Our Need for Renewal - Reflecting back on SPCK’s 2020 Annual Lecture

“Renewal stands at the heart of the Christian faith – not a replacement but a renewal”. Dr Ruth Valerio, Global Advocacy and Influencing Director at Tearfund and SPCK Author

SPCK’s well-received AGM and annual lecture on 19 November gave us all, “much to ponder and act on.” as one attendee told us. The virtual event was hosted by broadcast journalist, Genelle Aldred in conversation with four esteemed SPCK authors who shared their understanding of ‘renewal’ and responded to questions from the audience.

Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, CEO of Christian Aid UK and author of the recently released But Where Are You Really From? spoke from her perspective as a black African woman of faith who has known a number of injustices. She described the challenge of ‘normalised injustice’ which has been apparent in recent years but particularly in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed some of the fault lines.
Amanda pointed to three types of Injustice - climate change, debt and race. “Our food consumption and lifestyle choices are embedding injustices that we see as normal.”

She spoke about the racial element of poverty and injustice that is, “primarily black or brown” across the world: from the UK where black and Asian people are not in significant leadership positions, to the developing world which is adversely affected by global injustice. “We need a renewal – a time for the church to be born again.”

Professor Anthony Reddie, is Director of the Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture, University of Oxford and Extraordinary Professor of Theological Ethics at the University of South Africa. His book, Is God Colour-Blind? was republished by SPCK in 2020.

Anthony spoke about ‘colonial christianity’ and the two pandemics of 2020 – COVID-19 and racism. He challenged all Christians to, “see the spark of God’s goodness…his imprint in all humanity…Renewal for the church is to see all of us mattering - particularly those on the margins and deemed less respectable.”

The pandemic, “has shaken our churches,” said Dr Ruth Valerio, author of Saying Yes To Life the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book for 2020 went on, “We need to raise prophetic voices…We face great crises and need to face them together.” Ruth spoke of the need for Christians to be awake to the movement of the spirit in order to see fruit in our own lives, in our communities and in our churches.

Tom Wright’s latest book for SPCK is God and the Pandemic. He is Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.

Tom pointed to the signposts that are common to all humanity: justice, spirituality, freedom, relationships, truth, beauty and power. He spoke about these broken signposts and the biblical themes of lament and sorrow.

“The story of Jesus going to the cross – is the story of justice absolutely denied…God has come down to meet us at the point where we need him most…We can be a people of restored justice, renewed freedom.” The renewal of the church, Tom said is about the church’s mission to be ‘signpost makers’.

You can listen to the full Annual Lecture here