Movement 146

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The Progressive
Christianity Network Britain
Members of the Progressive Christianity Network seek a
credible and inclusive way to follow Jesus. We are unafraid
t0 question traditional church teaching; we value
contemp0rary thought and recent biblical understanding.
We do not offer a set of answers but we invite you t0 join
us in asking the questions.
Who we are
We are a network of pmple sharing and promoting
open Christian undeEtanding both within and outside
the church and which is open to liberating and radical
ideas.
0ur approach is ecumenical - we have members fiom
all mainstream denominations, and the majority ofour
members are lay people.
Membership
t411ari
Membership benefits include:
Four newslette6 per year, plus other regular mailings.
Reduced ticket prices for events organised by Pft Eritain.
An invihtion t0join a group local to you,
0r t0 start a new one
What we do
[ncourage and provide a forum for critical debate
about all aspecs ofChristianity.
Provide support for a netwotk oflool discussion groups
throughout Britain
Host conferences and events throughoutthe UK.
Signpost open and inclustve churchu in your area
-/,,
ww.pcnbritain.org.uk
info@pcnbiltai n.org.uk
PCN Britain, 26 High Street,
Newnham, Gloua. GL14 1BB
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Fiei'e dre just a few of the ways you can get invslved with 5Cl''4:
ii1 foin the movement
Our members are what make the movement what it is, and they're at the heart of everything
we do. Become a member today at www.movement.org.uk/membership.
lii Get involved with a [oca[ grouP or chaPlaincy
SCM has a network of student groups and affiliated chaplaincies at universities and
colteges across Britain. Take a look at our Croups Map to find an SCM grouP near you at
www. move me n t.org. u k/f i nd-scm-grou P.
ill Start a group at your uni
Can't find an SCM group at your cotlege or university? Setting up a SrouP is easier than you
might think and there's lots of support availabtel lf you're exploring the idea of setting up a
group, our Croups Worker, Lizzie, is always happy to meet up for a coffee and chat. Why not
contact Lizzie by emailing tizzie@movement.org.uk for more information?

I
PAGE 2I EIIITI|RIAT'PANE 3I UPIIAIE
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FEAIURE
PEAGE PIITTER 8 PRI|IEST
I IHE GIIMMA]III ltl FllILtlTII
By Revd Dr (Wg Cdr) Giles Legood
t0-fl Ftltlliltc tEsus'IHtRIt utAY
l2
Rosie Venner's experiences in Bolivia
PEACE Alilr lt0ltur0tEltcE
RossJesmont ponders the difference
I3.I5 THE IIIIERUIEUI
With Dr Megan McKenna
t6-t7 FATIH llt AGIt0lt
ByYannick Buditu and Victoria Mason
18 FIIRGIUEIIE$S AIIII PEACE
ByMattJeziorski
18 IGIIII tlF PEAGE
A meditation by Matt Jeziorski
2O-21 REUIEWS 8 $RllllUEMEIII
EN+

'Speak truth to power.'This phrase - an exhortation, really - was
coined by Qrakers in 1955.It was the title of a pamphlet published
by the American Friends Service Committee that called for new
ways of thinking about and responding to the ColdWar.It combines
what is political, what is religious, and what is social into a single
statement that lays bare the truth that protest' peace' and power are
interconnected.
SCM's annual conference this year is titled Peace, Power and Protest: Prophets
for a New World and is being held in partnership with the Fellowship for
Reconciliation. One of our workshop leaders for the conference, MattJeziorski,
contributes a reflection on forgiveness and peace as well as a meditation on Pax
Christi's Icon of Peace. RosieVenner, another conference worlahop leader, writes
about her time in Bolivia visiting Christian Aid's partners and learning more
about the powerfi.rl effects nonviolent Protest has been having there.
We knowas a campaigning
movement of engaged and
aware students that there
are a bewildering number
of injustices to fight and
conflicts to address. How
can we discern the best
ways to serve God?Which
of the many urgent issues
is the most urgent? What
is our faith demanding of
us during our studies and in our vocations? Debbie White reports on the DSEI
arms fair protest held in London in September; RossJesmont (a new member
of SCM's General Council, responsible for the Events portfolio) talks about the
courage of nonviolence, and Revd Dr Giles Legood explains the role of chaplains
serving in the military. We really appreciated these different persPectives being
brought together, and we hope you do as well.
Movement was lucky to have a really in-depth conversation with author and
theologian Dr Megan McKenna. Her interview touches on storytelling' travel,
peace and her work with Pax Christi USA, the meanings of 'power', and the role
of the church in protesting; alarge excerpt is included here, but the fuIl interview
can be found online. We also hear from our Faith in Action Interns Victoria
Mason and Yannick Bufitu about their placements so far this year and how
they see their work in light of our upcoming conference. Again, you can find out
more about them and their work by going online and checking out the blog posts
they've been sharing over the past few months.
We hope this issue of Mooemenl gives you pl6nty to think about,
new issues to pray over, and the motivation to act on the mafters
that are dear to you. Please enjoy, and feel free to contact me any
time at editor@movement.org.uk' Speak truth to power!
THE SIIIEBAR
SCM office:
504F The Big Peg,
1 20 Vyse Street,
The lewe[[ery Quarter,
Birmingham B1B 6NE
Tet: 0'121 200 3355
scm@movement.org.uk
www.movement.org.uk
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scm@movement.org.uk
Tet:0121 2003355
Movement is pubtished bY the
Student Christian Movement
(SCM) and distributed free to a[[
members, supporters, locaI grouPs,
and affitiated chaptaincies and
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SCM is a student led movement
seeking to bring together students
of at[ denominations to explore the
Christian faith in an open-minded
and non-judgementaI environment.
5CM staff:
NationaI Coordinator Hi[arY ToPP,
Croups Worker Lizzie Cawen,
Administration and Finance Officer
Lisa Murphy, Faith in Action lnterns
Yannick Buditu and Victoria Mason,
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(maternity cover) Matthew Pitts.
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The Student Christian Movement
is partnering with the Fellowship of
Reconciliation to explore the theme
of peace. We will be reflecting on
what Jesus meant by peace, how we
can bring healing and reconciliation
to our communities, and how faith can
speak truth to power. This conference
is a great opportunity for anyone
interested in faith, spiritualiry peace,
and justice. Tickets arc f60 including
food and accommodation. For more
details and to book your place online,
go to www.movement.org.uV
peacepowerprotest.
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Every two years, the Defence and
Security Equipment International
show is held in London; this is
more commonly known as 'the
arms fair' and involves weapons
companies selling arms to over
32,000 attendees from 121
countries. They boast on their
website of being 'the wodd's best
and most comprehensive Military
show'. This event has met with
resistance from a number of
organisations who believe that
it promotes war and greed, and
leads to devastation in some of
the world's most turbulent war
zones.
In the past, the invite list has
included countries such as Saudi
Arabia, Colombia, and Libya,
among many others - the list is
notable for the sheer number
of war zones, dictatorships, and
human-rights-denying regimes.
In September, SCM was
among five national Christian
organisations who spoke out
against the arms faiq promoting
the importance of nonviolent
resistance to it.We stood alongside
Ekklesia, Christianity IJncut, the
Fellowship of Reconciliation,
and the Christian Network of
the Campaign Against the Arms
Trade.
Particularly as we approach our
2014 conference on peace and look
ahead to the commemorations
of the start of the First World
War, remembering the role that
the arms trade plays in such
atrocities is vital. According to
statistics produced by Amnesty
International, 12 billion bullets
are produced every year; that's
two bullets for every person on
the planet. The UK is one of the
top suppl-iers of arms, supplying
6.570/o of the wodd's weapons.
Standing against this trade is
a vital part of peace activism;
not only does the existence of
weapons allow them to be used,
but the industry fuels their
demand.
One of the most inspiring aspects
of the anti-arms fair protests
was the act of worship led by
three Church of England priests:
Chris Howson, Keith Hebden,
and Helen Hayes. They prayed
for victory over 'the spirits of
militarism and violence'.
Revd Howson said,'Sisters and
brothers, we gather to exorcise
the demons of Militarism and
Violence: To call an end to the
evil horrors of the arms trade
and to caste out the spirit of
warfare and barbarism from this
place. We remember Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, the continuing
global arms race, the failure of
the nuclear powers to observe
their obligations under the Non-
Proliferation Treaty, the polluted
earth, the wodd governed by fear
instead of justice, the futility of
deterrence, the waste of public
money.'
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This moving and powerful act of
worship called into clear focus
our duty as Christians to opPose
the arms trade. Militarism and
watfare sometimes appear to be
so deeply embedded into our
society that it can seem difficult
to do anything about them, but in
September, a dedicated group of
Christians took to their knees and
prayed in the streets for an end to
the trade and an end to war.
PAOE I
H|IUTHETI - ISSUE IIO

