Saving Jesus from the Church.

 It has been a pleasure to read two books by Robin R Meyers: 

Saving Jesus from the Church, and

The Underground Church

The former is subtitled: How to stop worshiping Christ and start following Jesus.  The latter book is subtitled: Reclaiming the subversive way of Jesus.

For those with a liberal and/or progressive understanding of the bible and theology these two volumes give shape and clarity to non-fundamentalist understanding of doctine and non-literalist ways of reading the bible.  Along with Adrian Alker's: Is a radical church possible?, Marcus J Borg's: The Heart of Christianity and Richard Holloway's Doubts and Loves  they form an excellent exposition of what is entailed in following Jesus and how it relates to the organisations called 'church'. 

In Saving Jesus from the Church Meyers sets the tone by observing that in the Sermon on the Mount  there is not a single word about what to to believe, only words about what to do. "It is a  behavioural manifesto, not a a propositional one."   By the time of the Nicene Creed there is not a single word about what to do, only words about what to believe.  For Meyers Christianity has become a search for individual salvation, for a  passport to heaven, for individual victory over debt, obesity or low-esteem instead of being a radical movement for a collective victory over injustice, poverty, war or environmental degradation. In other words, the Kingdom on earth.

Following the Way of Jesus is not about individualistic, selfish, self-interest.  It is about community, tackling social issues of poverty, exclusion, marginalisation, all issues on which Jesus showed radical concern and action.

However I do have reservations.  Meyers explains the importance of seeking to discern in the bible the historical Jesus, the Jesus of the Way and differentiate him from the post-Easter Christ taken up in Pauline writings, a move away from doing to believing. A sensible differentation, but is it possble to identify the historical Jesus with any degree of clarity or centainty? I have my doubts.

As my blog readers well know I do not consider the bible to be a manual of behaviour to be followed slavishly. It is a guide to a body of thinking attributed inter alia to a person known as Jesus. That, I contend, is all we need to know.  What persuades individuals to seek to emulate the teaching of Jesus may, or may not, be by what some consider to be divine inspiration?  Is there an element of panentheism, is it purely a matter of biology, or the interplay of human experience and our minds? 

I wouldn't start from here.

 There is an old joke, one version goes like this:

A tourist lost in the countryside asks a local the way to the city. The answer: Well sir, if I were you, I wouldn't start from here.

I was reminded of this whilst reading a book by Adrian Alker: Is a radical church possible? Adrian has been a Church of England priest for over 35 years, founded the St Mark's Centre for Radical Christianity in my home city of Sheffield and was Chair of the Progressive Christianity Network Britain of which I am a member.

Whilst there is much to commend in the book I finished my reading with a sense that it failed to convince that a radical, as distinct from a liberal/progressive, church is possible.  The author accepts the thesis of Marcus Borg (amongst others) that the bible is a purely human construct.  The author engages in what I consider to be a forlorn and unnecessary attempt to scrutinise the bible to seek out the historical or 'real' Jesus. He draws out very well the way the books of Matthew and Luke state the central thesis of the teaching ascribed to Jesus, namely that the commandments to love God and love neighbour are the underlying principles of the Jewish scriptures and are to be followed in preference to the restrictive rules of the Law.  However the influence of postmodernism is not as evident as I expected, in particular the application of the ideas of  Jacques Derrida to reading, understanding and applying language.  Don Cupitt’s ideas in respect of Kingdom are considered.

For me, the starting point of my journey is not with an understanding of the historical Jesus, nor the intricacies of  the development of principles from rules. What matters are the principles themselves, how to apply them now and hope as to how they will be applied in the future.  Understanding the source and biblical commentary underlying the principles, whilst of interest, is not a prerequisite for their application. 

The Christian faith for many is no longer the stick of the fear of hell, nor the carrot of eternal joy in heaven. In its place is a desire to follow the principles ascribed to Jesus in a document called the bible.  Who Jesus was (is?) and who (plural) composed the text of the bible is interesting but it is not where I start my journey to the Kingdom.

A sense of disappointment.

 I have been reading The Heart of Christianity by Marcus J. Borg. His analysis of the two paradigms is interesting and persuasive.  The earlier paradigm sees Christianity as grounded in divine authority.  Divine authority for Protestants resides in the bible: for Catholics there is in addition the authority of the church.  The later or emerging paradigm sees the bible as  historical, metaphorical, sacramental, relational and transformational. 

Stark differences, central to which is the opinion (or belief) that the bible is a divine product with divine authority or,  contra, it is a human response to God.

Readers of my blog understand I am in the latter camp, the bible is not to be understood as statements of literal fact laid down by God or inspired by God, nor is faith a matter of living life  in the belief that we are saved for a heavenly afterlife. Instead the bible is a human guide to living our lives in service to humanity, to bring His kingdom on earth, a kingdom of love and support for the less fortunate, the deprived, the excluded and discriminated against.

My overall impression of the thesis advanced by Borg is one of admiration for a clear exposition of the emerging paradigm.  However, there is also a nagging doubt that manifests itself in  my sense of disappointment at the emphasis he places on the importance of the bible.  

Never heard a sermon on this.

The Church of England's Book of Common Prayer contains a service entitled Evening Prayer, although it may be known in some parishes as Evensong or Choral Evensong.  Readers of this blog understand that I do not subscribe to most of the doctrines of the CofE in their literal sense but recognise their value as metaphor, symbolism and myth.

Following the reading from the Old Testament the congregation say or sing Magnificat taken from Luke 1: 46-55.  I have never heard a sermon based on these verses either in the CofE or any other denomination.

The BCP states verses 52-53 as follows:

He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and exalted the humble and meek.

He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away.

The New International Version of the bible has it thus:

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

The Message puts it like this:

He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud.

The starving poor sat down to a banquet, the callous rich were left out in the cold.

Powerful stuff.  A call for inclusion, for justice.  Highly political and theatening to the established order of religion and state.  But it was not new, it reflects a major strand of thinking in what Christians call the Old Testament.  For those of us who seek systemic change in society to achieve social justice  the words quoted above are but one part of a range of teaching on inclusion and justice attributed to Jesus by the writers of the synoptic gospels. 

Nowt else t'say?

This is not an academic treatise, rather it is a pulling together of my theological opinions developed over a few years.  A law degree and a diploma in theology instilled in me the need to understand the difference between fact and opinion as well as a penchant for critical evaluation of theories and evidence.  I  am deeply suspicious and cynical concerning the motives and activities of politicians, economists, sociologists, philosophers, church leaders, theologians, judges and journalists.

Should you be seeking a learned theological exposition I advise you to clear off pronto. You won't find it here. What you will find are my personal thoughts on social justice leavened by the ideas of others: so as not to bore you rigid. 

It strikes me that in seeking to understand theological concepts, indeed any political, economic, social or legal ideas, we must escape from a silo mentality, or consideration of concepts in a subject-matter vacuum.  We have to understand the interaction of concepts from a broad range of disciplines. Above all we need to study the reality of the consequences of the application of concepts.  We must flee the halls of academia into the outside world. 

Be on the lookout for gatekeepers, sentries, sentinels and guardians of the 'truth'.  Treat them with caution, do not succumb to their blandishments or threats. Be wary of opinion formers on social media. It is your opinion that matters, not theirs.  

At the outset, cards on the table. I ascribe to postmodernism having considered the writings of Jacques Derrida and Don Cupitt amongst others.  Their ideas provided the spark leading me to review my understanding of the bible and thence my process of deconstruction.  The following quotations are ones with which I concur:

'The Christian story does not drop from heaven fully written. It grew and developed over a period of forty-two to seventy years. This is not what most Christians have been taught to think, but it is factual. Christianity has always been an evolving story. It was never, even in the New Testament, a finished story.'

JOHN SHELBY SPONG 

'I let go of the notion that the Bible is a divine product. I learned that it is a human cultural product, the product of two ancient communities, biblical Israel and early Christianity. As such, it contained their understandings and affirmations, statements not coming directly or somewhat directly from God.....I realised that whatever "divine revelation" and the "inspiration of the Bible" meant (if they meant anything), they did not mean that the Bible was a divine product with divine authority.'

