idea magazine

Make a stand

January / February 2007

Rich Cline looks at how Alliance member agencies can help us actively make a difference in our society...

Martin Luther King Jr is quoted as saying, "At the end of the 20th century most of us will have to repent, not of the great evils we have done, but simply of the great apathy that has prevented us from doing anything."
Well, the 20th century ended seven years ago, and where are we now? Most of us are so busy with the rush of everyday life that we don't even have time to think about the compelling issues in the streets around us, much less do something about a major global issue like poverty or global warming.

As Christians we know we shouldn't keep silent and do nothing: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31.8-9).

But where do we start? Each day's post brings leaflets and adverts asking us to sign up to one cause or another. The TV broadcasts heart-rending images asking for our help. Magazines like this one tell stories that require action. We know we don't need to be out there defending God every day (He's big enough to do that Himself), but surely we must make sure that Christianity is not forgotten in society's race to secularism.

Of course, God is working, and His people are making their voice heard. Several Alliance members are actively speaking out, showing Christians a way to get involved on a local, national and global scale.
Let's look at just a few of these - even within the Alliance, this barely scratches the surface...

Be a voice

Christian Solidarity Worldwide is an international, interdenominational human rights organisation working for the religious liberty of the oppressed, with a special emphasis on the persecuted church.

"CSW is primarily an advocacy organisation, translating prayer into action," says Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas. "Although, in some quarters there is concern about Christians becoming involved with the seemingly secular world of human rights, we feel there is a biblical mandate for this, because advocacy is what Jesus does."

Advocacy means speaking or acting on behalf of someone, and Jesus intercedes for us in heaven, pleading the case of all who are unable to plead for themselves (1 John 2.1).

So if we want to be more like Jesus, our task is to do as He does, speaking for those who cannot speak, identifying with people who are suffering and sticking it out until the situation changes.

Thomas goes on to talk about how Paul tells us tells us that we are God's ambassadors in this regard (2 Corinthians 5). "We are called to bring about the only peace that lasts, namely, the peace of the Prince of Peace," he says. "Our advocacy should not be confrontational in a destructive worldly sense. Our aim should be to confront the perpetrators with a view to eliciting a change of heart."

And it may not always seem successful. Thomas refers to such prophets as Amos, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Jonah and even John the Baptist, who repeatedly cried out against injustices. "Sometimes the situation was rectified, sometimes it was not, and in some cases the prophets suffered for carrying out their mandate," he says. "This is currently the case of Christians in Colombia who face assassination for being a prophetic voice and crying out for righteousness in the midst of brutal and anarchical situations."

Change the world

As part of their work in advocacy, CSW stresses solidarity (standing together with those who are suffering) and campaigns for change - contacting MPs, MEPs, ambassadors and other key officials about specific cases of abuse or injustice. This involves getting the word out so supporters can pray for each situation and respond in practical ways.

Recent campaigns have reached out to four house church leaders who were sentenced to two years of "re-education" in China, as well as working alongside groups like the European Religious Liberty Forum to address infringements of religious freedom in countries like Belarus, Romania and Bulgaria, as well as the truth and reconciliation process in Peru and ongoing human rights abuse in North Korea.

CSW, like other agencies working to provide a voice to the voiceless, provides several ways for us to get involved, from helping with prayer and financial support to contacting politicians and getting out on the street and taking a stand.

Start locally

Street Pastors is an inter-denominational Church response to urban problems, engaging with people in several UK cities as well as overseas. The goal is to care, listen and dialogue with people where they are. It was pioneered in London in January 2003 by Rev Les Isaac, director of the Ascension Trust, and has actually seen a drop in crime in some areas where teams have been working.

"As Christians, we want to bring practical solutions to the rising tide of gun culture and the crises which face our inner cities," Isaac says. "We do not present ourselves as people with our heads in heaven. We are indeed heavenly minded, but we also believe that we have an earthly use."

A Street Pastor is simply a Christian who has a concern for society and particularly for young people who feel excluded and marginalised. They meet people where they are - on the streets, in pubs and clubs or at parties. Prospective Street Pastors take a 12-session training course, run by Ascension Trust, to learn counselling skills, drugs awareness, sociology and street safety.
"We believe it is crucial that churches work with local authorities, in order that they can understand an authority's vision and policies for the community," Isaac says. "The Street Pastors initiative is concerned with creating a joined-up approach to social services, education, training and family agencies. We know that many of these organisations are not meeting the people that really need their help, and we believe that Street Pastors can help to plug that gap."

Marilyn Garber, who has been a Street Pastor since the scheme started, vividly remembers her first night working in Brixton: "It can be hard coming face to face with the reality of people's lives. It's one thing reading in the newspapers about families being wrecked by drugs or kids roaming the streets, but speaking to someone who's going through it is incredibly sad."

