A compelling look at today’s complex relationship between religion and politics

In his second book, bestselling author Charles Kimball addresses the urgent global problem of the interplay between fundamentalist Abrahamic religions and politics and moves beyond warning signs (the subject of his first book) to the dangerous and lethal outcomes that their interaction can produce. Drawing on his extensive personal and professional knowledge of, experience with and access to all three traditions, Kimball’s explanation of the multiple ways religion and politics interconnect within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam will illuminate the problems and give readers a hopeful vision for how to chart a safer course into a precarious future.Kimball is the author of When Religion Becomes Evil, one of the most acclaimed post 9/11 books on terrorism and religionReveals why religion so often leads to deadly results The author has scholarly knowledge and expertise and extensive personal experience with the peoples, cultures, and leaders involved

Readable and engaging, this book gives a clear picture of today’s complex political and religious reality and offers hope for the future.

Author Q&A with Charles Kimball
Author Charles Kimball How did you become interested and involved in Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations? I’ve always been interested in religion, maybe because I’m kind of a mix–my paternal grandfather was Jewish, and while my immediate family was Christian, a large portion of the extended family was Jewish. While I grew up thinking that both Judaism and Christianity were great traditions, I soon learned that not everyone in Tulsa, OK, agreed. As I encountered ignorance about and prejudice toward Jews, I wanted to know why and wanted to know more about what religion was all about. Eventually when I began my doctoral program at Harvard, I decided that I wanted to study the religious, historical, and political interplay between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Why were you so interested in those three monotheistic religions? My wife and I lived in Egypt (one block from the now famous Tahrir Square) when I was a young scholar, and I was directly involved in the Iranian hostage conflict during the Carter administration, as I describe in the book. Those life-changing experiences ignited my efforts to understand the dynamics of religion and politics in the contemporary Middle East. The combination of some 40 trips to the Middle East and my observations of developments in Israel and the emerging influence of conservative Christians in the U.S. highlighted the often convoluted, confusing, and lethal mixture of religion and politics. It’s been made painfully clear that even small numbers of religious zealots or extremists claiming inspiration from their religion can wreak havoc on a regional or even global scale. In the second decade of the 21st century, the stakes are far too high for us to avoid or underestimate the volatile mix of religion and politics. What’s the most important thing people need to know to better understand the often confusing and clearly explosive mix of religion and politics in the Middle East and U.S. today? We get a lot of our information about the dizzying swirl of recent events from religious leaders, politicians, and pundits—often packaged in superficial sound bites. For most Americans today, this has produced a kind of “detailed ignorance” of Islam, the Middle East and the interplay of religion and politics. We have a lot of details and images but no framework for understanding. It might take some effort to develop such a framework, but it’s far less daunting than you might imagine. If we look at the scriptural bases for each tradition and their historical origins and relationships, we can see that there isn’t actually a fixed template for how they operate and interact. But we can see clearly the dangerous and often deadly results of fundamentalists in all three religions, people who claim that they know precisely what God requires for them and everyone else. It’s always a “work in progress.” Are the dramatic developments in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and other predominantly Muslim countries in 2011 a source of hope or cause for alarm? Although our “detailed ignorance” tends to make us lump all these countries together, they are all different and distinctive. Tunisia is not Jordan; Egypt is not Syria. At the same time, there are common themes that connect the turbulent upheavals. While there are no easy answers or simple solutions, the book identifies resources and opportunities for people of faith and goodwill to help fashion a more hopeful future. When Religion Becomes Lethal identifies what’s wrong or dangerous in order to point out healthy alternatives. Many of the key issues surfacing today are discussed in the book—from the major sources of anger and frustration in many predominantly Muslim countries and the ways the Israeli-Palestinian conflict exacerbates problems throughout the region to the constructive and misguided ways U.S. policies have shaped and will shape events. In addition, as we demystify catch phrases like the so-called “clash of civilizations” and clarify what actually constitutes “shari’ah law,” we can identify more positive ways to embrace the challenges in the U.S. and in the Middle East that loom before us.

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Proposed Bucence Parish Community Orphanage

At a recent meeting of the Bucence Parish Council it was agreed to invite the Friends of North Kigezi Diocese to commence the building of a village based Orphanage on  plot of land immediately to the rear of the Vicarage.

The Parish community Orphanage would initially be for those children living on their own and house 48 of them together with a Matron/Guardian.