MARCUS J BORG 

'Properly understood the Bible is a potential ally to the progressive Christian passion for transformation of ourselves and the world. It is our great heritage. Along with Jesus, to whom it is subordinate, it is our greatest treasure.'

MARCUS J BORG

'My point is not that those ancient people told literal stories and we are not smart enough to take them symbolically, but that they told them symbolically and we are now dumb enough to take them literally.'

JOHN DOMINIC CROSSAN 

'The Bible is based upon the construct of theism and anthropomorphism as its primary literary vehicle for expressing the reality of "God." Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. 

The ultimate authority of one's life is not the Bible. The highest truth is not confined between the covers of a book. It is not something written by men and frozen in time. It is not from a source outside oneself. One's ultimate authority is the voice of truth within one's own innermost being.'

JIM PALMER 

'The danger that a mythology understood too literally, and as taught by the Church, will suddenly be repudiated lock, stock and barrel is today greater than ever. Is it not time that the Christian mythology, instead of being wiped out, was understood symbolically?'

CARL JUNG 

Do you believe in God?  It is impossible to prove the existence of God, whether of the theist, pantheist or panentheist varieties.  It is all conjecture.  For me, God is the trigger, the ultimate norm, the spark that set in train the process to form the universe, but I have no idea what the trigger is, or was. I have found the writings of John D Caputo helpful in forming my opinions.   I recommend his book What to believe?

It follows from the last paragraph that there is no point in praying to God in the hope or expectation of receiving a response.  Prayer has value in setting out an agenda of what we would like to happen and convince us of the need for us to act to bring the change prayed for about, insofar as it is within our power or capability so to do. Soren Kierkegaard puts it well:

'The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.'

Having demolished, sorry, deconstructed my belief system now is the time to move on to reconstruction. I find compelling the teaching attributed to Jesus in the bible. It doesn't matter if Jesus was a real person, or a symbol, or a metaphor, or a myth.  What counts is the message, a message of love. Throughout the Old and New Testaments there is a strand affirming the requirement for love, for justice for individuals, for societal change to improve the lives of the poor, the marginalised and the excluded.  The message of Jesus is not a book of rules: it is a set of principles applicable to all cultures, all societies, at all times. It is profound. It is a call to action.  Similar calls to action are to be found in the tenets of other faiths and those of no faith persuasion.

Since the 1990s I have engaged in the pursuit of social justice, as a councillor, as a member of a churches' social responsibility group and been active in the voluntary sector, driven by the desire to follow the teaching ascribed to Jesus and also the concept of liberation theology with particular reference to Leonardo Boff, Gustavo Gutierrez and Jurgen Moltmann. 

A quotation from Gutierrez:

'The poverty of the poor is not a call to generous relief action, but a demand that we go out and build a different social order.'

This I read as a call for positive action. Compare and contrast with this statement by James H Cone:

'Liberation theology is not a the theology of revolution, but a theology of the cross that call for ongoing resistance against all forms of oppression'

My opinion is that liberation theology embraces both resisting oppression and demanding systemic change. 

The basis of Moltmann's theology was his conviction that 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. No ivory tower, armchair theology. Moltmann was active in the field, participating in demonstrations. The task of the theologian he stated is not to promote the ideal of a distant utopia, rather to get on with seeking to effect change, to tackle current issues, an argument similar to one made by Karl Popper.

My theological 'position' therefore is to follow Jesus: for individuals to be assisted at point of need, and to campaign for social justice, for systemic social change. From a faith perspective I have deconstructed everything else.

I concur with the concepts set out in the following quotations.

His teachings and behaviour reflect an alternative social vision. Jesus was not not talking about how to be good and how to behave within the framework of a domination system. He was a critic of the domination system itself.

MARCUS BORG

Christian theology needs to speak of social revolution, not reform; of liberation, not development; of socialism, not modernising the prevailing system.

GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ

Jesus called people to follow him in a way of living. He does not require his followers to accept a catalogue of religious beliefs or adopt a set of spiritual practices. Rather, he offered them a new way to live their daily lives. As a result, the earliest members of the Jesus movement were known as followers of the way.

 KURT STRUCKMEYER

God is calling the Church to something new, but we hold things back when we do things according to tradition as opposed to partnering with God in the new way.

DOUG ADDISON

The Church is not memories; we are not just looking in a rear-view mirror. The Church is moving forward and needs new perspectives. 

 OSCAR ROMEO

Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty, truth and compassion against injustice and tyranny and greed.

 WILLIAM FAULKNER

Always be sure that you struggle with Christian weapons. Never succumb to the temptation of becoming bitter. As you press on for justice, be sure you move with justice and discipline, using only the weapon of love.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JNR 

What is needed is a realisation that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JNR

The Kingdom of God is not a matter of getting individuals to heaven, but of transforming the life on earth into the harmony of heaven. 

WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH 

Your 'yes' to God requires your 'no' to all injustice, to all evil, to all lies.

DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

We cannot profess our solidarity with those who are oppressed when we are unwilling to confront the oppressor.

HENRI NOUWEN

How can we be the church of Jesus unless we reflect the ministry of Jesus? Is the church a radical incarnation of the ministry of Jesus or a private social club?

YVETTE FLUNDER

The prophetic tasks of the Church are to tell the truth in a society that lives an illusion, grieve in a society that practices denial, and express hope in a society that lives in despair.

 WALTER BRUEGGEMANN

I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.

POPE FRANCIS

We must talk about poverty, because people insulated by their own comfort lose sight of it.

DOROTHY DAY

If we try and have a Christianity without social justice, we cut out the beautiful beating heart of Jesus and we are left with only a lifeless corpse of religion to drag around.

JOHN PAVOLITZ

The measure of a society in found in how they treat their weakest and most helpless citizens. 

JIMMY CARTER

Any talk about God that fails to make God's liberation of the oppressed as its starting point is not Christian.

JAMES CONE

When the Church hears the cry of the oppressed it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises.

OSCAR ROMEO

The rich and powerful should act with justice towards the poor, not oppress them. Faith calls us to lift the down-trodden, not to follow those who crush them.

POPE LEO X1V 

The eternal destiny of human beings will be measured by how much or how little solidarity we have displayed with the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, and the oppressed.  In the end we will be judged in terms of love.

LEONARDO BOFF

and finally....

Any religion that professes to be about the souls of men and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them, is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JNR

Well, dear reader, thank you for your patience and perseverance.  The fight for social justice continues..........

 

 

 

 

 

 

Into the long grass?

The Salvation Army's International Headquarters published material in 2018 entitled Let's Talk..About Sexuality and Relationships.   So here we are in 2025 and we are informed that in the United Kingdom & Ireland Territory there is to be an eighteen month period for faciliated conversations on the issues of bride price, dowry, divorce & remarriage, married life, partner abuse, pornography, same-sex relationships, sex outside marriage and singleness.

To what end is all this talking directed?  What action may ensue?  A clue from this week's Salvationist. 

"International policy isn't changing as a result of these conversations, but they have the power to change relationships at a local level, to impact how people live their lives and relate to each other."

No encourgement then for those seeking equality of treatment for LGBTQ+ individuals apart from let's be nice to each other. Shameful.

On faith and scripture

A Salvation Army officer holding a senior post in the UK stated recently:

"In terms of doctrine 1, which sets out The Salvation Army's understanding of the authority of Scripture as the divine rule of Christian faith and practice, it is completely irrelevant whether Paul wrote the Pastoral Epistles, or Ephesians and Colossians. It is completely irrelevant whether Moses wrote Genesis. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as we receive them from our forefathers, are understood as given by inspiration of God and are therefore the foundation of our faith."

