What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Prayer for Flight MH17

    It would appear from news report that are still breaking that there is a very strong likelihood that the Malaysian plane which has crashed in the Ukraine has been brought down deliberately by someone as yet unknown but connected with the conflict that rages in that part of the world.

    It is one of those moments where the world looks on with horror at something utterly terrible.

    I find myself struggling to know how to pray in circumstances like this but prayer must be found somehow. How to form a prayer for Flight MH17? Something prompts me to think of St Adamnan of Iona – one of those saints whom more people should know about. He is most famous for writing a biography of St Columba but should be far better known for his Law of the Innocents. It was one of the first attempts to lessen the savagery of warfare by getting those fighting to commit to leave the innocent untouched by conflict. Adamnan’s witness shines like a beacon from the Celtic lands. A product of what we now know are Ireland and Scotland, his influence is with us today and his message is entwined with modern diplomacy, concepts of human rights and the work of all who strive for peace.

    So Adamnan of Iona, prompt our prayers….

    Eternal God
    for all those killed this day,
    for those killed in warfare,
    for those who work for peace,
    for those killed on flight MH17,
    for those who work for justice,
    for those who are innocent who are killed in the conflicts of others,
    for diplomats, peacemakers, politicians and opinion formers in all places of danger.
    Lord in your mercy,
    Hear our prayer.

    , ,

3 responses to “Bad PR”

  1. Sally Avatar
    Sally

    Afternoon Kevin

    Our apologies if the information that we sent you was not welcomed. Our intention is not to spam but speak directly to people who may be interested in the work Christian Aid are doing in various communities. As you have the Christian Aid banners on your site we were under the impression that you supported the initiative.
    We will ensure that you are not contacted again.

    Reply
    1. kelvin Avatar
      kelvin

      Actually Sally, that’s to miss the point a bit.

      I do support Christian Aid. I don’t support Christian Aid using bad PR techniques. I’ll maybe blog a bit more about this.

      For starters, I don’t think that the text of what you sent me was at all appropriate. To address the Provost of an Anglican Cathedral (or, lets not be pompous, any Anglican priest) as though they will not have heard of Christian Aid is silly. It was not just style that you got wrong. It was substance too.

      Reply
  2. kelvin Avatar
    kelvin

    Oh, and by the way, I don’t put Christian Aid banners on my site. Surely a PR agency engaging in an attempt to use social networking for a client like Christian Aid ought to understand the difference between me putting banner ads on my site and Google Ads, which are served up by google and which depend on the content of the text and the context (location etc) of the reader.

    Reply

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