Part 295. Let’s be pragmatic. (3)

For many years the Church of England has been an uneasy collection of Liberals, Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals.  For the most part the disparate groups rubbed along  with varying degrees of suspicion.  

The uneasy calm was shattered by moves to ordain women as priests and later to become  bishops.  An uneasy alliance of Anglo-Catholics and conservative Evangelicals blocked progress for years and eventually caved in in return for structural change in the form of alternative episcopal oversight otherwise known colloquially as 'flying bishops'. Pragmatism rather than principle triumphed, although there were some Anglo-Catholics who jumped ship and landed on the deck of the Roman Catholic Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Some Evangelicals joined Gafcon.

In the past few years a major division has opened up over the issue of blessings of same-sex marriages and the position of clergy in non-platonic, same-sex civil marriages. The division and acrimony  is on public display in the General Synod.  The outcome is uncertain.  There is talk of schism, of a new province.  Will pragmatism triumph or will there be more departures from the Church on a matter of principle? Will there be a spurious unity that does not accord with the reality? 

Part 294. Let's be pragmatic. (2)

In 1985 the Church of England published a report on urban priority areas. Its title: Faith in the City.  It painted a woeful picture of prejudice, bigotry and poverty and their causes. At the time the Conservative government and its acolytes told the Church to stick with the cure of souls and leave the politics to the politicians.  Disgracefully little has changed since in terms of the relationship between churches and the state, and it has to be said little progress as been made in addressing the social issues identified in the report. 

One key paragraph in Faith in the City is this: 

Yet while many members of the Church of England have found it more congenial to express their discipleship by helping individual victims of misfortune or oppression, fewer are willing to rectify injustices in the structures of society.  There is a number of reasons for this preference for 'ambulance work'. No-one minds being cast in the role of protector and helper of the weak and powerless: there is no threat here to one's superior position and one's power of free decision. But to be a protagonist of social change may involve challenging those in power and risking the loss of one's own power. Helping a victim or sufferer seldom involves conflict; working for structural change can hardly avoid it.  Direct personal assistance to an individual may seem relatively straightforward, uncontroversial  and rewarding; involvement in social issues implies choosing choosing between complicated alternatives and accepting compromises which seem remote from any moral position.....We have little tradition of initiating conflict and coping with it creatively. We are not at home in the tough, secular milieu of social and political activism.

Paragraph 3.7.

In the United Kingdom there has been some improvement in the way denominations challenge government on social justice issues, but there needs to be much more. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a number of reports in the past year setting out the stark reality of poverty and destitution. (See previous posts.). It was encouraging to note secular and faith organisations coming together to challenge politicians on poverty issues. Denominations need to engage more in initiating conflict and engage with secular social and political activists.  In so doing it is essential that the need for a pragmatic approach is to the forefront and positive action is not sacrificed on the altar of unbending moral principles or, even worse,  narrow biblical interpretation.

Part 293. Let’s be pragmatic. (1)

I have believed for many years that the resolution of issues is best achieved by taking a pragmatic approach unfettered by assumptions and opinions entrenched in dogma associated with a specific philosophy.  That is not to state that there is no need for guiding principles but principles exist for just that purpose, to guide, not to act as a total fetter or constraint on reaching resolution of issues.

An example.  The National Health Service in England is in very poor shape and no matter how much money is spent on it matters do not improve.  Finding solutions to the various problems is not helped by a dogmatic assertion of the need for privatisation or retention of public ownership.  What is required is finding the most appropriate solution unfettered by political considerations underpinned by political philosophies. An individual on a long waiting list for treatment couldn't care less how the waiting period is reduced and even less about arguments over private or public ownership.  

Dogma and bigotry borne of adhering slavishly to a philosophy have been the cause of much misery.

I recognise the above is a generalisation. Nevertheless I believe we do need to consider the relationship between applying principles and being pragmatic. Rather than one very long post the argument will be spread over a number of posts. 

Part 292. The Salvation Army and inclusion

The United Kingdom & Ireland Territory of The Salvation Army has been considering what  it means to be a member of and belonging in the Army.  

We have a working party, filled in a survey questionnaire, held meetings and had a conference. Territorial leaders discussed the views arising from all this activity and it was expected recommendations on membership and belonging would be made to Cabinet. Has anyone any info on what is being recommended, or is it a big secret? We have had the recent and welcome statement by the General. Will the principles he enunciated be filtered into the Cabinet's considerations? Is a move to inclusion on the agenda?

Part 291. Another damning report.

Hardship, poverty and destitution should have no place in an affluent society, yet it looms large in Britain.  The Joseph Rowntree Foundation published today another damning report: The impact of hardship on primary schools and primary and community healthcare.

It is an indictment of the political process that it enables this situation to exist and continue and also of a wider malaise in society.  Faith and secular organisations have united to campaign against poverty, sadly with little impact on politicians, media and society.  Read the election proposals and propaganda coming through your letterbox.  How much is devoted to the subjects of poverty and destitution? Very little I surmise.  The reality is as identified  by JK Galbraith many years ago: we have the means but lack the will to effect change. 

Part 290. Thank you

Thank you. Helen is referring to my Facebook page: John Hopkinson Theology Page 

Hey John,

I truly have had some great reassurances from your page about my own theology and what it means to be a Christian. 

I haven’t been to Sunday worship service for a couple of years now. There’s many reasons behind this but due to my workplace and being a Salvo it’s truly a challenge to do both. 

I find your page gives me the validation of feeling comfortable with the concept of not being at church, every Sunday morning. For me it’s all about service as a Christian, showing others the light of Christ in the darkness.