Set against the above, the following from a number of theologians:

The Christian story does not drop from heaven fully written. It grew and developed over a period of forty-two to seventy years. This is not what most Christians have been taught to think, but it is factual. Christianity has always been an evolving story. It was never, even in the New Testament, a finished story.

JOHN SHELBY SPONG 

I let go of the notion that the Bible is a divine product. I learned that it is a human cultural product, the product of two ancient communities, biblical Israel and early Christianity. As such, it contained their understandings and affirmations, statements not coming directly or somewhat directly from God.....I realised that whatever "divine revelation" and the "inspiration of the Bible" meant (if they meant anything), they did not mean that the Bible was a divine product with divine authority.

MARCUS J BORG 

Properly understood the Bible is a potential ally to the progressive Christian passion for transformation of ourselves and the world. It is our great heritage. Along with Jesus, to whom it is subordinate, it is our greatest treasure.

MARCUS J BORG

My point is not that those ancient people told literal stories and we are not smart enough to take them symbolically, but that they told them symbolically and we are now dumb enough to take them literally.

JOHN DOMINIC CROSSAN 

The Bible is based upon the construct of theism and anthropomorphism as its primary literary vehicle for expressing the reality of "God." Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. 

The ultimate authority of one's life is not the Bible. The highest truth is not confined between the covers of a book. It is not something written by men and frozen in time. It is not from a source outside oneself. One's ultimate authority is the voice of truth within one's own innermost being.

JIM PALMER 

Further to the quotation from John Dominic Crossan above,  this from CARL JUNG:

The danger that a mythology understood too literally, and as taught by the Church, will suddenly be repudiated lock, stock and barrel is today greater than ever.  Is it not time that the Christian mythology, instead of being wiped out, was understood symbolically?

   

Very sad

On another Facebook page it was stated that sex (heterosexual) outside of marriage is a sin. I had the temerity to suggest that this was not the case, nor was it a sin for same sex couples to have intimate relationships outside marriage. The anticipated avalanche of vituperative comments duly arrived along with the associated personal abuse.  

I know I shouldn't be surprised by these reactions from so-called Christians for whom the concept of love, and most certainly inclusive love, has escaped them at best or been rejected at worst. My overwhelming emotion is one of deep sadness that the message of Jesus is lost on them.

The bile I received has strengthened my resolve to call out homophobia.

The way of Jesus

The article below in quotations is by Stuart Delony.  It struck a chord, it mirrors much of the jottings in my blog.

"I’m not interested in theological gymnastics that try to explain how God is one essence and three persons without stepping into heresy. The Trinity, as doctrine, has been a church gatekeeping mechanism for centuries—but for me? It’s never been the thing that made faith feel real. What has? The way of Jesus. Not the “believe in Jesus” part. The walk like him part. You know, the inconvenient stuff: Confronting corrupt power. Standing with the outcast. Refusing to play religious games. Loving your enemy. Rejecting ego. Moving through the world with justice and humility. 

That’s the kind of “orthodoxy” I care about now. And if your belief in the Trinity doesn’t lead you to that kind of life? Then congrats—you’ve nailed the theology exam and missed the actual point. Arguing about doctrinal purity while people are being crushed by systems of violence, exclusion, and religious manipulation is just ecclesiastical masturbation. It’s for people who want to feel spiritually superior without getting their hands dirty in the real work of healing and justice”.

The way of Jesus is well-stated by Kurt Struckmeyer:  

"radical love

 lavish generosity

extravagant forgiveness

inclusive hospitality

compassionate action

selfless service

a passion for justice

creative nonviolence 

simple living."

Of course similar attributes are to be found in followers of other faiths and those of no faith.  They are not a Christian monopoly.

Love of neighbour is a call for social justice, for systemic change as required.  From a Christian perspective the writings of Martin Luther King Jnr, Gustavo Gutierrez, Leonardo Boff, Jurgen Moltmann, Desmond Tutu et. al call for justice for all, for inclusion, for love.  They are beacons of hope.

One can be a campaigner for social justice without being a Christian, or for that matter a follower of the way of Jesus.  For me the ideas attributed to Jesus provide a framework, an example, to follow.  The Jesus of scripture was a radical, a revolutionary, a challenger of entrenched attitudes held by the religious and state organisations of his day.  In other words, following a line of Old Testament prophets, he challenged a society to change.  He was a campaigner for the poor and marginalised, he took the battle to his opponents, face to face.  No armchair critic, not an academic in an ivory tower.  

The unsung army.

 Up and down the land there are thousands of individuals who are directors, trustees, governors, treasurers or secretaries of voluntary organisations.  All are unpaid, yet have major legal responsibilities for the organisations they administer, in some cases even standing to lose their personal assets should things go awry.  Many serve 'below the radar', receiving  little or no recognition for the work they do. Without them the voluntary sector would collapse.  They are an unsung army,  planning, organising, maintaining and monitoring services not provided by the statutory sector.  (In some instances, such as school governors, they are part of statute-based organisations. Some voluntary organisations are commissioned to undertake work on behalf of the statutory sector.)  Think of them who are responsible for sports clubs, foodbanks, lunch clubs, homelessness  charities, mental health charities, community groups, arts organisations, church councils to mention just a few.  

My focus is on the voluntary sector's engagement in issues of poverty, discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion, particularly in areas of multiple deprivation.

 At the outset I wish to point out the dangers of cultural appropriation whether in terms of ethnicity or class.    The UK is a multi-ethnic society and also one of rampant class distinction. Generalisations are easily made, but they do not reflect the mosaic, inter-connectedness and differences within society.  It is impossible to pin down a precise definition of working class, lower middle class, upper middle class and so forth.  We attach meaningless labels to individuals and groups.  

So, what is an area of multiple deprivation in England?  The country is divided into what are known as Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOA) and typically cover an area of between 400-1,200 households equating to between 1,000 and 3,000 residents.  The Indices of Deprivation applied to each area cover seven factors:

Income, Employment, Skills & Training, Health & Disability, Barriers to Housing and Services, Living Environment.  

LSOA's enable statutory and voluntary organisations to identify areas of need. They are not fool-proof, as very small pockets of deprivation in urban and especially rural areas may not be identified.

For faith groups and secular voluntary bodies wishing to engage in support for individuals in areas of multiple deprivation SLOA's provide an excellent basis for understanding the problems of an area and what services should be targeted towards them.  Foodbanks, lunch clubs, soup kitchens, clothes banks, advice, and so forth can be directed to areas of need.  However such provision is a mere palliative.  The real need is for faith and secular organisations to foster community engagement, for the people of an area to be encouraged to demand systemic change to policies affecting the deprivation scores in their area.  Whilst many of the necessary changes require decisions by central government nevertheless local government and health trusts have it within their power to redistribute funding to improve conditions in specific local areas.  Such changes do not have to be expensive.  Small gains can have significant impact.  

A lurch to the right. We should be worried.

Yesterday's local government elections in England witnessed a lurch to the right in British politics.  The Conservatives were virtually wiped out in areas where they had previously been strong.  Labour also suffered major losses, particularly in areas where until recently they had a stranglehold, areas such as the fomer mining and industrial areas of Northumberland, Durham, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Are the results a protest vote against the policies followed by the Conservative and Labour parties, or is there a much more deep-seated and possibly enduring reaction to years of failure by the parties to understand the concerns of people?

Sadly, both the Conservatives and Labour between them have ramped-up the anti-immigration rhetoric, have attacked those forced to survive on benefits, pensioners, LGBTQ+, homeless individuals.  In other words the vulnerable members of our society have become fair game for financial cuts whilst at the same time there is a failure to deal with the causes of poverty, discriminaton and marginalisation.  The right in British politics has not been slow to identify whom to blame, aided and abetted by the failure of Labour and Conservatives to tackle and remedy the causes of social injustice, a failure to initiate and carry through systemic change.

So, yes, I am worried about the future direction of political decision making in this country. Will the political parties pander to the false narrative that those suffering social injustice are to blame for the economic mess the country is in?  

