Trying to Answer my Critics.
(some who are my friends) …
This is something that I think needs to be said. My hope is that it will be understood.
There was a great article recently about the fact that it
is not Politicians, whoever they are and whatever their ilk, who have the
responsibility to bring about change in the world. Change in the world is down to the church. When
we try to pass that responsibility on to Politicians we are going to come
unstuck, for it is our responsibility, not theirs.
Having said that, where leaders take society in a wrong
direction, whether they be Kings, Presidents, Dictators, Prime Minister or whatever
else, it is the prophetic responsibility of Jesus followers to say so as loud
as possible, even though that might get us into trouble. One only has to look at how many prophets in
the Old Testament ended up in very sticky situations for challenging the
establishment.
When we start to talk about abortion, it is not that I am
in favour, very much the opposite. However, I am also aware of the
difficulty. The difficulties of one-line
agendas, or sound bite answers is too often missed in our instant re equipment
culture.
Please see: http://adrianhawkes.co.uk/?s=horse+and+dog
My question is: Do we only care about the unborn? Or: Do we
care about the child dying in the sea running away from a terrible war? Or do we care about the child starving,
usually, again, from some war? Or do we care for the refugee Mother and child
fleeing because they do not have the wherewithal to feed the child never mind
give it medicine that it so desperately needs and is abundantly available
elsewhere?
I also have a another question. I hear constantly the
phrase, “This is God’s man”, in terms of a certain president. Well, wasn’t
Obama God’s man? And what about all the
others before him? Was Hitler God’s man? what about Pol Pot and Stalin? Were
they also Gods men? I see too that when people dare to criticise leaders, very “spiritual”
people tell me, “You need to pray for them”. and then they remind me that that biblical
injunction was given when there was a terrible Roman Emperor that was burning
Jesus’s followers of the Way using them as candles to light his gardens. Well! Yes! I know I need to pray for leaders
- but what do I pray?
Am I to pray, “Lord, silence all the critics”? I wonder
what those early Christians prayed. Was it, “Lord, bless this Emperor”? or was
it, “Lord, move him out of the way”? I note that Paul said we were to pray for
a quite life when we pray for rulers. Here is his Prayer: “For kings, and for
all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all
godliness and honesty.” (1 Timothy 2:2I)
I am also aware that when we use words to dehumanise people
it is very dangerous. In Northern Ireland during the troubles they were not
people on the other side. If you were a catholic the other side were “Prods”. If you were a Northern Irish Protestant the
other side were not people, they were “Papists”. So; when one killed a person
from “the other side”, one was not killing a person but a sort of inanimate,
inhuman you a … -fill in the missing
word. It could be a liberal, a snowflake, or vermin - but not a human being. I
note that when bombs are dropped, they don’t kill “people” (which of course
they do - civilians mostly). What they do is cause collateral damage. “Collateral damage” or, “dead people whom we killed.”
Which do you think sounds better?
Another question: Why are liberals/socialists so evil? Again,
maybe you should have a look at this if you think they are: http://adrianhawkes.co.uk/?s=Socialis+
Now, perhaps I should tell you what is wrong with the
liberals. In my opinion, what is wrong with
the liberals is that they have ceased to be liberal. What do I mean by that? What I mean by that is
that you can only become a liberal if you think, speak, and believe exactly the
right things. If you waver, think and
speak something different to the current perceived PC correctness then woe
betide you. In other words; you are not allowed to disagree. That is what is wrong with the liberals.
Thankfully some get it and much as I would often disagree with Peter Tatchell
Britians top Gay campaigner, I am delighted when he became an advocate for a
real liberal position. He said, on the cake issue, that when a Christian couple
refused do take an order advocating a gay lifestyle and were taken to court,
and then, at first, lost the case, Peter said, “Much as I want to defend the
gay community, I also want to defend freedom of conscience expression and
religion.” Good on you Peter! However, sadly,
that enlightened view is often missing.
I do think we should really shout when we think things are
wrong, unrighteous and bad for society. The church is called to be salt and
light, and that means we should be affecting for the good every part of our
culture, Education, Politics, Business, Entertainment etc.,
I guess when it comes down to it, I would have to be with
Jim Wallis who wrote a book on these issues called, “Gods Politics. Why the
Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It”. He also said, “We should note
that a budget is a moral document.” Maybe governments in the UK and around the
world should really take note of that statement.
As the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj
Žižek said recently; “Why is it we can believe in sending a man to the
moon or even mars, but we could not believe in putting 1% on tax to aid those
who cannot afford proper health services?”
Makes you wonder doesn’t it?