t0uEtEtI rssut fi6 sPilIt 20il
LIilfiUA FNAilGI
0nllril]tG
IEAI|ERSH|P Sliltrs
To help build the movement and train
members in leadership skills, SCM
offered free facilitation and worftshop
training to volunteers. Alison Fernandes
(Faith Project Assistant) and Sean
Turnbull (Social Policy Assistant)
from the National Union of Students
led a filll-day programme, teaching
the volunteers how to plan and run
workshops, facilitate group discussions,
and get other students inspired about
faith and social justice. If your group
would like a trained workshop facilitator
to come and lead a session, get in touch
vnth ltzzie@movement.org.uk about
the range of workshops that can be
provided!
ThisJuly,I had the privilege of attending
WSCF Europe's Lingua Franca Summer
Camp, which took place in Miclauseni,
Romania. I went as an English language
speaker to help the participants improve
their English. However, Lingua Franca
is far more than an English language
summer camp; it is about building
relationships and learning from each
other. Fittingly, the theme this year was
'Encountering the Other'.
This year's camp was based in a
rural area, on the site of a castle and
monastery. Our daily sessions took place
inside the casde, and for some of our
programme we were joined by Sisters
from the monastery. I got to spend 10
days with people from many different
European countries and beyond. We
spent our days learning from each other
in times of prayer and worship, eating
together, and engaging in worftshops
and discussions around our theme.
Our evenings were passed watching
films, learning national dances, and
sharing each other's culture - a staple at
all WSCF events. I took rhubarb and
custard sweets and some Union Jack
bunting; both were very popular! On
the final evening, we had a celebratory
bonfire and sang songs from each other's
countries.
As a thank you for the great hospitality
we receivedfrom the monasterywe spent
time doing community work around
the site; this included litter picking,
gardening, and even measuring trees!
We also had the chance to visit the ciry
of lasi, where we saw some fascinating
religious sites, including a Roman
Catholic cathedral and a Romanian
Orthodox monastery.
The 10 days I spent at Lingua Franca
were filled with fun, learning, sharing,
and building of friendships. I would
always recommend going to a WSCF
event to anyone - they're reallygreat fun!
Ellie Bangalt is a student in Durbam
and bolds tbe Fundraising and Outreach
porfolio on General Council.
t0uEtEtI - tssuE il6 PAOE 5

IIIUISIBTE
STAUERY: HUMAII
IRAFFlClflllG lll
EURllPE
Around twenty participants from all
around Europe gathered in St.Gilgen,
Austria from 6-1.2 October 2073 for
WSCF Europe's conference on the
sensitive topic of human trafficking in
Europe. Georgie Hewitt reports:
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In the surroundings of beautiful lakes
and mountains, we felt a million miles
away from the men,women, and children
we spoke about during our lectures who
had been trafficked. The discussions
about human traficking were difficult
at fi.rst. We all had different ideas about
what human trafficking meant and how
it affected us and the communities we
come from.
We heard stories from SCM members
in Armenia who spoke about the
reality of living in a country where
many people are trafficked to Western
Europe, often bribed with the promise
of education when the reality was being
forced into servitude.
The conference gave us the oPPortunity
to look in depth at the topic of human
trafficking and empowered people from
all over Europe to speak to their SCMs
about the topic and to try and make a
change in the world.
Attending WSCF Europe conferences
is a great way to meet peoPle from
SCMs around Europe, and meet
people from very different Christian
backgroundsl You get to sPend a few
days together learning about interesting
topics and having great discussions. If
you are interested in attending a WSCF
Europe conference, keep your eYes
peeled and check the SCM newsletter
SCI|III$H SIUIIE]ITS $AIHERIIIG
The Scottish Stuclents Girtherirls held
irt S irlisbur:r' C hurch in Ed irtbtrrqh r','ils
iu't rtmirzit-tg r.r'eekencl

