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Making sense of the senseless

My thoughts this week have also been with the victims of senseless violence at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., and E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, Calif. In case you missed these stories, on Tuesday, February 12, Lawrence King, an openly gay 15-year-old, was shot in the head by a classmate in Oxnard. Because he wore “feminine accessories” and makeup. Later this past week, on Thursday (the day of St. Valentine himself), five students were gunned down while many others were wounded by a shooter who attacked a lecture hall on the NIU campus. To me, perhaps the most chilling part of the NIU tragedy is this quotation from the university’s public safety chief Donald Grady: “There were no red flags … It’s unlikely that anyone would ever have the ability to stop an incident like this from beginning.” In other words, to sum it up, “these things happen.” Complacency could not be any further removed from the route to social change.

And even whilst acknowledging the tragedy of these shootings, how can one ignore the greater tragedy of those who are dying every day in Africa and the Middle East as political unrest continues to result in violence in places such as Kenya, Sudan, Chad, Afghanistan and Palestine. In Kenya, 1000 people have died and 300,000 have lost their homes in the fallout from a disputed election this past December, with peace-making talks stagnating. In the continued Darfur genocide, experts estimate that 200,000 people have died, while 3.5 million have been displaced from their homes.

So how do you make sense of the senseless?

How do you keep on believing in the justice of and love of Father God in the midst of such atrocities…  such folly…  such wicked waste?

Well. Let me know what you think. For me it drives me deeper into understanding the death of Jesus on the cross. That too was an atrocity, a wicked waste, the foollish brutal bullying of the innocent by the guilty.

  

Demolishing the Obsolete?

I remember a sign in Cologne Cathedral saying: “This is not a museum.” Fair point, I guess, but when I read in the Catholic Herald of the £3m to shore up the ruins of Westminster Cathedral, I wonder if that news belongs as a piece of “Christian news” or does it belong in English Heritage Weekly etc? Westminster Cathedral, the UK’s premier Roman Catholic place of worship, could close within 10 years unless urgent structural repairs are carried out. The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, launched a £3 million restoration appeal on Wednesday. He said the Grade 1 listed building ‘is recognised as one of the finest examples of Victorian architecture and Byzantine art in the world. However, time has taken its toll and we must now take urgent action to ensure the future of this living house of prayer.’ Begun in 1895, the Cathedral draws some 4,000 worshippers each Sunday and has relied entirely on donations from parishioners.

I was interested to read  (The Times 15/1) of students of La Sapienza University (in Rome) forcing Pope Benedict to call off a lecture on the basis of his ‘obscurantist’ position on science. Some 67 academics also wrote claiming the visit was inappropriate. They felt ‘offended and humiliated’ –apparently- by a statement he made twenty years back shrugging off Galileo’s heresy trial as justified within the context of the time. ‘No voice should be silenced in our country least of all that of the Pope’ commented Prime Minister Romano Prodi. It’s a similar kind of picture isn’t it? Our buildings are museums and our leaders museum-pieces?

In Zimbabwe, truncheons were used by the state police to break up twenty Anglican congregations. Although the Province of Central Africa replaced Rt Revd Nolbert Kunonga with Dr Sebastian Bakare, the former bishop and ally of President Mugabe, he has refused to step down. On Saturday he said the country’s churches now belonged to a new ‘Church of the Province of Zimbabwe’. The police then issued circulars warning that only services conducted by priests loyal to Kunonga could be attended. The Archbishop of Canterbury condemned ‘unequivocally the use of state machinery to intimidate opponents of the deposed bishop’ and declared his support for Bishop Bakare. Dr Bakare confirmed that Anglican churches would again defy the ban this Sunday.

 The demolition story goes on: (Church of England Newspaper 18/1): The government of Orissa state has supported last week’s torching of churches and Christian homes. A wave of ‘premeditated, pre-planned’ attacks by Hindu extremists has forced over 3,000 Christians to flee their homes and the CNI General Secretary, Revd Enos Das Pradhan, said the attacks were accompanied by the ‘utter collapse of the law and order machinery.’ The All-India Christian Council reported that 95 churches were attacked and the homes of 730 Christian families destroyed. Mr Pradhan appealed for prayer for Bishop Kumar Kayak and local Christians to ‘keep witnessing through their lives at this hour of oppression and atrocities.’

