It is, of course, the human place to begin - to seek place and space for ourselves, to be more significantly aware of our own needs, hopes and dreams than those of others. In a context where we feel the need to hang on to our own and guard ourselves against what we think will be destruction, it is hard to hear the gospel call to be like our Saviour who gave up place and space for the sake of lost human beings. Ducking beneath the torrents, we are afraid to raise our heads and risk the new relationships that this society invites us to. In the political domain relationships have changed and developed, while the churches retain the old modes of relationship. No new structures for relating to one another have been put in place by the churches - although it should be acknowledged that what happens at local level can challenge what happens at an institutional level.
Churches remain unable to admit what they share in common.
As the local political scene continues to develop, indicators are that interest groups will band together to make opinions known. The old divisions will pass away and new alliances will be formed. Churches will probably never form one single interest group, yet there is clear challenge to church members to get involved in existing interest groups both to critique and support. But the more far-reaching challenge comes in the call to be publicly honest about agreement as well as disagreement between the denominations. It is hard to imagine an effective witness without such honesty.