ISSUE 19 / JULY - SEPTEMBER 2013 / €2
RELATIONSHIPS IN IRELAND FROM THE ECONOMY TO OUR COMMUNITIES, HOW ARE WE DOING AS A NATION?
HARLEYS AND HOPE
NOT BUYIN’ IT!
Behind the scenes at Ireland’s first bikers' church
Sex and consumerism
EDITORIAL
You are a multi-millionaire! very year, we have 31.5 million seconds at our disposal; that’s 86,400 seconds a day. Does that make us feel rich? Guilty? Under pressure? Time is an equaliser. For each day we live, we have the same amount of time as everybody else, regardless of who we are, where we live or what we have (or don’t have). We talk about time with the same language we use for money - spending, saving, wasting and investing. And yet time is a currency that is radically different. Even in small quantities, it carries immense value and significance.
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EVEN IN SMALL QUANTITIES, IT CARRIES IMMENSE VALUE AND SIGNIFICANCE. It is the first cry or the last breath; a heartbeat or heartbreak; a blink, a wink, a tear or a shriek. One second is enough for a kiss, a hug or a high five. It takes one second to say, “Thank You”, “Sorry”, “I love you” or “Amen”. And in a split-second decision, lives are destroyed or changed forever. At the State of Europe Forum, Jonathan Tame asserted, “Time is the currency of relationship”. And relationship is the recurring theme of this edition, as our discussions range through such diverse topics as economics (pages 12 -14), sex (page 22), motorcycles (page 24) and the impact of our food choices (page 30). Editing VOX is always a personal journey of discovery. And as I’ve read and researched, trimmed and shaped these pages, I’ve experienced mirrormoments. I’m challenged to reconsider how I invest what I have, especially the most precious of all. You see, literally translated, “my time” simply means, “the gift of myself”.
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HARLEYS AND HOPE
LIVING LIFE AS A LEARNER
TURNING HOPE INTO ACTION
JULY - SEPTEMBER 2013, ISSUE 19
CONTENTS
ISSN: 2009-2253
16 24 26
PUBLISH E R Solas Publishing EDITOR Ruth Garvey-Williams editor@vox.ie OPERATIO N S & A DV E RT I S I N G Jonny Lindsay jonny@vox.ie LAYOUT Krista Burns krista@vox.ie PROJECT D I R E C TO R Tom Slattery SUBSCRI P T I O N S Ireland & UK: €10 for four issues / €16 for eight issues Overseas: €18 for four issues / €30 for eight issues All cheques should be made payable to Solas Publishing. SOLAS P U B L I S H I N G Ulysses House 22 - 24 Foley Street Dublin 1 Tel: 01 443 4789info@vox.ie | www.vox.ie DISCLAIM E R
The views expressed in letters and articles are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Solas Publishing or its partners. The acceptance of advertising does not indicate endorsement.
PRINT Castle Print, Galway VOX magazine is a quarterly publication, brought to you by Solas Publishing.
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COVER STORIES Are our relationships healthy and fair? - VOX reader survey results Not buyin’ it! - sex and consumerism Harleys and hope - behind the scenes at Ireland’s first bikers' church FEATURES AND INTERVIEWS The Economics of Good and Evil - with Czech economist Tomas Sedlacek The Economics of Relationship - “Too much and too long we have surrendered community values to the mere accumulation of material things…” Finding faith in Ireland - join the journey, share your story Sweet charity shops - where to find the perfect summer wardrobe Turning hope into action with Christian Aid Ireland Living life as a learner - a taste of Nick Park’s new book on discipleship Headed for the Heights - no fear of flying for Laura Elizabeth VOX VIEWS Unhappy meals - challenging our addiction to cheap meat The puzzle of consumerism - Kathy Nichols explores the story of Jacob and Laban REGULAR FEATURES VOX: Shorts
20 VOX: World News 22 Your VOX: Letters to the editor 28 Confessions of a Feint Saint 43 Family Focus 46
Facts from Acts My Story - Meet Maria Burke Web Watch Reviews VOX: PS with Seán Mullan
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IRELAND
new wine ad
VOX SHORTS
Bridal bliss or wedding woes? According to the latest research by www.weddingsonline.ie, the average cost of a wedding in Ireland is around €20,000! It appears as if people have gone from keeping up with the Joneses to keeping up with the Beckhams in creating elaborate celebrations, with many going into debt to do so. Survey results show that Irish marriages are moving away from the values of the past, with 18% opting for a civil ceremony rather than a church wedding and 26% of those yet to tie the knot having children already.
Stories to read online…
Compassion chairman visits Honduras “We are very well off in this country, despite all that everybody is talking about. We live in a modern society with every amenity. If we can help show God’s love to transform people’s lives, then we should do everything we can.” Ross and Joy Campbell from Carrigaline in County Cork travelled to Honduras to visit the eight-year-old girl they sponsor through Compassion Ireland. Read more at www.vox.ie. Land grabbing is daylight robbery Away from the media spotlight in the West, over 200 million hectares of land has been taken from some of the world’s poorest people in order to grow products for export to the west. Homes, jobs and livelihoods are being seized, often by trickery or even by force to meet the demands of Western civilisation. “To imagine that we are not all involved is an illusion,” says Rachel Ibreck, lecturer in Peace and Conflict in the University of Limerick. Read more at www.vox.ie.
In the UK, a new organisation called Wedding Angels is offering alternatives by helping couples create beautiful weddings on a budget. This Christian organisation also challenges brides to donate their wedding dress to those who cannot afford a new gown. So what are Christians in Ireland doing to help beat the wedding woes? Or are we as guilty of breaking the bank when it comes to the big day?
Rising reports of domestic violence and child abuse
Women’s Aid recorded a 55% increase in reports of child abuse in the home and responded to over 11,700 calls from women in crisis last year. Publishing the charity’s annual report in June, Women’s Aid Director Margaret Martin said, “I am very concerned about the increasing number of disclosures to Women's Aid of children being directly abused and exposed to domestic violence. It is heartbreaking to listen to women who are living in a constant state of fear for their children and themselves. When women call the National Freephone Helpline, 1800 341 900, we offer support, information and encouragement, and help to build new lives where they and their children can be safe.”
AGAPE Ireland 40th Anniversary
People from across the country and around the world gathered in Blackrock to celebrate 40 years of Agape’s work among students in Ireland. Formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ, Agape began with the question, “How can we help people commit their lives to Christ in a place where institutional religion is strong but many people don’t have a relationship with God?” Frank (Francis) Mulloy from Westport was one of the first students who discovered that relationship with God through encounters with Agape workers in the early 1970s.
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Joining David Wilson and a few others on a bicycle ride from Dublin to Donegal, Frank recalls, “One night I was having a discussion about faith in Christ. One of the men explained that life was a bit like driving a car but ‘first you must give God the ignition key’." This was the turning point in Frank’s life. Looking back, he shared, “Christian life is about learning to see things from God’s perspective. It is all about giving more of our lives over to Jesus every day.” Read more about the anniversary on www.vox.ie/blog.
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Try this at home…
If you’re stuck indoors this summer, why not re-create well-loved Bible stories with a spot of paper folding? The Bible Origami kit by Andrew Dewar (available from Amazon and similar online stores) contains everything you need to create figures from well-loved Bible stories. Always game for a new challenge, the VOX team decided to give this a try. Check out our paper-folding video on www.vox.ie. We’d love to see what you created. Send us a photo of your Bible creations to editor@vox.ie. And if origami is not for you, then why not try Lego figures?
Battling the bullies
Boyzone star Keith Duffy is supporting a campaign to stamp out bullying in primary schools. The singer has teamed up with Irish Autism Action for a nationwide campaign aimed at providing antibully action packs to 1,000 schools across the country in the next school term. Father of two Keith warned, “Victims of bullying can feel trapped. They’re terrified that if they tell anyone, the bullying will get worse. These anti-bullying packs teach children how to get the help.” And Kevin Whelan of Irish Autism Action added, “Kids who are a little bit different, such as those with autism, tend to suffer more from bullying. But this problem can affect all children.” To participate, primary schools can register online at www. autismirelandantibullying.ie, collect old phones for recycling and then trade these for an anti-bully pack that teaches kids how to recognise, deal with and stop bullying.
Innovation in job creation
Launched in January 2012, an innovative web-based social enterprise is seeking to tackle the issue of unemployment in Ireland. Hireland challenges business owners to pledge a job and matches ideal candidates with jobs on offer. The programme has already been the catalyst for 6000 new jobs in Ireland. Find out more at www.hireland.ie.
Walk of Faith
Katey Moreland is walking through every county in Ireland praying as she goes. And she is set to reach the end of her epic journey on August 30th this year when she arrives in Athlone, Co Westmeath in the “heart” of Ireland. Katey has already walked through Ulster, Leinster and Munster, covering 500km in each province. Over the coming weeks, she will complete a circuit of Connaught. Christians from different denominations are invited to unite together for a prayer meeting at the end of each day's walk. And on the final day of her journey, there will be a National Celebration. This will be held on Friday 30 August at 7pm at Christ Apostolic Church, Unit 54, Blyry Industrial Estate, Athlone. Find our more and follow Katey’s progress at www.thewordofthelord.biz.
JULY - SEP 2013 VOX
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WORLD NEWS
TEARFUND DELIVERS ON AIDS PREVENTION IN MALAWI
“We are so grateful for those people who are giving even though they haven’t seen us and we are praying that God will bless them.” Rotunda Master Dr Sam Coulter-Smith has praised Tearfund’s effective AIDS-prevention initiative that is stopping mother-to-baby transmission of HIV in Malawi. Irish Aid supports the maternal health programme in rural Malawi. And Tearfund’s Malawi Country Manager, Vincent Mayor, met with obstetrician/gynaecologist Dr Coulter-Smith to explain the progress of the pilot scheme, which supports HIV-positive women throughout their pregnancy. Malawi has one of the highest rates of adults living with HIV in the world. The Tearfund programme, now in its second year, aims to support 6,500 mothers to prevent HIV from being transmitted to their unborn babies. Vincent told VOX magazine about the lasting impact of Tearfund’s support. “Our aim is to empower the church and the community to respond to needs on their own, with the skills they already have, which can help them resolve their problems without depending on outside aid.” “Mother-buddies” are women who have safely delivered HIV-negative babies and who go on to support other women. These women become role models, encouraging expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinics and to look after themselves properly. A new drug also enables mothers to breastfeed without the risk of their babies contracting the virus. Tearfund provides bicycles for the mother buddies so that they can visit people in their homes. A bicycle ambulance transports expectant mothers to the nearest health centres when they are due for delivery. “The relationship between the women is breaking down stigma and discrimination. People are becoming more open to sharing their status and involving their husbands and families,” Vincent explained. “They are helping to educate people and to prevent further transmission of the virus.” Improving nutrition is vital. Tearfund provides livestock and crops, such as soya beans and groundnuts, so the HIV-positive women can have a healthy and balanced diet. By investing in community self-help groups, it is possible to create village banks. These provide micro loans to help women start small businesses and generate long-term income. “I want to say thank you to the people supporting the work of Tearfund in Malawi. Their donations are doing a great deal in terms of saving lives and making lives are more bearable.” Those who receive the support are overwhelmed to know that people in Ireland are giving so generously to the project. For them, this is a practical demonstration of God’s love, Vincent said. Every year, a quarter of a million children die from AIDS-related illness. In 2010, 390,000* children were newly infected with HIV/AIDS - that is the equivalent of more than 1/3 of all Irish children under the age of 14. 90% of these new infections occurred in Africa. *WHO & UNICEF (Annex 8 HIV & AIDS Statistics) 08
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WATER MEANS LIFE IN KENYA
After a winter of endless rain, it is hard to imagine drought in Ireland. But in the poorest parts of Kenya, fields are dry, bare and unusable because rain is in such short supply. Now thanks to partnership with Team Hope, irrigation schemes are transforming barren wasteland into lush green sugar cane fields. Find out more about the Irish charity, best known for the Christmas Shoebox Appeal, at www. teamhope.ie.
