Barefoot in the wilderness

Remembrance

Today was Remembrance Sunday in the UK – the day when we remember those who have died in wars. However, there’s a big question over what we should remember and why. Ekklesia has been suggesting that Christian churches should encourage their members to wear the white poppy rather than the red one – to remember all those who died in wars, not just “our soldiers”, and to support non-violent resolution of problems. This has proved somewhat controversial. (For foreigners: it is customary in the UK to wear a red poppy to commemorate the fallen, after the fields of the First World War sprouted poppies once the fighting was over. The sale of these poppies raises money for the British Legion, which takes care of old soldiers.)

We recall the military downfall of Hitler, for example, but not the aftermath of the extravagently wasteful war that helped bring him to power. According to John Gaunt of TalkSport Radio, I am ‘despicable’ for even mentioning this complexity – just as President Bush has recently called those who question the impact of American military adventurism ‘enemy comforters’. These are political attempts to repress different memories. The awkward truth is that it is always might, and not always right (when those two things can be clearly distinguished), that wins wars.
Presiding clergy and other secular officiants often wrestle hard with these matters around Armistice Day. But they know that sensitivities around the defence of an ingrained ‘natural’ patriotic and military outlook are so high that there will be hell to pay for even the least sign of dissent.
Mention the fact that Britain has armed all its own most recent enemies (notably Argentina before the Falklands and Iraq under Saddam) and there will be discomfort if not outrage. Suggest that an altar is not the place for national flags and military symbols, because it is a symbol of reconciliation for all, and you will be accused of being ‘a troublesome vicar’ (as a friend of mine was no so long ago).
Another friend who is a German minister in Britain was even required to bless military colours, though in her own country (given the terrible experience of ‘church and nation’ being identified so disastrously under Nazism) this is little short of blasphemy (From Ekklesia.)

Fortunately, this message is getting out and spreading. Even at the official ceremony at the Cenotaph today, in London, members of military families who have lost loved ones in the war in Iraq laid wreaths of both red and white poppies..

pax et bonum

Article posted at 10:51pm on 12 November 2006
Category: Faith, Links, Politics, Struggling

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Mapping free will

Here’s a neat idea, passed on to me by John Peck from one Donald Bailey. We are often told that we can only have one of these possibilities – either we are free to make choices or God is in charge of the Universe. Now, I’ve said quite a few times on this blog and elsewhere that I believe this to be a false choice, that in fact the Bible tells us that both of these things are true.

The neat idea is this – consider theology as akin to mapmaking. Now, when we make a map of the world, we are faced with a problem: how do we reduce the three-dimensional shape of the Earth (a sphere) onto a flat two-dimensional piece of paper? Inevitably, when we make the map, we lose part of the reality. The most famous style of world map is the Mercator projection. This maintains the directions between any two places on Earth (useful for navigation) but at the expense of seriously distorting the areas of the countries (it makes Africa look far smaller than it really it, and all northern and southern countries appear far larger – this is why it’s been accused of allowing the rich northern nations feel more globally significant than they ought). By contrast, the Peters projection allows all regions to have the correct relative areas, but at the expense of sacrificing the constant direction. Looking at either form of map tells us true things about the world – and both are good methods, as good as it is possible for them to be. But neither is true to the exclusion of the other. Both are true and accurate, but limited, representations of the true nature of the world. So, then, both free will and divine sovereignty are true and accurate – but not to the exclusion of the other.

pax et bonum

Article posted at 9:51pm on 09 October 2006
Category: Faith, Musing

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Meek and mild?

In Church today, the Gospel reading was Mark’s account of Jesus saying that the Kingdom of God belongs to children. One point the preacher made was that this meant those outside the Covenant – for children had not taken their place within the Covenant community. However, he also looked at some Christian views of children, especially the “gentle Jesus, meek and mild” idea. He suggested that one reason for this phrase becoming so commonplace was the unfortunate fact that, in English, “mild” and “child” rhyme. He quoted an old Charles Wesley hymn:

Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,
Look upon your little child.

Render this in French, though, and it just doesn’t work (and apologies for my terrible French – errors doubtless my own rather than the preacher’s!):

Gentil Jesu, bon et doux
Regardez lez enfants…fou

Doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it :-)

pax et bonum

Article posted at 7:19pm on 08 October 2006
Category: Faith, Funny, Life

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Veiled

In the wake of Jack Straw’s recent statements about women wearing veils, Ruth Gledhill has a fascinating discussion of the diverse ways veils and headcoverings are worn in Islamic cultures. She also mentions a nice quotation from a forthcoming interview with Bishop NT Wright, in which he points out that asking a muslim woman to remove her veil is rather like asking a secular western woman to remove her blouse. And, lest anyone point fingers about “repressive” Muslims, don’t forget that there are plenty of Christian churches (especially in the USA) in which women are expected to keep their heads covered and their mouths closed.

pax et bonum

Article posted at 4:25pm on 06 October 2006
Category: Faith, Links, Politics

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St Francis' day

Today is the fourth of October – St Francis’ day. To celebrate the occasion, here’s one of my favourite stories about him.

One day, Francis told Leo, one of his companions, to go and preach in the church of a neighbouring town. Leo declined. Francis ordered him under his vow of obedience to go, so Leo went. However, shortly afterwards, Francis has second thoughts. Who was he to order such a holy man as Brother Leo around? So Francis stripped himself and ran after Leo, reaching him after he had entered the church. Francis apologised to Leo and the two of them proceeded to preach in the church (to great effect, as always).

This is Francis – passionate, humble and beloved.

pax et bonum

Article posted at 6:52pm on 04 October 2006
Category: Faith, Musing

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