What is peace? We can convince ourselves that peace is “non-conflict”. The world is fine! (the top half of the painting). But is this real peace? Does this not often deny the conflict and violence that goes on in the world, ignoring the part we might play in its causes (the bottom half of the image)? ..... the bomb with the war and violence it brings, the power of money, the chains of “slavery” that keep so many poor and hungry, the delusions of drugs and the demonic..... We need Christ to battle with us against whatever destroys peace.

Some of the evils we face in our century include the financial world (symbolised here by Canary Wharf and the Gherkin building) which can so often be the epitome of greed and power that may result in others in the world being poor, that doesn’t find it easy to share its wealth, that can lie and deceive.                                                                               

The character in the film “Wall Street”,  Gekko,  sums up the negative side of this financial world,  which is based on a form of survival of the fittest, when he says “Greed is good”.       

Here the feet in chains represent slavery, especially all forms of trafficking today and of exploitation of the vulnerable and poor in sweatshops, factories, in prostitution and on the land as bonded labourers.