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Welcome to our Groups Page SCM
suP?orts stttdent grou?s on canzpuses and
in churches across Britain. Yotr can
i7nd a
fill
list of groups at zow.rnoaentent.org.uU
groupsmap.
Read on to hear about tlte exciting things
SCM groups haoe been u? to this tertn. If
youd like to tffiliate your student group
or chaplaincy to SCM, ernail lizzie@
m ove m en t. org. ztk
for more infornm tion.
SGM GTASSI|TT
We're a small group who just started
out in the autumn term. We meet
weekly on Tiresdays at Hillhead Baptist
Church. At our rneetings, we either
have a discussion over a Bible passage
or go to a local event; recent trips have
included going to hear a German choir
and watching fireworks on Glasgow
Green. We're really looking forward to
our SpringTiip to the Iona Community
on 5-11 April. Wed love for you to join
us therel
ABER AIIGSI|G
The Society is continuing the effort to
make the University Chapel used and
usable to students of all faiths. Our
mid-week service continues to thrive
and grow. We hope to have a social
with the other Christian societies in
Aberystryth later in the year. We're
really looking forward to worshiping
with our brothers and sisters in Christ!
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How often do you meet?
Twice a week - Thursdal' at 7.30pm
irnd Sundiry rrt 7.00pm at Universiry
of Warwick C haplirincl,.
Who comes to your meetings?
All sorts ofpeople - rnirir.rlv Christians,
but from all sorts of denominations,
as well rrs people with other faiths or
none.We have a real mlr of ages,with
both fieshers and postsrilds.
What are your meetings like?
On Sundavs we have a meal. We sit
around, chat, plrry games, rel'rx, and
have fun. This is :r reall1, good time
for people to get to k-now each other
better.
On Thursd'avs, we hold our tzrlks
and discussion sessions. These have
included workshops, visits to local
phces of worship, irrrd praver sessiolrs.
We try to base these sessions around
controversiirl or relevant topics, both
on social justice themes zrnd theologt'.
We regularly invite speakers in who
rrre experts in the topics. As we have
members fronr rrll different viewpoints,
we often end up in a lot of discr,rssion,
rvhich regr.rlirrlrr continues at the pub
ort c.ln)[]us afier our rneetinqs.
What have been your highlights this
year so far?
We had a really interesting debate
on'Heaven, Hell, and Why People
Argue Abor"rt It'. We also rvent to
Lnser Qrest with Wirrwick's Catholic
Socielr,, which, irs ever, wirs great funl
What are you looking forward to in
the spring/summer term?
We irre hoping to have a joint rneeting
with Wrrwick Atheists, Seculirrists,
and Hurnirnists to discr.rss secularism
irnd other issues. We will be having
our annual Chaplaincy sleepover near
Easter, which involves lots of board
g:rrnes. We are also looking forwirrd to
a talk and discussion on'Nonviolence
in Christianiq.'.
How do you tell people about your
group?
We pr.rt bright yellow posters up all
o\rer campus advertising our Thursdz.ry
talks each week.
Do you have any tips for other
groups?
Involve fbod in what you do! For the
exec (irnd especially the President): it
is completelv OK to ttrke a week off
once in a while.
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MIIYEMHI - tSSUr u6 PAGE 7

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Meanwhile, SCM Edinburgh
visited the Peace Camp at Faslane
Naval Base to join Scottish
Clergy Against Nuclear Arms for
a peace witness.
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FI|SSIL IREE
GAMPAI fiII
A new global movement to tackle climate change is well underway. This
campaign is about getting our universities, churches, and cities to stop
investing in the fossil fuel industry in order to socially bankrupt the
industry and break its hold on our political system. It was started in the
US by rhe environmental organisation 350.org, and has quickly spread to
Europe and across wodd. In the uK, the student campaigning network
People and Planet have taken up this fight in the universities. Operation
Noah, a Christian environmental organisation, is pressing for church
divestment through their recently launched Bright Now carnpaign'
As 350.org founder Bill McKibben, a N{ethodist, writes: 'christians
should be at the fore of the environmental movement, because
Christianity teaches social justice, creation care, and selfless concern for
others. we must, as christians, fight against climate change because
.we are mandated to be stewards of creation, as well as to act against
injustice and to love our neighbour as ourselves.'At the moment' there
are campaigns going on in rhe church of scotland and in the Anglican
Church as well as other denominations.If you would like to get involved
in the campaign, visit www.gofossilfree.org' www.operationnoah'org
and www.peopleandplanet.org/fossil-free.
GAMPAIGIIIII$
rlln PEACE
In the run up to our 2014
conference, peace has been a
major focus for a lot of SCM
groups' activities. In September,
we supported a number of
other Christian organisations in
standing against the Arms Fair
in London; you can read more
about tl"ris on page 4. SCM is
also supporting Pax Christi's
campaign to stoP the recruitment
of 16 year olds into the UK armed
forces.
SCM Worcester recentlY took
part in a peace protest and vigil
at UAV Engines Ltd., a firm
associated with drone Parts
production, based in Lichfield.
Lisa Preece told us, 'We were
privileged to see the Drones
Qrilt there, which is made from
30cm squares embroidered with
the names of civilian casualties of
drone attacks.'
PI|UERIY AIII
H0MEIESSIIE$S
ACIl0ll WEEI(
In the new term, we'll be taking
part in Poverfy and Homelessness
Action Week alongside Church
Action on Poverty. From 25
January to 2 February, you can
take action by volunteering at
your local food bank, organising
a sleep-out, or working with
homelessness groups in your area,
among other things! You could
even hold a worship event around
the theme of destitution, insPired
by Proverbs 31:8,'speakuP for the
rights of all who are destitute'.
If youd like to helP sbaPe the
direction of SCM'r camPaigning'
please email Debbie White at
campaigns@moYement.org.uk.
PAST 8
M|IUEMEIII. ISSUE 116

