Interview with Rev. Earl Storey, Head of Hard Gospel

Rev. Earl Storey is the director of a new Church of Ireland project to better equip the Church of Ireland in bringing about reconciliation in Irish communities affected by sectarianism.

|PIC1|The new project, Hard Gospel, was commissioned by the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Rev. Dr. Robin Eames, at the end of last month and will run across the whole island over the next three years.

Rev. Storey took some time to talk to Christian Today about the project.

Can you explain a bit about what the Hard Gospel Project is and how the Hard Gospel Project arose and developed up to this stage?

In 2003 the Church of Ireland published a major study, entitled The Hard Gospel Report. This study aimed to take a snapshot of attitudes to sectarianism and living with difference within the Church of Ireland. An underlying aim of the study was to assist parishes to increase their capacity to deal positively with difference issues. It also sought to explore how dealing with these issues might impact on decision-making within the Church of Ireland.

The Hard Gospel Report was presented to the General Synod of the Church of Ireland, and to every diocesan Synod. As a result of the response to the report the Church of Ireland authorised a process which has resulted in the establishment of the Hard Gospel Project. This is a broadly-based Project through which the Church of Ireland will address the complex and deep-seated issues that surround sectarianism and difference as identified in the Report. Archbishop Eames is President of this new initiative.

What area will the project cover? Will it be confined to particular regions?

It will cover both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The contexts may vary but some of the fundamental changes facing church and community are the same.

|TOP|Northern Ireland has experienced thirty years of violent conflict. This has been a manifestation of historic divisions in Ireland. It is now experiencing political uncertainty which simply serves to deepen divisions.

Change of a different nature, but no less profound, has taken place in the Republic of Ireland during the past decade. This has been the time of the Celtic Tiger. Huge change has been manifest in the social, economic and religious life in all parts of the country. The growth of a large immigrant population is one of the most obvious changes to have taken place.

Whether North or South the Church of Ireland finds new contexts in which it must express its life and mission as a Christian Church. New contexts mean not only opportunity but real challenge for the Church.
The Project will work in a range of locations that represent a spread of where the Church of Ireland is called to live out its witness. We aim to develop resources that will be user friendly for any local situation.

Significant initiatives already take place in local parish situations in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. These represent not only stories of encouragement but a valuable learning resource for the rest of the Church of Ireland. The Hard Gospel Project will encourage the sharing of these stories and resources.

Is this project intended to be a launch pad for the Church to play a much more prominent and public role in the ongoing problems of sectarianism?

The simple answer to this question is yes. Living out Christian faith in a place of division means being committed to reconciliation. The commitment to that message needs to be constant and it needs to be public. Such a commitment means being willing to do more than simply describe the water to a drowning man – it means doing something. It will mean being active both in the realm of ideas but also in practical grassroots action.

|QUOTE|The Hard Gospel Report showed a groundswell for two important beliefs in the Church of Ireland. The first was the belief that sectarianism is simply incompatible with Christian faith. The second is that there is a desire for the Church of Ireland to do something to counter it. The Hard Gospel Project is the next step in that process. It is about the church saying “We want to take action on this – and we want to do it now”.

One of the key messages that the church carries is a call to work for the common good. Whether it is the result of ancient conflict or the challenge of presented by the Celtic Tiger there needs to be a commitment to building community – a future that all can share.

Church is called to be counter-cultural. It is meant to embody the values of the Kingdom of God. This will mean embodying a message that is not always welcomed, but is vital for long-term wellbeing – that there must be a public commitment to the common good.

The project is called Hard Gospel, two words that you would not expect to put together. Why Hard? And what role is the Gospel going to play in this project?

|AD|Many people have expressed surprise with the title. It seems to suggest something angry or oppressive. The contrary is actually the case. The title is taken from the words of a retired clergyman who was interviewed for the original Hard Gospel Report. He said “I want to see a return to the hard gospel. This is the solution to the problem of sectarianism. The hard gospel is... that you love God and love your neighbour as yourself. End of story.” It’s hard to out it better than that!

The gospel is the fundamental motivating force for what this project is about. It both shapes and energises it. The project is in some ways very simple. In the Story of the Good Samaritan Jesus’ teaching was like two sides of one coin. It was love God ... and love your neighbour. Shockingly simple and to the point. The project aims to facilitate every level of the Church of Ireland to ask what that means in 21st century Ireland – north or south

The project will run over three years. What can we expect to see in these three years?

This project goes for a multi-layered approach. It will aim to do two things – stir vision and provide the resources to act on that vision. Without vision the people perish. Without the means to act on it they get frustrated!

We will see practical resources being piloted and used in a range of parish situations. This will help local churches to think through what it means to be salt and light in their community. These resources will be just as relevant whether the church is in a divided community or one experiencing staggering social and religious change. Whatever the context, the question is the same – what does it mean to be church in this situation or how do witness to Jesus’ teaching in the middle of it.

What is also exciting about this project is a commitment to working with the central structures if the Church of Ireland. The church is not only called to preach a message of reconciliation, it is also called to model it. Therefore we will examine our central structures, statements and practices to see if we demonstrate what we stand for. Reconciliation and Christian inclusion is always more powerful when it is demonstrated.

The project will also aim to take initiatives and tell stories of what parishes are already doing in terms of contributing to a more cohesive society.