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Bridging the divide in Northern
Ireland
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NORTHERN IRELAND — It is some 11 years now since the main terrorist group in Northern Ireland declared a ceasefire, and a few months since, in a secret process, they put their weapons beyond use. But a deep sense of hurt still pervades the Protestant and Roman Catholic communities here. While it is usually felt that the passage of time brings healing to most situations, there is a universal belief that generations will pass before the wounds will truly heal.
Over the past 30 years or so, the idea of reconciliation has seemed remote and those who have advanced it have risked an appearance of being both disconnected from and unrepresentative of their respective communities. Many churches, sensitive to their parishioners’ hurt and suffering from the deaths and injuries of the conflict, preferred to minister to their personal needs only, and the wider picture of society was perceived in terms of restoring law and order rather than bringing about reconciliation. Some churches were courageous and ventured to develop cross-community contacts and relationships where others feared to tread. In 1998, at a time when there was little appetite for such material, the Bible Society in Northern Ireland produced a little booklet entitled Love Your Neighbour which explored how to:
The two Bible Societies on the island of Ireland have enjoyed a close working partnership for many years where divisions are often still the main focus in life. Founded only a year apart, both Societies are celebrating 200 years of Scripture ministry in 2006 (in Dublin) and 2007 (in Belfast), and plans are well under way to run a joint Bible-based project to mark this milestone which seeks to draw together, in a common cause, people of very different perspectives.
God’s Word is the focus of Bible Society ministry throughout the world, so it is to be the central theme of the bicentenary celebrations for the Societies in Ireland. A joint Handwritten Bible project will commence in spring 2006 with the aim of creating at least one complete handwritten Bible in the Contemporary English translation for each part of Ireland.
Churches and schools from all sections of the community are being encouraged to set up ‘writing stations’ – or Scriptoria – to invite people to take part in the shared process of copying Scripture by hand, irrespective of their background. This project has wonderful potential to see people engaging with the Scriptures who may normally show little interest, while also stressing the common biblical heritage that all Christians in Ireland – North and South – have the joy of sharing.
The Churches in Ireland operate on an all-Ireland basis, so the Handwritten Bible project is a wonderful opportunity for both Bible Societies in Ireland to work with all the Churches, providing a platform for proclaiming the Gospel message. The four main Church leaders have given their endorsement to the project and will officially launch it when they write out the first verses early this year.
Within a few weeks of information about the project being released in October 2005, over 100 groups had registered to take part. These included churches and church groups from many different denominations. The project has also attracted registrations from all sections of the school system, reflecting the relevance of the project to the religious part of the schools curriculum. Part of the Guidance Pack being prepared for groups will encourage them to look at the history of the Bible and how it was preserved through the use of handwritten copies for centuries prior to the invention of the printing press.
Groups will also be encouraged to be aware of the continuing Scripture needs throughout the world through a parallel project to support Scripture distribution in India. Any donations made as a result of the Handwritten Bible project will be directed to Scripture ministry in India.
The experience of other Bible Societies in Scotland, Scandinavia, Switzerland, New Zealand and, most recently, Portugal (see box), has been that participants have found that copying Scripture in their own handwriting has caused them to see the text in a special way. It is our prayer that many people will allow the Scriptures to speak the words of forgiveness and reconciliation to their heart.
The completed Bible will comprise handwriting by people of all ages and from different political, religious and economic backgrounds. It will demonstrate very practically that God does not discriminate. His Word is for all people and has the power to speak into each person’s situation. In this way the Handwritten Bible has great potential to cross the many boundaries that exist in today’s society, helping people focus on their shared biblical heritage.
Once the Handwritten Bible has been completed and bound, the volumes will be available on loan for exhibition use, and displayed in Bible House where people can come and see their contribution. There will also be the opportunity for groups to follow up the project by creating their own choice of handwritten portion of Scripture to keep as part of their local heritage. A number of churches have already expressed interest in this. Another strand to the project is the consideration of a multilingual Gospel to involve the growing number of people who live and work in Northern Ireland, but whose first language is not English.
This project represents a unique way of bringing the Scriptures before the whole community and demonstrating that there is much that everyone shares in common. The healing of the community will only really begin when people can realise that there is hurt on all sides and that forgiveness is available for us all. (WR 399/8 - 01/02.06)