I seek to follow the injunction of Jesus to love my neighbour  There is precious little love on display from the political right.  We need a sea-change in the policies of government, embracing systemic change, not seeking to outbid the right in its nastiness.  Now is the time for political bravery and also for faith groups to speak out.

Part 401. Finale

Well, I have had a good run. Four hundred posts on my blog since November 2022.  All available on Facebook at: 

John Hopkinson Personal Theology Blog

My Facebook group: Theology and Social Justice,

and

my Facebook page:  Progressive and Deconstructivist Theology 

have become an imposition on my time and energy. Time to retire methinks, so goodbye dear friends. 

Part 400. Simple, not simplistic

 When I started my blog in November 2022 the title of my first post was: A simple faith or a simplistic theology?  By 'simple faith' I sought to convey the idea that faith can be described in simple terms, without using theological jargon.  Simplistic theology was a reference to the  'it's in the bible so it must be correct' genre so beloved by bible literalists and fundamentalists.

In the intervening time I replaced faith, first with belief and now with opinion. I hold now to the simple or straightforward opinion that it is our duty to love our neighbour.  This equates to loving all humanity and caring for the environment, leading us to campaign for social justice and protection of the environment. In other words, activism.

My blog posts have referred on a number of occasions to the point that we should not consider issues in a vacuum or adopt a silo mentality. Our world, our understanding of the world, is a consequence of many factors interacting with each other. We should seek to understand the relationships between politics, economics,  law, religion, science, history, geography, etc. The interplay of these factor has shaped the world, our communities, our lives, our identity, our fears, our hopes, our expectations.  It is a matrix.

Do we understand the fluidity and ever-changing landscape we are part of?  How do we react?

Part 399. Theology and social justice.

 As I deconstructed my beliefs it became clear to me that what really mattered was how we treat humanity and the environment.  I was drawn to the teaching attributed to Jesus to love your neighbour.  Alongside that I concluded that the kingdom of god on earth required a commitment to promoting ideas of social justice. It is this that kindled my support for the concepts of liberation theology and  ideas to be found in feminist and black theology.  It led me to campaign also on poverty issues and issues creating and sustaining areas of multiple deprivation.

 It became obvious to me that Christianity has no claim to uniqueness in its concern for such matters. Other faiths, and those with no religious belief, hold similar concerns close to their hearts.  We journey together, our different starting points an irrelevancy.  Thus my Facebook Page: Theology and Social Justice, contains posts from purely secular organisations campaigning for social justice.  I admit to a paucity of posts from faiths other than Christianity.  It is not a deliberate choice: it is a reflection of the starting point of my journey.

Part 398. It's as easy as A, B, C (+D) isn't it?

 The concept of community development has been around for many years.  In the UK, to assist the process of making it a reality, there was published Achieving Better Community Development, a handbook setting out a framework for evaluating community development.  A stablemate is a framework  called Asset Based Community Development.  (Tons of material on the net.)

Faith groups should be encouraged to study the documents as they set out a blueprint for community engagement.  A word of caution.  What appears in plans, blueprints etc may not be reflected on the ground.  Long lasting sustainable community development requires very hard work, is beset by setbacks, and the whims of participating individuals and organisations.  However there is is no excuse for not seeking to empower individuals to improve their communities and lives.  Small gains are to be celebrated and setbacks a driver to do better.  

For faith groups, to follow the injunction of Jesus to love your neighbour should leave no doubt concerning the necessity for community engagement, both in seeking resolution of problems and building for a better future. Get out into the community, seek participation by individuals outside the faith group, identify issues and aspirations, but above all do something.   Build relationships and trust with individuals and public and voluntary organisations.  Go with the flow, do not seek to dominate or control.  

Above all, seek to engage in small projects with a reasonable chance of success.  It helps build street-cred no end.

Part 397. Distract and divert

Public bodies are required to consult the public, including voluntary organisations, on a range of issues. The consultations most often are on-line.  The presentation of the issue and the accompanying questionnaire may well be loaded.  A consultation is just that.  It is not binding and responses may be ignored.  It is often a cosmetic exercise to satisfy a legislative requirement.  

Some voluntary organisations spend money and effort in raising petitions to statutory bodies.  Again, they can be and are ignored: or simply receive condescending  responses from the organisations to whom they are addressed.

Sometimes aggrieved consultees and petition originators seek judicial review should they believe the public body concerned has failed to give sufficient weight to representations. However judicial review is very expensive and whilst it may be successful, the eventual outcome is usually simply to delay matters rather than overturn the decision of the public body.

A favourite wheeze is to set up a consultative body meeting on an on-going basis to consider issues.  Such bodies usually are talking shops  and have little effect on the eventual decision making process.  However churches waste, time, energy and resources in participating in such farces. 

A few examples from personal experience.

Connexions. 

PACT. Partners and Communities Together. In some areas known as Police and Communities Together.

CLSP. Community Legal Service Partnership

CP. Strategic community plans.

Compact.

Surf the internet for more information on these bodies. They all have in common the pretence of participation is the decision making process, of having significant influence on decision makers. At best they provide a safety valve for individuals and voluntary organisations to let off steam.

However there are two important beneficial aspects to such consultative arrangements. 

1. Networking and making contact with potential allies

2. Identifying key players in the organisations making decisions. 

This post may give the impression that I am a cynic.  Spot on, I have the scars to show from involvement in such bodies.  The conclusion I drew then is that for a church to  promote and campaign for change requires determination to secure allies and then to communicate directly and forcefully with the decision makers in an organisation.

On a different tack, I doubt the effectiveness of demonstrations as having any long-term major influence.  I marched on the huge anti Iraq war demonstrations in London that had nil effect on  the determination of the government to invade Iraq.  Direct action such as blocking roads, disrupting sporting events may well be counter-productive.

Part 396. Be pragmatic.

Following a long process of deconstruction my position is that I choose to follow the guidance ascribed to Jesus, namely: to love your neighbour. I choose to regard all people as equal, regardless of sex, race, political beliefs, wealth, status etc.  However, for society to achieve social justice systemic change is essential.

Others, with the objective of campaigning for social justice, may seek inspiration and guidance from other sources including political, faith, social and economic philosophies, or be firm adherents of mysticism, socialism, communism, capitalism, a faith and so forth.  Whatever route is adopted it is of human origin,  a consequence of the influence of ideas, perceptions, experience.

I do not hold the opinion. that the end justifies the means.  There are many different routes to achieve social justice but to my mind it is important to follow the principle of love.

There are no self-evident truths to impose on others.  I refuse to be controlled by any 'ism'.

Part 395. Parish woes and blessings

I have posted before on my dismay that the vicar and governors of our Church of England primary school resigned and ceded control to an outside agency, thereby breaking an important connection between the church and community. I write as a former governor of the infant aided and junior controlled schools that merged to create the primary school.

I note the parish is having difficulty filling the position of treasurer, a problem for many voluntary organisations.  Furthermore it would appear the parish has lost one of the churchwardens (no explanation in the parish magazine). The remaining warden took on the role, having retired previously, when her successor resigned.

There is some good news.  The choir continues to perform magnificently.  In May a parishioner will  receive his lay minister license from the diocesan bishop.  

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting should be interesting.

Part 394. Who needs scripture?

Who needs scripture?  Certainly those who believe the bible in the inerrant, infallible word of god.  They hang on every word.  One could go so far as to say that such individuals are more interested in the words of a book than living out the message of Jesus.   

I choose to follow the underlying message of the bible as summarised by Jesus: to love my neighbour. I read the bible as an aid to understanding, not as an instruction manual. Loving neighbours is not restricted to the Christian faith.  People of other faiths, or of no religious conviction,  act is similar fashion seeking to assist others and campaign for social justice.  

Love is expressed in the here and now.  It seeks to improve life on earth, not by waiting for some cosmic event to occur in the future, but by working for it now, by tackling concrete issues.  Love is not engaging in attempting to secure a place in the hereafter so beloved by the scripture fundamentalists.  

