June 2019 “This month’s cover artwork is from an oil on canvas painting by Samoan artists Malu and Lealofi Siaopo from the Leulumoega School of Fine Arts in the Congregational Christian Church, Samoa - a member church of CWM, . Titled ‘Tsunami’, the painting seeks to portray the agony and suffering of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that claimed nearly 200 lives in September 2009. The two faces were used by the artists to symbolise the vulnerability and helplessness experienced by not just Samoans, but also Pacific Islanders in general. According to a May 2019 report by the European Commission, the Pacific is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world in terms of the recurrence, severity and scope of natural disasters, with high exposure to cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, tidal surges, landslides, droughts, forest fires and volcanic eruptions, in addition to epidemics.” June 2019 2 CONTENTS 3 DEVOTIONAL 5 Foreword 6 Subverting Empire’s Claims To Say What Love Looks Like 9 Subverting Empire’s Claim That Borders Are Sacrosanct, That Migration Is A Crime 11 The Promise Of An Abundant Life 14 AT A GLANCE 18 VIEWPOINTS 19 Empire: How And Where Are We Being Subversive? 23 Healing Relationships: Hope For A New Spirituality 25 My PIM Journey 27 Reflections On ‘2019 Easter Sunday In Sri Lanka’ 29 Religious Diversity, Political Conflict, And The Spirituality Of Liberation 34 The Landing 35 In Conversation With... 37 TAKE A LOOK 38 Book Review 40 SEEN & HEARD 44 YOUR SAY 46 Behind The Scenes: Resistance Rites And Indigenous Peoples’ Voices 47 From A Valley Of Dry Bones Into A Playground 48 What Is Having A Voice If Not To Advocate For Others And Yourself 50 Testimonies About God’s Grace During CWM Missionary Retreats 52 Are You Hearing Me? 54 “Misguided Sentimentality?” A Personal Reflection On Notre-Dame De Paris Fire 58 Ask And You Shall ‘Believe’ 60 Africa Day Is Useless/Ways DEVOTIONAL FALLEN IS BABYLON Reading Bible in the context of empire DEVOTIONAL FOREWORD Then I saw another angel flying high in the air, with an eternal message of Good News to announce to the peoples of the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and nation. He said in a loud voice, “Honour God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge all people. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!” A second angel followed the first one, saying, “She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen!” (Revelation 14: 6 – 8). The book of Revelation is a story of inspiration for those who live on the margins of society and a message of sobriety, even warning, for those who believe that absolute power resides in human crafty schemes and politics. The dispirited and broken-hearted will discover that God has a plan for their vindication and the high and exalted will know that the “mighty (have) fallen and the weapons of war perish” (2 Sam 1: 27). The message is essentially about the coming of a “new Jerusalem” (Rev 21: 2), “another world” (Arundhati Roy) where a flourishing environment and peace, goodwill and justice for all define God’s creation. Babylon has fallen! The author of Revelation, who lived in the midst of the terrifying power of empire and its persecution of any and all who resisted her, makes this claim twice. Within a few years of this prophetic pronouncement, Rome had indeed fallen. Empire was humbled by the resistant spirit of movements within its colonised lands, movements like the one stirred up by Jesus of Nazareth. And yet, everyone, including the prophet of this message, cried when Babylon fell (Rev 18). What is meant to be a time of celebration for the oppressed victims of empire is equally a time of desolation. No one seems to win. So, we come, in our era of empire, to announce the good news to a hurting world that Babylon has fallen! This is a statement of encouragement and hope for the weary, the battered and bruised of our time. It is also a warning of the great pain and sorrow inflicted on everyone, both the oppressed and the oppressor, when systems and structures are allowed to divide and eventually destroy society. ‘Babylon has fallen’ is therefore an invitation to all to embrace a different way of being in community, opening the way to a new epistemology, marked by the experience of life is fullness by all. How can we say Babylon is fallen? We do so because in the face of dominant powers we believe in the ultimate power of God, who is counter-creating in our midst a new heaven and earth, who in the company of peasant girls is working to bring the powerful down from their thrones (Luke 1: 52) and to bridge the divide by challenging the oppressors to confess wrongdoing, make reparation and open the door to the new (Luke 19: 1-10). We have the witness of the biblical text to remind and inspire us that Babylon has fallen. The claims, powers and blandishments of empire are empty and bring not blessing but curse. As we approach the text we realise in glaring details that empire is behind the text, in the text and in front of the text. However, thankfully, the dynamic of God’s people, in the midst of empire, shapes the drama of both testaments and our interpretations of the text. How can we say Babylon is fallen? We do so by being part of what subverts it, and reveals its shame, its charade and its life-denying vices. In 2010, CWM embarked on developing a theology and programme of mission which took empire as its main interlocutor. As we survey the threats to life and to God’s sovereignty, in 2019, we felt it was timely to revisit our theology of mission in the context of empire and to once again call this to the attention of our member churches and partners. CWM offers this set of bible studies as a new resource to enable conversations about how God is stirring up life-changing and system-changing moments and movements in our midst. Excerpts of the Bible Studies are featured in this issue of INSiGHT for study, discussion and, above all, action as we invite the world beyond Babylon to break in upon us in hope, light and joy. Rev Dr Collin Cowan General Secretary Epiphany 2019 5 | INSiGHT DEVOTIONAL Subverting Empire’s claims to say what love looks like The claims of empire: Article 13 Empire makes its claims not only on ‘land’ but also on WE AFFIRM that the grace of God in Christ enables ‘being’. It seeks to occupy the personal space as well sinners to forsake transgender self-conceptions and by as the public space, and to especially dominate and divine forbearance to accept the God-ordained link cow minorities it sees as ‘abnormal’ or subversive of its between one’s biological sex and one’s self-conception power and norms. As a result, it also seeks to co-opt as male or female. the majority to its values and attitudes. The church, which used to be outside of empire, has become deeply WE DENY that the grace of God in Christ sanctions complicit in this and is a particular force occupying self-conceptions that are at odds with God’s bodies and souls. revealed will. From the Nashville Statement: “I would like to remind and warn all organisations and [This statement was drafted in late August 2017, institutions that campaign and pretend to protect during the annual conference of the Ethics and homosexual interests … we are going to arrest whoever Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist is involved and charge them in courts of law … Those Convention, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & who teach such things do not like us, brothers. They Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The brought us drugs and homosexual practices that even statement was published online on August 29, 2017. It cows disapprove of”. - President of Tanzania John was signed by more than 150 evangelical Christian Magufuli, June 2017 leaders] The governor of Dar es Salaam, Paul Makonda, urged Article 7 his citizens to start reporting people that they WE AFFIRM that self-conception as male or female suspected to be LGBTQ to the police so that they could should be defined by God’s holy purposes in creation be rounded up. “I have information about the and redemption as revealed in Scripture. presence of many homosexuals in our province,” He added: “Give me their names. My ad hoc team will WE DENY that adopting a homosexual or transgender begin to get their hands on them next Monday.” self-conception is consistent with God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption. Re-reading our texts: Article 8 When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan WE AFFIRM that people who experience sexual was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him that day and would not let him return attraction for the same sex may live a rich and fruitful to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with life pleasing to God through faith in Jesus Christ, as David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 Jonathan stripped they, like all Christians, walk in purity of life. himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armour, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.