It has always been a challenge of being one for Christ but also being able to be a frontline worker who deals with the homeless community constantly. 

I just wanted to thank you for your page, your work is invaluable to the world and I really appreciate all the messages you put on the page. Even as we live in different parts of the world.. 

Many blessings 

Helen

Part 289. My social justice priorities.

The following are social justice issues I campaign for in a number of ways, including social media. 

* A complete ban on conversion therapy.

* An end to all discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation  by The Salvation Army.

* An end to poverty and destitution and promotion of policies aimed at prevention.

* A massive programme of social housing

* An end to homelessness and promotion of policies to tackle its causes.

The above are my priorities and you, dear reader, may have others such as global warming, ecology, famine, war and so on.  

Whatever your particular interest we are guided by Jesus, to obey his imperative to follow him, to love our neighbour, to play a part in bringing to fruition his kingdom on earth.

Part 288. Belief and/or action?

I concur with the following quotations.

..“Much of Christianity has not emphasized actually ‘following’ Jesus…we haven’t based our religion on following Jesus and doing what he did. We’ve largely emphasized ‘worshiping’ Jesus.” So that’s what you came here this morning to do, worship Jesus? You do know that Jesus never told you to do that, right? He never told you to worship him, he told you to follow him. One of the most clever ways to avoid actually doing what he did is to make Jesus an object of worship.” ~ Fr. Richard Rohr

“Instead of getting people to agree with certain assertions about various dogmas, doctrines, or “truth claims,” progressive Christianity focuses more upon following a certain, radical way of life; namely, following the counter-cultural, subversive, and life-giving teachings and example of Jesus. The focus is more upon the religion OF Jesus, his actual beliefs, teachings, practices, ways, and lifestyle, than on the religion ABOUT him. In other words, Progressive Christianity focuses more upon orthopraxy (right behavior, actions and relationship) and less upon orthodoxy (right doctrines and beliefs). This is not to say that progressive Christianity is not concerned about orthodoxy. It’s a matter of emphasis. Progressive Christians would rather go to their graves having done their best to live rightly and follow the teachings and example of Jesus, than to have “believed all the right things about Jesus,” but fail to demonstrate or live-out those beliefs.” 

~ Roger Wolsey, from Kissing Fish Book.

That I agree with the substance of these two statements will come as no surprise to readers of this blog or perusers of my Facebook posts on: John Hopkinson Theology Page  and Theology of Social Justice.

Part 287. James Lawson

The death has been reported of James Lawson, one of the architects of the American civil rights movement. His stance on social justice is illustrated by the following quotation:

The politics of Jesus and the politics of God are that people should be fed, that people should have access to life, that people should be treated equally and justly. Especially the marginalised.  The poor, the illiterate, the jailed, the hungry, the naked - those are all terms Jesus uses.  The alien, the stranger, the foreigner,  you're supposed to treat them as you do yourself.

Part 286. Jurgen Moltmann

In the 1990s I read Theology of Hope (1964) by Jurgen Moltmann. It was a major influence on my thinking as at the time I was studying for a diploma in theology.

His obituary published in The Daily Telegraph on10th June 2024 had this to say:

"Jurgen Moltmann was the most significant Protestant theologian of the 20th century.  

"The basis of Moltmann's work was his conviction that true theology must always be related to concrete human situations and that the teaching of Jesus about the Kingdom of God requires of his followers commitment to the overthrowing of everything in the social order that is contrary to its demands.  This led him to personal involvement in peace and other demonstrations.....and close association with the Liberation Theology movement in Latin America, where his work was specially valued by Catholic theologians.

"The message was of a God whose coming in the world lay not in some distant future but was a present reality, thus offering both hope and challenge."

The news of Martin Luther King Jnr's assassination propelled Moltmann into an interest in black theology and becoming a strong supporter of the  USA civil rights movement. Moltmann's wife, Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendell was a prominent supporter of feminist theology.  

Part 285. Following Jesus

To follow Jesus is to engage in tackling poverty, destitution, deprivation, exclusion, discrimination, marginalisation, bigotry and other manifestations of inequality and hatred.

To follow Jesus is to provide assistance at the point of need: to love your neighbour

To follow Jesus is to engage in the political process to advance social justice: to tackle and overcome the causes of injustice and inequality: to love your neighbour.

In other words to bring about God's kingdom on earth.

Part 284. 0n labels and jargon

I have an aversion to theological jargon and labels.  Keep it simple is my motto: no jargon, no labels. Whilst some may consider my theological opinions to be 'liberal', others might prefer the label 'progressive', or even 'deconstructivist'. Labels come with attendant baggage.  The danger is that should a label be used the attendant baggage is attributed to you. Guilt by association. So, I do not use a label, I leave it to others to draw their own conclusions.

In any discipline jargon should be the preserve of practitioners and academics. Jargon is a useful shorthand for discussion, debate, and argument amongst peers. But there is no need to encumber others with jargon.  In theology words such as exegesis, hermeneutics, orthodoxy, orthopraxy, orthopathy, apostasy, salvation, sanctification, justification, sin, redemption, grace et al, can be barriers to understanding.  Furthermore, jargon complicates religion making individuals susceptible to gatekeepers controlling dissemination of information.

My plea is: keep it simple, eschew labels and jargon

So, what are my beliefs? A summary of key points:

* the bible is of human origin. It is not free of errors, nor is it inspired by God. It is a collection of human understanding.

* God is not a person in heaven, but a concept, love.

* Jesus was a real person who taught that we should love all, particularly the poor and marginalised. 

* Following Jesus requires us to seek social justice for the poor and marginalised.

,