Part 393. How to protest for social justice.

 Social justice will most likely involve systemic change and therefore require action by government both in terms of legal provision and the granting of financial resources.  In other words, redistribution and changed priorities.  Truth must speak to power so it is useless to direct campaigns at those without  power.  Campaigns have to be honed to hit the target, usually ministers and members of the ruling political party.

The problem is that too many faith and secular organisations, passionate and dedicated as they are to advancing social justice, are too polite and ineffective in their campaigning.  You have to get under the skin, be a nuisance, keep pressing, to have any chance of success.  Polite letters, petitions, learned dissertations, social media, detailed reports of themselves do not produce change. There has to be a catalyst to persuade those in power to make changes. 

Work out who are the relevant ministers and members of parliament, demonstrate outside their constituency offices, go to their surgeries. Keep the local press and other social media informed of your campaign and the reactions you receive: keep them onside.  Above all be a confounded nuisance should early contact be unproductive.  Be prepared for the long haul.  Be seen, keep your campaign in the public eye.  

I wish national faith and secular organisations would work together and coordinate local action.  I do not hold much store by big national demonstrations: for the most part they do not result in the change desired by the demonstrators.

My final thought is make sure the campaign is positive: seek social justice for the people you wish to support.  What matters is what you are for, not what you are against.

  

Part 392. Peaceful civil disobedience.

 On 27th March 2025 twenty uniformed police officers, some equipped with tasers, forcibly entered the Quaker Friends Meeting House in Westminster and set about arresting six women holding a meeting in a hired room.  According to the Metropolitan Police the arrests were on the ground of suspicion of conspiring to cause a public nuisance.

The alleged crime relates to the activities of Youth Demand who are planning 'swarm roadblocks' in London as an element of opposition to the government supplying arms to Israel and also the need for urgent action to counter the climate change crisis, a crisis already causing the deaths of marginalised people worldwide.

Make no mistake, this police action is an attempt to stifle, hinder, threaten, call it what you will, the ability of people to publicly protest against government policies by peaceful acts of civil disobedience.  The state is using the police to deter criticism, backed up by legislation placing restrictions on meeting in public places.

The recent decisions of the government to reduce benefits for disabled people, the ending of the automatic winter fuel allowance and  failure to address the causes of poverty and destitution have fuelled discontent, not just with the current government, but with the political process.  Seeking to restrict civil protest plays into the hands of right wing political organisations, as witness the rise of Reform in the UK and the success of far right parties in Europe.

It is time for more civil disobedience, to show contempt for the failure of the political system to tackle social injustice.  It is not enough to pussyfoot around with petitions and hand-wringing letters.  Direct action is needed.

Part 391. Engagement

For those who believe following Jesus demands campaigning for social  justice and systemic change the following quotations are pertinent.

"There is no true commitment to solidarity with the poor if one sees them merely as people passively waiting for help...The goal is not to become the voice of the voiceless, but rather in some way to help ensure that those without a voice find one."

Gustavo Gutierrez

 

Following Jesus means being political and advocating for the 'least of these.'"

Mark Sandlin

Clearly campaigning for change in priorities, in the allocation and redistribution of resources, in laws relating to factors causing marginalisation and discrimination etc, cannot be done without being political. We seek to engage to change entrenched attitudes and privilege.  We are competing.  We are advocating on behalf of the poor, downtrodden, marginalised and discriminated against.  Without our advocacy, and that of others seeking social justice and systemic change, nothing would happen.  

That said, Gutierrez makes the valid observation that we should not simply see ourselves as advocates for the voiceless: we should work to provide the voiceless with the tools to enable them to engage. The phrase 'community engagement' has been coined to describe this process.  Laudable and desirable but exceedingly difficult to achieve.

Part 390, Poverty is a political choice.

 It is 40 years since the Church of England published Faith in the City and a little later Faith in the Countryside.  Both documents laid out the scale of poverty, destitution, deprivation, marginalisation and discrimination in England.  Since then little has been achieved to overcome the misery identified in the reports, although there have been countless reports, all gathering dust, of the scale of the issues and possible solutions.

Make no mistake: the failure lies with the political process, the failure of governments to instigate and then maintain the changes needed.  Governments claim it is all a question of priorities, of use of scarce financial resources, of no discernible public agitation for change. 

For followers of Jesus it is a moral issue, a matter of loving your neighbour, of helping at point of need, but above all demanding social justice and with it concomitant systemic change.  Some choose to do so though faith based organisations, others through secular bodies. others through both.  

The problem is the sterling work of the voluntary sector in providing assistance to individuals at point of need, necessary though it is, masks from society and politicians the sheer scale of the misery suffered daily: inflicted by an uncaring  political process.  The myriad reports inform us of what it wrong, politicians choose to look the other way.

Part 389. A life of misery.

"The true horror of existence is not the fear of death, but the fear of life. It is the fear of waking up each day to face the same struggles, the same disappointments, the same pain. It is the fear that nothing will ever change, that you are trapped in a cycle of suffering that you cannot escape. And in that fear, there is a desperation, a longing for something, anything, to break the monotony, to bring meaning to the endless repetition of days."

— Albert Camus, The Fall

Stark but real, as I testify from personal experience and from witnessing the lives of others imprisoned in a life of poverty, discrimination or marginalisation.  Society and politicians fail individuals caught up in this life of despair.  Christians peddling the need for repentance and salvation as the ticket to the kingdom of heaven, whilst ignoring the call of Jesus to work for the kingdom on earth, offer no solace, comfort or escape route from the misery of everyday life, from hand to mouth existence, from loan sharks, from any number of debilitating factors.

It is no wonder that church attendance by the poorer sections of society has fallen off faster than amongst the better off.  Fundamentalist evangelical doctrine and theology has much to answer for.  It is an irrelevance in the life of people struggling to survive in the cycle of suffering.  Individuals caught up in this situation need hope that things will change now, not at some indeterminate time in a heavenly kingdom.  Liberation theology is one step in the right direction, so is deconstruction from damaging theology and doctrine. The vital element is that of engagement in the society around us  helping at point of need, but above all striving to engage successfully with those in  positions of power to make systemic change.

Part 388. Expediency rules, OK?

 Concerning the treatment of poor people at election time in Australia (but it could be in the UK) Barry Gittins writes:

"They know that policies aren’t written with them in mind. That campaign events aren’t held in shelters. That meet-and-greets don’t take place in food queues. They know they are not the target audience for the policy launches and budget splashes, the corporate fundraisers. They know they don’t count..."

Sadly only too true.  It is an example of cynical political calculation. Focus groups, reference groups, policy review groups, surveys etc are used to discern what may attract individuals to vote for your party and also to prepare and project policies that may find favour with particular communities of geography or interest.

Or as Groucho Marx put it:

"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them I have others".

Politicians make promises in their manifestos that we doubt they will fulfil.  Groucho had this to say about the reality of the political process:

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere  diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies".

Those of us engaged in campaigning for systemic change, whether as people of faith or not, have lost confidence in the promises and actions of politicians in many areas of poverty, discrimination and marginalisation.  But, followers of Jesus must fight on. It may be that we should appeal to the public for support instead of to politicians directly.  Until we do, and do so successfully, self-interest will prevail and policies will pander to it.  Galbraith was right: we have the means but lack the will as a nation to end the misery inflicted on so many amongst us.

Part 387. No sign of systemic change to tackle poverty, marginalisation and discrimination

 As I dismantled slowly my belief infrastructure I moved increasingly to follow, as best I could, the general principles for living ascribed to Jesus.  This led to a long involvement in the activities of faith and secular voluntary organisations.

My deconstruction was influenced by the writings of Jacques Derrida, Don Cupitt, John Robinson, Richard Holloway, Marcus Borg, Walter Brueggemann, John Caputo and Robin Meyers.  Conviction of the necessity for social justice was fed by the writings of Gustav Gutierrez, Jurgen Moltmann, Leonardo Boff, Martin Luther King Jnr., Aaron Stauffer et al.