FURTHER CALLS FOR FREEDOM IN ERITREA
A group of Irish Christians travelled to London in May to stand in solidarity with their fellow Christians in Eritrea who are suffering because of their Christian faith. The protest vigil, now in its tenth year, marks the outlawing of independent churches in Eritrea in May 2002. It is estimated that 1,200 Christians are currently imprisoned for their faith in the African nation. David Franklin of Ireland’s Church in Chains led an impassioned prayer for every Christian prisoner to be aware of God's presence in their difficult situation. Visit www. churchinchains.ie for more information and to view a video of the vigil.
YOUR VOX
Letters to the editor
Star Letter
of VOX we In each issue all of a €25 One4 ize pr a d ar aw r. tte le ite r favour voucher for ou u! It could be yo
Protecting the vulnerable – changing the perspective My four-year-old daughter is announcing to everyone she meets that she is starting ‘big’ school in September. It seems like the most obvious next step – I hope they are ready for her! However, her firm expectation is not shared by her global peers. Most haven’t attended preschool and 10 million will never attend school in their lifetime. Most are excluded because they are girls and they are poor; they are child labourers. Many will become mothers and child brides before they reach 18 and some are disabled. Some will be child soldiers… These striking statistics put into perspective the recent revelations of abuse in our private crèche care system. As I walked through Dublin city the morning after the Prime Time Investigates programme was aired, I was aware of the mothers around me pushing the buggies of their infants into crèches around town, and I wondered how many of them wanted to stay at home that day.
TAKING A STAND
I just wish to say how wonderful the article tackling the area of abortion was in your last edition (VOX Edition 18 April - June 2013). As a young person, it has been amazing to see others my age going out and really making a stand on this issue, being at the forefront of campaigns and gathering friends to rally together, and I think your article shows why it's important to do so.
I don’t intend to downplay the need for reform in our childcare system, but I think we need to understand the plight of children around the world. The night my eldest daughter was born, I prayed for the children around the world who would share her birthday. By the time she reached five some 10 million of them had died, mostly because of lack of access to clean water. A recent report by the Viva network said that every day, 39,000 girls become child brides – some as young as five. The chances of these ‘brides’ dying in childbirth as they enter early puberty is alarming. Let’s take a global perspective when we look at Protecting the vulnerable (VOX Edition 18 April - June 2013). NIAMH DALY TEARFUND IRELAND
The statistics you published are ones that are hard to shy away from as they portray the reality so often misconstrued in the mainstream news. It was also great to see several specialists give their opinions and state what they think the horrifying consequences to legalising abortion will be. Keep up the great work!
YOUR VOX - YOUR VOICE! Do you have comments on articles here in VOX? Or do you have something you want to share with other Christians in Ireland? Send short letters to editor@vox.ie and remember there is a €25 prize for the best letter we publish in each edition!
LEANNE NICHOLS DUBLIN
SEND YOUR LETTERS TO EDITOR@VOX.IE OR YOUR VOX, ULYSSES HOUSE, 22-24 FOLEY STREET, DUBLIN 1 10
VOX JULY - SEP 2013
2013 VOX Writing Competition At VOX, we are passionate about encouraging new and upcoming writers in Ireland. We’re looking for inspirational stories or everyday incidents brought to life by your creative use of language. Preference will be given to submissions that reflect the overall VOX theme (faith, life, reality) in some way.
Choose
“Encou
one of
nters”
these t
wo cat eg
ories:
Descr i chang be how me ed the et cours ing a partic e of y our lif ular perso n e in a signif shaped yo u icant way. or Real l ife is come dy mo often funn ie ment from y r than fict ion. S our lif hare a e. laugh -out-l oud
“You c
ouldn’
t make
it up”
Rules:
Prizes:
• • • • •
1st prize: An iPad mini plus publication of your story in VOX magazine and opportunities for future contributions to the magazine.
•
Entries must be unpublished, original work. Word length: minimum 400, maximum 1000. Only one entry per person. Entries should be sent as a (.docx) Word file. All entries must be accompanied by a three sentence author profile and a photo. The competition is open to Irish citizens, residents of the 32 counties and all VOX subscribers.
The judges’ decision is final.
Closing date: 30 August 2013
2nd prize: €80 book voucher plus publication of your story in VOX magazine or online at www.vox.ie 3rd prize: €50 book voucher plus publication of your story on www.vox.ie
JULY - SEP 2013 VOX
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FAITH
THE ECONOMICS OF GOOD AND EVIL STATE OF EUROPE FORUM 2013 “THE FUTURE OF EUROPE IS FAR TOO IMPORTANT TO LEAVE IT TO THE POLITICIANS” - Jeff Fountain Delegates from 20 countries across Europe gathered in Dublin in May for the third annual State of Europe Forum. Each year, the forum is organised by the Schuman Foundation to explore the role of Christianity in Europe. It is held on Europe Day (May 9th) in the country hosting the EU Presidency. On May 9, 1950, the Schuman Declaration led to the creation of the first European Community (a pooling of French and German coal and steel industries). Described as ‘the Father of Europe’, Robert Schuman shared his vision for “a community of peoples deeply rooted in Christian values”. This laid the foundation for the present EU involving 27 nations and 500 million Europeans. Jeff Fountain of the Schuman Foundation is one of the organisers of the event. He explained, “With the constant focus on economics driven by the need to increase GDP, we have overstepped. We have lost sight of values. We need to rediscover the spirit of Europe - a spirit of unity that chooses the welfare of this family of peoples over the drive for competition.” With presentations from politicians, academics and Christian leaders, the forum explored the current state of Europe. Discussions explored the role of Christians in presenting positive alternatives and in rediscovering vision and values for Europe. An emerging theme was the need to renew a focus on relationships rather than economic growth. In our VOX special feature we bring you interviews and reports from key speakers at the Forum along with results from our Reader’s Survey into the health and fairness of relationships in Ireland. 12
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magine combining a philosopher, an economist, a theologian and Eddie Izzard and you will have Tomas Sedlacek.” - that’s how one Twitter user introduced the Czech economist and author when he spoke at the State of Europe Forum in Dublin in May 2013. Named as one of the "five hot minds in economics" by the Yale Economic Review, Tomas Sedlacek serves on the National Economic Council in Prague, where his provocative writing has achieved bestseller status. VOX editor Ruth Garvey-Williams caught up with Tomas at Croke Park Conference Centre and asked him to explain the “economics of good and evil” as it applies to Ireland and Europe in 2013.
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What do you think lies at the root of the problems we’ve experienced here in Ireland? I usually don’t comment on the situation in an individual country but on a general level, the current diagnosis is that the economy is depressed. In reality, the economy is bi-polar (manic depressed). The economy has a tendency to overdo its good periods, leading to mania, and it’s sadder periods result in depression.
THE PRAYER OF THE BANKERS, “FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE WILL NOT FORGIVE THOSE WHO ARE INDEBTED TO US.”
To a depressed person, you give antidepressants to try to increase his or her energy. When you deal with manic depression, it is not good news just to boost energy because the danger is that you then return to a manic episode. The role of the economist is to decrease the swings (highs and lows) of the economy; to keep with the bipolar analogy, you give mood stabilisers, not antidepressants. If we only deal with the depression without recognising the mania, it’s like trying to treat a
VOX MAGAZINE
hangover without recognizing that the root of the problem was the excessive use of alcohol the night before. The irony of our time is that what led us to our crisis was too much consumption on credit, and we think the solution is to boost consumption; it's like the alcoholic saying, "I will keep drinking but I’ll cut down a bit."
What is the answer? What is the right “treatment” for our sick economy?
My favourite story about fiscal policy is in Genesis 41. Egypt had seven good years. During that time, Joseph helped them to save 20% of the grain so that they would have food to eat when the lean times arrived. This is what people used to do - they saved before they bought. It is a very simple rule. Today, we have 100,000 economists and yet we were not able to spot the crisis because we did not do the wise thing. The reality is, we ran our fiscal policy in reverse. We spent (and borrowed) during the good years. We sold stability to buy growth. Now we’re imposing austerity when things are bad. This is the worst possible time for austerity but because of the level of debt, it is the only answer. What we need to do is start selling growth when it comes back in order to buy stability. In other words, we need to impose austerity on the boom years!
Tell us a bit more about the impact of debt.
In the story The Lord of the Rings, the ring was created to give Sauron the power to subdue Middle Earth. Towards the end of the trilogy, you discover that when Frodo destroys the ring, the whole of Mordor is destroyed. Something that was supposed to serve its master ended
when we no longer consider it an ideology up enslaving and destroying its master. but accept it as truth. It is easier to This is what happens with the body of imagine the end of the world than the end economics. We have become slaves. of capitalism. The ideology is so deeply Debt, in the original Greek, is the embedded that it seems to be a fact. word for “sin”. In the same way, the word Too many of for credit the assumptions means “faith” around economics or “belief ” thus the credit THE ZOMBIE AND THE GHOST TOGETHER ARE have been accepted as “truth”. That is crunch was a SYMBOLIC OF TODAY’S EUROPE! the moment where crisis of faith. we rational people In the start believing the beginning, myths we have debt looks created - like the manageable Pharisees who began believing the rules that - we get what we want. Governments they created. enter into debt because it appears to offer freedom - you can buy more schools, you The State of Europe Forum raised concern can keep taxes low… but you can only do about the erosion of values in Europe and this at the expense of a deficit, and if you the need to return to the Christian principles overdo it, the debt becomes your master. on which the EU was founded. Do you think Ireland has become the slave of debt. this is true? You can no longer decide your own The Pharisees claimed that the way to public policy. The government doesn’t God was by following a set of rules. Jesus answer to the Demos [voters] but to the told them, “Life is not in the rules. You dictates of debt holders. The prayer of the pretend the rules you teach are God-given bankers is, “Forgive us our debts as we but you made them up. Those very rules are will not forgive those who are indebted what block your way to God.” Life is about to us.” love and forgiveness and relationship. Today, it seems as if Europe has lost its At times, you talk about economics as soul. If you separate the body from the soul, if it has become a religion. Can you you get zombies who attack and feed on explain that? people. Anybody who has studied in But you also get another scary vision. economics needs to be a believer in The soul without the certain things. At times, the sets of beliefs body is a ghost, and that underpin economics supply the role a ghost is often the of a religion. one who points a There was an almost "religious" finger of blame. reaction to the economic crisis. How is The zombie and it possible that something we believed to the ghost together be almost divine has been shown to be are symbolic of wrong? How could this happen? Why today’s Europe! are we denied the opportunity to grow? The home run of any ideology is JULY - SEP 2013 VOX
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REALITY
THE ECONOMICS OF RELATIONSHIP “Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product…if we should judge by that… counts air pollution and cigarette advertising and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them… Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials… It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.” Robert Kennedy, 1968 Speakers at the State of Europe Forum described society as the “sum total of the quality of our relationships” and called for new priorities in economics and in relationships at every level. Here VOX shares what they had to say:
valuating the relational state of Europe, Jonathan Tame of Relationships Global asked, “What if we really understood that relational capital is more important than financial capital? Individualism says it revolves around me. In the economy, it revolves around money. We want to suggest that there is a way of structuring society around good and right relationships. “Time is the currency of relationships. We all have exactly the same amount of time and that time can be spent on investing in relational and social capital, which can enrich us. The key message for the 21st century church should be ‘get rich relationally’.” This challenge came against the stark backdrop of the crises facing modern Europe. High levels of migration, rising tensions between people of different religions and cultures, an aging population and falling birth rates have all served to undermine stability while the economic crisis has led to home repossessions, unemployment, high debt levels and emigration with a resulting negative impact on relationships.
