Does Peace Studies make a difference? As someone who lectures in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation, and belongs to an academic department that has programmes in both Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation as well as International Peace Studies – I certainly hope so! But there’s certainly much to debate about whether peace studies makes a difference in [...]
Archive | July, 2010
Emerging & Evangelical Churches: Friends or Foes?
Does the emerging church offer a legitimate and helpful critique of Western evangelical Christianity in the 21st century? Or is it merely a movement comprised of disgruntled cranks intent on deconstructing Christianity to the point where there is nothing meaningful left? I was reminded of these diametrically opposed interpretations of the emerging church today when [...]
Cary Gibson Guest Post on Emerging Churches – Beyond Generalisations, Retreats and Institutions?
Today this blog features a guest post from Cary Gibson, whose thought and involvement have helped to shape the Belfast-based Christian collective Ikon. Gibson originally posted a comment in response to my post on ‘What does the Emerging Church Want?: Reflections on a Dark Gospel.’ With her permission, I’ve reproduced that comment here, to draw [...]
What does the Emerging Church Want?: Reflections on a Dark Gospel
What do people in the emerging church want? This is a question that is being posed increasingly in one form or another by academics, critics of the emerging church, and people who are themselves involved with the movement. Of course, if you ask the people who are involved with the emerging church, you will probably [...]
Dealing with the Past, Dealing with the Future? Responses to the Eames-Bradley Report
Secretary of State Owen Paterson has published a summary of the responses to the Eames Bradley Report on dealing with Northern Ireland’s past, revealing an overwhelmingly negative reaction to it. As the unionist newspaper the News Letter puts it, ‘Ulster Rejects Eames Bradley Report on the Troubles.’ So is this just another case of ‘Ulster [...]
New Vatican Guidelines on Sexual Abuse: Missing the Boat?
In a further attempt to address the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, the Vatican has announced new procedures for defrocking priests. The Vatican is presenting these as tough new measures, the first amendments to the relevant sections of canon law in nine years. But in a depressingly usual pattern, the Catholic Church has [...]
South Africa & the World Cup: Challenging Stereotypes?
Today’s Irish Times carries a commentary by Joe Humphreys titled, ‘Africa Should not be Defined by Single Events.’ Citing the recent example of the successful World Cup in South Africa, Humphreys notes how media coverage changed dramatically from hysterical predictions that tourists would be murdered, to nearly universally positive, even fawning coverage of the tournament [...]
On the 12th of July Rioting …
This afternoon, after a violent and destructive 12th of July in Northern Ireland, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister have finally broken their collective silence and condemned the rioting of recent days. The condemnation followed a complaint by Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Finlay on this morning’s Stephen Nolan Show that the First Minister and [...]
The Europeanization of Party Politics in Ireland: Another Perspective …
During the week I blogged about the launch of a new book, The Europeanization of Party Politics in Ireland: North and South (Routledge, 2010) edited by Dr Katy Hayward of Queen’s University Belfast and Dr Mary Murphy of University College Cork. Dr Hayward has contributed another perspective on the book, asking why it matters if [...]
Belfast Telegraph Debate on a New Approach to Northern Ireland Politics: Mobilising the Middle Ground?
With the 12th of July almost upon us, people living in Northern Ireland can’t help but notice the familiar sights of bonfires being constructed, freshly painted red-white-and-blue kerbstones, and areas adorned with British, Northern Ireland, and UVF flags. This annual event very much hearkens back to Northern Ireland’s past, and depending on your perspective, is [...]
About me
Welcome to Building a Church Without Walls, a website for people who are excited about how Christianity is developing in the 21st Century. I am a Lecturer and Coordinator of the Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Studies Programme at Trinity College Dublin at Belfast (the Irish School of Ecumenics).
Please note this is my personal site. All views are my own and are not representative of TCD.