l,'.,.
Revd Dr (Wg Cdr) Gites Legood is a RoyatAir Force chaplain who is better known
as Padre by the service members to whom he ministers.
All Christians are called to follow
Jesus. The command of Jesus,
'Follow me', might seem sirnple
enough to understand but it is
by no means simple to carry out.
What does followingJesus actually
mean? What does such a command
require individual Christians to do
and say (or to not do, or to not say)?
The last ten or so years har.e seen
people in their places of work, in
their social lives, and on overseas
operations. Service personnel, like
civilians, face difficult issues that
arise from their work, as well as
those difficulties that occur in their
personal lives.
For those in uniform, particular
moral issues might arise, rrnd it is
here that a chaplain who rvorks
Here, throughout their initial
training and rvhen they undergo
specific trade training, those new
to the service will encounter the
chaplain in the classroom. In this
en'ironment, chaplain and recruit
will think through questions of
how we choose and develop our
rnoral codes. For example: are
these codes the same fbr everyone?
Do these codes change, and if so in
)-
.&
the Royal Air Force face significant
challenges both at home and
overseas, in peacetime and during
times of conflict. Since the end
of the Cold War, UK forces have
been involved in Bosnia, Kosovo,
Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya,
Mali, Sierra Leone, and Northern
Ireland, together with smaller
engagements in other areas of the
world.
RAF chaplains (and those
chaplains serving in the Royal
NuLu or in the Army) work
to bring in the Kingdom of
God by prayeq presence, and
proclamation. Military chaplains
rninister to service personnel and
their families, providing pastoral,
spiritual, and rnoral support during
tirnes ofgreat jo1'and times ofgreat
sorrow Chaplains are alongside
alongside them, and has trained
with them and thus understands
their working environment and
culture, can be of particular help.
It is in such circumstances that
the sen'ice person can discuss and
reflect upon the ethical aspects of
warfare. The chaplain (or Padre,
as chaplains in all three services
are af}'ectionately known) is able
to talk to service personnel in a
confidential environment, which
is not available anyvhere else in
service life. The soldier, sailor, or
airman/woman can talk honestly
without the pressures of having to
try to impress or gain the respect
of peers.
In addition to this informal oneto-one
rvork, RAF chaplains
also teach the Beliefs and Values
Programme to all nerv recruits.
what ways?
Qrestions of peace, power, and
protest are lived out for service
personnel for all of their tirne
in service. Military chaplains,
working alongside them, can
help members of the Nav1,, Arml',
and Air Force navigate their way
through the moral questions
service life raises. Such questions,
of course, are wrestled with by the
military chaplains themselves as
they work out what is required of
them as they obeyJesus'command,
'Follow me.'
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M|IYEMEIII - IS$UE I4O PAGE 9

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Rosie Venner lives in Hackney, works for Christian Aid with churches
in Essex, and is enjoying getting to know the secret, quiet, witd parts of
London. She worked for SCM from 2007-2011.
it
I-AND,
NONVIOLENCE,
AND HOPE IN
BOLIVIA
It's a dark winter evening
and I have crept into a
back pew at St Martin-inthe-Fields
to hear Scottish
writer and activist Alastair
Mclntosh speak about
'Violence, Nonviolence,
and the Earth".In the hush
of the church, the traffic of
Trafilgar Square is silenced.
Alastair is describing the
violence that we are capable
ofdoing to each other
and the need for us to
understand our'belonging'
to the earth. Listening to
Alastair's passionate stories
ofland rights struggles in the
Scottish isles, I find it easy to
imagine that I'm sitting in a
pub in the Hebrides rather
than in central London.
But it strikes me that I could
just as easily be in Bolivia,
sitting in the candlelit dusk
of a village meeting place,
listening to a community
elder talk about their
struggle for land rights; a
continent apart, but very
similar stories.
IL GRANDE CASA_
THE BIG HOME
In September, I spent two
weeks visiting Christian
Aid's partners in Bolivia.
Each community that we
visited told us their story.
We heard of the violence -
often subde and structural -
inflicted on the land and the
people by the powerfirl.We
heard about deforestation
by logging companies and
cattle ranchers, and about
the clearing ofland through
forest fires that are then left
to run wild into indigenous
territories. When the forest
is destroyed, it can take over
50 years to recover.
Crowded together in a small
office with representatives
of the Takana people, I
remember hearing one
person after another say that
the land around qhem is so
much more than a line on a
map. It's il grande casa (the
big home).It's where they
gather fruit, where they hunt,
where they fish.
As we travelled around, we
met communities supPorted
by the work of Christian Aid
partners like CIPCA (Centre
for Research and Training of
Peasant Farmers). CIPCA
works alongside indigenous
communities to help
them organise themselves,
understand their rights and
responsibilities, and get
official land tides. CIPCA
also works closely with
communities to help them
make a living from the forest
in a sustainable way.
We heard about the
thousands of people who
marched 526km across
Bolivia from
the Amazon
toLaPazin
October 2011 in
protest ofplans
to build a road
cutting through
indigenous
lands.The
marchers,
children and
adults, walked
for weeks from
the humid
rainforest to the
dizzyrng heights
of the Andean
plains,4000m
above sea level.The march

was a powerfill nonviolent
message to the government.
The road building plans
are now on hold, but the
communities remain vigilant
and ready to act again. What
inspired me most was that
those communities who
had already achieved their
land rights were prepared to
march alongside others who
felt under threat as an act of
solidarity.
What does that say to those
of us who take for granted
having a safe place to call
home? Would we walk the
equivalent of London to
Edinburgh to protect the
homes and livelihoods of our
neighbours?
.LIFETHAT
SPRINGS UP
AGAIN'
Land,life, and faith are bound
together incredibly closely
in Bolivia, in a way that's
'hard to describe now that
I'm back in London where so
much feels disconnected. In a
document written by a group
of indigenous theologians
who met in Bolivia a couple of
years ago as part of the World
Council of Churches,I caught
a glimpse of how God might
be seen in the Amazon:'God
is, for Indigenous Peoples, like
a generous and compassionate
mother, like the refreshing
breeze and wind,like the
warmth of the morning sun,
Iike the heart of the earth
from which life emerges.'l
The paper talks about God
being present'in the life that
springs up again after being
doomed to perish.'
This is exacdywhat I
experienced in Bolivia - life
springing up in the most
unlikely of
circumstances.
The communities
I met could be
seen by outsiders
as'doomed to
perish'because
of their poverty
and vulnerabiliry
and yet they
were confidently
asserting their
rights and,
through the support of
Christian Aid, making plans
for a hopefirl future. Bolivia
is home to some exciting
social movements, and I came
back determined to find ways
to act in solidarity with the
communities I met and to tell
their stories.
As Christians, we need to be
prophetic witnesses, keeping
our eyes open to the injustices
and violence of our wodd. We
are then called to act. Walter
Wink's writings2 are
^
gre t
place to start to explore how
we might act. He talks about
the 'fhird Way'of Christ - a
way of responding to injustice
and violence that is not
passive or violent in its own
right.Jesus'Third Way calls us
to find a creative alternative
to violence, to assert our own
humanity and dignity (and
that ofothers), and to stand
our ground. We can choose
not to live in fear but to
act courageously. I saw this
choice, this creative action,
in every community I met in
Bolivia and it fills me with
hope.
.TO BREATHE
HOPE IN EVERY
HEART'
Last week in Oxford on
another dark winter evening,
and in another church, I
i

