Annie Metcalfe - Surprised and inspired by Living Reconciliation
The Ministry of Reconciliation
Living Reconciliation in Lent - St Martin's, York
Abp Fred J Hiltz, primate of Canada, endorses 'Living Reconciliation' book
The book helped me to realise reconciliation should start with me
Living Reconciliation enables us to dance to a different drumbeat than the war drums
‘There is nothing easy or light-weight about reconciliation. It is a long and often painful journey. It is by telling our stories and hearing the stories of those we do not understand that we learn to walk together in hope. Forgiveness and reconciliation are a choice, but it is a choice rooted in the recognition that we are all flawed human beings, all children of God. This book draws on a wealth of stories from around the world and from Scripture, and reminds us that we are all called to be reconcilers through being who we are. We are all called to reconciliation. I commend this book to you, my fellow workers in the kingdom, as a tool and encouragement in living your life of reconciliation.’ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
‘This book sets out vital principles, tells compelling stories, and inspires and challenges readers to live and make new stories of their own. It is an invitation not just to a way of thinking, but to a way of life. It springs from the principles worked out in Coventry over seven decades, and shows how they can transform the world today. As the authors say, “Reconciliation is not an aspect of Christian living, for a few enthusiasts – it is the gospel.” I warmly commend it. This is a great book.’ The Very Revd John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry
‘Angharad Parry Jones and Phil Groves have delivered a gem of a book in Living Reconciliation. They have crystallized years of indaba conversations across the Anglican Communion in which opposing groups with apparently irreconcilable views got talking to each other, with astonishing results. This book demonstrates how facilitated conversations can lead to [further] conversation and reconciliation. The Rt Revd Raphael Hess, Bishop of Saldanha Bay, South Africa
‘As an evangelist constantly relating to people of other faiths, I have learnt that being authentic and remaining faithful means an ongoing journey of reconciliation. Reading Living Reconciliation will help you reach out to your neighbours, even people you disagree with, and discover what it is to love people.’ The Revd Canon Francis Omondi, All Saints Cathedral Diocese, Anglican Church of Kenya
‘In the world of medicine, when need is great, suffering is profound and resources are limited, doctors and nurses, patients and families may disagree about the best way forward. It’s often helpful for everyone to sit down together, and to make a list of all of the goals we share in common. When we focus on the healing for which we all hope, we often find that we agree about much more than we disagree, and can then work together to find a better way forward. Living Reconciliation demonstrates practical ways for Anglicans to truly listen to and learn from one another, so that we can catch a shared vision of our rich and deep bonds in Christ, and become more effective healers in our wounded and suffering world.’ The Revd Dr Jacqueline R. Cameron, Department of Religion, Health and Human Values, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
‘This book reveals the art of genuine conversation in a world of differing opinions and sharp disagreements . . . it is beneficial for all those seeking common ground.’ The Most Revd Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales
‘Reconciliation is the living and loving act of Christians offering to this chaotic world.’ The Very Revd Samson Fan, The Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui
‘In Living Reconciliation, Phil Groves and Angharad Parry Jones put reconciliation right where it belongs: at the centre of the gospel and the heart of the Christian faith. Drawing on examples from their work with the Continuing Indaba process in the Anglican Communion, they encourage Christians to take the risk of honestly encountering one another in conversation, prayer and study. This book is an excellent resource not only for Anglicans seeking a greater understanding of one another but for all Christians who seek to respond to and transform the entrenched systems of power in the world.’ The Revd Jesse Zink, author of Backpacking through the Anglican Communion: A search for unity.
The ministry of reconciliation is one for all Christians, but it isn’t easy. The Church therefore needs resources that are accessible and usable by a wide range of people. Phil Groves and Angharad Parry Jones have done us all a great service by providing just such a resource. “Living Reconciliation” is a simple and yet profound guide to the immensely rewarding, challenging, sometimes painful process of loving one another in and through disagreement. Their book offers a vision of Church marked by honesty, truthfulness and love. It is a people’s theology which applies the teaching of the Gospel at precisely the point where we need it most today. Together with the accompanying Bible studies – and prayerful study of the scriptures is the indispensible foundation for Christian reconciliation – it offers a key to the resolution of conflict and to living with difference. More than anything else, these can be the gifts of the Anglican people to the world Church and to the world itself in our generation. Not enough of us are thinking, praying and writing about these things; but Phil and Angharad have shown us the way. Please buy, use and share this resource. You and your community need it. We all need it, and resources like it, if we are to make the journey of reconciliation our own. The Right Reverend Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool.
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