Building a Better World is being published today and I have been so excited to see the finished copies. I wrote the book as a conversation, and I am really hoping to use this blog to engage with you around some of the issues I raised, so here are a few thoughts to get us started....
On page 28 I said: Separating our actions from our motivations has never worked because it doesn't make sense. Trying to build a better world without making sure the foundations are right is like building on sand. Getting our foundations right means we will build on solid, reliable ground. Exploring our foundations must be one of the most important undertakings of our lives. It is a journey we must take. This journey may not be a comfortable one for you or for me. We may disagree on the way. You may find that some of your misconceptions are challenged or your ideas shaken a little. I hope mine are too. I'm not interested in converting you. I'm not interested in coercing you. I'm not even interested in just persuading you. What I do want to do is to help you to explore how the passions of your life might just coincide with the Giver of Life himself.
I would be really interested to hear from you as to why you think we are so bad at working out the foundations behind our motivation for action? What do you think are the "right" foundations? And why do you think that followers of Christ so often struggle with the question of conversion? What do you think about lavishly loving God and others and letting God do the work of conversion?
Please do let me know what you think - I look forward to continuing the conversation with you......
Hi! This sounds like an interesting book. I think Christian spirituality does encourage a person to try to build a better world: one based on principles such as loving one's neighbour as much as oneself, actingly justly, learning to be peacemakers and suchlike.
However, I find these aspects of what it means to be a Christian are often made little of in many churches and the emphasis is so often on a personal faith without a concern for the wider world, except to convince them of their need to be 'saved'.
This is especially sad as I do think that Christianity, which is about changing us from the inside out and challenging comfortable lifestyles built on the exploitation and deprivation of our fellow man and on the exploitation and destruction of the beautiful world God has made, does have the potential to save planet Earth as well as the people who live on it, so long as enough people are convinced to change their ways and live the way as Jesus taught us to live.
Posted by: Karin | October 16, 2006 at 09:03 PM
Hi
I'd like to congratulate you on writing on this often avoided topic within our christian environment. I agree with Karin that we focus too much on personal faith and holiness and not really thinking about the outward impact of our faith in the wider community. I have just completed a dissertation on the role of churches in social justice and poverty issues. Unfortunately this book has come out slightly late for me! However, I believe it is still a useful resource for christians engaged in social action. Building the right foundations is vital to getting the message across about our role in transforming society in a positive and engaging way.
Posted by: Dave | October 17, 2006 at 01:40 PM