Are moral reservations also something that’s obsolete and worthy of wholesale demolition? According to the CEN Newspaper (18/1). The House of Lords has voted 2 to 1 in favour of plans to create hybrid human and animal embryos, despite warnings from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Winchester. The experiments will involve injecting human DNA into empty eggs from cows in order to increase the pool of eggs available for research into diseases like Parkinson’s and spinal muscular dystrophy. Archbishop Rowan Williams told the Lords debate there were ‘major moral reservations’ concerning the plans. He was alarmed by the health minister’s use of the phrase ‘the human end of the spectrum’. Dr Williams also voiced concern at the lack of clear thinking as legislation ‘inexorably [moves] towards a more instrumental view of how we may treat human organisms’. Members of the group Christian Concern for our Nation wore animal masks as they demonstrated opposition to the Bill outside the Lords.

But take heart, there are other kinds of demolition at work, the magazine Christianity (Feb 08) carries a story about  a Christian-led education project that has won a National Youth Justice award after it slashed youth crime in a London borough by 58.5 per cent year-on-year. The Spark2Life programme received the team award for making an ‘outstanding contribution to tackling youth crime’ at this year’s Criminal Justice System (CJS) awards. Youth worker Dez Brown developed the programme in Wandsworth schools with the backing of police and the local education authority. Linked to school citizenship and PSHE courses, it combined a keynote talk with classroom sessions and a mentoring scheme in 13 schools. Following this success, Mr Brown hopes to take the programme to other boroughs and cities.

And finally, as thousands of debt-ridden families wake up to the reality of Christmas overspending, a Christian charity is offering churches the chance to come to their aid. Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has produced CAP Money, a course featuring Alpha-type filmed talks, to help people budget their way out of hardship. CAP founder John Kirkby said they were launching the course ‘in response to the overwhelming demand for a simple, easy-to-follow money management course that will make a long-term difference.’ Alan Meyer, senor minister of Elim Community Church in Carlisle, said a pilot scheme they had run ‘had a fantastic response’. ‘We are looking forward to using it as an evangelistic tool because of the huge impact it is able to make in people’s lives,’ he added. Meanwhile, the Methodist Church has produced thousands of fake credit cards bearing the inscription ‘Buy L£ss, Live More’. The cards are designed as a reminder to fit in a wallet and carry the inscription ‘MARK 10:17-27’ in place of a credit card number. 

“Demolishing strongholds” and upholding values…. and the wisdom to know the difference?

A world of shadows? Taking on the news

Canon Ian Sherwood of the Anglican Church in Istanbul described the pressures faced by Turkey’s tiny Christian minority like this: “You live in a world of shadows, looking over your shoulder all of the time”. His comment was made at the trial just started of five men accused of the brutal murders of a German Christian and two Turkish converts midway through a Bible study on 18 April. The process is being viewed as a test case of how Turkey will protect the rights of its minorities at a time of fierce and rising nationalism. Orhan Kemal Cengiz, the lawyer representing Susanne Geske, widow of one of the victims, said, ‘Hatred towards missionaries has been actively cultivated’. He said the accused, all between 19 and 20, were typical of others who have been ‘indoctrinated’. The Guardian (24/11).

 That shadow-world is also inhabited right now by Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher sentenced to 15 days’ imprisonment by a religious court in Sudan – the teddy called Mohammed story. The decision prompted a joint appeal by Christian and Muslim leaders in her Liverpool home town. The Anglican and Catholic Bishops of Liverpool and Akbar Ali, chairman of Liverpool Mosque appealed for compassion to the Sudanese Government earlier this week. And Revd Jonathan Stott, a governor at the primary schools where Ms Gibbons was a deputy headteacher until the summer talked of her strong Christian faith and how he had led upset former pupils in prayers for her. The Sudan decision has embarrassed British Muslims. The Muslim Council of Britain has called the sentence a ‘gross overreaction’, the Telegraph says. The paper also reports that a diplomatic analyst thought it unlikely Ms Gibbons would serve the full 15-day term and could be freed this weekend. Church of England Newspaper (30/11).

