The major change for me in the past two years has been to shed finally a long-standing favourable disposition towards conservative evangelicalism. Even a cursory glance at this blog will inform the reader that I have moved towards a liberal/progressive stance: particularly my promotion of a theology pertaining favourably to promoting social justice. My opinions have changed, my preferences have changed but that does not mean that my current stance is any better than the previous positions I held to. Supporting a particular set of opinions is no reason for smug arrogance and deprecation of others holding contrary views.
I hope 2024 will be remembered as the year The Salvation Army embraced full inclusion. Will it happen in the UK and Ireland Territory? Undoubtedly there is strong support for inclusion, but is it sufficient to achieve change? There is a key conference in March 2024, open to all to attend, followed by a meeting of Territorial leaders and culminating in a meeting of the Cabinet. The process is to consider many aspects of belonging and membership and presumably will focus on how to staunch the loss of members, discern ways to reverse the trend and how to increase officer numbers. My intention is to support a move to full inclusion and individuals promoting the cause.
A major disappointment in 2023 was the failure of the government to publish a bill to ban conversion therapy. There has been prevarication, obfuscation and dissembling by the Conservative government. Labour and Liberal Democrats are pledged to ban conversion therapy. We must hope for either a reversal of the government's stance or the election of a Labour government in 2024 or 2025.
Finally, I shall continue to support individuals and faith and secular organisations, campaigning for systemic change to tackle the causes of poverty, deprivation, exclusion and marginalisation in our society. It is a broad canvas, but there is much to do on many fronts.
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