Gospel in the Global Village

Seeking God's Dream of Shalom

In this second book by Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, she explores issues and challenges of deep concern to the Episcopal Church, the wider Body of Christ, and the world at large. Arranged thematically, her essays reflect on the travel, issues, people, and passions that have driven the first three years of her primacy. She places particular emphasis on the Millennium Development Goals, plus the turmoil within the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church in the United States. Excerpt “Beware of religious leaders who are unwilling to serve the greater good, who insist that God loves only some, or who say that a portion of humanity is not worthy of respect or dignity. That is a hamstrung and limping version of the great dream of shalom, salaam, or shanti (the Sanskrit word for peace). As in the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr., we seek a world in which all children can grow and play together, unconcerned by those accidents of birth or life that others see as all-defining. We seek a world where the poor hear good news, the ill are healed and the hungry fed; where prisoners are forgiven, set free, and restored to community; where no one studies war any more. We seek a world in which the systems that maintain some in servitude or slavery are abolished, where all have the minimal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But even more, we seek a world where all have the right to full and abundant lives at peace with their neighbors.”