It is July 9. Four years ago on this day, I was in Juba, South Sudan as the newest nation in the world was inaugurated. After decades of civil war, South Sudan at last had achieved its independence. It was a day that was palpably full of hope, expectation, and wonder. Now, those memories seem […]
South Sudan, four years on Read More »
Sometimes—amid posts on this blog about various aspects of church life—you could be forgiven for forgetting that Christians have an actual gospel—good news—to share with the world. I love finding this gospel message outside the walls of the church, off the pages of the Bible, and presented by people who aren’t professional religious specialists. The recent
Railway Man reconciliation Read More »
Daniel Deng Bul, the Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan, and leader of South Sudan’s National Platform for Peace and Reconciliation, has written an important letter outlining the efforts of so many to bring about peace in South Sudan. I have uploaded the letter here so that you can read it
Stuck in the middle in South Sudan: on reconciliation and peace Read More »
In February of my final year of university, the faculty went on strike. The dispute had been brewing for the entire academic year and provoked plenty of fodder for debate. I have always remembered how discussions seemed to continually circle back to one question: when do you decided that dialogue has failed and opt for other
A time for talking and a time for not talking—or do we all just need more time? Read More »
Readers of this blog will know I have more than a passing interest in the goings-on in South Sudan. So it is with some alarm that I have been hearing of the violence in Juba and elsewhere this week. Church leaders in South Sudan have issued two statements recently in response to the violence—both models
South Sudan church leaders respond to recent violence Read More »
Change is afoot in the Anglican world—and already its effects are beginning to be felt. There’s a new archbishop of Canterbury, of course, who will be formally seated in his new cathedral on Thursday. Rowan Williams was a convenient whipping boy for breakaway American Anglicans. (This is the group that has left the Episcopal Church
Is the ground shifting under ACNA? Read More »
Reconciliation is at the core of the good news of Jesus Christ: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is,
“Ambassadors for Christ” Read More »
I came across this Facebook spoof the other day: (And that’s only part of it: you can see the rest of it here.) This spoof is funny—and depressing—because it is true. Particularly as the American election enters its final weeks, it seems my Facebook feed has become dominated by such threads. And it’s not only
Religious discourse in an age of “I have no need of you.” Read More »
One of the (possibly the only) downsides of the high profile Desmond Tutu had in the 1980s and 1990s is that other eloquent, faithful, and prophetic African Anglican leaders were overshadowed. I thought about that as I was preparing for my class on Sudanese church history last week. Bishop Francis Loyo of Rokon has been
The “law of homogeneity” in the church Read More »
There are many seemingly intractable situations in South Sudan but one that has gotten a fair bit of attention recently is the ongoing violence in Jonglei state. As we sit in this Holy Week, there is an update on the situation, in the form of a report from Daniel Deng Bul, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church
The Cross in our Midst in Holy Week Read More »
