Building a Better World

Moving On!

While I was writing Building a Better World I was really moved when thinking about the following passage, found on page 143:

All of us must recognise the cost involved in being part of the orchestra and the choir.  It is a cost that is life-long.  This is not an easy tune to play!  Many will misunderstand our reasons for playing it.  Not everyone in the audience will like what they hear.  Some might even try to silence us.  Following our leader inevitably leads us to place of pain as well as a place of joy...  This melody has melancholy and lament as well as air and celebration.  We play and sing both - it can be no other way.

So the challenge is to build a better world.  It is to play our part, to make a difference, to take our place.  But it is to do so, knowing that we are part of something bigger, something better than we ever thought possible.  It is to look beyond ourselves, beyond others and catch a glimpse of a Conductor, to join the music we have been humming for years.

I hope that as you have explored the issues of Building a Better World with me, you have recognised that change is possible, and that spirituality is worth consideration - but how do you think we can translate some of the themes of the book into our daily lives - to make practical change?

I would love to hear what you have been thinking as you have read the words which I intended to start a discussion - for example, have you moved beyond debate about God to conversation with God?  And if so, why?

Over the course of writing Building a Better World it struck me again that we so often struggle with seeing the good in other people, and in their work.  How do you think we can celebrate the good of others and in what ways can we see the power and life of Christ working through others, even when they do not share our faith?

And finally, I would be really interested to know what is happening for you right now as a result of reading Building a Better World - do post a comment and let me know!

How shall we then live?

It is fair to say that change is never easy - but as we look at the state of our world today, our personal world, local world, national and international world, we can all see that change is needed.  That is probably why you ended up reading a book called Building a Better World in the first place!  On page 123 I said this:

Christian faith leads to a spirituality that offers a view of life and the world that treats others as equals whether they share Christian faith or not.  It is a spirituality that addresses the inequalities of the world.  It recognises that the line between good and bad passes not through nations, but through every human heart.  It recognises that we are part of the problem as well as part of the solution and that in order to build a better world we must also address the issues in our own lives and hearts that need attention.  It offers a brighter view of the future and the possibility of genuine change and transformation.  It closes the imaginary gap between the physical and the spiritual and helps to join up responses to human need.  It points to a connection between people and God, between the earth and its maker, between the inner longing for change that every person experiences and the One who can bring true change to all who seek it.

Whenever I think about change myself, I wonder why we have such a propensity as human beings to see the problems with the world and society as always residing "somewhere else" and why we tend to depersonalise so much that needs to change in our world?  Why do you think this is?  Let me know what you think - I'm really interested to hear your views.

I really believe that a holistic approach to societal change means that the physical and the spiritual, the emotional and the non-emotional aspects of life need to be viewed as intimately connected.  Do you agree or disagree with this view?  I'd love to hear what you think and have a bit of debate around this!

And finally, I think it is fundamental that we each become the change that we want to see - but would really like to hear your stories of how Christian faith has helped as you seek to become that change......

A Charter for Change

I just love the Sermon on the Mount.  Following a radical Lord who has holistic principles for a transformed life is such an awesome and challenging privilege.  On page 68 in Chapter 3 - where I examine the principles of the Beatitudes in detail - I said this:

"The Christian principle is simple, yet profound.  We cannot create a fair and caring world by engaging in activities or harbouring attitudes that militate against fairness and compassion.  To do so is to continue the cycle.  The moment we choose to be merciful, however, we break a link in the chain and thus weaken the chain itself.  In other words, we break the chain, a link at a time."

If you have read Chapter 3 I would love to hear from you - do you think that the principles outlined in this chapter make sense?  If you could add to them, or take things away from them, what changes would you make?

Examining about the attitudes we hold is such a worthwhile thing to do - in what ways do you think that the attitudes you hold strengthen the chains of injustice and oppression and in what ways do you think your attitudes break such chains?  It would be really interesting to hear your thoughts....

Finally, one thing that really intrigues me is how do we move beyond principles that we can agree to, and see these things as principles by which we actually live?  Let me know what you think!  I look forward to hearing from you.....

What difference does it make?

I wonder if any of you have found any of the copies of Building a Better World travelling around?  I left a copy up in Leeds last week while I was there doing some teaching - I'm looking forward to finding out where it got to....  Something I have been thinking about this week, particularly given the current controversy in the press, is also something I wrote on page 49:

Yet there is still a need for a better understanding of what Christian faith contributes to our communities and our world.  It is not enough to read the words of pop stars and politicians - we need to know how Christian faith builds a better world.  We need to understand some of the positive principles that underpin Christian faith if we are to understand what it can contribute to our lives and to the world....  Christian faith must understand its own unique contribution to building a better world, but it must also understand how others can contribute to making the world a better place.

As we read about the debate around Muslim women and the right to wear a veil, I wonder what our first reactions are?  I wonder particularly why it is so easy for us as followers of Christ to view everything about other faiths as "wrong" - do you think it might be a lack of confidence in our own faith, or is it something?  How good are we at articulating the things that we actually believe in rather than just the things that we oppose?  And a question that I spend time with my colleagues at Faithworks thinking about is how do we work in partnerships with people of other faiths and people of none, without losing our own sense of identity?

I would love to engage in debate with you around these sorts of issues - comment now and tell me what you think!

Building a Better World goes wild!

A number of copies of Building a Better World were released into the wild in central London today.  These copies are free to whoever finds them, and we are charting their progress through BookCrossing to see where they end up, and who enjoys them as they continue their journey....

Check out these photos to see some of the travelling copies!

If you finish your copy of the book maybe you could pass it on too!  Either to a friend who might be interested in engaging with the issues, or you might want to register it on BookCrossing and see where your copy ends up.  Let's spread the word and get people talking!

Who Cares?

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......

Coming soon...

Building a Better World will be published on 12th October 2006, by Continuum Press.

It is available to pre-order online from Ottakars, Tesco, and WHSmith.

Please visit again soon to discuss the issues raised by Malcolm Duncan in this groundbreaking book....

'Malcolm Duncan's passion, pastoral heart and practical experience has equipped him to make a vital contribution to all of us who want to be in and build a better world.' JOEL EDWARDS, General Director, Evangelical Alliance

'Malcolm Duncan is one of the articulate progressive voices in the evangelical community and deserves serious consideration in this book.' TONY CAMPOLO, Eastern University, Pennsylvania

'A desperately-needed rallying cry to those outside the Christian faith and those within it.' JIM WALLIS, author of God's Politics