In many congregations social responsibility/justice is perceived, if at all, as a distraction from saving individuals and guaranteeing a passport to heaven.  Social justice does not infuse all things some churches do, it is distinct, not inherent. The concept of the kingdom on earth now is an alien concept.

Sticking plaster hides the deep wounds in society.  Huge amounts of assistance, mostly under the radar,  to people at point of need hides from wider society the reality of systemic injustice. There is little evidence of populist pressure or campaigning for systemic change. It does not figure in the priorities of society: indeed it is opposed by many.

As followers of Jesus we must campaign for systemic change and seek allies outside church bubbles.  Sadly, I see no evidence of militant action from churches to demand change.  In the United Kingdom there is no appetite in the political parties for the degree of systemic change required.   It is not a vote winner.  

  

Part 386. I believe......

As an habitual attender at Church of England services of Evening Prayer according to the Book of Common Prayer I am able to recite most of the service sight unseen.  The General Confession, Magnificat, Nicene Creed and responses are said without hesitation.  The problem I have is that after 'I believe' there is little else in the Creed I subscribe to in the sense of regarding it as a literal statement of fact.  I consider the various creeds useful as metaphor and symbolism.    Above all the creeds fail to set out how Christians should behave, instead they concentrate on what to believe. 

My shift in emphasis towards liberal, progressive and radical theology led me to deconstruct my ideas of a distinct metaphysical god 'out there' and the Jesus of the creeds.  My thinking is that we simply cannot define or describe god outside of us: indeed whatever it is is within us and all we see around us.  

I am drawn to the concepts set out in the teaching and actions ascribed to Jesus in the synoptic gospels, culminating in the call to love our neighbour.  This is now the basis of my belief, based on action, not on belief in supernatural events.

The Revd. Dr. Caleb J Lines states it well:

"The goal is not to bring people to Christianity, the goal is to bring people to LOVE. If it's through another religions or no religion at all, fine. What the world needs is love, not more people professing right belief."

Jürgen Moltmann believed that theology must always relate 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.  Karl Popper emphasised that belief in the need for social change should prompt immediate action to overcome current concrete issues rather than waiting and hoping for a utopia at an indeterminate time in the future.  A long line of Christian theologians and clerics have campaigned actively for change to overcome systemic injustice: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jurgen Moltmann, Martin Luther King Jnr., Desmond Tutu, Oscar Romeo, Gustavo Gutierrez, Leonardo Boff et al.

So, what would my creed consist of? An outline, tentative at this stage, a work in progress.  Suggestions welcome.

I believe in loving our neighbour, in helping those in need, in campaigning for systemic change to overcome poverty, deprivation, marginalisation, discrimination or exclusion.

Part 385. Fluidity

Language in fluid in its meaning and thereby its interpretation. The claim a text is subject to only one meaning and one interpretation is a nonsense,  a claim unfortunately embraced by a particular tranche of christianity that holds the opinion that words of the bible are literally true, are inerrant and God given whether directly or by inspiration.

In my law student days one of the first tasks set us was to visit the law library and read selected law reports.  Law reports are the depository of case law built up of judgments made over hundreds of years and referred to by counsel in argument and by judges in  determining decisions.  It became obvious that the clear statements of law to be found in textbooks was not reflected in case law: the mill pond surface water of the textbooks belied currents of varying strengths below expressed in the text of law reports. Look beyond the clear cut certainty and explore the currents was the advice to law students then and is now.  

Likewise, in studying bible texts look below the surface, look at the currents of thought, the fluidity of ideas, the different possible  meanings and interpretation. Do not be beguiled by the concept of rock solid certainty on the surface of the text.

 

Part 384. Labels

 I prefer not to attach labels to my theological opinions as too often individuals ascribe their understanding to  labels that may not reflect my views.  To say one is a Roman Catholic or a Protestant carries with it baggage that can bury a person's views.  Likewise labels such as progressive, liberal, evangelical conjure up ideas that may bear little resemblance to the views of the individual they are attached to. 

That said I have decided to attach a few labels to my opinions!

As I deconstruct the conclusion I draw is that what matters foremost is to follow the teaching of Jesus. Also I cannot support the concept, let alone the reality, of either an objective other metaphysical or an anthropomorphic god. The label attached to this is Christian Humanism. So be it.

I have been a follower of Liberation Theology for a long time and I am a member of the United Kingdom group Christians on the Left (before 2013 known as the Christian Socialist Movement).  I have embraced the ideas of postmodernism, particularly in respect of language.  None of this will come as a surprise to readers of my blog and Facebook posts, nor will my membership of the  Progressive Christian Network.

Part 383. Drawn to Liberation Theology

Since the 1990s I have engaged in the pursuit of social justice, as a councillor, as a member of a churches' social responsibility group and activity in the voluntary sector,  driven by the desire to follow the teaching ascribed to Jesus and  also the concept of liberation theology with particular reference to Leonardo Boff, Gustavo Gutierrez and Jurgen Moltmann. 

A quotation from Gutierrez:

'The poverty of the poor is not a call to generous relief action, but a demand that we go out and build a different social order.'

This I read as a call for positive action.  Compare and contrast with this statement by James H Cone:

'Liberation theology is not a the theology of revolution, but a theology of the cross that call for ongoing resistance against all forms of oppression'

My opinion is that liberation theology embraces both resisting oppression and demanding systemic change. 

The basis of Moltmann's theology was his conviction that 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.  No  ivory tower, armchair theology.  Moltmann was active in the field participating in demonstrations.  The task of the theologian is not to promote the ideal of a distant utopia, rather to get on with seeking to effect change, to tackle current issues, an argument similar to one made by Karl Popper.

My theological 'position' therefore is to follow Jesus: for individuals to be assisted at point of need, and campaigning for systemic change. From a faith perspective I have deconstructed everything else.

 

Part 382. Was Jesus a real person?

 When I was an evangelical christian I believed the bible was the word of God, that it was factually true and it was our duty to follow its teaching and the creed of my church. Thus Jesus lived, was born of the Virgin Mary, crucified, dead and buried, rose again and now sits at the right hand of God the heavenly Father from where he will come to judge the quick and the dead.  I believed also in the Holy Spirit. 

It is indicative of how far my deconstruction has come that now I believe none of the above as statements of fact to be taken literally.  Instead I understand the creed as symbolism and likewise much of the bible.   

It is my opinion that the bible is a purely human construct and is to be interpreted in that light.  It is entirely  possible that a Jesus type person existed.  However, we have no significant proof of that outside the bible and in particular the synoptic gospels.  

The synoptic gospels were composed years after the supposed death of Jesus. Academic research points to source material that has been lost.  Doubtless stories, tales and myths about Jesus were handed down and may well have been included in the three gospels.  We need also to acknowledge that the authors each had their own agenda and target audience. 

In an important sense the historical basis for the synoptic gospels does not matter.  What does matter is the messages they convey to us now, how we understand those messages  and how we act upon them.  It really doesn't matter that we may consider Jesus not to be divine, nor that he possibly did not exist in the manner described to us in the bible. 

 

Part 381. Doesn't butter parsnips

This week's Salvationist has an article on what is happening concerning the report of the Membership Working Group (MWG). There will be discussions and meetings but absolutely no immediate change in the homophobic stance of The Salvation Army (TSA). No change in biblical interpretation, no change in rules and regulations, no change in theology.  In other words, zilch.

MWG took 18 months holding discussions, issuing questionnaires and holding a conference to prepare its report and recommendations, presented to the United Kingdom and Ireland Territory (UK&IT) Cabinet in September 2024. Cabinet huffed and puffed in November 2024 and, on the issue of inclusion, decided that 50 people would be trained to deliver discussions in all divisions in the content of Let’s Talk About material on human sexuality. What then?

Cabinet decided to send the report to International Headquarters (IHQ) where it will be fed into an international consideration of covenant and membership and thence to the International Leaders Conference in 2026!  Who knows what may be decided there but the author of the Salvationist article reminds us cultural differences  may play a part.  Code for nations embracing homophobia. 