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AFTER CAPITALISM?
For UK Economist Dr Michael Schluter, the answer lies in a new vision of society that focuses on healthy relationships rather than material wealth. “Capitalism is an exclusively materialistic vision. It is looking the wrong way,” Dr Schluter said. “Human happiness and wellbeing does not come from income and wealth but from the quality of our relationships.” The terms “developed” and “developing” usually refer to the relative wealth of a country. But from a relational perspective, countries that are materially wealthy may in fact be relationally destitute, Dr Schluter suggested. For example, 40% of Americans 14
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over 45 will self-describe as being chronically lonely. Loneliness is a sign of relational poverty. Gerard O’Neill of Irish-based Amárach Consulting commented, “Economics has become a religion and the loss of our “faith” has left us stranded, disillusioned and enslaved. We need the values of the ‘good’ life, not the ‘goods’ life.”
RENEWING RELATIONSHIPS
interest is in all relationships. Too often we individualise the New Testament and rule out collective response. All of us are collectively responsible for the system failure we’ve seen in Europe.” By emphasising justice and equality, it would be possible to renew relationships at every level of society. Exploring nine different relationships, Dr Schluter highlighted changes that could take place to address the balance. These included:
“Behind every economic transaction Renewed relationships between lies a relationship,” Dr Schluter explained. borrowers and lenders, banks and “God is concerned about the price that taxpayers: is paid for milk by the large supermarket “God doesn’t like debt because it chains. Why is it that Christians are upsets parity [equality],” he said. “God not shouting about pay differentials? Probably because we are too middle WE ARE CONTENT, APATHETIC AND (WORST OF ALL) SENTIMENTAL class. We are not feeling the AND SO WE CONTINUE TO LIVE WITH SHALLOW RELATIONSHIPS, pain of low A DEEPLY DIVIDED SOCIETY AND PROFOUND TOKENISM.” salaries. We need to feel the pain of people who live without is interested in mutual respect to prevent knowing how they are going to pay an abuse of power but with debt, the their bills, while others are taking huge borrower is the slave of the lender. Banks salaries. have been lending up to 70 times their “We have become so embedded share capital. If even 3% of their loans into an individualistic way of thinking go wrong, all of their share capital is that we miss so much of what is being wiped out. The maximum amount banks said in the Bible. God’s interest is not should be allowed to lend should be confined to personal relationships. His reduced dramatically.”
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Renewed relationships between old and young: WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES? “We have borrowed a gigantic amount of Researching practical examples of money that our children are going to have to alternative lifestyles and efforts to create pay back. Don’t you think that is an act of gross community around principles of generosity, injustice?” fairness and justice, it appears that the Former Taoiseach John Bruton tackled a church as a whole is not leading the way. similar theme. “Our Christian belief gives us a While new monasticism and similar sense that we are stewards of creation and we owe movements have grown in popularity, they a duty of care to people we can’t see,” he said. “It do not appear to affect the mainstream of is not reasonable for us to avoid hardships in our church life. (Ed’s note: Please correct me if generation resulting from the mistakes we have you know of significant “kingdom” examples made. There is a on the island of Ireland. strong Christian I’d love to discover I’m argument for not wrong.) passing on to the THERE IS NO NEED FOR ETHICS AND RULES IN Various movements next generation do exist outside of faith RELATIONSHIPS WHEN LOVE REIGNS!" TOMAS debts that we communities. While should have paid SEDLACEK some have gained ourselves or an considerable followings, environment they still tend to remain that is degraded.” on the fringes of society. Suggesting that the weakness of ethics in The majority, whether in the church or banking contributed to the current crisis in outside of it, appear content with the status Europe, John Bruton called for banks to learn from quo, however unfair it might be. churches by introducing regular new opportunities Here are a few examples of movements for employees to examine their conduct and seeking to create or campaign for consciences. alternatives: In the past, people asked, “Is this good for my career? Is this good for my promotion prospects? www.moneylessmanifesto.org Will it increase profit?” The question they should Mark Boyle lived completely without money have asked was, “Is it right? Is it fair?” for two and a half years in England and
IMPOSSIBLE IDEALISM?
While the vision of renewed relationships resonates, there remain questions about whether this ideal is achievable. State of Europe Forum participant Luison Lasala, who lives in Dublin, commented, “I would like to agree with a 'relational' framework for economics, but where do you start implementing it? Is Dr. Michael Schluter painting such an idealistic deconstruction of capitalism that he's turning it into an impossible dream?” A comment from the VOX reader survey on relationships brings the issue home: “The possibilities of "healthy and fair" relationships find their zenith in the Kingdom of God. I believe the world has massively clouded our imaginations as to what relationships under all these categories could be. We are content, apathetic and (worst of all) sentimental and so we continue to live with shallow relationships, a deeply divided society and profound tokenism.” Looking at the difference between relationships within church communities and those in the wider society, this comment seemed particularly apt: “There is a positive difference, but only in brief flashes and in isolated incidents. The church as a community that structures all its relationships in an entirely different way to the world is all too rare and maybe totally absent.”
advocates for simplicity, community and generosity in interactions. His book (freely available online) gives principles and ideas for living without money.
www.justfortheloveofit.org The “free economy” community gathers groups of people in various locations to share skills, resources and tools. Based on moneyless principles, this offers the chance for people to share what they have with others. You can register to find others in your area willing to offer and share what they have. www.occupytogether.org The occupy movement shot to prominence during 2011 and has appeared to wane since then. A reaction to corruption in politics and corporate culture, “occupy” was an attempt to inspire change from the “bottom up”. In Ireland, groups such as “Occupy Dame Street” had protestors camping outside the Central Bank to campaign against “economic inequality, social injustice and corporate greed”. www.transitionnetwork.org The Transition Network supports community-led responses to climate change and shrinking supplies of cheap energy by moving towards models of sustainability and self-sufficiency. In Ireland, Transition movements have started in communities such as Kinsale, Ennis, Wicklow, Donegal, West Cork, Clonmel, Omagh, Dublin, Gorey, East Clare, Midleton, Wexford, Galway, Laois, Skerries, Blessington and Trim with some limited developments such as the creation of allotments and organic gardens.
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ARE OUR RELATIONSHIPS HEALTHY AND FAIR? IN OUR LATEST READER SURVEY WE EXPLORED WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS IN IRELAND
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According to you, the healthiest and fairest relationships in Ireland are between parents and their children, with 71% scoring these 6 or more out of 10. However, two who felt relationships between parents and children were extremely poor (1 out of 10) were both under 25 years old.
PARENTS AND CHILDREN RICH AND POOR Very Good Very Poor Good Poor
Relationships between rich and poor fared the worst, with 75% scoring these as 5 or less out of 10 and 22% marking them as a 1 or 2 (extremely poor).
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Opinion was divided about relationships between men and women. While 54% marked these relationships as 6 or more out of 10, of these 73% were men. 66% of all women who answered the survey marked relationships between men and women as 5 or below.
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Similarly, opinion was divided between those who believe relationships between older and younger generations are fair and healthy and those who expressed concern. Typically, under 35s had a more pessimistic viewpoint than those who were over 35.
Very Good
Good Poor Very Poor
Yes
No They are the same
IS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HEALTH OF RELATIONSHIPS IN THE WIDER SOCIETY AND THE HEALTH OF RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR CHURCH?
WHEN WE ASKED ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS IN THE CHURCH, 71.4% OF YOU FELT THAT RELATIONSHIPS IN THE CHURCH WERE HEALTHIER THAN IN THE WIDER SOCIETY 21.4% believed they are mostly the same and just over 7% thought there was no difference at all.
73% Men said relationships with women were
above average
Relationships between people of different ethnic groups remain difficult, with
62% SCORING BELOW AVERAGE
62%
The jury was out about relationships between managers and employees - most likely coloured by people’s personal experience
50/50 SPLIT (between those scoring more or less than 5) There was a general feeling that relationships between different regions of the country were healthy and fair (the majority marking these as 6 or more).
90% SCORING ABOVE AVERAGE However, 10% marked these relationships as very poor (2 & 3). 16
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34% Women said relationships with men were
above average
HERE'S WHAT YOU HAD TO SAY Cork people tend to love Cork people, and tend to (generally speaking) be unsure of people from other parts of the country, let alone from a different country, race or ethnic group. I think Ireland has coped with the new ethnic diversity really well. People are under much greater stress than before. Life is a great deal more superficial, especially with 'always-on' media, so there is little time for quiet and togetherness. Society is extremely self-oriented - so much less about 'us’ and a great deal more about 'me'. Ireland is still a pub culture with men drinking and socialising and women excluded from golf clubs etc. Top managers are still predominately male. It can be difficult to break down the barriers that are so prevalent in wider society, even in a loving church environment. I think that conflict resolution can occur with Christians, but when forgiveness is involved the resolution can go much deeper. Saying
that, I think that there is an expectation that all Christians will just get along, and that is not realistic. As Christians we are called to "love one another," but we may not always "like" each other.
Relationships are are better in my Christian community because we have more of a shared understanding of right relationships, we are committed to sharing our lives together and we also receive teaching on personal relationships.
Our church cares much more for one another than the general society.
We are a diverse community ethnically and I think we demonstrate love and acceptance towards one another more than in the community around us.
I find that people in churches have more healthy relationships and are closer and more supportive of each other. That said, there are a few churches where the relationships, especially between leadership and followers, is controlling, manipulative and quite unhealthy. These churches wrongfully champion the message that anything less than blindly following leadership is ungodly.
In church, there are better relationships with older and younger generations. There are better relations in general, but still some stigma and wariness towards various ethnic and cultural backgrounds Relationships within our church are more respectful in tone.
The church I belong to fosters a sense of community. The selection of organised events feeds into this: age groups, with a lot of work with youth, men's and women's events are examples. I don't think wider society has all of this to the same extent.
It doesn’t seem as if the church is responding to the unfairness in relationships in the wider society.
D N A L E R I N I H F I N D I N G FA I T JOIN THE JOURNEY...SHARE YOUR STORY 3 - 9 AUGUST 2013
• SATURDAY 3 AUGUST
North West: (Donegal, Sligo, Mayo)
• SUNDAY 4 AUGUST West: (Galway area) - it would be great to include as many different church services as possible on this day.
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• MONDAY 5 AUGUST • Limerick area
Do you have a story to tell? Would you like to share what is happening in your church or your local area? This summer, VOX magazine editor Ruth Garvey-Williams will travel around Ireland to hunt down stories of faith, life and reality. And we’d love to visit you! “After five years as editor of VOX magazine, I’m so conscious that we are only just scratching the surface in sharing what God is doing in Ireland,” Ruth shared. “Finding faith stories is a bit like digging for buried treasure. So this summer, I’ve decide to hit the road and visit as many people and places as possible. • “From Saturday 3 to Friday 9 August, I’ll be driving in a large circuit around the island - starting in my own Donegal of course! You can follow my trip through social media, blog posts, photos and live updates throughout the week online at www.vox.ie, on Facebook (VOX magazine) and on Twitter (@vox_ie). And at any time, whether now or during the trip itself, you can invite me to stop off and meet you or to visit your church.”
