Dear Church Family,

Over the last few days, the tension and worry in our community have been palpable. We have been through so much as a province, and having walked in relative peace for years, none of us wants to see violence return to the streets of Belfast or in this case barbarism.

Like many of you, we were deeply shaken by the recent attack on the Antrim Road. To see those images or indeed the footage was horrific. Shocking scenes of one man on top of another, attempting to take his life, was harrowing. The reality of it hit closest to home when our daughter came back from school; someone had shown her the video on their mobile phone. As parents, it breaks our hearts that our children are witnessing this. It is a stark reminder of the old saying: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”  Thankfully there was a good man who did something to save Stephen Ogilvie's life. Maitiu Mág Tighearnán is a hero who didn't freeze in fear but took action to save a man's life with a quick, decisive response.

Many of us will remember the protests of our past. Whether they were loyalist or nationalist, some of us may have had to navigate them at some point. I remember vividly passing through protests as a family on the way to the airport, it was a scary experience. Back then, as long as you weren’t wearing a Rangers or Celtic shirt, you could usually pass through safely. 

But what we are seeing today is different. While there are deeply held, legitimate concerns regarding illegal immigration and ideologies that clash with our way of life, this has spilled over into blatant racism, the likes of which Northern Ireland has not seen, as we are an extremely hospitable nation. The problem is that while you or I could pretend to belong to one side or the other to stay safe, people of different ethnic backgrounds cannot hide so easily and nor should they have to.  Because they stand out visually, it makes it easy for them to be unfairly targeted and blamed. I know of a family that has not left their home in over three days. This family like many families have enriched our community, our schools, our friendships, our faith and indeed our church.

This is not about colour; it is about creed.

We want to be absolutely clear: the blame does not lie in the colour of our skin, rather the content of our character which is derived from our culture.  Our ‘western’ culture referred to often in the media is primarily influenced by Judeo Christian values. We are a Christian culture primarily, we are living in the branches of christian faithfulness and have enjoyed the fruits of that faithfulness. But in recent times we’re trying to saw off the trunk that is Christ. Christ holds up our culture, is the example of our culture indeed the object of worship in our culture. It is increasingly difficult to enjoy the fruits of a Christian culture while disconnected from the trunk i.e., the life source. Replacing our worship of Christ with anything even with good things cannot bear the weight only Christ can carry.

All men are created equal; All ideologies or not.

Every single person on this earth is made in the image of God. That means every human being possesses equal, undeniable value in His eyes. Racism has absolutely no place in the Kingdom of God. Our struggle is never against flesh and blood—our issue is never with people themselves.

However, while all people are equal, all ideologies are not. Culture is born out of what people believe. The ideas in a person's heart will always guide their actions, deciding whether they bring peace or destruction. Our opposition is not against human beings, but against belief systems that bring fear and oppression—ideologies that are entirely incompatible with the Christian values of the West. The values we have built upon bring freedom that is only developed in a high trust society. Less trust, more legislation, less trust, more regulation, less trust, less freedom. This trust has grown out of an incubation of Biblical formation. Just as it was grown out of a Biblical formation, it is lost through Biblical rejection.

Scripture reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but right now, it feels as though flesh and blood’s struggle has come directly to our streets. This is a spiritual war manifesting on our streets.  Again the action we take is prayer, and the freedom of expression where we can use the truth. "The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself." - Saint Agustine (had to slip a quote in somewhere). We are not passive waiting, we are active worshipping in Spirit and Truth.

In the midst of this division, we look to Jesus. Christ is the great uniter; He is the one who brings everything together. He bridges the gaps between people from all walks of life and every corner of the globe. As Christians, we are called to submit everything to Him—our personal preferences, our cultures, and our backgrounds. He is Lord over all of it.

We also need to remember where our true home lies. Our primary citizenship in heaven, our primary passport is paid for by the blood of Jesus. While we deeply value and pray for our earthly home, God has saved us for an eternal country that is perfectly just and free.

Until we reach that home, we must continue to actively pray and work for the peace of our province. Jesus didn't say blessed are the peace-keepers; He said blessed are the peacemakers. That is an active calling. It is not a passive "wait and see," but an active "go and do."

We go and make peace by loving our neighbours as ourselves. We go and make peace by sharing the hope of the Gospel. Let’s stand firm against the ideas that cause destruction, while fiercely loving the people God has placed around us. Let our love be courageous, as we call for calm we also call for courage. Courage to love everyone regardless of race, religion, belief, practice, culture or creed. We are called to love the person, to be a good neighbour. The greatest commandment Jesus gave us was to Love God with all our heart, mind and strength and the second flows from it to love our neighbour as ourselves. Let us continue to be courageous in these commandments, but we cant’t fully do the second, without doing the first.

We are praying for you, and we are praying for Belfast.

With love,

DJ & Suzanne

Abbey Life Church