Has the Army moved on from the disastrous pronouncement of General Peddle in Vancouver in 2022?  Certainly UK&IT gives the impression of wishing to move to far greater inclusivity but appears reluctant to take action.  Talk butters no parsnips.  Action is required, not more debate and discussions.  Just get on with it.

Part 380. 'Biblical Authority'.

The writings of Jim Rigby and Jim Palmer interest me. Both write clear expositions of their opinions untrammelled by jargon. The following is by Jim Palmer.

"7 ways that insisting one's beliefs be exclusively determined from the Bible can be problematic:

1. When the Bible is taken as THE "authority", we are likely not to explore and embrace truth and spirituality from other meaningful and significant sources.

2. When we assume that the Bible was meant to present a coherent picture of God and well-reasoned belief-system, we are likely to experience the futility of this expectation.

3. When we assume biblical theology is the best way of knowing God, we are likely to be dismissive of equally important fields of knowledge related to knowing ultimate reality.

4. When one's interpretation of the Bible is taken as superior over others, theology likely digresses into an argument over who is "right" and who is "wrong".

5. When we believe the Bible to be God's inerrant and infallible word and sole spiritual truth to the world, we are likely to be guilty of worshipping a book.

6. When we anchor our personal and cultural identity and existential security solely in the Bible we run the risk of vilifying and objectifying others who don’t.  

7. Assuming that there is a God who requires obedience and devotion to one belief-system as depicted in the Bible, opens the door to dangerous ideas of nationalism and theocracy.

Thank goodness one can find meaning in the Bible and not do any of the above."

Jim Palmer

Part 379. I've signed up.

 It may come as a surprise to some to know that I have signed the form to become listed on the electoral roll of the local parish church.  Every six years all  Church of England parish churches have to produce a new electoral roll.  Signatories  of current rolls cannot simply be transferred to the new roll.  All must sign the form.

Given my dismay at the failure of the CoE to speed up the Living in Love and Faith process and the abysmal decision of General Synod not to agree to totally independent safeguarding provision one might think I had no interest or desire in associating with the church.  However, I do enjoy the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) services of Matins and Evening Prayer, particularly the latter when it takes the form of Choral Evensong.  I appreciate the language of the BCP and the singing of the magnificent choir.  The choir regularly performs at cathedral services, most recently at St. Paul's Cathedral.

On their own language and music would not justify my decision to re-join the CofE.  There are deeper reasons as exemplified in the theological opinions of John Robinson, Richard Holloway, John Shelby Spong et al moving along the road towards a postmodern, radical theology free of the clutter of creeds, doctrine, dogma and regulation.  You have to be inside to promote change, not looking on from without.  The malign influence of fundamentalist evangelical attitudes has to be countered and challenged at every turn.

I have taken the following statement by  Don Cupitt to heart.

                   "I am a priest in the Church of England and I practise in a rather traditional way, but when I say the creed, I regard it not as giving me supernatural information but as showing me a way to walk  in."

 

Part 378. Another ramble.

For some time I lectured in jurisprudence to law students seeking  to engage them in consideration of the interrelationship, both in philosophical theory and actual practice, of law, politics, religion, economics, ethics, structures of society and so forth.  A very open subject given that theories are of human origin and therefore subjective.   It is our choice to decide which philosophies to follow.  My choice is to follow the example of Jesus, however poorly I do so.

It is with the above in mind I recalled two quotations by Richard Rohr that seem pertinent.

"Worship of Jesus is rather harmless and risk-free; actually following Jesus changes everything".

"Christianity is a lifestyle - a way of being in the world that is simple, non-violent, shared and loving. However, we made it into an established 'religion' (and all that goes with that) and avoided the lifestyle change itself.  One could be warlike, greedy, racist, selfish and vain in most of Christian history, and still believe Jesus is ones 'personal Lord and Saviour'.  The world has no time for such silliness anymore.  The suffering on Earth is too great."

Followers of MAGA disagree, naturally.

My thinking now is that my seeking to follow Jesus is but one of  infinite ways of living one life.  Others follow different paths of their choosing.  Who is to say which path is preferable?  It is all subjective opinion, it is fluid: there are no absolute truths.  All that is possible is to seek to influence people by one words and actions and to accept that others seek to influence us.  Again, choices are made and we choose the path to follow.  This to me is the prize of deconstruction: freedom to be ourselves, unfettered by metaphysical based dogma.

Part 377. Obfuscation and delay.

Further implementation of Living in Love and Faith was not on the agenda of this week's General Synod of the Church of England on the dubious grounds that more theological analysis and reflection is needed.  This is bunk: there is a mass of relevant information available for consideration.

What we are witnessing are deliberate attempts to engineer delay being made by The Alliance, the Church of England Evangelical Council and the Holy Trinity Brompton organisation, aided and abetted in part by Forward in Faith.  The purpose of this scheming is to secure time to further develop the groundwork for schism should the campaign for a third province fail. This may be seen against the background of elections for General Synod. The motley collection of puritanical conservative evangelical protestants and Anglo-Catholics will be hoping to secure a blocking majority in the House of Laity.

Part 376. A call for solidarity.

Below is a statement made by Bernie Sanders.  Echoes of liberation theology and the views of John Kenneth Galbraith. I like the reference to the theological and political concept of divine right.

"I do not often find myself in the habit of thanking Elon Musk, but he has done an exceptional job of demonstrating a point that we have made for years — and that is the fact we live in an oligarchic society in which billionaires dominate not only our politics and the information we consume, but our government and economic lives as well.

That has never been more clear than it is today.

But given the news and attention Mr. Musk has been getting over the last few weeks as he illegally and unconstitutionally dismantles government agencies, I thought it was an appropriate time to ask the question that the media and most politicians don't seem to be asking: What do he and other multi-billionaires really want? What is their endgame?

In my opinion, what Musk and those around him are aggressively striving for is not novel, it is not complicated and it is not new. It is what ruling classes throughout history have always wanted and have believed is theirs by right: more power, more control, more wealth. And they don’t want ordinary people and democracy getting in their way.

Elon Musk and his fellow oligarchs believe government and laws are simply an impediment to their interests and what they are entitled to.

In pre-revolutionary America, the ruling class governed through the “divine right of kings,” the belief that the King of England was an agent of God, not to be questioned. In modern times, the oligarchs believe that as the masters of technology and as "high-IQ individuals,” it is their absolute right to rule. In other words, they are our modern-day kings.

And it is not just power. It’s incredible wealth. Today, Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg have a combined worth of $903 billion, more than the bottom half of American society — 170 million people. Since Trump was elected, unbelievably, their wealth has soared. Elon Musk has become $138 billion richer, Zuckerberg has become $49 billion richer and Bezos has become $28 billion richer. Add it all up and the three wealthiest men in America have become $215 billion richer since Election Day.

Meanwhile, while the very rich become much richer, 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, 85 million are uninsured or under-insured, 25% of seniors are trying to survive on $15,000 or less, 800,000 are homeless and we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on earth.

Do you think the oligarchs give a damn about these people? Trust me, they don’t. Musk’s decision to dismember U.S. AID means that thousands of the poorest people around the world will go hungry or die of preventable diseases.

But it’s not just abroad. Here in the United States they’ll soon be going after the healthcare, nutrition, housing, and educational programs that protect the most vulnerable people in our country - so that Congress can provide huge tax breaks for them and their fellow billionaires. As modern-day kings, who believe they have the absolute right to rule, they will sacrifice, without hesitation, the well-being of working people to protect their privilege.

Further, they will use the enormous media operations they own to deflect attention away from the impact of their policies while they “entertain us to death.” They will lie, lie and lie. They will continue to spend huge amounts of money to buy politicians in both major political parties.

They are waging a war on the working class of this country, and it is a war they are intent on winning.

