Perspectives

John Barr was a good friend and I still miss him at times (he passed away in 2001). His stories were always entertaining, but it was some of his insights, the dots he connected that made sense. One such piece of wisdom was – what parents do in moderation their children will do in excess. Of course like many axioms there is not an indelible straight line – after all God called Israel ‘my son'(!!) so there is a principle here that cannot be made a law.

I think though the principle remains, and I am not thinking primarily about biological family reproduction but more on the societal level. World leaders are coming to terms with what most of them knew was already going on with the Panama papers leak. This did not just ‘happen’, but seeds were sown over decades. Indeed Panama is not the biggest ‘tax haven’ but one of Britain’s protectorates, the Virgin Islands probably takes the prize for that title. The network of tax havens – which to a significant extent includes the city of London with its exemptions that have roots all the way back to 1066 – is probably something that is highly ‘beneficial’ to many Western nation-states and multi-nationals.

There are many possible imminent implosions, the fruit of ways of living and acting that has gone unchecked over decades. A politics that has become simply more and more confrontational and agonistic is increasingly non-Christlike. Imagine Jesus in politics… insults, insinuation, or working alongside?

I am a strong believer that the years of prayer for God’s presence in society is leading to two aspects. An increasing exposure of corruption and what has been hidden becoming visible, and unprecedented opportunity for the body of Christ. A while back I took part in a conference in Brazil through Skype and was asked to state what I saw for the next 5 years. My answer – exposure of corruption at all levels, and the opportunity for a move in the church of humility from the bottom up.

The two go hand in hand. Certainly the opportunity is there, and I hope that the church lays hold of the opportunity that is before us. We can seed the future with something different. To do so we have to go much deeper than politics of right / left; of the shallowness of ‘Christians in the top stratas of influence’, to a radical response to the call of following Jesus.

The UK faces its referendum in June. There are arguments pro and against, but my plea is that as believers we rise above the simple pro and against issues. I am pro-European not primarily politically, but from my understanding of the spiritual history and issues. I have maintained for many years that this continent, with its clear post-Christendom context, can and should become the place that releases another wave of the Gospel but without the hierarchical, imperial clothing that creates ghettos, but with egalitarianess at its heart that is hidden within the wider society. An opportunity that maybe has not been possible since the early centuries.

Unless statistics have changed dramatically, 1/3 of those who are happy (happy-ish?) with the label evangelical and are European live within the UK. Their commitment – whether they vote in or out – to Europe spiritually is vital. The children might be on course to do in excess what has been sown… or…

Here are two examples of voices in Europe that are sounding out a hope for something different. We can see them as ‘secular’ voices, and then look for the ‘God voice’ to rise also, or (I think much better) we can understand that the prayers of the church are not fulfilled when the Christian speaks, but when the voice of the Lord is released and we hear wisdom cry out in the public square.

The first is a long, but extremely well-written article by Yanis Varoufakis in the Guardian and the second a very short video by the mayoress of Barcelona.

An Ontario artist’s sculpture of a ‘homeless Jesus’ has been given a home near to the Vatican. Schmalz, the sculptor, said in an interview, “Historically, symbolically, it’s probably the greatest location for it.”

Since Pope Francis took office (March 2013) there has been an increased focus on the homeless:
last year, Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, head of the charities, unveiled showers for homeless pilgrims near St. Peter’s Square and free shaves and haircuts are also now offered.

In the article it also noted that:

In London, Methodist Central Hall, across from Westminster Abbey, wanted to install it in front of its church, but the City of Westminster’s council rejected that, saying the sculpture would fail to preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square conservation area. An online petition has been launched to try to overturn that decision.

Another church in London, St Martin-in-the-Fields, rejected the statue because it has a rule banning people from lying down inside church, and there were fears the statue would expose the church to ridicule, according to the Church Times.

Community is in the heart of God. Trinitarian belief, the corporate ‘my people’, ‘it is not good for the man to be alone’… all point to community as not simply beneficial but healthy existence. When community is denied a person there is loss and pain. Given the norm of community and the lack of it that many experience I write cautiously what follows. I also write from our personal context here.

We have a strong conviction that over these next couple of decades many will find themselves uprooted from their former setting. We believe that thousands will re-locate to the cities and regions across Europe as the continent is re-seeded not simply with a gospel of words but an incarnated gospel of people (Mk. 13 parable #1 ‘seed’ = ‘word of the Lord’; parable #2 ‘seed’ = ‘people of the Lord’). In the relocation some will go with distinct purpose and vision, others will go by ‘circumstance’. If we come from a background of (Christian) community there are a few surprises waiting for us.

‘Clubs’ give us ready made friends. Many believers do not need to connect to others, the construct is what provides the context where they find the friends. This is not a bad thing in itself but all clubs by default insulate, they separate, and more so when we have no need of connecting external to that club. This is also accentuated if one held a measure of leadership within that club context. Friendship-making outside that context and with those who do not share the same world-view is a challenge – Paul, even with an incredibly developed world-view, achieved this (Acts 19: 31).

Appreciating beliefs that are different are wonderfully challenging. A gospel that is insulated can make sense when one is also isolated… but against the context of other beliefs can be deeply challenged. This, from what I understand, is what brought Steve Chalke to describe penal substitutionary atonement as ‘cosmic child abuse’. Our gospel is ‘foolishness to the Greeks’ but this does not mean there is no coherence to it. To re-examine the gospel is no bad thing. And certainly when one realises that the Western Protestant versions do not have a monopoly on interpretation opens up a few healthy doors.

Separation from the known, entering the liminal spaces, are so necessary for growth. Richard Rohr apparently recently described fundamental evangelicalism as ‘religion in its early phase’. He, being a Catholic, might indicate where development should take such a fundamentalist, whereas I would go in a totally different direction!

In transitioning into adulthood in many tribal scenarios there is a commonality to many of the rituals. What is in common is the removal of the known surroundings and boundaries, and the entering into a disorientating world. This is necessary for growth.

Yesterday we (Gayle and I) speculated that perhaps there is now the possibility of a fresh (Christian) movement, not one simply based on guilt and forgiveness at a personal level though probably with deep roots within that, but one focused on the body of Christ as the ‘soul’ of the world, the priesthood in the earth. If so I think that isolation will be one of the gifts from heaven to act as a catalyst for the conversion that is needed. Maybe Christian community will have to become (for a period, or maybe permanently) less of a defining element? Community, acceptance and accepting, is vital for healthy human existence, but those who have a vision for healthy community probably need to experience some measure of isolation along the way. To those much further down the road than I, thank you.