In the gospels, Jesus is described as 'being moved' in his belly in response to the needs and the quiet despair he sees. Likewise we talk of gut-feelings to describe subrational and super-rational insights and intuitions. I have come to know these times as significant for revelation and discovery. I am thankful that I have the time to explore them without the pressure to arrive at rapid conclusions.
My walking verse for the day brought focus: 1 John 2.6, "Whoever says, 'I abide in [Jesus Christ], ought to walk just as he walked."
"Walking as Jesus walked" - what would that involve? I decided it must involve questions of place, attitude and behaviour. My canalside route for the day led me through tough estates past back gardens and factories, literally in the backwaters of the West Midlands.
There were no pleasure boats, no scenic spots. Yet here I heard my first cuckoo since the rural forests of Normandy. A piano lay among the lilies in the brown water. A big black leech squirmed through a shallow puddle on the towpath. Anglers fished for carp and a team of offenders cleared debris from a track wearing orange tabards printed with "Community Payback" in large letters.
It was, I thought, the kind of place Jesus walked, more like the paths of Galilee than the refined districts of Jerusalem and the south.
I'd also been thinking about the significance and implications of the increased vote for the BNP in county and european elections. On Twitter there has been a lot of outraged comment from Christians. I agree with these passionate rejections of the BNP's vicious racist ideaology. But I'm concerned that some comments suggest a hatred towards those hundreds of thousands who voted in this apalling way.
It is a sad fact that there is a growing minority of people who feel so excluded, unregarded and powerless that the policies of the extreme right seem plausible and inspiring. My concern is not just to oppose them but to offer them something better, something true, life-giving and just. How do we Christians, particularly we 'professional' servants of the Kingdom of God, proclaim and enact the gospel among the BNP's voters?
Jesus offended against the sensibilities of the religiously-respectable by associating with the marginalised and the powerless. He brought them good news, even as he confronted their prejudice and evil.
Where should I be walking? When this adventure is completed, and I'm 'back to work' in Oadby, which roads should I take, with whom should I travel and to whom should I seek to bring good news?
(continues in Part Three)
It is a sad fact that there is a growing minority of people who feel so excluded, unregarded and powerless that the policies of the extreme right seem plausible and inspiring. My concern is not just to oppose them but to offer them something better, something true, life-giving and just. How do we Christians, particularly we 'professional' servants of the Kingdom of God, proclaim and enact the gospel among the BNP's voters?
ReplyDeleteI have a sort of partial answer here, though not necessarily in an explicitly Christian context.
By far the most powerful evangelism I have ever encountered has been that of personal relationships with people who follow and live the Gospel but who exert absolutely no pressure on me to conform to their beliefs, worldview or way of life. Mostly they don’t even talk to me about their faith unless I ask, and then they tend to take a very cautious “this is how I see it” approach or simply refer me to books or clergy who may be able to answer some of my questions.
I don't know if I could build that sort of friendship with a BNP supporter. Patience is not one of my stronger virtues! But I think to build a society where people are not swayed by these fears we need to treat every person as a child of God, treat every person with respect and consideration. I do try to treat people that way.