Of course, in some cases it is less easy to delineate right and wrong. The shadows obstruct the light. The upcoming Christmas blockbuster The Golden Compass (see previous post and comment) the film version of part 1 of Philip Pullman’s bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy, is provoking very mixed reactions from church organisations. On the eve of the film’s release (5/12) the Catholic League in the USA has condemned the movie for promoting atheism and for its tyrannical ‘God’ figure. Closer to home, however, Evangelicals Now counsels parents to ‘watch the movie with [their children] and then talk through the issues raised’. The Church of Scotland’s Mission and Discipleship Council go further, commenting that the film ‘provides a golden opportunity to stimulate discussion on a wide range of moral and spiritual issues’. It sees Lyra, the central character, as ‘one of the powerless who turns out to be a saint’ and says the film invites discussion on ‘human purpose and destiny, the abuse of power, the making of choices and the meaning of life’. Christian Today (29/11).

And what kind of a message is sent by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s presiding at a secret Gay Eucharist? According to the Times (30/11), a Lambeth Palace spokeswoman has rebutted criticisms of the Archbishop of Canterbury for presiding at a ‘secret’ Eucharist for lesbian and gay clergy. The service, organised by gay clergy support group Clergy Consultation, was held in private at an undisclosed venue. Representatives of the Church of England Evangelical Council and Anglican Mainstream said offering Communion to people in gay relationships was contrary to biblical teaching. However, Lambeth said the Archbishop’s attendance was consistent with the ‘listening process agreed at the Lambeth Conference [in 1988] as part of the discussions on human sexuality’. Clergy Consultation has several hundred clergy and other members, many of whom are married and faithful to their partners but who struggle with their sexuality, apparently. Mist and shadows? It’s the fact of its being “secret” that somehow stung me.

The Golden Compass rumpus

Golden Compass Angers Church Groups

It appears that conservative Catholic groups are going to make the The Golden Compass another controversial bestseller. They are up in arms over the ‘His Dark Materials’ series, by author Philip Pullman, a proclaimed atheist. The Church groups claim that this children’s fantasy series promotes an anti-Catholic, atheist agenda.

The Baptist Press claims:

“…He (Pullman) said in a 2001 interview, “I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief,” and two years later told another newspaper, “My books are about killing God…”

Baptist Press article

The books seem more focused on the overbearing authoritarianism of the Church than being anti-doctrinal (a reference to Jesus is not mentioned in any of the books).

Bill Donohue, CEO of the Catholic League, claims that the movie ‘The Golden Compass’ is being used to sell atheism to kids. That it’s a dumbed-down version of the book which is ultimately being used to lure kids into buying the books – where the real message lies.

“The Catholic League wants Christians to boycott this movie precisely because it knows that the film is bait for the books: unsuspecting parents who take their children to see the movie may be impelled to buy the three books as a Christmas present. And no parent who wants to bring their children up in the faith will want any part of these books.”

Baltimore Sun article

It’s a good thing for Pullman that the Christian religion is mature enough with people confident enough in their faith, where they either just dismiss his work or take steps to have people boycott the movie and the books, instead of going out to kill the author.

With publicity like this, the series will be an even bigger hit than it already is. It sure worked in J.K. Rowling’s and Dan Brown’s favor

Chris Moyles: Not Exactly Gospel

Hate him or rate him, radio has never been the same since the day Mr. Chris Moyles first donned a pair of headphones. Probably the biggest phenomenon to hit the airwaves in the late nineties, Chris has sat behind the microphone for the last ten years, the self-proclaimed and undisputed ‘Saviour of Radio 1’. This is the story of the chubby teenager obsessed with the crazy dream of becoming a famous DJ. This is the story of how a good Catholic boy got to bring along his mother to meet Ant and Dec. This is the story of a man and his mouth. Welcome to The Gospel According to Chris Moyles.