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Get in touch now at editor@vox.ie or phone 0749322622. If you can offer accommodation for Ruth for one night during the trip, please let us know.
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• TUESDAY 6 AUGUST South West: (Clare, Kerry, Cork)
• WEDNESDAY 7 AUGUST South East: (Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow)
• THURSDAY 8 AUGUST •
Midlands & Dublin (Offaly, Kildare, Wicklow, Dublin)
• FRIDAY 9 AUGUST North East and Border region: (Louth, Meath, Cavan & Monaghan) JULY - SEP 2013 VOX
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LIFE
SWEET CHARITY SHOPS BY KRISTA BURNS
shops back into the world of the relevant and has made me a ith the summer in Ireland so quickly come and gone, charity shop champion. Walk into one today and you’ll find high spending €100 on the high street to spruce up my street clothes, shoes and loads of vintage summer wardrobe is not ideal. accessories for great prices. Granted, it Instead, my friend Chloe and I may take some digging, but diligently seek made a day of it and scoured the charity TODAY’S CHARITY SHOPS, ARE A FAR CRY FROM and you’re bound to find something to suit shops in Dun Laoghaire with the goal of your taste! finding a summer outfit for €20 or less. THE GRANNY CLOTHES GRAVEYARDS OF OLDE At the end of the day, along with all I was never that keen on charity shops. the great items you’ve found, you can To me, they were obscure shops where it relish the fact that the money you’ve seemed the worst things in my granny’s spent is going towards helping people closet were sent to breed and multiply. in need and giving a boost to your local Today’s charity shops, however, are community. So go ring up a friend and make a day of it. You’ll be a far cry from the granny clothes graveyards of old. In the last 10 surprised by what you find. years our fascination with anything vintage has pushed charity
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CHARITY SHOPPING DOS AND DON’TS • DO TRY IT ON • DO CHECK FOR RIPS OR TEARS • DO CHECK SHOPS OFTEN
• DON’T GO WITH EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT YOU’D FIND • DON’T ONLY BUY IT BECAUSE IT’S CHEAP • DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR A BETTER PRICE
Krista Burns is a graphic designer and photographer from Oregon. She moved to Ireland two years ago to be a part of South City Church in Stillorgan. In her free time, she volunteers at a soup kitchen for the homeless and drinks copious amounts of coffee.
CONFESSIONS OF A FEINT SAINT
I wouldn't pay that for that! wouldn’t pay that for that!” This phrase was heard outside an estate agent’s window in the days when people crowded around such places to check such things. The actual quote was… “Two hundred and turty two thousand pounds for dat? I wouldn’t pay dat for dat!” Not long after this, I heard the phrase “disposable income” for the first time. It was in the context that no one had it anymore. I thought to myself… “Oh is THAT what it was called? The money I used to have left over when I paid all my bills… yeah I remember now.” Disposable income was for things we didn’t need but we wanted. An upgrade on the car, a sneaky weekend a couple of counties away, a new *coughs* iPad. I’ve been pondering spending lately and have been trying to work out the difference between the price of something and the value of it. I don’t mean value for money as in - who's selling the cheapest jaffa cakes? (Although that is important research!) I’m more thinking about the things that I feel are worth spending my money on. Having less money has sharpened my focus. These days for many it’s not a case of, “Will I have the expensive holiday or the cheap holiday?” – it’s more likely to be, “Will I pay the electricity bill or get some groceries in?” When I think of my own worth, though, my own value… it’s hard to believe how expensive I am! Did you not know I was expensive? Oh yes, I cost an absolute fortune. I was bought for a huge price! I’m told in 1 Peter chapter 1 that it was far beyond the cost of gold and silver. It’s amazing really the price that God chose to pay for me when I was of so little value. Like going in to the Poundshop (which became the €2 shop - how did that happen?) and saying, “Here’s half a million Euro; I’ll have that ugly lime green plastic trumpet please.” I am made valuable by the price that was paid for me. Disposable income? I think not - try a King’s ransom! J
I
I’ve been pondering spending lately and have been trying to work out the difference between the price of something and the value of it.
Illustration: Andrew Garvey-Williams
By Annmarie Miles
Annmarie Miles comes from Tallaght in Dublin and is married to Richard, from Wales. She works for Focus on the Family and loves to cook, sing, read, talk and eat! Follow Annmarie’s blog at www.auntyamo.wordpress.com. JULY - SEP 2013 VOX
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Happy Families Financial trouble puts a great strain on family life. At times, it’s difficult to know what to tell the children. Especially when there are more and more “must have”gadgets - that they just can’t have. It’s encouraging that research shows our children don’t need technology in order to be happy! The Global Kids Happiness Index reflects the results of a survey of over 4,000 children between the ages of 6 and 12 years, in 12 countries. It confirms what we’ve always believed…
Some practical ways to help your child when you’re in debt •
Explain the situation in simple terms. Don’t feel that you need to share every detail - it may cause them to worry.
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It is important that your children have a sense that the entire family is in it together. Let them have some input into the discussion – they might think of something that you didn’t.
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Don’t be afraid to apologise to your children if your debts are a result of your financial mistakes. Let them know they can ask you about anything and you won’t get cross (this might require a lot of self-control on your part).
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Encourage your child to earn their own money. Help them to budget their earnings. It will help them to prioritise and teach them vital skills for later life.
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Help them to save for the things they want. This gives them a sense of ownership and satisfaction. It also adds an extra value to the item they have bought.
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Remember that there are plenty of fun things you can do together that don’t cost money: things like playing board games, going for walks, building or baking together. These are memory-making activities.
If you want your child to be happy, simply spend time with them. According to the findings, family and friends are the most important sources of kids’ happiness, across almost all countries. “Play” consistently ranked third among sources of happiness. Interestingly, the one exception was Japan, where kids say that playing and video games outrank family and friends as influencing their happiness. Beyond the top three, happiness drivers varied greatly by country. For instance, competition and accomplishments were rarely mentioned by American kids, but were frequently mentioned by Chinese children. The Japanese often reported “the arts” (drawing, music, crafts) as making them happy while Americans frequently mentioned “animals” (dogs, cats, pets, birds) as an important source of their happiness. The study also revealed that when it comes to children, happiness and money don’t necessarily go hand in hand. *from globalkidsstudy.com If your family is facing financial difficulties, you’ll find practical advice at www.family.ie, and look out for a brand new series of radio programmes on finances in August.
PART 6 BY WARREN NELSON
Focussing on the Main Thing cts is a great read and a definite “page turner”. We find a fascinating variety and diversity of places, personalities, dramas, speeches and evangelistic activities. But it is also a book with a clear central theme. At its heart, Acts is all about Jesus. If there were to be a well-crafted series about Acts on television, to be scrupulously faithful to the original, each episode would end with an affirmation of the place of Jesus as Lord and Saviour. This is really quite striking once you become aware of it; read through the many speeches and sermons in Acts and note how their conclusions are based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Taking a quick survey, we have Peter’s first public sermons, Peter before the Jewish Council, before the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem and again in Cornelius’ house. We have Philip on the Gaza road and then Paul – preaching for the first time in Damascus, at Antioch in Turkey, in Athens, in the
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Philippian jail and before Herod Agrippa. In fact, it’s no surprise to find that the last verse of Acts has the same emphasis. Someone once said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” Surely that is what those early disciples did, and in so doing, they changed their world. Today, the Christian message has been so modified, diversified, adapted and rationalised that it has lost its radical nature and its cutting edge. Their Jesus-centred emphasis stands in sharp contrast to much that passes as the Christian message today. We can have a welter of methods, strategies and aids to evangelism, not only in books but in every new electronic format, but unless we maintain a clear focus on Jesus, Lord and Saviour, we will only be adding to the noise and confusion of religion. “…and told him the good news about Jesus.” ACTS 8 : 35
MY STORY “My Story” is an opportunity for ordinary people living in Ireland to talk about their journey to faith or the impact God has in their daily lives.
PAT’S STORY ooking back on those early years, I see how much God had his hand on my life! One night I overdosed. Somebody found me lying in a garden. They got me to hospital. If they hadn’t found me I know I would be dead.” Desperate to escape his troubled home life, Pat Brown was barely 17 when he found himself homeless on the streets of London. Strung out on drugs, he narrowly escaped death five times. This is his story…
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to my mum was hard, I promised her I would stay away from the drug scene but I didn’t keep my promise. I started taking speed and began injecting.
PLAYING WITH FIRE
At around 19, I accidentally overdosed five times. I didn’t know how much stuff I was injecting. When I look back, I know God had His hand on me in a special way. On one occasion, the squatters had gone away for the weekend. I stayed behind with a I was raised with my grandparents in County Galway. friend and we accidentally set the place on fire. Coincidently, one However, when I was thirteen I rejoined my parents who lived of the squatters returned. Smelling smoke, he found us drugged in Dublin. My father was unemployed, which meant I had to go out of it and pulled us out to safety. out to work. Sadly, About that time, I met my father also suffered a girl named Caz who was with extreme mental also squatting close by. She illness. I found this would bandage my arms, MY MOTHER MADE ME PROMISE HER THAT I WOULDN’T TAKE ANY MORE difficult to live with. which were damaged badly At 16, I had had from all the injecting. She DRUGS BUT I QUICKLY BROKE THAT PROMISE. enough. Feeling became my girlfriend. Caz overwhelmed I ran became pregnant but sadly away to Yorkshire. lost the baby. Devastated, we Shortly, after I had to longed for a new start. When flee to London because my father found me! The Irish Centre she became pregnant again, we needed to get out of that scene so put me up but I was kicked out when I got in with bad company. we came back to Dublin. Soon I was sleeping rough on park benches and in derelict Hoping for the best, we went back to my parent’s house. It buildings, until I came across a hippy commune squatting in didn’t work out so a friend took us in. Back then, it was frowned a row of empty houses in King’s Cross. Thinking this was a upon for a girl to be pregnant outside of marriage. When Caz peaceful scene I settled there for a while. Smoking Cannabis and went into labour, the woman of the house was too embarrassed taking LSD became the norm. to call an ambulance. Instead, we took a bus followed by a long At 18, I returned to Ireland but I ended up in a psychiatric humiliating walk from Gardiner Street to the Rotunda Hospital. hospital, messed up from taking too much LSD. Eventually The hospital didn’t treat Caz well. She was 18, unmarried, and feeling stronger, I decided to return to London. Saying goodbye of course, I was with her (a long-haired hippy guy). They wanted 22
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to take our baby girl away from us [to put her up for adoption]. We didn’t let them!
A PLACE OF OUR OWN
Soon afterwards we were homeless again and went to some local priests to ask for help. One priest told us, “There is a couple next door and they can’t have children. They would really like to take your baby.” He even offered us money. Even then, we had the sense to say no. All we wanted was a place to live with our baby. We ended up going to the Dublin Corporation and were housed in a derelict part of Dublin. We had our own place at last. It was run down with broken windows and fungus on the walls. There was nowhere to cook - the open fire had to do. Between us we scrubbed the place and Caz made it a home. One night, there was a knock on the door. Standing there were two friendly faces. Introducing themselves as Elizabeth and Tommy and holding Bibles in their hands, they began to talk to us about Jesus. We invited them in. There was something special about them. They talked about Jesus, His love and what He did for us. We wanted to know more so every Monday night for months Tommy and Elizabeth visited us.
me. Tommy was emotional. He said that all these people had been praying for me for months.
