Editorial
BOTH the wide and the narrow views concern us just now. On the wide angle, we ask what the Churches can do for peace-making and justice in Europe and beyond; Bryan Kelly of TCD guides us through the challenges and opportunities. With a narrower focus, we ponder our vision for our own Church of Ireland, for “without a vision the people perish,” as Proverbs 29 warned us long ago.
BOTH the wide and the narrow views concern us just now. On the wide angle, we ask what the Churches can do for peace-making and justice in Europe and beyond; Bryan Kelly of TCD guides us through the challenges and opportunities. With a narrower focus, we ponder our vision for our own Church of Ireland, for “without a vision the people perish,” as Proverbs 29 warned us long ago.
A select group of C of I notables offer their “vision”; and on a broader front, Archbishop John McDowell writes on the challenge facing the long delayed Lambeth Conference in July.Some thoughts on personal spirituality come next: Maria Jansson shares her personal anguish over the invasion of Ukraine and where she found God in it; Brian Grogan SJ looks at how our ideas of eternity relate to modern science and our care for creation, Robin Stockitt urges the healing power of beauty, while Steve Brunn outlines a responsible approach to Scripture, searching its deep meaning rather than seeking confirmation of our own prejudices.Liturgica, this time on “The Earth” and a crop of book reviews follow and as well as these we feature a letter to the editor from a former Sunday School teacher, with passionate guidance for drawing children into the imaginative life of the Church. We would love more letters from our readers and I hereby invite them. How do you react to what you read here; and what would you like SEARCH to explore?With this question, I now cede space to our final appeal to all readers to ensure your SEARCH subscriptions are up to date.
YOU CAN be fairly certain that something significant is going on in the world when the German language comes up with a new word to describe what is happening. Although the immediate occasion for coining the word Zeitenwende (historical turning point) was the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it nevertheless sums up the hinge moment that many countries and institutions around the world are stepping into.
I have a dream! WHAT follows is highly selective. And it ignores certain obvious issues, veritable elephants in the room, whose presence can hinder the emergence of wider shared vision. But like Martin Luther King, let me proceed in ‘I have a dream’ style, just as my then bishop did when addressing the first synod I attended as a curate 35 years ago!
THE RUSSIAN invasion of Ukraine has returned war to the European continent. More than four million Ukrainians became refugees in the first five weeks of the conflict, with millions more internally displaced. Thousands of civilians have been killed thus far, accompanied by the indiscriminate targeting of residential and non-military infrastructure such as a children’s hospital and maternity ward in Mariup
MY FAITH LIFE began at the age of 12, when one night I woke up with an uncontrollable urge to thank God. It was convulsive and joyous and so surprising that I dared not speak of it for many years. For the last 55 years I have been blessed with a sense of God through thick and thin every moment of the day.
CONSIDER these two scenarios: An elderly widow in Northern Ireland, who is in her 90s, is nearing the end of her life and is visited by her daughter and son-in-law. The widow expresses the desire to die peacefully in her sleep at home with her only daughter beside her. The problem is that the daughter lives in Germany. What does she do?
OUR TOPIC is provocative, and not easily answered! It asks, “What’s happening deep down? What is God’s project for the world and what can we hope for?” What I offer here are at best hints and brushstrokes drawn from Scripture and science, but these may fit our purpose for this discussion. Together let us search for God’s truth.
MANY PEOPLE would say that the greatest thing about the Reformation and the accessibility to the Bible it brought, was that everyone could now hear from God. However, many others would say that the worst thing about the Reformation was that everyone could hear from God! This sacred text, so central to the Christian faith, that we call the Bible, has been used down the centuries to cause divides, schism, arguments - even wars.
GOD is remembered as the creator of all things when we gather to celebrate the Eucharist.