Appropriately enough for the start of a ‘gospel’ there are plenty of parallels between the Nativity and Chris’s entry into the world. He was born into a humble, hardworking and religious family. There was no privilege for him growing up. Holiday trips to his mother’s native Ireland meant cramming his family into an aunt’s or uncle’s place. His mother was also responsible for raising the young Chris as a Roman Catholic. Chris attended religious schools throughout his education and was even educated by nuns at primary school, one of whom he refers to affectionately as ‘little miss nun.’ This makes sense of his consistent use of Christian language and even the ‘blessing’ which closes the book.

At twelve, Chris was already a radio nut – a self-confessed airwaves addict. By sheer pester power and determination, he managed to get a voluntary job at a hospital radio station in Wakefield, close to his home in Leeds. Cutting his teeth at this early stage allowed the teenage Chris to get the basics under his belt before leaving school. Remarkably for someone so young, Moyles had found his vocation for life. And so it came to pass that even before the ink was dry on his GCSE papers, he already had paid work lined up as a DJ at ‘Topshop Radio’.

If that sounds ambitious, that was only the beginning. What follows is a detailed blow by blow account of Chris’s career. No successes go untrumpeted, but equally no failures are glossed over. Passing through work for a string of stations, usually getting into trouble due to his controversial style, getting fired twice, picking himself up each time and starting again. Moyles has an indefatigable spirit. It’s all there: the unbelievable board room encounters, the cat and mouse pay negotiations, the betrayals and the big breaks. The climax is his arrival at the Radio 1 studios where he ascended to his throne, the pinnacle of national radio broadcasting: the Breakfast Show.

Through it all, Chris is remarkably matter of fact and, to be frank, remarkably defamatory of several of his former bosses and colleagues. To most, though, he offers thanks, recognising that whatever his skills, he’s had many people fighting his corner throughout his career. This is classic Moyles style and will be familiar to anyone who has tuned in to his show. Chris’s life becomes the show, which is often carried by his anecdotes, feuds with other DJs, or pet hates. Somehow, Chris’s cheeky chappy image allows him to get away with it, although clearly he hasn’t had it all his own way.

One of the striking features of the book, and of Moyles in general, is that it is full of knowing contradictions. Chris is well aware of the exceptional nature of his rise to fame, and revels in his ordinary working class background as much as in any of the celebrity encounters he has since enjoyed. Images of cringe-worthy birthday snaps featuring three year old Chris in brown and pink dungarees sit alongside a photo of the sharp-dressing Moyles hobnobbing with the Queen. The whole book presents an unlikely fulfilment of the dream of an oddly talented, oddly shaped, oddly dressed boy.

Was his success the product of talent, determination, help of friends or blind fortune? Moyles immodestly leans toward the first two, but comes across as genuinely grateful to those that helped him out over the years. Oddly, luck doesn’t get a mention. There’s no mention of ‘being in the right place at the right time’, for example. Self-belief permeates all of Chris’ writing and broadcasting, and this may be the most important ingredient in his rise.

Career focus plays an important role in Chris’ life. He repeatedly describes his attitude to his career as business-like and professional. Listening to his show, one could be forgiven for doubting this. He is hardly cast in the mould of the respectable gentleman DJ, frequently talking about little else than himself. When he’s not sounding off against high-profile colleagues or celebrities, he has, in my view, come over as childish, indulgent or just plain arrogant. No wonder, then, that he needs to emphasise his professionalism repeatedly to radio executives. With them he goes straight to the bottom line of the ratings. This is another knowing contradiction then: deliberately ‘childish professionalism.’ Moyles is no fool and his success is no coincidence. Perhaps Moyles is a lot smarter than he projects, and is playing just dumb enough to gain the sympathy of the listeners?

There is, however, no cynicism detectable in Moyles’s approach to his work. Self-interest certainly features strongly, but no cutting ruthlessness. Alongside the career focus is a strong family focus, a sense of pride and closeness that fame appears not to have affected. 2004, the year of his ascent to the Breakfast Show on Radio 1, which he describes as ‘the greatest year of my career’, is also described as ‘the most worrying year in my personal and family life’. Both his parents were seriously ill and needed operations, dad with heart trouble and mum with breast cancer. Chris is uninhibited about his family:

I live for my family and I’m not ashamed or embarrassed to say it. I love my parents and my brother so much that I honestly don’t know what I’d do without them. I longed for this awful period to be over so that we could all sit down with a sign of relief, knowing that all four of us were fine.

