Joseph Liechty and Cecelia Clegg, Moving beyond Sectarianism: Religion, Conflict and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland - Book Review

Ecumenical Review, The, April, 2003 by Duncan B. Forrester

Blackrock, Dublin, Columba Press, 2001, 378 pp., 18.99 [euro].

It was, I think, the notable Irish Presbyterian minister, Gordon Gray, who declared at the WCC Nairobi assembly (1975) that Christian disunity kills; Northern Ireland with its many years of "Troubles" and sectarian bloodshed proves it. But it is also true that many of the most imaginative and effective initiatives for peace and reconciliation in that situation have come from churches and Christians who are committed to ecumenism.

This important book is the fruit of a major research project sponsored by the Irish School of Ecumenics into the role of Christians, and the Christian churches, in sectarian troubles in Ireland. The study took six years to complete, and the book which is its principal fruit is meticulously researched and compellingly argued. Cecelia Clegg is a Roman Catholic sister; Joseph Liechty is an American Mennonite. Their different perspectives are in fact complementary and contribute to the depth of insight for which the book is notable.

Sectarianism, they suggest, is a "harsh word, expressing a harsh reality". In Northern Ireland, as in some other parts of the world, it is a pervasive and omnipresent social reality, obstructing understanding and making people suspicious of one another. It is the result of a long history of antagonism, bitterness and conflict. In Loyalist (or Protestant) areas of Belfast gable ends are decorated with pictures of King William triumphant at the battle of the Boyne, with the painted slogan "Remember 1690", while Republican (or Roman Catholic) areas are full of reminders of heroes and martyrs from the struggle against Britain and the Protestant ascendancy. Memories of this sort are powerful and persistent; they nurture bitterness and hostility; and they cry out for healing. Liechty and Clegg are not afraid to explore the enormous influence of Christianity in sustaining and manipulating sectarianism. But they also recognize that there are now powerful forces in the churches, and among Christians, seeking ways of overcoming and "moving beyond sectarianism".

An understanding and practice of reconciliation is suggested as the only way forward in Northern Ireland, as in South Africa with its Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The reconciliation wrought by Christ is, of course, the very heart of the Christian faith, and Christians are charged with a "ministry of reconciliation". Liechty and Clegg see reconciliation in the public sphere as "built on the interlocking dynamics of forgiveness, repentance, truth and justice". But they are also sensitive, as were the kairos theologians in South Africa before the collapse of apartheid, to the dangers of bland and premature calls for an easy reconciliation before the truth had been faced, when "reconciliation" could easily be no more than a plaster on deep and gangrenous wounds. Healing takes time, and the ministry of reconciliation must go with a sensitive discerning of the signs of the times.

Sectarianism, for Liechty and Clegg, is not unmitigated evil. Rather it is a "destructive way of dealing with difference", and a tragically distorted expression of a basic human need for belonging and for identity. Thus moving beyond sectarianism "requires an approach of redeeming, transforming and converting people's understanding, attitudes, and ultimately the heart of each person as well as societal institutions, where possible". They propose a strategy that seeks what is good, and then uses it to transform the identity of the group (for example, the Orange Order) and the person--no easy task! A key problem is that one church or social group in their teaching and behaviour simply overlooks the existence and beliefs and history of the other, as if the other did not exist. Even worse is when a Christian group feels Compelled constantly to vindicate itself by denouncing the beliefs and practices of the others, even if these are not fully understood. Even ecumenical groups can, Liechty and Clegg suggest, express a kind of patronizing sectarianism.

Mercifully, this book proposes no easy, quick-fix solutions. "Moving beyond sectarianism" is a hard step to take, and there is much resistance to taking it. But that is only the first step towards reconciliation, and the path is rough and there is no conclusion yet in sight. As Liechty and Clegg suggest in their conclusion, those who start along this road find themselves, like T.S. Eliot's magi in the poem "Journey of the Magi", "no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation". This book does not provide us with a detailed map of this path, but it does provide a compass, a sense of direction, the identification of key landmarks along the way, and a vision of the destination. It will provide a resource not only for people directly involved with the Northern Irish situation, but for those struggling with issues of conflict resolution and reconciliation in many other contexts. It is to be warmly welcomed.

Duncan B. Forrester is professor emeritus of Christian ethics and practical theology at New College, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.