I don’t know what my life would’ve ended up like if I hadn’t turned to God. Not only did He save me A NEW LIFE physically but Tommy gave most of all He ALL WE WANTED WAS A PLACE TO LIVE me a lift home and saved my soul. WITH OUR BABY. prayed with me that Today, 37 I would be able to years on, I still share all this with rely on God Caz. When I did, for everything. Caz was so open I love to and eager. She gave her life to the Lord share with others what He has done for that night. We both felt brand new and so me. Being a member of the Christian happy. Soon afterwards, we got married in Motorcycle Association (CMA) I get to a little Baptist church. Without two pennies do this regularly. to rub together, we were blessed by the We’ve raised three children and have generosity of our new church friends. My seven grandchildren. Caz and I are so mother saw the turnaround in our lives and thankful to God for all He has done for a few months later she also gave her life to us. Without Him, I think life would have the Lord. brought us back down to rock bottom Our lives dramatically changed. I again. stopped drinking and taking drugs. I found I couldn’t lie anymore. It would bother me when I heard people use Jesus’ name as a swear word.
JUST LIKE TOMMY
Tommy told us about a ship called The Logos that was docked in Dublin quays. I went on board out of curiosity. Book cases were filled to the brim but I couldn’t read properly so I just gazed. A crew member called Gary asked how I got to hear about the ship, so I told him about Tommy. This guy asked, “Are you a Christian?” I told him, “I made my confirmation and my communion.” Then he said, “How would you like to become a Christian like Tommy?” I thought about Tommy, about his sincerity and kindness and eventually I said, “Yes”, not knowing what that meant. He sat me down, opened the Bible and read Revelation 3:20. He explained that Jesus was knocking on the door of my heart. It was up to me if I want to let Him come into my life. He described it like someone taking over the driver’s seat of my life. Then he prayed. As he did that, I focused on Jesus and I asked Jesus to come into my life, right then and there. When I did that, something extraordinary happened. Suddenly, everything that Tommy had been telling me for all those months fell into place; I could understand it. It was amazing. I couldn’t wait to tell Tommy. I knew he was having a coffee evening in his church. (Grace Baptist Church) so I went straight there. I explained what had happened to JULY - SEP 2013 VOX
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REALITY
NOT BUYIN' IT!
In a consumer-driven society, everything is for sale. Richard Carson explains why Christians can’t respond to a world that sells sex by selling sex!
bout ten years ago, I received a phone to compete against these changes on call from a well-known British fashion their terms. In the market place of sexual magazine. For their upcoming “Sex Issue”, messages, it became the norm to grasp at they wanted to interview someone who condom failure rates, narratives of wedded had chosen to wait until they were married to have bliss and descriptions of the latest sexually sex. Initially, they had contacted the US offices of a transmitted infection in seeking to convince major agency from the abstinence movement. They young people that waiting until marriage will passed on my contact details and so, for that moment, meet their deepest desires - the key end goal I was the European contact of the multimillion dollar in consumerism. abstinence industry. Certain readings of Song of Songs were Recently, I received a call from an Irish national an appropriate reaction to the earlier (and in newspaper with an almost identical request to the one many cases lasting) silence and defilement a decade ago. However, my responses now are very of sex. However, since they remained glued different to back then. Over the intervening years, as to the underlying consumerist ideology I developed my understanding and practice of sexual they reinforced the concept that sex is to be health education, I have had several moments of viewed entirely negatively (not just in terms incongruity in which my evangelical faith (or at least of morality but also in terms of pleasurable my understanding of it) was being challenged. experience and physical and emotional The journey has led me to believe that much of consequences) before the wedding the way evangelicalism ceremony and entirely and other streams positively after it - something of Christianity in easily debunked within a few THE ADOPTION OF WALT DISNEY’S VIEW OF years, or even a few hours, of the West seek to communicate an GENDER... REINFORCED THE NOTION THAT LIVING marriage. orthodox Christian The adoption of Walt HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS A GREATER MARK ON OUR Disney’s sexual ethic to young view of gender by LIFE THAN THE CROSS OF CHRIST. people has more many Christians acted as an in common with additional catalyst to help consumerism than reinforce the notion that with Jesus. We have living happily ever after is a responded to the greater mark on our life than selling of sex by selling sex. the cross of Christ. The approach of the church in engaging with the Operating from another related ideology massive transformations in sexual values, attitudes (the reduction of the mystery of sexuality and behaviours at the end of the 20th century was to the act of sex and a desire for it) meant that Christian single people became asexual with the only way out being the marriage bed as they “waited” for the default blessing of God to run its course. The good news was Richard Carson is the Chief reduced to “become a Christian and you will Executive of ACET Ireland, an get to not have sex,” all the while assuming interdenominational response to HIV the person’s place in the heterosexual in Ireland. mainstream.
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The combination of this latter ideology with consumerism led to the enthusiastic celebration of a negative. The T-shirt that stated, “Say YES to Abstinence” was available for $9.99 and don’t worry if you grew tired of it or it went out of fashion. Global sources, detached from our everyday circumstances, would ensure that the conveyor belt of merchandise would continue. Outlets of popular culture (Family Guy being the best example) required little additional effort to satirise with the extreme trappings of the US Christian culture as easy targets. Purity rings and abstinence pledges rarely made an impact this side of the Atlantic, where an altogether more European emphasis on autonomy and the 17th-century ideology of “knowledge is power” carried weight to the same effect. Initiatives such as the abstinence movement attempted to respond to the sexualisation of society from within the consumer capitalism that was driving it. So has it worked? Well, just like consumerism, short-term successes can be identified but the advancement of the kingdom of God must run deeper. We are now in a situation where young people both inside and outside the church are increasingly incredulous (yet mildly fascinated) with the idea that sex is solely for marriage. It is tempting to simply declare that these young people are allowing themselves to be moulded to the pattern of a world in which a swift change of values has taken place; to think that added efforts to encourage young people to renew their minds in relation to sexual choices will reap the fruit of cultural change. We simply have to try harder, break the silences, declare more loudly and with greater zeal. However, 15 years into my journey of working in the area of sexuality, faith and young people, I have come to the conclusion that this is only part of the answer. When taken alone, it will do little to address the core issues and may actually cause more harm than good. What I now believe is that combatting the sexual gods of our age is very important, but in order to be faithful to the God we serve, we must also confront THE god of our age consumer capitalism - which has radically
informed our strategies, communication and values in sexual ethics. By this I do not mean the economic system itself, but the embodiment of an ethos marked by individualism, autonomy, detachment, entitlement to desire satisfaction, body-soul dualism and competition. So what’s the alternative? An obvious start is the presence of a body of believers that will provide as much incredulity and fascination to the outside world in terms of how it eschews consumerism as it does with what it seeks to do with its genitals. As the author and activist Shane Claiborne put it, when asked why he will not stay overnight in hotels when travelling, “I don’t want to be tempted by dirty movies and dirty ads.” However, the journey to such a place will not be easy. Such a community must be rigorously inter-generational rather than bowing to the need to deify youth and
...YOUNG PEOPLE, BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CHURCH, ARE INCREASINGLY INCREDULOUS (YET MILDLY FASCINATED) WITH THE IDEA THAT SEX IS SOLELY FOR MARRIAGE. relevance. This will mean listening more, not less, to our young people. It must lay aside any drive to fight a culture war and “win” arguments on what is best, instead seeking to quietly and powerfully subvert the very framework that believes such a war should be fought in the first place. It must present an alternative expression of power to the world around it, not least in the area of gender and justice. It must involve a re-prioritising of resources away from the detached pronouncements of positions on sexual morality and towards the possibilities of local communities seeking the out-breaking of Christ’s rule in their sexual lives. This is no small challenge as it touches into the very fabric of how we often do church. Our gatherings can no longer be a place we go to in the hope of getting something - another reinforcement of our identity as consumers and another product for us to embrace or discard as we see fit. We must be cautious to avoid letting freedom in Christ turn into freedom from others, a world where the latest podcasts provide
our spiritual nourishment and it becomes unnecessary to undergo the re-shaping of our desires within a community of saints living in the image of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We will have to focus on challenging not the idea that sex is either good or bad, but the idea that our desire for it is divorced and compartmentalised away from our all other aspects of our longing for intimacy, including our desire for communion with God. We will have to articulate and celebrate the sexuality of the single person in our church family. We will have to celebrate the sexuality of Jesus. Such propositions may seem overwhelming, but the church has repeatedly faced the Rubicon of change in the past. We face another such juncture with the task of undermining deeply set ideologies. In the words of the novelist Douglas Coupland, “Your new life will be tinged with urgency, as though you're digging out the victims of an avalanche. If you're not spending every waking moment of your life living the truth, if you're not plotting every moment to boil the carcass of the old order, then you're wasting your day.”
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Biker Church
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BEHIND THE SCENES AT IRELAND'S FIRST BIKERS' CHURCH
eather jackets, tattoos and multiple piercings might not be the first images that spring to mind when you think of church. But that’s the norm for Ireland’s first Bikers’ Church, which meets every month in Gort, County Galway. VOX editor Ruth Garvey-Williams spoke with Bikers’ Church pastor Graham Stephens to find out more. “It’s not that bikers are not wanted in normal churches. In fact, many churches would welcome them with open arms. But this is a subculture and a lot of bikers feel uncomfortable in mainstream churches,” Graham explained. “Some attend church once but then never darken the doors again.” A keen biker and member of Ireland’s Christian Motorcycle Association, Graham had prayed for five years for a church where biker friends would feel comfortable. “It’s not just about a church service.
In a culture where people “live fast giving illustrations from the open road. and die young”, hope is in short supply. Graham explained, “When you are taking And that is exactly the message Graham a corner on a bike, where you look is and other Christian bikers wanted to share. Graham was studying WHEN YOU ARE TAKING A CORNER ON A BIKE, WHERE with the Christian Academy YOU LOOK IS WHERE YOU END UP in Athlone, and in the two months before Bikers' Church started, it seemed that everything he learnt was equipping where you end up. If you look at the him to lead the new church. “I’d been pothole in the middle of the road, you’ll praying for someone else to do it, but end up in that hole. But if you look around then it was as if the Lord was saying, ‘I’ve the far side of the corner, you’ll make it trained you.’” around. That’s similar to our spiritual life. Led by bikers, for bikers, the church When you fix your eyes on Jesus, that is was first launched in January 2012 and where you will go. They understand where regularly attracts between 30 and 40 you are coming from. people, from small babies to veteran “We are one body in Christ, but we motorcyclists in their 70s. have different streams. I believe at the end When bikers walk in, they find that of the day it is not about what building you they fit in. Graham describes it as a go to. If Bikers’ Church is a conduit for “normal” church service. people to join mainstream churches, then “The music may be a bit louder and that is great.” the people speaking are For now, Graham is delighted that wearing leathers instead there is a place where bikers feel they of suits and ties, but belong. WE ARE PROBABLY THE ONLY BIT OF CHRIST THAT otherwise it is pretty People travel from Dublin, Mayo, THEY WILL SEE much the same. We might Athlone, Clare and Galway to attend the not necessarily give a services. In the future, other Bikers’ theological argument. Churches may open up around the Instead, we relate the country, and there are plans to increase the People within the biking culture in message to our audience. In biblical frequency of meetings. Ireland generally stick together. There times, when Jesus was sharing a parable, At present, Bikers’ Church meets are thousands of bikers around this he would relate it to the farmers or at 11am on the last Sunday of every country and in general they are not fishermen he was speaking to. They month at South Galway VEC centre in churchgoers. We are probably the only would understand exactly what was Gort, County Galway. More details and bit of Christ that they will see,” he being said.” directions are available on explained. For the bikers, this might mean www.cmaireland.ie.
