Following the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Anna shares a reflection on what Christian Unity can bring to justice seeking
“When people speak together we have more power – this is a core belief of community organising. In a lot of the work I do seeking justice, I am working to empower and enable lots of people to be speaking with one voice; showing power-holders what we are truly and deeply passionate about, and holding them to account.
“This week was the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and I am pondering what it means for Christians to speak together on issues of social justice, harnessing our combined power. We know that historically The Church working together can have a powerful voice on matters such as civil rights and ending legal slavery (I am of course very aware of The Church’s role on the other side of these debates too). So where are we using our combined voice for challenging injustice today?
“On the contentious issue of illegal migration there has been a call from churches to remember we are speaking about human beings, and not to forget how the sacred humanity of each person is impacted, particularly in relation to some of the language used.
“I think on Climate Change we have seen an increasingly powerful voice developing across the whole Church about caring for the planet, with more and more Christians and institutions waking up to the crisis we are in and the need for sturdy and clear action.
“One of the clearest places I see a unity of voice is through West Yorkshire Citizens, an alliance of civil society organisations in the city of Leeds and region of West Yorkshire speaking powerfully together on the issues that matter most. As part of that alliance we have a diverse set of Christian voices working with schools, universities and many other civil society organisations. We are all speaking together on issues like racism in education, public transport and mental health. Christians and people of faith have a voice in that group, a unique voice but also a voice amongst many, only making it stronger and more likely to succeed in its aims.
“You can find more information about Citizens here: https://www.citizensuk.org/chapters/leeds
Other examples of churches working together can be found with the Joint Public Issues Team (jpit.uk) and CTBI – more together less apart .”