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A prominent American pastor remarked
recendy that .the prince of peace is not
a pacifist'. He argued that those ,who
want to portray Jesus as a pansy or a
pacifist are prone to be very selecdve in
the parts of the Bible they quore, and
that 'the European, long_haired, dress_
wearing, hippie Jesus is a bad myth,. I
wonder how these comments make you
feel?
For me, they initially caused my blood
pressure to rise and had me reaching for
my Bible to reread the words ofJ.sJs in
the Sermon on the Mount _ Blessed
.1e the peacemakers'(Matthew 5:9) and
'Do not resist an evil person[,] rurn the
other cheek'(Matthew 5:39). But am I
just being selectivel After all, Jesus did
say that he hadnt come to bring peace
but a sword (Matthew 10:34), and he
also instructs his disciple, ,o go and sell
their cloaks in order that theylight buy
a sword (Lrfte22:36).The problJm with
approaching any issue in the Bible by
only highlighting supporting passages
is that this quickly becomes a game of
hermeneutical top-trumps: whoever has
the most Bible verses is correct. Can we
create a picture of Jesus that isnt just a
careful selection of Bible versesl
There is also a genuine danger when
thinkilS theologically that we"seek only
to confirm our own preconceived ideas
and conclusions. It
this treatmen, ., colu:"TT'jrffii:
during the First World War, when all
the countries involved in the conflict
claimed to have God's supporr, *",
led to the Swiss theologian Iiarl Barth
to stress the btherness' of God. As
Christians, we should seek to live in the
image of God, not to make God in our
image How do we prevent our theology
from using God only to approve what
we already believel
I_ believe that Jesus was nonviolent.
However, I recognise that others would
disagree with rne. That is OK. While I
am willing to accept that for some Jesus
.was not a pacffist, I reject the idea that
this is because nonviolence is somehow
effeminate. Not because I believe there
:t aqryhing wrong with effeminacy,
but rather because effeminacy i" ;r;
instances is often used to rn."r, *."k.
Nonviolence is not weak. The Christian
writer Shane Claiborne notes that while
the virtues of nonviolen.., kirrd.r.rl
gentleness, love, and peace are often seen
as 'fe minine dainty things,, the Bible calls
them the 'Fruit of the Spirit, (Galatians
5:22-23). The lives of FranzJ:rgersrdter,
Martin Luther King Jr.,
"rabr-ri,y
l)ay have shown us this: Nonviolence
takes courage. Nonviolence is the refusal
1o allow opponents to become enemies.
It is the creative desire to seek change
w^ithout
,resorting
to violent t".tii.,
often in the face of brutal repression.
fn summary I welcome discussion about
howJesus understood peace and violence
while rejecting unhelpful caricatures of
nonviolence. I invite you to do the same.
Photo: Portusucsc prorcsrcrs pNrticiptting on the slobal "Occupr..
protcsts, Lisbon, ponueal l5th October 201 1. O Luis Brris / Shuttcrstock.com
PAGE 12
M0vEMEilI - TSSUE tf6

tllutilEtl tssut fi6 sPRtxE 20tl
AN INTERVIEW WITH
DR MEGAN MCKENNA
Dr Megan McKenna is a celebrated tlteologian and prolfc author. Slte
asas appointed an Ambassadarfor Peacefor Pax Cltristi in 2002 and was
presented a:itlt tlte Isaac HeckerAwardfor SocialJustice in 2012. Mooernent\
con'uersation wit/t /ter asas amazing and inspirational: t/tis issue /tas an excerpt,
but tlte complete interview can befound online!
Have you had any mentors, role models, heroes, or
heroines? Yes, in retrospect. I stumbled on Thomas
Merton and devoured anything and everything he
wrote; and I happened to be in my twenties in the 1960s,
so there was Dorothy Day, Daniel and Phfip Berigan,
Jean Vanier; and then later I had a class with Ignacio
Ellacuria and read Jon Sobrino's writings. Each in their
own way destroyed or dismanded long-held ways of
thinking, seeing, even believing, and quantum-leaped me
into awareness of others'and how we are all one.
My erghth grade teacher, Sr. Dolores (still alive), taught
me Math and English, but more, taught me that I can
study/learn everything/anything, excel at it, and let it
become the basis of who I might be. She listened to me
in hard times (past the eighth grade) when that's what
I needed - being listened to... time consuming, but
freeing, too.
I have often thought,'Who are my holy ones?'(instead
of heroes/heroines) and they are just people; ordinary
folla, all over the world - the Body of Christ, struggling,
forgiving in the face of horror/violence, sharing when
they have so litde and yet so much, pra)4ng for me,
teaching me their wisdom and long faithfirlness. One
widow in Honduras once told me,'The other side of
faithfulness is endurance.'She paused and continued,
'And we endure because so many others are unfaithftl.'I
have never ever forgotten those words.
And I take heart from poets: Denise Levertov is a favorite,
Pattiann Rogers, but the list is long. Anyone who sows
hope and blesses life.I lean on their faithfirlness and my
friends who staywith it, decade after decade - and listen
and laugh with me, and drink good red wine, and send
mb dark chocolate and flowers! To me, the real saints
are not any canonized ones but the ones who help to
carry the burden unknown, except to those they loved
and who loved them... and by God.
Could you share your thoughts on the connection
between faith, protest, and nonviolent resistance?
Whew! A couple of years ago, Pax Christi USA asked
me to do a talk on the spirituality of nonviolence...I
couldnt do it. I couldnt come up with a spirituality for
something you're not supposed to do. So instead I talked
H|ITETETI - ISSUE II8 PASE 13