In Manchester, Paul Keeble has had people ask him why churches took so long to start this kind of work. "It's clear that there is a perception in the community that the Church doesn't care, that it is too wrapped up in its own affairs to get involved where people are hurting. Street Pastors is a fantastic opportunity to get onto the streets with Jesus where the people are, to be Good News and silence that criticism for good."

Make a difference

The Peace Alliance is an independent, church-led voluntary organisation working to reduce crime and the fear of crime, and to promote peace in the community. Launched in July 2001 as a local initiative in Haringey, it quickly built links with local faith, community and voluntary organisations, organising its first Week of Peace that September.

Five years later, the event has become a London-wide celebration of cultural diversity, promoting justice, equality and respect, culminating with a rally in Trafalgar Square. And each year during the event in September, crime rates fall across the capital.

Rev Nims Obunge, the Peace Alliance CEO, says, "The Week of Peace is a unique annual event for Londoners to celebrate and promote initiatives and values that positively impact on peace and community safety."

In 2005, Tony Blair commended Peace Alliance for its work in the wake of the 7 July bombings. "What you are doing to make London safer is crucial," he said. "I know that Londoners from across the city will be coming together in the Week of Peace to demonstrate their solidarity rather than their differences, and to celebrate the wealth of initiatives which improve community cohesion and safety at a local level."

Nationally, Peace Alliance works with the Home Office and local police to address major issues such as gun crime and to help victims' families. Projects have been implemented in London, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester.

Work together

To mark the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, a coalition of churches, schools, charities and businesses have formed Stop The Traffik. Human trafficking is one of the world's fastest-growing illegal industries. It is estimated that there are more slaves in the world right now than there were two centuries ago. And it's happening right on our doorstep.

Stop The Traffik has four specific objectives - advocacy, education, fundraising and freedom -

and is designed to link its members' existing activities to stop the sale of people, prosecute the traffickers and protect the victims. The coalition aims to press governments and the United Nations to bring about a change in legislation and policies.

The first step is to raise awareness of the situation, namely the sale and exploitation of men, women and children in most countries on earth. Due to the underground nature of this industry, statistics are difficult to confirm, but international agencies estimate that, right now, some 12.3 million people are victims of forced labour worldwide, with up to 800,000 people trafficked across international borders each year - 80 per cent of them are female and nearly half are children.

People are trafficked into prostitution, begging, forced labour, military service, domestic service, forced illegal adoption and forced marriage. And the UN estimates that human trafficking is the third largest source of income for organised crime, exceeded only by the arms and drugs trade.

Stop The Traffik is going on tour to 10 UK cities from 28 January to 9 February, in partnership with Compassion and Cargo, to present the situation through music, dance and images, telling the story of the 19th century abolitionists and raising awareness of the links between contemporary slavery, poverty and fair-trade.

Tour organiser Marion White said, "While 2007 is the year in which we commemorate and celebrate the anniversary of the end of the transatlantic slave trade, we want to draw attention to the challenges we face at present in the ongoing travesties."
On the anniversary of Abolition, 25 March, Stop The Traffik is sponsoring a global Freedom Day to raise awareness of the problem and call for change.

Speak up

This kind of global justice is also the central theme of Speak Network, which aims to bring social transformation through unified work and prayer. The international network operates on a local level, with more than 30 groups in the UK, America, France, Spain and several African countries, plus linked groups in Brazil, Holland and Sweden.

"We are seeking to share our faith in God, as well as campaign for change in unjust structures like unfair trade and debt," says Director Louise Donkin. "We want to be a movement that follows Jesus in a radical way - in personal discipleship as well as striving for social transformation."

Specific campaigns have included addressing the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, calling for an ethical foreign policy and the cancellation of the debts of the world's poorest countries. Speak members have also spoken loudly on workers' rights, environmental concerns, the child sex trade, access for the poor to medical care and trade justice.
For the Trade Justice Campaign, Speak has been working with such groups as People and Planet, Oxfam, Christian Aid, Tearfund, the World Development Movement and Friends of the Earth to call for the reform of the World Trade Organisation and to give poor nations and poor communities an equal say and a fair deal.

It's quite simple

Remaining quiet on these issues is not an option for a serious Christian. To quote the prophet: "He has shown you what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6.8).

That's such a familiar verse that we often don't read it properly. Allow Eugene Peterson to help, with his colloquially astute translation in The Message: "He's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbour, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously - take God seriously."

• To find other Alliance members involved in activism locally and internationally, do an organisation search at www.eauk.org
• Contact points for the agencies featured in this article:
• • Christian Solidarity Worldwide, tel 020 8942 8810, www.csw.org.uk
  • Street Pastors: tel 020 7771 9770, www.streetpastors.org
  • Peace Alliance: tel 020 8808 9439, www.peacealliance.org.uk
  • Stop The Traffik: www.stopthetraffik.org
  • Speak Network: tel 020 7249 4309, www.speak.org.uk