October got into full swing with our first weekend webinar at the beginning of the month! Our topic of biblical justice was introduced during the Friday evening Zoom meeting. Then on Saturday morning we met again over Zoom to continue exploring the topic of biblical justice. We had breakout groups to discuss criminal cases in different eras. And then we heard from a Christian barrister who discussed the biblical roots of the British judicial system. I was most taken by how integral justice is to the mission of the Church, as we reflect the nature of a Just God and how He has shown us justice. It was also a wonderful weekend of getting to know one another more and learn from each other.
Film Club
I was inspired, by this month’s optional additional reading of chapters from the book Dead Man Walking, to watch the film adaptation of the book. As a result, I suggested it to my peers as a potential topic for a new film club. My peers were keen and so we arranged a date. After meeting up briefly on Zoom, we then separated to watch the film independently online before regrouping on Zoom to discuss the themes of biblical justice and capital punishment. It was a real success, and so we are already planning another for November.
Compassion Permanence
I have been challenged this month to develop my ‘compassion permanence’. A concept whereby we do not forget about the injustices in this world when we stop reading or hearing about them on the news. It is all too easy forget about the war, famine and disaster that can occur in other countries once the news piece has finished on the television, and even more dangerous that we have become so accustomed to seeing these things on the news that we believe is it part of normality. However it also a challenge to not let these things overwhelm you to the point of inaction. Instead we must develop this ability to see or hear about such injustice and turn to God in considering what action we must take.
I look forward to learning how to equip myself and inspire others to act against injustice in our world as we move into the next month of teaching.