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[ WEBWATCH ]
The
Christian Academy
A part-time Bible School
My top five... Web highlights from VOX readers www.nba.com I’m a bit of a basketball junkie. This site has all the news and quick three-minute recaps of games. It saves you staying up to the early hours of the morning to watch the games from the US. www.planetrugby.com This gives all the rugby news in one website. It is easy to use and tends to be the first to break upand-coming news as well. www.thesourcefym.com This is a one-stop-shop for youth workers with great ideas of talks, youth events, games and icebreakers. As a youth pastor, I find it really helpful. www.football365.com I like this website because it is easy to use and provides information on the whole world of football. It is also interactive, with plenty of debate and fans contributing their opinions on different issues. www.churchleaders.com I find this very useful and thought-provoking, with a lot of interesting articles for contemporary church leaders. It is more American-focused but insightful for Irish leaders as well.
Want to know the Bible better? Growing into Your Ministry (GYM) Course 2 years of inspirational teaching A training weekend every 6 weeks 6 home study modules per year Evangelical - Grounded in the Word Pentecostal - Working with the Spirit Practical - Equipping for life & ministry Based in Athlone
Elton Good is the director of SportQuest Ireland and experiences the ups and downs of church leadership in Shannon Christian Church in County Clare. Currently unemployed, he is enjoying married life, and he and his wife are looking forward to the arrival of their first baby.
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LIFE
Unhappy
eals
CHALLENGING OUR ADDICTION TO CHEAP MEAT
One of the best ways to care for creation is to reduce our consumption of animal products, argues environmentalist Jonny Hanson.
orsegate – what is there left to say? All the puns have been coined, the jokes cracked and the airwaves filled with endless analysis of what went wrong. One thing is clear - the pressure to drive down prices led to cut corners.
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REWIND BACK TO 2012 AND ANOTHER FOOD CRISIS: milkgate. Farmers across Europe protested against plans by retailers to further slash milk prices, adding insult to the injury from years of paying just about, or sometimes even below, the cost of production. More than scandals, these are gross "farmgate" injustices. And more than coincidences, they are closely linked. It’s the supply of and demand for cheap animal products – meat, milk and eggs – that is at the root of both these examples. Nor is it a phenomenon that's confined to European milk and burgers. It is part of a global trend. So should we be concerned, what can we do and will it make a difference?
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GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD
The opening request of the Lord's Prayer highlights the significance of food: along with water, it is our most basic physical need. Food production has been the foundation of societies and cultures for millennia. Today, it is still the biggest
There's not much we can do to stop droughts, floods and sodden summers, but there is a lot we can do with the human elements of the food system. And the element that contributed most to horsegate, milkgate and others like them is greed.
WHATEVER WAY IT IS DRESSED UP, GREED IS A FLAWED FOUNDATION ON WHICH TO BUILD AN ECONOMY. form of employment and land use around the world. The diversity of plant and animal varieties in agriculture is staggering, the result of generations of human co-creation with God. The simple wonder of food – its varied types and meanings, the complexity of taste, its central place in human life – is a unique manifestation of God's wisdom and power. We depend on it completely. But like any process on Earth, it's flawed.
Greed is not good. Whatever way it is dressed up, greed is a flawed foundation on which to build an economy. It is certainly not good for a food system on which seven billion people, and counting, depend. This is not about political posturing or mere starry-eyed optimism but about truth: the love of money is the
VOX MAGAZINE
root of all kinds of evil, 1 Timothy 6:10 tells a joyful part of a lifestyle that seeks to honour us. Naturally, when people pursue short-term God in every way. financial goals at the expense of social and What can we do as individuals, families, environmental ones, whether at the individual churches and communities? We don't or organisational level, food scandals will necessarily need to become vegetarian or vegan, happen. although those are admirable choices, but we We can see this clearly with another scandal do need to become ethical omnivores. - that of intensive livestock WE'VE ALL SWALLOWED THE “CHEAPER-IS-ALWAYS-BEST” production, whether it’s MANTRA, HOOK, LINE AND SINKER. the cruelty of intelligent creatures being treated like machinery; the As a former carnivore and recovering meat addict myself, and ecological impact of its excessive pollutants with a young family to feed on a below-median income, here are a producing more greenhouse gas emissions than few guidelines that we follow: transport; the injustice of a third of the world’s grain and seafood being fed to farm animals, as • Eat less animal and more plant protein. people starve; or the impact on human health • Eat organic meat, eggs and dairy products and Marine Stewardship from heart disease caused by overconsumption Council seafood (MSC). These are the most humane and sustainable to the labour conditions in processing plants. options. All of these are the symptoms of a system • Prioritise grass-fed beef and lamb instead of grain-fed pork and that produces excessive quantities of animal poultry. products that are financially cheap but costly • Prioritise local produce instead of imported animal products. for society and creation in the long run. Cheap meat, milk and eggs in our supermarkets mean • Spend less on unnecessary and status-related 'stuff' and more on that other people, places and things are paying food. the price. • Skip the supermarket and buy direct from farmers where possible. We're all complicit. Farmers and their bottom lines, consumers and their desire for ever-cheaper food, governments promoting unlimited economic growth, retailers ruthlessly competing for customers: we've all swallowed the “cheaper-is-always-best” mantra, hook, line This issue can seem trivial when faced and sinker. with unemployment, hunger, war and all the But this isn't meant to be a blame game other concerns we are confronted with daily. or a guilt trip. Overconsumption in this area But actually, they're all related. They all share may arguably be our biggest impact on God's the same cause and the same solution, on creation, but that also means it's an area which the entire kingdom of God is founded: where we can make the most positive change, righteousness (right relationships) and justice by reducing the quantity and increasing the (righting wrong relationships). quality of the animal products we eat. All relationships are God-given, corrupted by sin, redeemed by Christ, and worthy of our attention, including with what we eat. A CHANCE TO MAKE A CHANGE Either everything matters, or we revert to a Let’s think seriously about where our food Christianity of converts not disciples that’s so comes from and how it’s produced. Let’s ask heavenly-minded it’s of no earthly use. Jesus whether the people and animals that produce said: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His our food have been treated right, whether righteousness, and everything else will be added the cost is a fair price to pay and whether unto you.” There we have it – straight from the production has involved a humane life and horse’s mouth. death. Let’s have the courage to accept the real cost of food, even if that means less to spend on gadgets and gizmos. Genuinely happy meals – humane, sustainable, fair and healthy – can be
Jonny Hanson is a Christian environmentalist. He spends Saturday mornings on his local community farm and has just learned how to milk the goats. JULY - SEP 2013 VOX
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LIFE
TURNING HOPE INTO ACTION BY FLORENCE MUTESASIRA
lorence Mutesasira is based in Dublin working for Christian Aid Ireland, which seeks to relieve poverty and bring about lasting change for communities around the world. She told VOX magazine what motivates her work and a few of the stories that make it all worthwhile.
income. The peanut butter is also good nutrition for families in the winter months. Turning hope into action by helping poor communities help themselves out of poverty is the core of Christian Aid’s work. We work with As long as there is life, there is hope” is a proverb over 600 local partner organisations in I heard used time and again in seemingly hopeless nearly 50 countries. Our work spans situations. Hope can be a powerful force in aid, development, and advocacy as challenging times; faith that as long as we are alive, well as immediate relief and long-term there is always the hope that the situation will support during emergency situations improve. such as the West Africa Today, we don’t have food crisis, the 2010 Haiti to look far to realise that earthquake and the current many people in Ireland and Syria crisis. overseas are struggling to Turning shattered IN A WORLD WHERE DREADFUL THINGS ARE HAPPENING, WE DO NOT cope. For many, hope is all dreams into new hope ACCEPT THAT THE CHALLENGES ARE INSURMOUNTABLE. that gives them the strength When the Syrian conflict to keep going. forced Hala and her family Farming communities to flee their home and seek in the drought-prone, arid shelter in a safer part of the area of Gwanda, southern country, Hala’s dreams of a Zimbabwe, didn’t have much to hope for. Their crop this garden in, it was like a new life – and high-school diploma were dashed. yields were continually poor. Hunger was a daily I could start thinking about the future,” Christian Aid’s ACT Alliance struggle as farmers barely produced enough to feed Skha says. sister agency IOCC (International their children. As their fruit and vegetable harvests Orthodox Christian Charities) helped increased, the communities found that Hala receive remedial classes. Now much of it was going rotten because it she can continue with her education PLANTING SEEDS OF CHANGE couldn’t be eaten in time. And so the idea despite being internally displaced. Dabane Trust, a local Christian Aid partner, of a processing centre was born. Hala is one of the top students worked with the communities to access clean, The communities provided the in her class. “I will do my best to be naturally filtered water that is hidden beneath rivers of labour to construct the building, and one of the best students in Syria, and sand. By building sand-abstraction pumps to suck up Dabane Trust provided the materials I will help my family to improve our the water, and dams and boreholes, people can access not available locally. With the processing situation,” she says. “I am grateful to the clean water that is buried underground. centre in place, people can now dry IOCC for giving me this chance of Before this, people used to dig holes in the sandy their crops to store them. They can also completing my education. ” riverbed to create shallow wells. The water they found process nuts into peanut butter, adding Christian Aid is supporting was barely enough; it was dirty and they had to share value, which they then sell for extra IOCC’s work inside Syria, supplying it with their animals.
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Sikhanyisiwe Ndlovu (known as Skha) has seen her life transformed by having access to clean water and a community garden. She can grow vegetables like kale, sweet potatoes and pumpkins. Her children, like in many other families in the community, are eating well. They are healthier than when they had to rely on porridge as their staple food. In the past, they often went hungry. “Once Dabane Trust helped us put
VOX MAGAZINE
essential food and non-food items and accommodation, providing education to displaced children, delivering health workshops on nutrition and infant feeding in emergency situations, and giving psychosocial support to those affected by the conflict. The work addresses the immediate needs of refugees and internally displaced people, but also supports communities in rebuilding their lives. As a Christian organisation, we are called to love and care for one another in
ways that are exemplified, and inspired by, Jesus’ ministry on earth. We have a part in the mission of Jesus Christ – to bring good news to the poor (Luke 4:18). Our work is firmly rooted in and driven by our Christian faith. Our priority is always to bring help where the need is greatest, regardless of people’s faith, race or nationality. Our faith means that we believe there is always hope. In a world where dreadful things are happening, we do not accept that the challenges are insurmountable. Hope gives us a vision of
a world free of poverty. In Ireland, Christian Aid works in partnership with churches and supporters and like-minded agencies in areas such as fair trade, aid, debt cancellation, climate change and tax. Visit www.christianaid.ie to find out more about the work and how you can get involved in ending poverty. 'I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy and executes justice for the poor.' Psalms 140:12
Christian Aid
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FAITH
LIVING LIFE AS A LEARNER
A DISCIPLESHIP COURSE FOR FOLLOWERS OF JESUS ick Park is Senior Pastor of the Solid Rock Church in Drogheda. As a speaker and author, he seeks to address real-life issues for people living in the real world. His newest book on discipleship looks practically at what it means to follow Jesus. Described as a “must read” by one Amazon review, this easy-to-read book is available in Kindle and paperback editions. A regular contributor to VOX, Nick has kindly allowed us to publish an extract from the first chapter of his book to whet your appetite.
