Hard to place
Sir: Simon Courtauld's piece on St James's, Piccadilly (Notebook, 19 March) is misleading: just because the Dunamis itself (based at St James's) concerns with defence and international issues and gladly welcomes the Peace Tax Campaign, it Is quite wrong to label us as unilateralist. We try hard to present a balanced forum at S. t James's for the intelligent discussion of international relations. In our search for an expanded concept of 'security' and 'alter- natives', there is obviously a criticism of Present defence policies. But it cannot be automatically assumed we are unilateralist. Far from it. It is not necessary to be unilateralist to disagree with NATO or- thodoxy. Neither are we multilateralist. It is Just because we have deliberately made ourselves hard to place that we are able to
attract a broad range and consistently high quality of speakers.
As for the rest of Mr Courtauld's piece, we certainly are liberal and left. But nothing sinister needs to be read into the lecture series on Marxism and the Beatitudes. The Christian Marxist dialogue has an ancient (and rather staid) history in academic circles. It is time it was shared with anyone concerned to learn and listen.
And just for the record — The Book of Common Prayer (1662) is used twice on Sundays, and at least four times during the week.
Revd Donald Reeves
St James's Rectory, 197 Piccadilly, London WI
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