Plenty of critics have panned Chris over the years for his superficiality, his sexism toward women and his outspoken and often thoughtless humiliation of anyone who has crossed him. If he wasn’t an extremely sophisticated comedian, he would be staring law suit after law suit in the face. For example, take his description on air of one of the members of the band Girls Aloud as ‘The ropey looking ginger one at the back.’ Unsurprisingly this observation did not go down well with the guest in question, which Chris justifies as follows:

‘I’m not a bad person. I genuinely don’t want to upset anybody. Well there are a few I wouldn’t mind upsetting. But generally speaking I don’t. Look most of my audience know that I’m a nice guy . . . so sometimes I say things for a cheap laugh. You know, the kind of comments you make down the pub . . . with your mates. It’s a joke. They’re just words.’

It is telling that ‘the audience’ are seen as the arbiters of what is acceptable broadcasting, rather than a recognition of the BBC’s charter for public service. Although I find Moyles amusing on most occasions, he sometimes crosses the line as far as I’m concerned. The point is that he isn’t down the pub, he’s broadcasting to the nation. While he is running down himself, or the team that make his show, he is on safe ground, yet he rarely confines himself to these subjects. In many ways Chris’s reputation rests on controversy and continually pushing the boundaries. In this respect, Chris comes across like some of the rather self-amused pupils I’ve taught over the past few years – driven by reputation and the presence of an audience into increasingly inappropriate behaviour.

His use of language in the book is still less inhibited than his broadcasting and would no doubt have shocked ‘little miss nun.’ It mirrors the frequency of expletives one might overhear in a drunken Friday night conversation between any two blokes down the local boozer. Why it is necessary to write in far cruder terms than those he uses on air escapes me. Clearly he is talented enough to be amusing without swearing, so why bother with it at all?

Chris’s act revolves around the world as he sees it. His radio show is indeed ‘The Gospel according to Chris Moyles’: it is the unvarnished, incontrovertible and honest truth, at least as far as a self-confessed ‘overweight, beer-drinking, cigarette smoking, lazy [man]’ understands it. In my view Chris’s attempts at telling it like it is are generally fairly accurate and amusing and that makes him the talent that he is.

So how does ‘the Saviour of Radio 1’ compare to the original? Both found a vocation early in life which seemed ridiculous to family and friends at first. Both devoted their lives to telling the story of their own lives to as many as they could. They were unashamed of where they were coming from and had a pretty good idea of where they were headed. Both used life in all its richness to share stories which amused and challenged their audiences by ‘telling it how it is’.

Yet whereas Chris declares ‘I’m not a bad person’, Christ refused to accept praise for being a good person. Christ told it how it was, but he also shared how it could be. To the jokes and irony he shared concerning the evils of his day, Christ added hope. He not only modelled what a good life was; through his death and resurrection he made it possible that his followers could live in the fullness of that good life – a life lived not to achieve personal glory, but glory for God: ‘the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God’s glory’ (Colossians 1:27 CEV)

I believe that we live with a deep sense of irony within society thanks to Chris Moyles and others who articulate this better than most. However, Christ alone offers not only diagnosis, but also the cure.

Author: Roland Sokolowski

Stepping up to be counted: A weekly take on the news

Each few weeks the pastor chats over a few news items from the UK daily papers.

This week’s take on the news is all about choosing. The Bible says “Choose today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24) and that’s about the shape of it every day of our lives, isn’t it? We choose. We make our choices –like our beds- and then live according to their consequences.