t0uEtErI tssuE il6 sPnilG 20il
about the principles of a spirituality of the Peace of
Christ as a primer for peacemakers in the making.
Faith is harder to talk about. Everyone has faith in
something. Some profess a specific faith (itt generally
agreed that there are seven major ones in the wodd:
religions) but faith,I think, has to be rooted in a person -
for Catholics/Christians, the Crucified and Risen Lord
- not a personal or devotional relationship or connection
(though that's there), but in a rcalfiy, a mystery larger
than anything one-on-one; larger than a project or
method of organising.I lived through the 1960s and 70s
in the US, and there was a lot of resistance, draft card
burnings, spreading of ashes, breaking into military bases,
and pouring blood on missiles, etc. I participated in some
of those myse$ but I think it was the time for that kind
of resistance and trying to call attention to specific issues
and I think that time is over, generally speaking.
During the civil rights movement (and its success was
based on massive numbers that would resist together),
that kind of resistance, without violence or harm to
others, always has a place, so it is crucial what the large
numbers of people decide to resist and to focus on. And
I dont see movements or groups in that position much
in the western/first wodd. Massive protests are usually
based on the experience of injustice, violence, terror,
war as witnessed in many middle-eastern countries and
among those who are poor and desperate - it is a last
straw, so to speak. And even when the protesters intend
to do no violence, they must take into consideration
that they themselves will likely suffer violence, even
deaths, because ofbeing together, being seen as a threat
to who/what they are protesting/resisting and seeking
to change.Just being there as one is enough to provoke
retaliationl one must be very realistic about the power
ofevil, injustice and fear in standing in opposition to it.
In essence, Jesus' deatVexecution was because he lived
and spoke and stood with those who were to be shunned
and excluded: he lived a life of hope for the poor and
despised and said,'God is with you, on your side, blessed
on you, and I stand here too.'
Elements of any protest are a few to begin with: it must
come forth from and be sourced by the Gospel - the
intent, reasoning, methods, outcome, and the pragmatics
of how you protest. And always without violence;
training for it and planning for it and used perhaps not
as the fust thing to do, but down the road a way after
other movements and actions seem not to have had an
impact. And remember: the protest is not first of all to
change something or even to stop it, but to slow folks
down enough to talk, to open a window of possibility
- and you cannot gauge a protest by whether or not
it 'succeeds'. A life of resistance is part of baptism; we
promise to resist evil and refuse to be mastered by any
sin/eviVinjustice/death or violence... so itt built into
our daily life of conversion to the gospel, together
with others and resisting the common acceptance or
the dominant culture. Resistance is in the lifestyle and
practice of compassion, works of justice and mercy, and
standing in solidarity and communion with those who
are the ones who are broken and crucified today. Where
we stand and with whom we live and share says much
more than words, often. And to remember that anything
you do alone is what you do alone--there are not a lot
of prophets or lone rangers in the world or the church,
and it is in community that change happens. Perhaps it
is communities today that are the new breed of prophets
that the world and the church needs.
The word'power' has so many connotations. What are
the negative aspects of power? What are the positive
aspects of power? When should power be resisted?
Someone (in Liverpool) once told me everything in
theology, in life, has to do with power. There are a
number of questions that irndergird all we areldo. What
is power? Who has the power? Do you want the power?
How do you get the power? What are you going to do
differently with it once youVe got it? And how do you
plan to hold onto it - or pass it on to whom?
Power must be resisted when it is violent, unjust,
destructive of human beings and creation, and when
it breaks peoples'hearts and souls. For we who say we
believe in Jesus, our power lies in the resurrection. It
begins and is given to us as gift at our baptisms, and
the rest of our lives is practice; living the freedom of the
children of God, resisting with no harm all that demeans
life, and living in the only power there is - in the sign
of the cross, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the
Spirit (the Trinity/community of all life), and loving
one another as Jesus loved his friends. That's a short
answer, but hopefirlly enough to start thinking about the
problem and possibility of power.
You make the observation in your most recent boo\
Like a Hammer Shattering Roch Hearing tlte Gospeb
Tbday, that Luke's gospel'is the only one written in
a period of relative peace'. Do you make a point of
mentioning this because you think it is significant
to how we must read and understand that gospel
compared to the othersl Luke's gospel is the only
one written in a relative period of calm,/peace, without
persecution of believers. It's very significant. The other
gospels have the baclground of violence, persecution,
Pr0r fi
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and death from the start, from the leaders of other
religions and groups, and they are collapsing within
as well as beset from outside. Just as you do theology
differendy and come up with singulady different answers
ifyou do it on an empry hungry stomach or a fuIl one, so
the issues and what is preached about is different when
you arent being persecuted. Luke is sometimes called the
third gospel for the first (or third) world (depending on
which world you live in); you will read it from above in
the dominant economic class and structure of living, or
at the bottom as the servants and those on the fringe.
So Luke's gospel has more about liturgy yet at the same
time trying to connect it to the actual realiry of food,
starvation, excess, and the basis of Eucharist - take
(your food), bless, break it up, and SHARE it. It is in
the ritual that the emphasis shifted to eat - in all the
stories of the gospel, it's share - with Jesus never eating
and the disciples serving and giving away their food so
that others will share as well. Modeling what is to be
the real Eucharist of the community in the world. Luke
can mirror in some ways what happened to the church
universal as it became the dominant religion, culture,
even empire, language, etc.: the tendency to disassociate
reality from ritual, and to spiritualize the text and what
makes a Christian rather than grounding that identity
in practice and participation and accountability in the
communify.
Congratulations on being included among Pax
Christi USAs 2013 Teacher of Peace Award nominees!
Do you have any advice, or could you recommend any
resources, to those ofus who are students ofpeace? It
begins with the gospel. Blessed are the peacemakers for
they shall be called the children of God. No matter what
groups/movements you belong to, when you work and
struggle for peace, you must be rooted and sourced in a
group that lives on the Word of the Lord, the gospels and
prophets especially - becoming the Word in your flesh
with others, and together beginning with the corporal
works of mercy that are, in fact, the corporal works of
hands-on justice connecting you to other members of
the poor and broken Body of Christ; together with
them, seek peace. Pope Paul VI said: If you want peace,
work for justice. And then PopeJohn Paul II said: Ifyou
want peace, go to the poor.Jesus was adamant that being
poor - sharing your excess at least for a start, being in
solidarity with those lacking and without justice and
the basic necessities of life (see the opening chapter
of Pope John )OCII's Pacem in Teris), and together
compassionately relating to people and the earth - is
the foundation for peace. On that is built the work -
economically, nationally, in regards to arms/violence, war,
death penalty, torture and, the other massive problems...
Work for peace is piecemeal in our lives and long haul
in our oudook (long faithfulness to alternatives), and is
engaged immediately in what presents itself in your'neck
of the woods'. So being in a communiry of peacemakers,
steeped in the gospels, is home base always.
When we were arranging this interview, you
mentioned that you are writing a new book Can you
tellus more aboutit?And aboutwhat's comingup next
for you? My new book is on listening - the difference
between being able to hear and actually listening.
Then 'listening'meaning 'to obey'in most languages;
that implies a relationship in listening. It is looking at
listening to others who are ofdifferent religions (focusing
on dialogue, not getting them to convert), have different
moral issues, in other cultures, enemies, suffering,
dying from disease, living with violence, in pain (those
in hospitals, nursing homes, care facilities), in difficult
situations and afraid. And it will look at listening to a
text (scriptures) and underneath the text; listening to
the night/noise/dark and to silence, listening to creation
and earth, and listening to your body and others. It will
have stories, ofcourse: the scriptures, pieces ofmusic and
poetry questions to stir imagination, and new thoughts.
And it will probably have a different style than the usual
chapters... bits and pieces - the way we hear and listen.
I'm working on it now, and hope to finish by eady next
yeaL

