As politics in Northern Ireland continue their tumultuous contortions, with the resignation of the newly elected DUP leader Edwin Poots, and the instating of a First Minister who does not have the support of his party, we continue with our exploration of conflict in Ireland. As we do so, we need to note that the seeds of bitterness and grief run very deep, and there is much unearthing to be done. Peace too needs to be deep-rooted.

A friend from Ireland, originally from the north but now living in Cork, expressed his wish that a ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’ of the kind held in post-apartheid South Africa had been held in Northern Ireland in the wake of the Troubles as amnesty for terrorists does not seem to be matched by similar treatment for soldiers, who are still being hunted down for possible crimes committed, in some cases, around 50 years ago.

Holy Spirit breaking down barriers

Yes, justice is important, but mercy comes in harmony with this vital attribute (see Amos 5:15). The ministry of the Christian Renewal Centre – at Rostrevor, Co Down, near the border with the Republic – was essentially one of reconciliation across the spiritual, religious and political divide, but it was sparked by the charismatic renewal through which both Protestants and Catholics came into a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit. It broke down barriers, led recipients into a deeper knowledge and love of the Scriptures, and strengthened the atmosphere of love and acceptance among them as they lived a lifestyle of reconciliation.The former Christian Renewal Centre, Rostrevor

This should not be surprising, of course, as Jesus said that the Spirit would lead us into all truth (John 16:13). My wife Linda spent several years as part of the community in Rostrevor during the Troubles and said it was usually the case, when speaking with other members or with visitors, that you couldn’t tell whether they were Catholic or Protestant by the conversation. This was because everyone was on the same page, spiritually speaking, sharing a knowledge of Jesus and the Bible which was common to both of them – clearly the work of the Holy Spirit. The reconciling truth of the gospel was evident in word and deed, and expressed itself in much prayer.

Much healing and reconciliation still needed

Margaret Davies, who also served with the community and is originally from the south, said: “The Northern Ireland situation is very complex and runs very deep, and it only takes a little thing to open up old wounds which are never far under the surface, and no doubt Brexit, and the imposition of abortion, has played into this. It is a deeply spiritual battle and there is much bloodshed on the land which needs to be dealt with before any real healing takes place.”

Christianity continues to be preached, but the momentum for reconciliation seems to have been lost. It is, after all, the crux of the gospel message – reconciliation with God, then with each other – so it is vital that it is caught afresh. The Corinthian Christians were urged no longer to regard one another “from a worldly point of view”. Whoever is ‘in Christ’ is ‘a new creation’ – the old has gone, the new has come. And it all came from God “who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:16-20).

The Holy Spirit ... broke down barriers, led recipients into a deeper knowledge and love of the Scriptures, and strengthened the atmosphere of love and acceptance among them as they lived a lifestyle of reconciliation.

In the context of the kind of Catholic/Protestant unity exhibited at Rostrevor, some may have thought theological ‘re-education’ was in order, but the Holy Spirit is in a far better position to do that job than you and I with our preconceived ideas and prejudices.

Preconceptions and prejudices

I too learnt a great deal from an Irish Catholic nun working in Yorkshire, who was one of the best personal evangelists I have ever come across. I got to know her in the early 1980s and she would often join prayer groups where she would pray in tongues almost non-stop. She simply overflowed with love for Jesus, and to my shame in my youthful naivety, I scolded her for welcoming the Pope to England (in 1982). He was a false prophet, I contended, in my lack of sensitivity. But she exuded the fruit of the Spirit in great abundance and her boldness in witnessing knew no bounds.

Not surprisingly, her spiritual growth was exponential, and it wasn’t long before I heard she had got into serious trouble for allowing herself to get baptised in a river (by a priest). When I caught up with her in Galway, West of Ireland, a couple of decades later, she was working for a correspondence Bible college. I don’t think it was Catholic, but I didn’t dare ask as I didn’t wish to put my foot in it again. The point is, she walked closely with the Lord, and it showed in all she did, including her theology – which was probably sharper than mine by that time. Who was I to criticise? We need to walk together with those who are ‘in Christ’.

It is a deeply spiritual battle and there is much bloodshed on the land which needs to be dealt with before any real healing takes place.

Anyway, I have Irish Catholic ancestry myself. My great-grandfather, of Portuguese Sephardic Jewish stock, married an Irish Catholic in Kingston, Jamaica, where there was a thriving Jewish community. My grandmother, with whom I lived for several years in north London in the early 1970s, was sent to a Catholic school (in Jamaica) where she was harshly treated by the nuns. So when I became a born-again Christian in 1972, she was not best pleased.

As it happened, she was in Ireland for her honeymoon in 1919, where her bridegroom – a British Army captain – was stationed during the Irish Civil War that eventually led to partition. It had been a secret wedding due to objections to the Jewishness of my grandfather’s fiancée, but my gran – always adventurous – broke all the rules by gatecrashing the barracks for the duration of their honeymoon. And I have no idea what, if any, part my grandfather played in causing bad feeling among Irish folk caught up in the conflict.

Jesus breaks down barriers across the world

Since we’re talking of Jews, there is a profound irony in that, even amidst the present Israel-Gaza conflict centred around land claims, we hear the wonderful story of how a Christian Arab taxi driver in Tel Aviv helped to lead a Jewish woman to Jesus! Arabs and Jews are supposed to be at loggerheads with each other. At least, that’s what the mainstream media tell you, but the reality is that, in general, they live happily together.

Anyway, this Christian man shared part of the gospel with the lady in question – and mentioned that Jesus was Jewish! Unfortunately, bookstores in Israel don’t stock the New Testament, but the woman ordered a free copy through the Jews for Jesus website. She soon realised Jesus was the Messiah, and her mum also became a believer.¹

So in the midst of conflict in Israel, and in the city of Tel Aviv on which rockets rained down during the recent unrest, Arab and Jew both find peace in Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
The same thing can – and does – happen in Ireland. We’ll look at this next week.

Notes

¹Jews for Jesus, UK Newsletter, June 2021