Here’s an interesting list of people who have chosen to step up and be counted.Interesting to read –for example- about Tony Blair’s imminent choice of the Roman Catholic Church. For some reason it reminded me of the Emperor Constantine only being baptised in the face of his –ahem- imminent departure from office. Catherine Pepinster, the editor of The Tablet predicts that says the service will take place during a private mass held by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor in the Cardinal’s official residence “some time this month”. Although Mr Blair’s wife and children are Roman Catholic, it is thought that he delayed converting from Anglicanism because of sensitivities in some quarters over having a Catholic Prime Minister. Some ridiculous prejudice that survived the 1829 Emancipation Act. Comment? I think any kind of Christian faith stance among political leaders (that is not designed to garner votes) is laudable and important. www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2208128,00.html

The choice of  Pope Benedict to receive King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia gives ‘hopes for warmer Christian–Muslim relations.’ That editorial line is probably a bit hyper –newscopy-speak. But the fact remains that any dialogue is good. How can it be otherwise? And it gives the Pople the opportunity to speak for the million-plus Christians who work in Saudi. Remember that non-Christian worship is technically against the law there. Discussions also focused on the need for inter-religious collaboration in the cause of peace and on finding a ‘just solution’ in Israel-Palestine. www.thetablet.co.uk/issues/1000073  The choice the Pople made was either to attempt to  talk things over or stew in the juices of perceived outrage . Good call.

And some fascinating choices from the public. I wonder who was ultimately responsible for the selection of angels for the Christmas stamps out this week? It was a safe choice, no doubt, but a bit Christian for these supposedly post-Christendom days?

And how on earth (or heaven) did Joel Edwards get appointed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. (EHRC). Joel is the general director of Evangelical Alliance, of course,  but the new appointment gives him a voice in an entirely new arena. Revd Richard Kirker of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement said he was ‘stunned’ because he questioned how Mr Edwards would be able to uphold gay equality ‘with a clear conscience’. And Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society called for an ‘urgent rethink’. The new commission merges three UK equality watchdogs, the Commission for Racial Equality, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Disability Rights Commission. The EA leader said, ‘one of my primary responsibilities will be to ensure that the values of faith communities – our concerns for important issues such as respect and tolerance – play an important role in this commission.’ www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2827402.ece. Fascinating! Watch this space.  Would you accept such a nomination?  Salt and light? Ring any bells?

The same element of choosing by courageous Christian believers resulted in the grant of the ‘Pursuer of Peace Award’ from the Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths, Cambridge to Canon Andrew White, Anglican Vicar of St George’s Church in Baghdad and International Director of the Iraqi Institute of Peace. According to the report, he played a key role in negotiating a ‘fatwa against violence’, the first step on the pathway to reconciliation in Iraq between the rival Sunni and Shia factions. Canon White said that the fatwa would equate to statutory authority for all Shia and Sunni Muslims in Iraq and was to be signed by two of their respective, most senior leaders. The Woolf Institute announced that Canon White would receive the award for his ‘tireless work in bringing hope to broken people in a torn region.’ www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2830563.ece

And check out the four English bishops who have voiced support for Rt Revd Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh, after the US Presiding Bishop threatened legal action against his diocese. Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori sent the warning last week after Bishop Duncan’s diocese voted to change its constitution, allowing it to align itself with an Anglican province it considers in line with official Anglican teaching. Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, said the group ‘stands with’ Bishop Duncan and all ‘who respond positively’ to the Communion’s position on the current homosexuality debate. Dr Peter Forster, Bishop of Chester, said the four bishops were not endorsing decisions taken at the Pittsburgh diocese but ‘a pastoral, healing approach’ rather than litigation was needed to ‘find a way forward’. The Church of England Newspaper reports that over 40 members of the English General Synod have also backed Bishop Duncan. www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=47153

Interesting, finally, to hear that the BBC is showing a one-off comedy sitcom this Sunday featuring  David Tennant  (Dr Who), as a geeky Christian driving instructor (BBC1, 9 pm). The Baptist Times describes Learners as a ‘note-perfect comedy drama’. Characters include Tennant as nice but nerdy Chris, learner driver Bev, who fancies him and Chris’s brash female boss who is a Buddhist.  Baptist Times (9/11).  Has the “Christian” become  a sufficiently mainstream  stereotype for him to be pilloried thus? Do you hope so? Or do you hope not?!

“Consider their threats…” Reviewing the News

Those words in Acts 4 are in the context of Christians gathering in prayer as they face serious opposition. We too ought to “consider their threats.” We have to keep our eyes open to the things that face us in our generation and in our society. Bear in mind, though, that the next words of the prayer was that God might “Enable your servants to speak your word with boldness.”

