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Wednesday March 10 2021
A global prayer book featuring prayers about injustice and hope – with contributions from Christian leaders, activists, writers and theologians from Scotland and around the world - is being launched tonight to mark Christian Aid’s 75th anniversary.
Covering themes including climate injustice, Black Lives Matter, gender violence, the coronavirus pandemic and extreme poverty, ‘Rage and Hope’, features 75 prayers for a better world.
Among the contributors are Anne Muir, retired Scottish TV producer; minister, songwriter and broadcaster John Bell; and the head of Christian Aid Scotland, Sally Foster Fulton.
Anne Muir, who sits on Christian Aid Scotland’s advisory committee and plays an active role in Side by Side, the faith movement for gender justice, said: “It was an honour to be asked to contribute a prayer to Rage and Hope, a book celebrating Christian Aid’s 75th anniversary. My prayer is in the section called ‘Resist’ and my thoughts went straight to the Psalms. So, my prayer is a paraphrase of Psalm 10, which, for me, is the ultimate psalm of defiance in the face of injustice. As the gap between the world’s richest and poorest widens, especially as the planet reels from the impact of the pandemic, my prayer insists that this is not how God's world was meant to be.”
John Bell said that he believes that the rage in the book’s title is a natural response to injustice. "Anger gets a bad name in Christian circles, especially when it is presumed to be a sinful emotion. For Jesus, anger was a natural response to injustice, the oil which energised his compassion and words of contradiction - a scandal to those who expected better of him, but a sign of hope and solidarity to those who were oppressed."
Sally Foster-Fulton added: “There are 75 voices in this book, from Scotland and around the world. We thank everyone who contributed to what is a unique book, 75 years in the making and completely of the moment. Rage and hope, two sides of the same coin, born of a visceral and intense desire – for justice, for peace, for a world where planet and people thrive.
“I’m honoured to have contributed to it alongside so many articulate, passionate thinkers and activists, especially Professor Walter Brueggemann, one of the world’s leading theologians. He was a mentor to me and so many at Columbia Seminary. His thinking was and is transformational.
“Above all we pray that justice will prevail and that the future will be different.”
Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, Christian Aid’s Chief Executive, has contributed to the book, as have three of the previous CEOs: Loretta Minghella, Daleep Mukarji and Michael Taylor. Their combined leadership of the organisation spans 30 of its 75-year history and all four will be taking part in an online discussion to mark the launch of the book today, 10 March at 6pm. Details can be found at https://www.christianaid.org.uk/news/rage-hope-75-prayers-better-world-book-launch
The book is published by SPCK on the 18 March and you can order a copy from https://spckpublishing.co.uk/rage-and-hope
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Post Tags: christian aid
Book launched at online discussion on Wednesday evening
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Book launched at online discussion on Wednesday evening
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Book launched at online discussion on Wednesday evening
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