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Sometimes I hear people talk as if discipleship was an optional extra. The important thing, it can seem, is to become a Christian. Then, if you want to be one of those Christians who get really committed, you can progress on to becoming a disciple. It might surprise some of us, then, to discover that Christ’s followers were known as “disciples” long before anyone was known as a Christian. Any idea that you can be a Christian without being a disciple is totally back to front. In fact, the term “Christian” was 34
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probably invented to describe some of the disciples who were living so much like Jesus that onlookers began calling them “little copies of Christ.”
GETTING BEHIND THE WHEEL
When I was a child, I used to watch my Dad driving his car. Everything seemed so easy and natural. I imagined that when it came to learning to drive, I would just get in the driving seat and let everything happen naturally. But that wasn’t how it happened. The first time I sat in the driving seat, everything seemed strange. I had to try and concentrate on so many things at once. Coordinating the clutch and the gears occupied all my attention. But I still had to keep my eyes on the road ahead, keep checking my mirrors and was still expected to remember things like using indicators when I was turning. Sometimes after a driving lesson, I would despair of ever becoming a driver
VOX MAGAZINE
But gradually things changed. I began to grasp the basic skills I needed to become a driver. It took a while - and sometimes I felt like I was taking two steps forward and three steps back - but my driving began to improve and I grew in confidence. Soon, I found that the things that had required so much concentration were coming naturally. I was no longer somebody trying to learn to drive - I was becoming a driver! I will never forget the evening when I finally
KEEP WEARING THE L-PLATES
And that’s pretty much how we can view being a disciple. The word disciple literally means ‘one who is learning’. Its original idea was that of grasping hold of new truths and skills. Once we become a follower of Jesus Christ, we have to unlearn some of our old ways and habits and start learning how to live life the way God intended. There are basic skills and knowledge that we need
SOMETIMES AFTER A DRIVING LESSON, I WOULD DESPAIR OF EVER BECOMING A DRIVER.
sat my driving test. I made a couple of really stupid mistakes and I was sure I had failed. So the moment felt all the sweeter when the examiner said, “Congratulations, Mr Park; you’re now a qualified driver.”
STILL LEARNING
But I quickly discovered that being a qualified driver didn’t mean that I had stopped being a learner. I was no longer required by law to stick a big L-plate in my front and rear car windows but every day seemed to bring new lessons that would help me become a better driver. Sometimes these lessons involved adapting to new driving conditions. The experience of driving in heavy snow showed me I still had new skills to learn.
to grasp early on in our Christian walk. At first they might seem hard to put into practice, but in time they become almost second nature to us. But we never reach a point where we can take down the L-plates and say, “That’s it! I’ve now made it as a Christian.” We will be learning all through our lives - Living Life as a Learner….
WE NEVER REACH A POINT WHERE WE CAN TAKE DOWN THE L-PLATES Other lessons were more painful. Paying my first speeding ticket was an effective way of learning to observe speed limits. And it cost me a ruined car to learn that you should take a break if you’re overtired, rather than falling asleep at the wheel. Today, many years later, I’m still learning things that make me a better driver. I grasped the basics a long time ago - and thankfully I’ve never needed to repeat the ordeal of passing my driving test - but I think I’m always going to be a learner.
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Church Insurance - a broker with a difference We are a Christian insurance broker in business since 1984 and church insurance is an area in which we take a special interest. Many churches find it difficult to identify the risks to which they are exposed, their responsibilities to others and the covers they should have in place. This is where our personal experience gained over many years in local church leadership roles makes us different from other brokers. We use our experience to consult with you personally and build an insurance package specific to your needs. This can include important features such as:
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FAITH
THE PUZZLE OF CONSUMERISM BY KATHY NICHOLS
he Bible character Jacob left his home place of Secondly, Jacob remembered his vow to serve God Canaan on an adventure (you can read his story throughout his travels until his return to Canaan (Genesis in Genesis chapers 28 to 31). Arriving in Haran, 28). Serving God with a whole heart, Jacob kept his vow (he he met his Uncle Laban. In all of Jacob’s dealings kept his hand on the plough and didn’t look back). with Laban over the twenty years he remained with him, Thirdly, Jacob listened to the Lord for the timing to leave. his uncle’s actions were far from blameless! Laban deceived Jacob didn’t leave Laban in bitterness; he went in obedience. Jacob, tricking him and lying to him to preserve his own When Laban chased after Jacob, the two men were prestige and wealth. Jacob endured hardship and emotional reconciled after honest and open words. Jacob’s response to blackmail at his hands. Of all the Old Testament characters, Laban reveals his true spiritual greatness and why he is the Laban sticks out as the epitomy Father of the Twelve Tribes of of the consumerist - a person Israel. with a preoccupation with this In the midst of fierce OF ALL THE OLD TESTAMENT CHARACTERS, LABAN STICKS consumerism, he saw the world’s goods. After reading Genesis OUT THE EPITOMY OF THE CONSUMERIST - A PERSON WITH challenges of life for what they 30 and 31, where Laban’s are – challenges to help change A PRE-OCCUPATION WITH THIS WORLD’S GOODS. mistreatment of Jacob unrolls him into a better, more godly like a scroll, one verse stands man. Jacob grew in patience, out. In Genesis 31:7, Jacob humility, forgiveness and responds to Rachel, “You know courage. The “evil” or “harm” that I have worked for your father with all my strength, yet didn’t wrongly affect Jacob, but rather, it revealed a heart your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. purged and he came out of the experience like gold. This However, God has not allowed him to harm me.” (Emphasis same divine power desires to be at work in us, in order to mine.) Was Jacob completely thick-skinned with no sense enable us to escape the corruption in the world caused by of discernment that he felt no harm was done to him? Or evil desires, (2 Peter 1:3-9). was he maybe too weak to confront reality? Hardly! Jacob’s Interstingly, Laban in Hebrew also means metaphorically remarkable response is our secret ingredient to mastering “to purge” (for example in Daniel 12:10, purified and made and overcoming the spirit of the world we face. A closer look white.) Laban, our example of consumerism, was not honest at Jacob’s life reveals a few helpful tips. and up-front, but he was an agent in purifying Jacob. Firstly, we see Jacob kept his relationships as priority What is the secret puzzle in consumerism? Ironically, it with a forgiving attitude despite being tricked, deceived and can either consume or purge – one takes us on a downward swindled. He knew ultimately His Lord was in charge of all spiral, the other on an upward one. wealth, including Laban’s, and regardless of his challenging cirumstances, he trusted God.
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Kathy Nichols was a missionary for many years. Now living in the west of Ireland with her husband Tim, they have three children. Kathy enjoys studying the Scriptures in the original biblical languages.
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LIFE
HEADED FOR THE HEIGHTS NO FEAR OF FALLING FOR LAURA ELIZABETH ublin’s newest singer-songwriter, Laura Elizabeth Hughes, has catapulted onto the Irish acoustic scene, packing out Whelan’s for her first headline gig and achieving rave reviews and the title of Dublin Concerts’ “Artist of the Week”. A YouTube “starlet” with over 1 million views of her videos, Laura Elizabeth released her first download, “Fear of Falling”, in March and hopes to launch her EP in October. But until January, she had never performed on stage! VOX editor Ruth GarveyWilliams caught up with Laura Elizabeth to chat about her music and rapid rise to popularity.
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Tell us how it all began.
I’m 22 years old. I didn’t really have the confidence to sing outside my bedroom until January. But I’ve been posting cover videos to YouTube since I was 16, recording them with my cheap webcam. All my music is very, very personal to me and my songs were not really written for people to hear. It is strange performing them live. [Ed’s note: A year ago, Laura Elizabeth’s version of Lana Del Ray’s “Video Games” went viral with over 680,000 views.]
What influenced you to start performing live?
Justin Vernon is my musical idol [from American Indie Folk band Bon Iver]. A chance meeting with him, last November, was on par with a “religious conversion” in confirming that music was what I should do with the rest of the my life. I had gone to see them play in the O2 and went over to the hotel for drinks. I was halfway through a glass of wine when I saw a little red hat and realised that I knew that hat! We were talking for a while and I was in awe. I started to get emotional and told him I was a musician. I said, “I hope that one day the music I make can touch somebody the way your music has impacted me.” And he said, “Do it!”
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VOX MAGAZINE
So what was it like to perform your first headline gig at Whelan’s?
It was a pretty intense night. I was really nervous that nobody was going to show up but actually we were 10 or 15 people off capacity. The place was filled with friends and family, but there were also people I didn’t know. There was an incredible response. Dublin Concerts picked me as their “artist of the week” the first time a solo artist was chosen.
there is more mystery. In my bedroom, I have net curtains with fairy lights in my window and flower fairy lights around my mirror. My manager has a 10-metre set of fairy lights that go all around the stage when I perform live. That is so “me”.
It was a first time for everybody involved. We didn’t have any budget, so two friends from college created it out of love. We went from blissful sunshine to torrential rain and back again. At the end of the day, we couldn’t get any wetter so we just walked into the sea!
I know your dad has a strong Christian faith (Vincent Hughes works with Ireland’s UCB Radio). What role does faith play in your life?
Like most artists, you are keen to get into the recording studio but you’ve chosen an unusual route. Tell us about that.
I think faith in something is a huge part of everybody’s life and it is what I started to do music for my leaving gets people by. Personally, I don’t know cert, but I was in a class with established where I stand. I musicians think the world (they were and where I am doing Grade a very different 8 piano) and I ENDED UP DROPPING OUT OF THE MUSIC isplace to when my I had taught CLASS AND DOING ECONOMICS INSTEAD. dad grew up. I’d myself how to like to believe that play the guitar. there is something I couldn’t keep there. I’m a huge up because questioner. I’m searching and I guess I’m I was at the other end of the spectrum. still on my way to finding something. I ended up dropping out of the music
Have you studied music?
class and doing economics instead. I was devastated but, at the time, I wasn’t up to it. I studied photography in college and, by the end, it kind of killed it for me. For that reason, looking back, I’m glad I didn’t study music. I’m not a learned musician. I have minimal music theory. I just do what comes out of me. I think I will need to get some vocal lessons.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs?
Tell us about your new single “Fear of Falling” and your first music video. In a nutshell, “Fear of Falling” is about not doing something for fear that you will fail; putting up walls before you give anything a chance to grow. We did the video [for it] in one day.
I’ve launched a “fund it” campaign to raise the money to record my EP. Because I’ve built such a following on YouTube and on Facebook, there’s been a lot of interest from people. We raised over 70% in the first three weeks. It is nice because people are not just giving money for nothing. There are rewards and personalised gifts for those who give, and it offers people a chance to interact. I like the fact that I can update everybody who has shown interest. I’m so grateful that they love my music. The “Fund It” campaign finishes in 30 days. At the moment, I’m still trying to finalise the tracks and the theme. And then we’ll see how they sound when we get into the recording studio. All being well, the EP will be out in October. Follow Laura Elizabeth Hughes on YouTube and Facebook for her latest music releases, updates on the Fund It campaign and upcoming gigs.
