Book Description

From battling apartheid to saving the environment, fighting racism to urging tax justice, and Sunday preaching to visiting the sick, this book tells the story of nearly fifty years of active church ministry. The writer has ministered to congregations in three English cities, traveled to five continents, sometimes with his congregations, and engaged in the major dimensions of Christian mission today. The story begins in the late sixties, at the Fourth Assembly of the World Council of Churches. Chapters cover the struggle against apartheid, the Program to Combat Racism, the rise of Transnational Corporations, local ministry, the challenge of climate change, movements against racism and caste discrimination, and the growing campaign for tax justice. Each chapter ends with a reflection on a theologian who has influenced and encouraged the author. They range from Dietrich Bonhoeffer through Gustavo Gutierrez and Ann Morisy to James Cone and Tissa Balasuriya. The book mixes experiences of the local and global, congregational life and international engagement. It offers a sweep of concern and action, enlivened by humorous incidents. Readers will gain insight into how broad contemporary ministry can be, and how the churches can still make a contribution to bringing God's peace-with-justice to today's world. ""David Haslam is one of the foremost campaigners of our time. He fought against apartheid, supports the Dalits (the former untouchables), and works to achieve fairer tax regimes. This is an interesting and instructive account of his life and work which will be of interest to all who care about social justice."" --Richard Harries, Lord Harries of Pentregarth, former Bishop of Oxford ""David Haslam writes with power and insight of the impact of faith-based activism on the world. He writes as an active participant in the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa and the church's response to the human consequences of institutionalized racism, migration, and the corporate abuse of power. This important account of a life lived in the struggle for the application of Kingdom values in a troubled world offers an Augustinian hope that things might and can be done differently, whatever the obstacles."" --Paul Boateng, UK Parliamentarian; Civil Rights Lawyer; Methodist Lay Preacher ""An important and useful handbook for anyone committed to social justice, it reflects a theology that liberates, and politics that reveal the radical nature of the Christian gospel. If you want an example of how to live out the values of the community of God, then this is the book."" --Garth Hewitt, Singer/songwriter; Activist; Founder, Amos Trust David Haslam is a Methodist Minister who has worked in three UK cities, and has been an Executive Committee member of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and Vice-Chair of War on Want. He was a founder of End Loans to South Africa, Transnationals Information Exchange, the Dalit Solidarity Network, and Methodist Tax Justice Network, and Secretary of the Churches' Commission for Racial Justice from 1987 to 1998. He was awarded an MBE for services to community relations.