I guess that’s what Westboro Baptist Church (an independent fellowship) thought they were doing when they picketed the funerals of American soldiers killed in Iraq claiming their deaths are a punishment for American tolerance of homosexuality. Grieving father Albert Snyder sued the church after members demonstrated at the funeral of his son, Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq. Apparently, the church – composed largely of members of its leader’s relatives – regularly attends military funerals waving banners declaring ‘God hates fags’ and ‘Thank God for dead soldiers’. A Baltimore jury ruled that the church had violated the family’s privacy and deliberately inflicted emotional distress and fined it $10.9 million. Whatever you might think about the present line on homosexuality being taken by Western governments, I can’t believe that any Christian could read the Bible and come up with this as a viable response! What do you think? In this context, the “threat” that I “consider” comes not from an oppressive state power (as in Acts 4) but from crazy Christians who make me feel ashamed.

 A different kind of response to the threats of state power comes from Zimbabwe. The respected and retired bishop Dr Sebastian Bakare has been elected as acting Bishop of Harare, to replace President Mugabe supporter Bishop Nolbert Kunonga. Dr Kunonga recently declared the diocese’s independence of the Province of Central Africa, leading the Province to declare the post vacant. Dr Bakare has been lecturing in theology at the African University in Mutare. While admitting some reluctance because of the challenges he would face, he said, ‘I think this is something I cannot run away from’. The acting Bishop said he would not urge Anglicans who had followed Bishop Kunonga to return but would prioritise those remaining in the Communion and the essential work of ‘challenging things that are evil’. Consider their threats, Lord, and enable your servant to speak your word with boldness…

There are many things that may fill us with trepidation. We live in dangerous times. I join in the concern about the Government plans to extend the current 28-day period in which police can hold terrorist suspects. In an official response to the proposals, the C of E’s mission and public affairs council warned against a ‘hasty or adversarial’ change to the current time limit. They stressed that protecting the public must be balanced against the need to protect the rights of suspects. The council said ‘convincing evidence’ would be needed to demonstrate that ‘liberty and security stand in conflict’. Instead, it called for the police to focus on bringing successful prosecutions through the criminal justice system. One fears that the need to produce results and the genuine fears of the public –which a mischievous media might easily whip into hysteria- might fudge the important issues of human rights and the precision with which justice is served.

I always enjoy the speeches of John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York. He seems to have a handle on the big picture (and also tells great jokes). At a conference in Hull marking the work of abolitionist William Wilberforce, he cited research connecting child labour with cocoa production. According to the Stop the Traffik campaign, 12,000 trafficked children work on Ivory Coast plantations to farm 43 per cent of the world’s cocoa beans. Stop the Traffik claims that manufacturers who don’t subscriber to Fair Trade practices cannot guarantee that their chocolate is produced without child labour. The irony, The Times points out, is that most of Britain’s original chocolate makers were Quakers, who spearheaded the campaign to end slavery. Sentamu called for consumers to boycott chocolate that isn’t fairly traded to help end child labour.

I guess these stories are all about the collision between state and church. A slightly less serious news item –loosely on the same topic- comes from Leipzig. What do you do when you discover a rich seam of coal underneath a village? The German authorities decided to evacuate the village. The villagers steadfastly refused, however, unless their 700 year old church was moved too!  Well, removers this week delivered the historic building to a new location after strapping it to the back of a huge flat-bed truck. The Migbrag mining company paid £2 million for the removal job after learning that the Emmaus Church and surrounding village of Heursdorf, near Leipzig were sitting above 50 million tonnes of brown coal.

Finally, I enjoy the similar “David and Goliath” feel to the story in Christian Today. A Christian couple who felt forced to stop fostering because they were required to sign up to the Government’s Sexual Orientation Regulations (SORs) have won the right to have their conscientious objections recognized. This Wednesday Somerset social services leaders told Mr Vince Matherick and his wife Pauline they would not now have to discuss same-sex relationships with their 11-year-old foster son. Andrea Williams of the Lawyers Christian Fellowship said, ‘This is a significant step forward … in that the Council has agreed not to force Mr and Mrs Matherick to act against their Christian beliefs.’