Alan Billings Church Times Social cohesion can defeat terror
Jayne Ozanne Church of England Newspaper Confession Time
The Bishop of Liverpool give this year’s Archbishop Blanch Memorial Lecture: The heartbeats of ecumenism: blood, sweat and tears. text (pdf) video
Canon Alan billings raises some very interesting points in his article on social cohesion. Mind you, we do have to be careful, in the wake of the savage and brutal attacks in Paris for example, of a line of argument that proceeds completely along the lines of ” they hate our freedoms”. Certainly ISIL does. However, long standing western intervention in the middle east, including the failed Anglo-American Invasion of Iraq (Messrs Blair, Bush/Cheney) and the air war over Libya, are among the geo-politcal vectors of the current crisis. Notwithstanding, social integration and the prevention of radicalization are crucial. I’ve… Read more »
I agree with Alan Billings that social cohesion can defeat terror. Churches can show a way on this issue. By working together, in a respectful and constructive manner, differences within denominations and the wider church generally can be overcome. We (the church) cannot expect secular society to take us seriously, when disagreements and discord threaten our internal security. First, our own house in order. Then, we will have credence.
Good to see the Church of England newspaper actually featuring a gay-friendly coprrespondent – Jane Ozanne – in a well-reasoned admission of her own complicity in the Church’s wrong-footed attitude to wards gays in the Church. Unexpected but welcome!