SIMON PHIPPS

Blessed are the peacemakers , for they will be called children of God - Jesus If we are called to be peacemakers, to cultivate peace in our lives, then this must extend to every area of our life - including where our money goes and the things that we consume. This forces us to ask the difficult questions that we try to avoid. Anyone who has seen the film Blood Diamond will know that where our diamonds come from can cause much bloodshed and violence - fuelling destructive wars for selfish gain. This is also true for so many other things that we buy. Our electronics and jewellery most likely contain conflict minerals that are used to fuel civil wars and cause pain for so many people, wreaking havoc on whole societies. This happens because we care more about keeping up with the latest trends and technology than about being peacemakers. Many of the banks that we use make harmful investments with our money that fuel the fires of war. Investments in controv...

*updated for 2017* We recently passed the 4 th  anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster , where over 1000 garment workers lost their lives in a tragic, yet entirely avoidable way. The Mark of the Beast In the book of Revelation , the last book of the Bible, John tells us about a mark , put on the head or hand of all people that trade in the marketplace (Revelation 13:16-17).  He called this mark ‘the mark of the beast ’ and urged believers to stop trading in the market. For those living in that time, this was a big deal. One possible interpretation ( mentioned in some documents ) is that in some localities, before trading in the market, you had to burn incense to an effigy of Caesar as an act of worship .  You then received a mark on either your hand or forehead to show that you had done this. John was writing to say that this practice was not acceptable. Essentially he was calling for one of the first recorded boycotts In history . P...