Back in March, I noted the intensity of the debate that had been provoked by Brian McLaren’s latest book, A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions that are Transforming the Faith. Now that I’ve had a chance to read the book, I’m struck by how so many of the book reviews that I read before [...]
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Be Playful! Activism from the Kitchen Table on 5 May
The sun was shining, and the streets were full of colour. Not always what you would associate with strolling about Belfast city centre, but that was my experience yesterday. There was a parade of the trade unions, marking May Day, with a brass band and a peaceful, colourful ensemble of participants. Music was emanating from [...]
Crisis in the Irish Catholic Church: A Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation Agenda by Fr Michael Bennett
Today we continue with the third of Fr Michael Bennett’s guest posts on the Irish Catholic Church, A Look from Afar. Here, Fr Michael argues that establishing an agenda for justice, peace and integrity of creation (JPIC) is absolutely essential in today’s Ireland. Fr Michael urges us to take another look at some of the [...]
Social Justice Ireland & ‘An Agenda for a New Ireland’
Earlier this week, the NGO Social Justice Ireland (SJI) published ‘An Agenda for a New Ireland,’ a 250-page socio-economic review of what went wrong in Ireland, what hasn’t changed, and what state and citizens might do to improve living on this island. The entire text of the document is available on-line. The Irish Times’ Jamie [...]
Fox News on Witch Hunt for Christian Pastors?
For many people on this side of the Atlantic, I suspect their impressions of Fox News’ Glenn Beck are mediated through the spoofs of Daily Show comedian Jon Stewart, whose programme is aired on Channel 4. Beck identifies himself with Christian America, and is a self-proclaimed guardian of what he perceives to be America’s Christian [...]
Johnny Cash for Holy Week: An Evening at Fitzroy Presbyterian
‘There’s probably more theology in that film clip than in the book of Romans.’ Rev. Steve Stockman, the minister of Fitzroy Presbyterian Church in Belfast, said words to that effect to those who had gathered there yesterday evening for what was billed as ‘The Man in Black – a Service Built around the worship songs, [...]
Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children: Review of the Documentary by Xoliswa Sithole
Xoliswa Sithole – an accomplished film maker who was once proud to call Zimbabwe her home – has produced a wrenching documentary chronicling the economic and political melt-down of her country, and the devastating impact this is having on children. The BBC aired the documentary, ‘Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children,’ earlier this month. When I watched the [...]
Gene Stolzfus: In Memory of a Christian Peacemaker
Gene Stoltzfus, the founding director of Christian Peacemaker Teams, died Wednesday March 10, 2010, of a heart attack while cycling near his home in Fort Frances, Ontario. Christian Peacemaker Teams aim to ‘get in the way’ of war and violence. They have been prominent recently in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Stolzfus was a Mennonite who [...]
US Health Care Debate – Christian Options?
Saturday’s Irish Times outlines the options facing President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in their efforts to pass health care reform in the United States. I’m an American, and I have followed the somewhat tedious rounds of debates with both amazement and despair. Many Americans believe they have the best health care system in [...]
Linda Hogan Book Review: Applied Ethics in a World Church
There is more to the Catholic Church than sex abuse scandals. Although that is a rather obvious point, in contemporary Ireland, it’s a fact that could quite easily get overlooked. Of course Catholics and other concerned citizens are right to criticise the Catholic Church and its failings in the Irish context. But a recent book [...]
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.
