I was trying to work out an appropriate image to head this posting and settled on the union jack...and then was troubled! Does it make my blog look jingoistic and right wing?! Oh dear...I've gone along with the image basically to make a point about our confusion and doubts over loyalties to the state and national pride. It's a confusion and doubt for good reason because our (for British readers!) national story is a mixed tale (as I guess everyone's is). As Christians, more particularly, our loyalties should be quite split (well, not even split: our ultimate loyalty is to another country entirely). So, there is the union jack in all its glory/shame. Oh, and if we needed reminding at the moment, the Houses of Parliament, seat of our very human and fallen government. But God uses and works with and in nations and government. Our task as Christians is not withdrawal, not to rubbish all this, though we should hold some critical distance.
I say all this because I think we live in a quite precarious time as regards nationalist tendencies. My own city's church leaders have just written a public condemnation of the British National Party ("BNP"); a statement that can be read here and that I would echo. It's an important marker in the sand; a public statement that demonstrates an involvement and posits a real critical distance. I'm concerned in the area of my interfaith work because the BNP, and other extremist groups, are mobilising religious language, and seeking to jump on a bandwagon of Christian heritage as counter to the "foreign" threat that is Islam. We have a responsibility to present the counter truth; and part of that truth is making clear the "foreign threat" that is the Christian faith, hospitable to all, regardless of race and colour! It's worth drawing attention to Paul's sermon in Athens in Acts 17: Paul acknowledges the God-given diversity of the city and nations and affirms the gospel, with its higher loyalties, within all the cultural mix of an Athens or a Birmingham.
As regards the leader of the BNP, Nick Griffin, appearing on BBC's Question Time: I hope you'll join me in expressing dismay that a programme dedicated to honourable and reasonable debate across difference is in danger of providing a veneer of honour and reasonableness to policies that are far from so. So, when we reflect on some of the crises of our age, the lack of "moral compass" and the like, recalling our Christian tradition, let's own what was good, be utterly repentant about what was bad (lest you need reminding...tawdriness of colonialism, sexism, pillage of the earth's resources to name a few things done in the name of British Christianity), and engage the good news of Jesus with the Britain we live in today, in all its richness.
It's very appreciate that you made a such a piece of paper. Where can find such articles ? This week, I want to be a discussion about this, I am looking for information about this.
Posted by: sime | November 19, 2011 at 03:14 AM
No offense, but i suggest admin adding a google+ button for easy share!
Posted by: elliptical reviews | December 12, 2011 at 01:21 PM