.FalLh n AcLlon
\. What Does 'Peace' Mean ln A World Like This?
,
YannickBuditu
is one of SCM's
FaithinAction
Interns. He
worlcswithin
theYouth
Offending
Team (YOT)
in London in an areawith one
ofthe highest crime rates in
the UK. Yannick is exploring
how theology can speak into
the many issues that surround
young offenders. He is keen to
raise awareness of the challenges
these young people face, whilst
questioning many people's
preconceptions.
Three months into mf internship,
I am thoroughly enioving it.The
unique aspect of my role is that I
have the incredible opportunity
to split my time benveen SCM
and the YOT Earlier in the year,
I had the great experience of
going to Greenbelt festival rvith
SCl\4. I was really pleased to
see that some of the talks at this
ve'ar's errent centred on'social and
criminal justice'. In my placement
so far I have had the chance to take
part in rvorkshops and conferences
such as Just Space'. With four
university rvorkshops lined up
before the new 1'ear, my internship
is set to get even better! If1'ou
rvould like to learn rnore about my
internship experiences, please head
online to our website and check
out my blogs.
With 2014's conference on the
therne of peace corning up, I
wanted to reflect on what can be
meant by peace, and what place
can peace take in the context of my
placernent? And lasdy, what is the
peace thatJesus offers us all?
For many of the young people
that I speak to on m1' placement
peace is a mere illusion. Some are
involved in gang{ike teritorial
conflicts, whilst others find
themselves in the rnidst of family
breakdorvn. In the many situations
I come across, the reality is
that there is no tangible
peace within the lives of
lots oft,oung people. In
today's lvorld, it is rnore
comfortable to believe
that the struggle for
peace only exists in
far arvay places of
rvar and violence.
Horvet'er, rve must
look ber.ond this to
recognize that the true
gift of peace that Christ himself
offers us is desperately needed in
so manv areas of so many lives
everywhere.
Christ's message inJohn 14:27 is
this:'Peace I leave you, m)'peace
I give to you, the peace I give to
1,ou the world cannot give, a peace
of heart and mind.' This is the
peace that so many of us need,
especiell)' the young offenders I
interact with in my work every
week. Some of the young people I
speak to are in the positions thel'
are in because they made poor
decisions in the heat of a moment.
In allowing peace to take its place
in every moment of every day,
surely everyone could find it easier
to make the right decisions, even in
the most challenging siruations.
Many young offenders come
from broken homes. Statistics
state that 25o/o of boys and 40o/o
ofgirls in custody say they have
experienced r.iolence in their
homes. Furthermore, a significant
proportion ofthese young people
struggle with mental health
dilficulties: research suggests that
one in ten children aged five to 16
has a clinically diagnosable mental
he'alth problem. So manv are in
such desperate need ofthe'peace
of heart and mind'thatJesus offers.
IVIan/ grow up in areas consumed
by drug dealing, violence and
murder; living in the shadows
of such turmoil, where can these
l/oung people expect to find peace?
/
M0rrEMEilI - TSSUE ilo