I am not going to kid you — the problems this country faces right now are serious and they are not easy to solve. The economy is rigged, our campaign finance system is corrupt and we are struggling to control climate change — among other issues.

But this is what I do know:

The worst fear of the ruling class in this country is that Americans — Black, White, Latino, urban and rural, gay and straight — come together to demand a government that represents all of us, not just the wealthy few.

Their nightmare is that we will not allow ourselves to be divided up by race, religion, sexual orientation or country of origin and will, together, have the courage to take them on.

Will it be easy? Of course not.

The ruling class of this country will constantly remind you that they have all the power. They control the government, they own the media. “You want to take us on? Good luck,” they will say. “There's nothing you can do about it.”

But our job today is to not forget the great struggles and sacrifices that millions of people have waged over the centuries to create a more democratic, just and humane society:

* Overthrowing the King of England to create a new nation and self-rule. Impossible.

* Establishing universal suffrage. Impossible.

* Ending slavery and segregation. Impossible.

* Granting workers the right to form unions and ending child labor. Impossible.

* Giving women control over their own bodies. Impossible.

* Passing legislation to establish Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, a minimum wage, clean air and water standards. Impossible.

In these difficult times despair is not an option. We’ve got to fight back in every way we can.

We have to get involved in the political process — run for office, connect with our local, state and federal legislators, donate to candidates who will fight for the working class of this country. We have to create new channels for communication and information sharing. We have to volunteer not just politically, but to build community locally.

Whatever we can do is what we must do.

Needless to say, I intend to do my part — both inside the beltway and traveling throughout the country — to stand up for the working class of this country. In the days, weeks, and months ahead I hope you will join me in that struggle.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders"

Part 375. Well done The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army's leader General Lyndon Buckingham published the following on 13th February 2025:

"Events of recent weeks have caused me to reflect once again on the power of words. It’s dangerous to underestimate the power of words, both to pull down and build up. 

The book of James reminds us that the tongue is a powerful force. James describes it as ‘a fire, a world of evil’ (James 3:6). He further contends it is a ‘restless evil, full of deadly poison’ (v8).  

Paul, writing to the believers in Colossae said, ‘Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone’ (Colossians 4:6).  

We can pray, ‘Lord, help us pay more attention to the words we speak.’ In these days of social media, we might rightly add, ‘Lord, help me to be careful in regard to my posts.’ 

The words we use can inspire, heal, unify and promote peace. They can also have the opposite effect.

I pray that all entrusted with the responsibility and privilege of leadership, wherever they are, will be motivated by a driving desire for the common good of all humankind.  

Jesus said, ‘Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks’ (Luke 6:45). As people belonging to God and The Salvation Army, let’s check the motivations of our own hearts and be sure the words we use inspire hope, healing, peace and a revelation of God’s love. In these days, our conversations, speech and conduct serve as a powerful testimony. Let’s ensure that our testimony is pure in thought, word and deed.

God bless you."

One wonders how this message will be received by the Army's leadership in the USA. Will it oppose Trump’s attacks on vulnerable people or will it keep silent?

I am pleased to see the Army's response to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report: UK Poverty 2025: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK, noting the 'devastating impact' of poverty on families and particularly on children.  

According to the Army our broken social security system is out of step with reality, and needs fixing so that families can afford to keep a roof over their heads, as well as essentials like food, heating and clothing. In particular the Army calls on the goverment to:

* reverse the two-child limit on allowances.

" implement an essentials guarantee to ensure benefits cover the cost of living.

* reverse the planned freeze on the local housing allowance in April 2025.

* reduce the wait for a first universal credit payment from six weeks down to two.

All commendable demands echoing those of other faith and secular organisations. For pressure to have any impact organisations must work together, even to engage in civil disobedience.

Part 374. What a shambles

I gave up on religious organisations a while ago, partly as a consequence of my shift towards progressive and deconstructivist ideas, but also occasioned by my distaste for what is happening in the two denominations I engaged with on a regular basis.

I was an Adherent member of The Salvation Army for almost a decade, attracted to it by its work assisting marginalised individuals at point of need.  Sterling work.  However I became increasingly disenchanted by its failure to tackle its homophobic policies on soldiership and officership clothed in a fundamentalist interpretation of scripture.  Just under a year ago there was much wringing of hands at a conference at Warwick University but since then nothing has happened to change the policies of the Army.  Saying sorry is not enough: action is required to address and overcome the wrong done to gay individuals.

The Army has failed to speak out against the vicious homophobic legislation in some African states. Silence is acquiescence, as is neutrality.  More recently the Army has failed to speak out against the policies of the Trump administration attacking marginalised and deprived individuals.  The Pope has spoken out against aspects of the Trump programme but where is the condemnation from the General of The Salvation Army?

I enjoy the service of Matins and Evening Prayer according to the Book of Common Prayer (BCP).  Choral evensong is a delight.  It is not the theology or doctrine that attracts me, rather it is the language of  Cranmer et al. The changes made to the  BCP are a fascinating study of changes in doctrine and theology of the Church of England (CofE).

Sadly the CofE has become embroiled in matters pertaining to safeguarding leading to the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and calls for the Archbishop of York to do likewise. Yesterday at the General Synod there was an opportunity for safeguarding in its entirety to be outsourced to an independent organisation.  This was a radical proposal supported by the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of London.  General Synod decided otherwise. Safeguarding provision as national level will be outsourced but retained within dioceses at local level, with the hope that at some indeterminate time diocesan safeguarding also will be outsourced. What a mess.  It would not surprise me if Parliament intervened to insist on total outsourcing. 

Part 373. Taking my leave.

I am exhausted mentally.  Writing my blog, posting on Facebook and Bluesky, and responding to comments has become too much for me.  So I am retiring from active service for a while, possibly permanently.  My blog and Facebook pages will stay live.

I leave you with a brief statement of my current theological opinion.

All that matters is to love your neighbour.  Help individuals in need and campaign for systemic change to achieve social justice.

Part 372. Moltmann, Gutierrez and Cuppitt

 The past year has witnessed the deaths of three theological giants, Jurgen Moltmann,  Gustavo Gutiérrez and Don Cupitt.  

Cupitt will be best remembered for his advocacy of the concept of a non-realist god. God only exists in our language and therefore in our mind. Clearly he was influenced by the ideas of the postmodernist Jacques  Derrida. The following quotations summarise Cupitt’s ideas. 

"Our thinking, our selfhood, our very humanity are constituted within language in such a way that we have nothing to think ourselves right out of language with."

God "is no sort of being. He is our personal concept in a world of meaning in which everything is relative or diferential".

Cupitt defended his position as a cleric thus:

"I am a priest in the Church of England and I practise in a rather traditional way, but when I say the creed. I regard it not as giving me supernatural information but showing me a way to walk in.".

I'll have to remember that when I attend a Book of Common Prayer service of Matins or Evening Prayer.

According to Cupitt God does not exist as a metaphysical figure nor as a spiritual presence external to us. It is internal to us, to our language.  Cupitt posits the following:

"I take the idea of God as someone like a guiding spiritual ideal that you use to orientate your life by. God is our values. God symbolises the good of spiritual life."

Part 371. Omnipotent, not on your Nelly.

'God is Love' it is said. Let's be clear: this is an assertion, a clsim; it is not a fact. The divine right of kings simply was a means to claim authority to rule supposedly granted by an omniscient supernatural entity.  It is nothing of the sort. It is entirely a human construct to justify claiming and retaining power.

In the teaching ascribed by the authors of the synoptic gospels to Jesus the writers determined to give authority to their work by claiming it was of God.  To my mind the message of Jesus does not need a supernatural underpinning to shore up its authority.  It is compelling in its own right.

I recognise the message of Jesus is but one of a range of philosophical ideas concerning how humanity might think and live as individuals and collectively. I dispute the idea that god is love is somehow hardwired into us. We choose to love, or not to.  There is no supernatural imperative to love.  We do so as a consequence of our experience in life, not because we are obliged to by the bidding of a supernatural being.