Blair challenged by Christian peacemakers
-29/01/05
A group of Christians today held a peace vigil outside Downing Street, the prime ministerís residence, as part of a weekend of services and prayers coordinated by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR). They challenged PM Tony Blair to live up to his Christian convictions by becoming ìa force for real peace and security in the worldî.
At 3pm a small delegation from the organisation handed in the initial batch of the national Called to be Peacemakers petition, along with several ëpeace flagsí featuring messages from students collected during a recent FoR university tour.
The petition points out that Britain is presently subsidising arms exports by over £760 million per year, and that these weapons sales are worsening conflicts throughout the world.
It says that the UK is devoting £24 billon annually to military spending, a sum 55% higher than the Western European average as a percentage of gross domestic product. The Government is also allowing US military bases in the UK to be used for the ballistic missile defence programme.
To make the world safer and more peaceful ìwe need to challenge the structures that make war and conflict more likelyî, declares Chris Cole of FoR. The Fellowship of Reconciliation is Britainís oldest Christian peace organisation.
The petition calls on PM Tony Blair to reduce military spending, cut arms exports and withdraw the UK from the ballistic missile defence initiative.
Around the world many faith communities and NGOs are involved in active peacemaking locally, nationally and globally, says FoR. The Fellowship has produced a resource pack on ëWitness for Peace in a World of Conflictí and is committed to working with individuals, local congregations and ecumenical networks to encourage peace witness as a central feature of the Gospel.
ìWith two recent pre-emptive wars launched by the US and the UK, the ongoing ëwar on terrorí, the awful confrontation in Israel/Palestine, and conflicts throughout Africa and Asia, we are in the midst of a resurgence of the powers of death and destructionî, Cole told Ekklesia.
He continued: ìThere is a genuine fear that war, violence and armed intervention are becoming the norm. Yet at the same time, many people are beginning to ask deep and searching questions about issues of security, justice and violence. This is a sign of real hope as well as a significant challenge to the Church.î
On 11-13 February 2005 FoR is organising a further conference for young people to explore these concerns from a Christian perspective. Among the speakers will be activist and Gospel singer Garth Hewitt from the Amos Trust, and Milan Rai from Voices in the Wilderness, which opposed war and sanctions against Iraq. The weekend will feature in-depth workshops, Bible study, discussion and prayer.
Blair challenged by Christian peacemakers
-29/01/05
A group of Christians today held a peace vigil outside Downing Street, the prime ministerís residence, as part of a weekend of services and prayers coordinated by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR). They challenged PM Tony Blair to live up to his Christian convictions by becoming ìa force for real peace and security in the worldî.
At 3pm a small delegation from the organisation handed in the initial batch of the national Called to be Peacemakers petition, along with several ëpeace flagsí featuring messages from students collected during a recent FoR university tour.
The petition points out that Britain is presently subsidising arms exports by over £760 million per year, and that these weapons sales are worsening conflicts throughout the world.
It says that the UK is devoting £24 billon annually to military spending, a sum 55% higher than the Western European average as a percentage of gross domestic product. The Government is also allowing US military bases in the UK to be used for the ballistic missile defence programme.
To make the world safer and more peaceful ìwe need to challenge the structures that make war and conflict more likelyî, declares Chris Cole of FoR. The Fellowship of Reconciliation is Britainís oldest Christian peace organisation.
The petition calls on PM Tony Blair to reduce military spending, cut arms exports and withdraw the UK from the ballistic missile defence initiative.
Around the world many faith communities and NGOs are involved in active peacemaking locally, nationally and globally, says FoR. The Fellowship has produced a resource pack on ëWitness for Peace in a World of Conflictí and is committed to working with individuals, local congregations and ecumenical networks to encourage peace witness as a central feature of the Gospel.
ìWith two recent pre-emptive wars launched by the US and the UK, the ongoing ëwar on terrorí, the awful confrontation in Israel/Palestine, and conflicts throughout Africa and Asia, we are in the midst of a resurgence of the powers of death and destructionî, Cole told Ekklesia.
He continued: ìThere is a genuine fear that war, violence and armed intervention are becoming the norm. Yet at the same time, many people are beginning to ask deep and searching questions about issues of security, justice and violence. This is a sign of real hope as well as a significant challenge to the Church.î
On 11-13 February 2005 FoR is organising a further conference for young people to explore these concerns from a Christian perspective. Among the speakers will be activist and Gospel singer Garth Hewitt from the Amos Trust, and Milan Rai from Voices in the Wilderness, which opposed war and sanctions against Iraq. The weekend will feature in-depth workshops, Bible study, discussion and prayer.