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malcolm chamberlain

musings about the emerging church, mission and contemporary culture...

God is at large, intimately involved in his world in ways that the church is maybe just waking up to!

a new religion?...

Monday, June 29, 2009

'This' is an interesting article by Rowenna Davis from the Guardian comparing religion and environmentalism. Dave Walker offers some interesting reflections on it 'here', not least the observations that "many... find it important to combine religious belief with environmental action."

I was at a conference last week in which Jim Wallis was speaking. In one of his sessions he made the observation that there are two great hungers amongst young people in the USA and UK today - the hunger for spirituality and the hunger for social justice. Wallis argued that the two must be held closely together - spirituality without the desire for justice simply leads us into a selfish consumer-driven 'feel good' faith, whilst the quest for social justice without a spirituality offering hope simply leads to cynicism and anger. I reckon Jim Wallis got it about right, and that it is up to those of us that claim faith in God to make the connection for those who don't but are deeply passionate about justice. It seems to me that this is the very stuff of the kingdom of God.

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posted by Malcolm Chamberlain, 11:41 AM

2 Comments:

Is this well known

commented by Anonymous Anonymous, 2:18 PM  

Hi Malc,

Christopher Partridge makes a similar point to Rowenna in the Re-Enchantment of the West, vol. 2.

Whilst Jim Wallis inspired and continues to inspire me, it does occur to me that our calling towards those who hunger for justice is to give them justice, right quick (similarly spirituality) - and to let God worry about linking the two (which of you fathers, if his son asks him for bread, would give him a recipe book instead...).

See you at GB this year?

commented by Blogger Steve Lancaster, 5:34 PM  

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