The proposed plot would be some 70 times 35 feet and the build would be single story with 4 bedrooms, a dining/meeting/prayer room a kitchen, toilets and bathrooms together with accommodation for the Resident Matron.

The building of the Proposed Bucence Parish Community Orphanage would be of locally made bricks, rendered inside and outside with concrete floors and quality locally made wooden window frames and shutters.

The footings for the Proposed Bucence Parish Community Orphanage are due to commence early 2011 and footings and brickwork by Easter 2011.

Completion is due by early /mid 2012 according to success of funding or much earlier if possible.

The early estimate for building is calculated at £18,000 much depending upon currency exchange rates.

Proposed Bucence Parish Community Orphanage

We urge our many supporters to join us in this most needed of all our projects and assist us to bring some relief to the increasing numbers of neglected orphan children in our Rural Communities.

Donations may of course be made online.

God Bless you for reading about our proposed Bucence Parish Community Orphanage Project – and we look forward to you helping us to turn this proposal into a reality!

We all have at least one phone in the drawer that we don’t know what to do with.
Donate it please to our Charity and will see that it is put to very good use in our many distant villages .

Please contact,
Reverend Canon Kenneth Berkin
Friends of North Kigezi Diocese.
57, High Ridge,
Seabrook,
Hythe Kent
CT21 5TF
01303 261854
07854 409771
ken.berkin@ntlworld.com
UK Registered Charity No 111 4602

The Trustees are delighted to announce the receipt of £500 from Castle Hill in Ipswich to refurbish the large school block at our Primary School in Bucence Village. In addition to other funding to buy the children uniforms this will now enable us to install windows, shutters and doors in the many holes in the wall at our school.
At long last our children will be able to attend school in a certain amount of comfort.
We praise God for his great mercy
Thanks,
Ken……….

Mukama Asiimwe (Praise God)

Reverend Canon Kenneth Berkin
Friends of North Kigezi Diocese. fnkd.org
57, High Ridge,
Seabrook,
Hythe Kent
CT21 5TF
01303 261854
07854 409771
ken.berkin@ntlworld.com

 ”During their recent trip to Rukungiri our Trustees Roger, Paul and Ken met up with Turasingura Gift who you see in the picture who had great news to share with them. Gift is 19 years old and one of 5 children whose father, an Anglican Priest had suffered a stroke a while back leaving him partially paralysed and unable to work. Their mother is a peasant which means she works and lives off the land so food and monies have been very much in short supply. Our project has managed to find generous sponsors for Gift and her two brothers Gershom and Silas who are currently at secondary school. As for Gift she was sponsored through secondary school herself but upon leaving school a year back went on to train as a Community Nurse at our local Rugarama Health Centre in Rukungiri. One morning at 9.00am during the trip, Gift appeared at the house where the three Trustees were staying to tel Ken that she had passed her exams and was now a qualified Nursing Assistant. Gift lives over 3 hours walk away and she had left home at 6.00am that day to bring the great news. She is fortunate to be sponsored through this training by a lovely Christian couple who live in Hythe Kent. At the same time we heard that there were 2 vacancies at the Health Centre for Nursing Assistants so we arranged for Gift to apply. As by a miracle she called again by our house at the same time but this occasion Silas and Gershom walked with her to tell us the grat news that of 15 applicants for 2 posts, Gift had been awarded one of them. Words fail to express the joy that we have for Gift as she is steadfast in her Christian faith, bright, hardworking and a most beautiful daughter you could wish for. She cares for the rest of her family and is a real blessing, in fact she is a real GIFT!!”

Thanks

 Ken

News from FNKD

“We are delighted to report that during a recent visit to Uganda in Nov/Dec 2009 with Trustees Roger and Paul, our Chairman managed to secure the purchase of our own vehicle for use with our ongoing projects and the
commencement of the building of our new Care and Counselling Centre.

The Trustees want to thank Diocesan Secretary Revd Canon John Muhumuza, Our drivers John and Caleb plus Diocesan Mechanic Emmanuel for making this all possible and delivering the vehicle to our office in Rukungiri.

This marks a major landmark in the development of our on the ground work in rural vilages and will enable our team to be more effective in carrying out our programmes.

The photograph above shows our local Coordinator Sylivia and her younger sister Olivia beside our 1994 Toyota Landcruiser in the villlage of Kyamurari.”

Thanks
Ken

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