM54/s400/jesusfeet_04.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385067179018422386" /></a>It's very easy to go through life and not notice certain groups of people - we can hardly notice the homeless person, the asylum seeker, the psychiatric patient, the violent, the unloved. I guess our whole lives are geared around living in a bubble of middle-class people who cause us no discomfort. It was one of the first things that struck me when I first started teaching - I saw a cross-section of the population - those who would never, with all the will in the world get a GCSE, those who had been burnt, abused. I see the disabled, the young carers, the witnesses of domestic abuse. Yet, now I've been teaching all these years, its easy not to see it.<div><br /></div><div>It is with this in mind that I was struck this week by Ched Myers' take on the story of the woman who washed Jesus' feet. The crux of the story, he argues, is when Jesus turns to the crowd and asks "Do you see this woman?" Here was a woman suffering and oppressed and she is not seen - the political consequences of her actions are seen, but the woman herself is not seen. Jesus called on the religious leaders, just as he calls on us, to see the inconvenient other.</div><div><br /></div><div>I myself had lived for years with Bibles and commentaries all around me and had not seen - now the challenge is to live with this new insight - an insight that sees, even if inadequately.</div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-45632037724273587472009-09-21T13:41:00.006+01:002009-09-24T18:12:33.152+01:00Wordless<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_InNpnOx8uQI/Srd3vo_VqqI/AAAAAAAAAe4/qRe9AyWNpSE/s1600-h/candle.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383903539885353634" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_InNpnOx8uQI/Srd3vo_VqqI/AAAAAAAAAe4/qRe9AyWNpSE/s320/candle.gif" /></a>Went to 'Reflective Space' at St <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oswald's</span> last night (nice to see u <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Rache</span>) and found myself very conflicted and wrestling with many <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">ambiguous</span> thoughts and feelings, falling into silence and finally reconciliation that for now there is no resolution - just a small light in the darkness that will not be overcome.<br /><div></div><br /><div>Seems like the guys involved in Reflective Space are going to be changing a bit / progressing with maybe some sort of broader network of folk wanting to explore reflection, creativity and ritual - interesting times for those interested in this stuff.</div><br /><div>Will keep you posted if and when I hear more and please return the favour.</div><br /><div>Quote <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">that's</span> floating round at moment:</div><div><br /><em>“The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of the word is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to.” </em><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Chuang</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tzu</span></div>DShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11333505258698640765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-21526805360775655262009-09-20T20:35:00.003+01:002009-09-20T20:45:00.157+01:00Swamped with worship leaders!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SraGNs47TYI/AAAAAAAAAMM/kWPp4cb3sgs/s1600-h/matt+redman.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383637974514355586" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/SraGNs47TYI/AAAAAAAAAMM/kWPp4cb3sgs/s400/matt+redman.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>According to Wlison Carlile College, Sheffield. Last year they had the following training for ministry:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>1 Evangelist</div><br /><div>3 Pastoral Workers</div><br /><div>6 Lay Readers</div><br /><div>16 Worship Leaders</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>What does this tell you about our society? In our celebrity saturated world, everyone wants to be a singer. We certainly have more role models of singers than evangelists. I'm sure most people would rather be Matt Redman than Billy Graham!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>What I'd like to see is some activists or prophets on the list. Any better suggestions anyone?</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I certainly don't think this is morally neutral. There are consequences for the church in co-opting the values of pop culture.</div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-86075249490914449752009-09-11T19:47:00.006+01:002009-09-11T19:56:39.974+01:00(S) Hell Garages<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/Sqqb-W5t7AI/AAAAAAAAAME/Xna57cdYyyk/s1600-h/shell1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380284200449338370" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 348px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/Sqqb-W5t7AI/AAAAAAAAAME/Xna57cdYyyk/s400/shell1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/Sqqb11-kuBI/AAAAAAAAAL8/8rlIv_AI06Q/s1600-h/shell.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380284054172383250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 298px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 217px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/Sqqb11-kuBI/AAAAAAAAAL8/8rlIv_AI06Q/s400/shell.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1aA9V_mB3Hg/Sqqb-W5t7AI/AAAAAAAAAME/Xna57cdYyyk/s1600-h/shell1.jpg"></a></div><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>I love this idea. Take a photo of Shell service stations, obscuring the 's' to make 'hell'. These can be sent to Amnesty International who upload them onto the Google maps site. You can also write a review of a garage on Google maps : "They are abusing human rights in the Niger Delta".</div><div></div><div>And why? They are, as you may have already gathered, abusing human rights in Africa. Click <a href="http://blog.protectthehuman.com/mapping-hell-stations/">here</a> to see more about the campaign.</div>markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-51946021746191726872009-09-08T22:28:00.003+01:002009-09-08T22:44:24.253+01:00Climbing the Jack Nicholson facet of the Atonement<p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5j2F4VcBmeo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5j2F4VcBmeo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><p>Not sure why but I was musing on the Cross whilst taking a soak and this clip jumped in my head. I am really appreciative of how different people, different communities and different everyday culture can shed light on a new facet of the biblical story of atonement. Here I feel the impact of the unmasking. That decisive moment where justice comes as a light not a gun, where we finally see through the rhetoric we so often fall for about the 'peace' we enjoy and see it is in fact the opposite of peace. We also realise our own denial, our own complicity, our own will to power we disguise so well - yet the unmasking is the undoing of it all - it will inevitably, mercifully and miraculously crumble from here.</p><p>The death and resurrection of Jesus are the unmasking of evil.</p>DShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11333505258698640765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1684752445949340487.post-85918223770990359472009-09-05T12:41:00.004+01:002009-09-05T12:49:12.606+01:00Affirming LiberalismCheck out the two podcasts at 'Affirming Liberalism', particularly the one by Martyn Percy. He argues that churches grow, not by having the right theology (whether Evangelical, Liberal, Emergent), but by getting the simple things right (a warm welcome, relaxed environment, good music and children's work). It gave me hope that an alternative to the churches is possible. What do other people think of his podcast?markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04556299081652933923noreply@blogger.com1