“FEAR OF FALLING” IS ABOUT NOT DOING SOMETHING FOR FEAR THAT YOU WILL FAIL
All my songs have come from journal entries. I went through quite a tough time with losing a lot of friends and didn’t have a lot of people to talk to. I used my journals as an escape. I love beautifully written words and there is a lot of imagery in my lyrics. I find it quite difficult to write happy songs. In the process of getting sadness and pain out of my system, I’ve made something beautiful. But happiness is something you want to embrace; you don’t need to get it of out of you! I can’t write during the daytime. I’m a creature of the night; the creativity seems to flow more at nighttime. I guess
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Personal Training
Biblical Nutrition
Health Seminars www.myhealthandďŹ tness.ie Damien Mooney - Christian Health and Fitness Trainer BSc Sports Science, PICP Level 1 Tel: 01 531 2092 Mob: 086 161 9088 damien@myhealthandfitness.ie
As heard on UCBIreland Radio
The Irish Association of Christian Counsellors
ciation of nsellors
RAINING AND ACCREDITATION FOR IN IRELAND SO THAT PEOPLE OurCAN vision is to support the Christian community through providing a SELLING THAT IS PROFESSIONAL AND National Register of professional Christian counsellors so that people CARING.
can receive the counselling and care they need.
oming events:
IACC National Conference - Living with Difference and Diversity - Heather Moore, Sat 23rd March Speakers: Gordon & Rachel Hickson-Saturday 8th March, 2014City West Hotel, Dublin Conference Suitable for: Christian Counsellors, Pastors, Pastoral Care Workers and Church Leaders 10am - 2pm Contact IACC (01) 874 9676 c Centre, Swords. orms: www.iacc.ie Introduction to Biblical counselling Bellwether Centre, Wednesdays (September 18th - November 27th 2013)
” - Linda Wagner and Mary Ann Steffy Contact MaryAnn Steffy (01) 874 9676 maryannsteffy@iol.ie oon in Swords area a Wagner - 087 2976094 Diploma in Christian Counselling- Vital Connexions
2 year part time course starts October 2013 (Dublin & Belfast)
drea Wigglesworth andBooking Vicky McEvoy forms: www.vitalconnexions.net April and 23rd - 25th May, Church, Carrickfergus www.vitalconnexions.net
For more information please visit: www.iacc.ie
g” - Vital Connexions Professional 2 year in October 2013 (Dublin and Belfast) www.vitalconnexions.net
ng Centres around Ireland:
ntre, Dublin - 01- 8749676 vice, Ballyfermot - 01 6268519 ervice, Tallaght - 014620012 siscounselling.net Counsellors around Ireland t www.iacc.ie
Diploma in Christian Counselling Starts this Autumn October 2013 - July 2015 2 years part time with Andrea Wigglesworth and Vicky McEvoy If you are interested in embarking on an adventure to become a Professional Counsellor, please contact us. Fully accredited with COSCA and suitable for IACP, IACC accreditation.
Booking forms: www.vitalconnexions.net Vicky McEvoy vickymcevoy@aol.co.uk
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VOX JULY - SEP 2013
REVIEWS
VOX MAGAZINE
SIMON SAYS, 'BE CELTIC'! REVIEWED BY CLIVE PRICE
aves of enthusiasm for all things ‘Celtic’ have swept across Irish and British shores at various points in modern history. It seems this ancient tide is here again. In Creating Community, London vicar Simon Reed cracks open this old indigenous stream of spirituality. It was for his own congregations – the Church of the Ascension and St Mary’s Church in Ealing – that he needed to find a pathway to growth. He found it in the early church of these islands. “One feature of the church in Britain in the fourth to eighth centuries was that it held together many of the strands of Christianity which today have become separated,” he writes. “The Celtic church had an Evangelical emphasis upon the Scriptures and upon mission, a Catholic sense of the importance of incarnation and sacrament, a Pentecostal-charismatic experience of the work of the Holy Spirit, and an Orthodox vision of God as Trinity.” As a “guardian” of a new monastic movement, the Community of Aidan and Hilda, the author encourages us to learn from former ways of “doing church”. These are mainly: a rule of life, a way of connecting with God and others; a rhythm of prayer, simple patterns of worship, prayer and Bible reading; and soul friendship (anam cara), a process of spiritual mentoring.
W
Simon’s explanation of a “rule of life” is one of the clearest and most concise I have seen. He puts it into three basic principles of simplicity, purity and obedience, to develop “a disciplined spirituality”, as he puts it. I’m inspired by soul friendship but also hesitant because of its darker modern counterpart, the heavy shepherding movement. Still, we should be open to the healthier notion of soul friends, if we’re to be fully human. Linked to this, the author shares helpful and practical pointers about prayer and reflection as a community – including an astonishing experience of welcoming a Muslim into his church who wanted sacred space. Throughout the book, Simon uses the phrase “ordinary Christians”, drawing everyone into this journey. He concludes that a new monasticism with old roots will be the salvation of our broken society. Simon shows the message of Celtic Christianity has outlasted the trendy years. Practical and profound, Creating Community is recommended reading for church leaders everywhere.
JULY - SEP 2013 VOX
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EVENTS
VOX MAGAZINE
Events Calendar What’s happening where and when
JULY Sligo 13 Combine a family holiday with Bible teaching, worship, prayer and fellowship. Day passes available. 7 - 12 July Sligo www.newwineireland.org New Horizon A week of Bible teaching, worship and seminars with programmes for all ages. 20 - 26 July Coleraine www.newhorizon.org.uk
SEPTEMBER Church in Chains Conference Saturday, 14 September Athlone www.churchinchains.ie National Alpha Conference Saturday, 21 September Maynooth www.alphacourse.ie OCTOBER Global Leadership Summit 25-26 October RCCG, Jesus Centre, Bluebell, Dublin www.willowcreek.org.uk/gls
Coping with Anxiety and Panic a CBT Approach
An IACC Workshop with Louise Ward, MA CBT, MIACP “Louise has extensive experience in counselling and psychotherapy with a CBT focus. She is a regular contributor on Spirit radio.
Saturday, 12th October 2013 Riasc Centre, Swords Baptist Church, Feltrim Road, Kinsealy, Swords, Co Dublin
10am - 4pm Cost: €40 (€30 for IACC Members)
What you will learn: Effects of strees and anxiety on body, mind and spirit Links between excessive stress and illness How thoughts affects behaviour, mood and body Factors that increase anxiety like social media Skills and techniques for dealing with anxiety, panic attacks and PTSD
This promises be an informative day for ThetoIrish Association of teachers, social workers, ministers, pastoral Christian care teams and concernedCounsellors friends and family.
OUR VISION IS TO PROVIDE TRAINING AND ACCREDITATION FOR CHRISTIAN COUNSELLING IN IRELAND SO THAT PEOPLE CAN RECEIVE CHRISTIAN COUNSELLING THAT IS PROFESSIONAL AND CARING. Upcoming events:
NOVEMBER Global Leadership Summit 22-23 November Open Arms, Newbridge, Co. Kildare www.willowcreek.org.uk/gls
Got an event you want others to know about? Let us know - and we'll let everyone know. Email info@vox.ie
REVIEWS
VOX MAGAZINE
Satellite Kite Beautiful Eulogy When I heard the term "Christian hip hop", I almost immediately stopped listening. However, my ears perked up when I heard a clip of their song Entitlement. Beautiful Eulogy is not what you expect from Christian hip hop. This Oregon-based group is made up of three artists, Braille, Odd Thomas and Courtland Urbano, all longtime acquaintances who began a collaborative effort to reinvent themselves and their independent careers by creating a new kind of hip hop. I would say they have definitely succeeded. Their debut album, Satellite Kite, is an interesting fusion of each member’s distinct style,
combining electronica, folk music and old hymns. Their style is markedly independent from the usual Christian hip hop scene and is backdropped by confidently textural and deliberate sounds. Through lyrically-driven music, they welcome the listener into their own experiences with God and deeply theological concepts. This album, which includes collaborations with the likes of Josh Garrels, Propoganda and others, is sure not to disappoint. Even if you’re not a hip hop fan, give Beautiful Eulogy a listen; they may surprise you.
Reviewed by Krista Burns
In search of songwriters Irish worship leaders and songwriters are invited to submit original worship songs for a competition run by Integrity Music Europe. Running from 1 - 31 July 2013 the competition is an opportunity to share your music and to inspire worship across Europe. Jonathan Brown from Integrity Music Europe explained, “Worship - like church - thrives when it finds its lungs in a local community. And local churches are often the birthplace of some of the best worship songs around. We believe that there are some hidden gems that deserve to be heard by a wider audience. We want to encourage local worshipping communities to share their work with a wider audience and also to celebrate and encourage new talent." The song that wins the most votes will win an amazing prize; an invitation to join Executive Producer Les Moir (Graham Kendrick, Tim Hughes, Matt Redman) and his team for a day in the studio. The song will be recorded and made be available from the We Are Worship website. Full details of how to enter and full terms will be available from July 1 2013 at www.weareworship.com. JULY - SEP 2013 VOX
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VOX PS
WHO KNOWS? BY SEÁN MULLAN
allas Willard had a way with words. He taught philosophy for 47 years in one university. He was an expert on phenomenology –no, I don’t know what that means. He also spent his life teaching people how to follow Jesus of Nazareth. Over the years, I read some of his books – the easier ones – and listened to his lectures. Willard had some memorable sayings: He used to get people to repeat, “I am an unceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in God’s great universe.” Another was, “The good news for humanity is that Jesus is now taking students in the master class of life.” Some weeks ago, Dallas Willard died of cancer aged 77. Since then, I have thought a lot about his influence on my life. If you can sum up a person’s life in a word, then I think his word would be
D
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VOX JULY - SEP 2013
THE GOOD NEWS FOR HUMANITY IS THAT JESUS IS NOW TAKING STUDENTS IN THE MASTER CLASS OF LIFE.”
“disciple”. The word means “apprentice” or “student.” For him, a disciple was “someone who puts Jesus’ words into practice and discovers them to be true.” A bit simplistic, perhaps? After 47 years studying and teaching on life’s biggest questions, could he not come up with more? Then again, love your enemies, guard against greed, don’t live with anxiety, receive and give forgiveness – it’s not that simple. How do you live that kind of life? Willard said that you live it by discovering the truth of what Jesus knew and taught. Willard dismissed the idea that faith means accepting what you cannot know. It is, he argued, relatively easy to know what Jesus taught and to know whether or not it is true. Faith is not accepting what you cannot know but living by relying on what you know to be true. If Willard’s arguments ever become influential, theology will become a classroom subject –part of mainstream education. Morality and ethics will stop being a matter of opinion and “whatever you fancy” and will again become a set of truths that frame and flavour the way we “do” life. And life will become an adventure in “becoming” rather than a journey towards nothingness. I have just read an interview with filmmaker Neil Jordan. Jordan’s new vampire film prompted a question
about his beliefs. He replied, “I don’t know what I believe.... Does it matter?” Here’s the knowledge/belief divide Willard spoke about. If Jordan said, “I don’t know what I know about making films – Does it matter?” we would laugh at him. Of course it matters. Neil Jordan is a filmmaker – and what he knows (and doesn’t know) about making films is important. People spend time and money to find out what Neil Jordan knows about making films. We are all life-makers. We can learn how life works, what its purpose is, what is good and evil and when (and if) life ends. These things matter. These are not simply “beliefs” we can accept or not. We can know these things. At least, that’s what Dallas Willard and Jesus of Nazareth asserted. Though no professional philosopher, Jesus made this simple claim: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
Seán Mullan has been working in church leadership for many years. He has developed a new project in Dublin City Centre called “Third Space”.
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