We are nlw in the second year of SCM\ Faith in Actiort project in conjunctiott ztsith Project
" Bonhoffir. The project seeks to a??/y Dietrich Bonhoef,eri thinking about the role offiith in a secular
society by giving interns the opportunity to gainfrst-hand experiences {injustice, to
refect on and share their experiences, and to inspire and equip people to take action.
Here and There: A Useful DistincLion?
VictoriaMason
is one ofour
Faith inAction
interns andhas
beenworking
with Concern
Universal to
tackle global
poverty. She has been considering
how the imbalance of power
between nations is one of God's
concerns and howwe should
respond to wealth injustice.
Since the beginning of September,
I have been working on placement
with the international development
NGO, Concern Universal (based
in Hereford), looking at hdvocacy'
- how organisations can campaign
and speak out in order to challenge
the root causes of extreme poverry
One of the ke1' fi:u*t t ot,n.
Faith in Action project is that
we allow our placements to be
enriched by dedicating time
to reflecting theologically on
our experiences. I have been
grappling with a question that
is often levelled at the cause
of international development:
why should we invest time and
money in solving other countries'
problems when there is so much
need at home? I r,vould be lying
if I said I have found any simple
answers - in scripture or an$vhere
else.
But, reflecting on my involvement
in advocacy lvith Concern
Universal, I have become
increasinglv convinced that
tackling global poverg'is not abour
the desire to prioritise international
over domestic problerns, but about
a cornmitment to justice in a rvodd
where power (social, political,
economic) is unfairly distributed.
The prophetJeremiah writes of
how scandalous it is that God's
people have enriched themselves
while failing to'defend the rights
of the poor'(Jeremiah 5:27).We
should not fall into the trap of
forgetting the power tve have in
our hands as ordinaq, people: our
free speech, r'otes, and disposable
income are potent resources.
One of the countries where
Concern Universal works is
Mozambique, rvhere or.er 5070 of
the population can neither read nor
write, and the same proportion live
on less than $1 a day. This is not
onlv the result of poor domestic
governance and civil war; it is also
due to a situation true in numerous
developing countries - foreign
companies purchase srvathes of
land in that country and export
everl'thing thel.produce on it,
denying much-needed resources
to the local economies. Companies
are allowed to act abroad in a way
they cannot at home.
This in turn stems from a global
political situation in rvhich money
and influence continue to be
interfwined, and in rvhich the
decisions of rvealthy governments
are able to dictate the futures
of less economically powerfril
nations. The'New Alliance for
Food Security and Nutrition'
is a US goverrunent initiative
,f
supported by the UK got'ernment.
Allegedly it aims to combat
poverry but it is a programme
that ignores democratic politics,
gives multinational companies
unprecedented access to African
land, and invoh,es growing
hundreds of thousands of metric
tonnes oftobacco.
Asking our governments to
consider the human impact of their
international deals and demanding
that they be accountable is not
a side project divorced from
confronting the need bn our
doorstep . It is part of the same
vital process ofensuring that our
politicians and authorities use their
power fairll', transparendv and
rvith integrity - without which
both our society and those around
the rvorld will be much poorer.
\
,,'\ _
M0l,EMEltI - rssuE t48
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'1 lL
One of the great treasures of Pax Christi
International is our Icon of Peace: Christ
is Our Resurrection. Written for the
movement in the monastery of St John
in the Desert, near Jerusalem, it depicts
Christ as the source of reconciliation -
the source ofliberation and peace.
The icont permanent home is at Pax
Cfuisti International headquarters in
BrusSels, although it has had a nomadic
existence for several years as people
are invited to prayer with the icon as it
travels from school to parish, cathedral
to conference. As we reflect on the icon,
we are drawn into the Biblical stories
and those of the holy men and women
alongside them and considered in this
piece.
Let us first think of St Francis of Assisi
and his preaching of peace, justice, and
simplicity. As we do so, we may also
think of a contemporary Francis. In
urging the world to pray for peace in
Syria, Pope Francis has surely taken
inspiration from his patron. And in his
campaigning for peace and speaking
out against our eagerness for military
solutions, his prayer for peace has led
him to action. Ar ovp ourselves pray the
words of St Francis, Lord, make me an
instrument ofyour peace, how does our
prayff call us to action?
Researching the lives of St Sophia and
her daughters, Faith, Hope, and Chariry
uncovers a particularly gruesome story
of tfuee children tortured and killed for' "
their Christian faith. Sophia, nnf"g
witnessed this horror,buried her children
and then died herselfheartbroken a few
days later at the graveside. In a world
where drones kill indiscriminately,
where investment in weapons flourishes
as the poor fall victim to cuts, and where
migrants drown in desperate pursuit of
safery the image of the grief:stricken
Sophia is a current one. Where there is
despair, how can we bring hope?
Although St Stephen in his death gives
great witness to forgiveness, saying,
'Lord, do not hold this sin against
them', it is his life to which we turn our
attention here. As one fulI of wisdom
and the Holy Spirit, his opponents
were unable to defeat his arguments.
Even in the face of those bearing false
witness and the threat of punishment,
he stood firm. Filled with the Holy
Spirit, we are also called to speak truth
to powers, to bear the message of peace
and reconciliation to a world reluctant
to listen. Where there is darkness, how
can we be bearers of lightl
Matt JeziorsAi will be leading a u;orkshop
at our Peace, Power and Protest conference
thofifrtler explores the Icon of Peace.
-)'

I
BOOK
lltGtIAt
REUlltUilll]I$:
ACIIUI$M III IHE
IIIIERIIEI AGE
BY $YM0lt liltt
>(DEJ
DIGITAT
REVOI.UTIONS
Activism in the
lnternet Age
Digital
Repolutions is an
interesting book
which gives a
good overview
and analysis of
something that
most of us take
for granted in
our everyday
lives; often we
hear news from around the wodd and
dont realise that the reason we are able
to receive this information is because of
social media. Hill begins by highlighting
the powerful role that social media
has taken on in bringing about social
change in recent years. Most notably, he
reflects on the part it played in the fall
of oppressive regimes in three African
nations.
Svnon Hrll
'z
Whilst this book does not focus
specifically on the use of social media
in Christian circles, its thinking can
definitely be applied to how Christians
use new technology and media for social
justice and campaigning. Something
which adds to the credibility of the
book is that Hill doesnt glamorise or
glorr-fr protest - he is realistic about
the penalties facing protestors in some
countries. This is an engaging read that
many people who are active on social
media could learn from.
Ellie Bangay
BOOK
IHE GllMPASSIll]I
QUESI BY IRY$IAII
I|WAIII HUSHES
This is a book
that aims to
transform the
reader. It draws
on a wide range
of contemporary
cultural sources
from poetry
literature and fllm,
alongside recent
scientific thought - to demonstrate that
nurturing a right-relationship with God,
each other, and the planet is key to what
it means to be human.
Hughes' theological outworking of the
Incarnation and what it means to be a
Christian, or €ven just a human being,
challenges some traditional views. By
going back to the scriptures, Hughes
draws out the core concept of Christ's
incarnation as 'God With Us' as t[e
ultimate act of radical compassion and
the pattern for us to follow.
Ihe Compassion Quest offers away to live
out our faith with a radical compassion
that truly protests a society that
marginalises, seems indifferent to the
pain of others, and consumes without
Contemplating the consequences.
This book will give you a grounded
foundation of incarnational-thought
and reflection that will lead you to
ask different questions of life. It will
encourage your thinking from 'What's
in it for me?'towards seeing life as a
series of interconnected relationships
that are about standing with the other
in reciprocal love.
AngharadJones
BOOK
PRIE$I$ AIIII
P0tlIlG$: IHE
GHUNCH SPEAIs llUI
BY IREUI|R BEESI|II
lrRll.s^ [s
t,()! l t'i( s^
I lrr. t lrrrr, lr \lr .rl.\ ( )(r
Priests and Politics
is primarily a
history book. The
book, in its own
words, describes
its content as
dealing with
the 'intimate
relationship
between church
and state'. There are chapters on church
involvement in most political and social
milestones from the First and Second
World Wars, to the Cold War and
Apartheid, as well as more broad issues
such as religious education and the
Welfare State.
Beeson identifies some key issues and
benefts of church involvement in
politics and presents a well-researched
history of the church state in England.
He spends some time acknowledging
that this big involvement in state life is
now significandy reduced, but that the
church still plays a huge role in social
and community work. Beeson is bold
in dealing with key issues facing priests
and also Christians in secular sociefy
today; his focus is on the call we have as
Christians to seek justice.
Overall, this book really is well written,
turning out to be a genuinely interesting
read - not what you would expect from
the title! I recommend it especially for
those studying history, theology, or
politics.
Ellie Bangay

,|
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