The Church must speak up confidently for what it believes, even if it means opposing the powerful.
When those in the Church speak out on issues that others regard as purely political, they are often criticised for it. But Christ’s mission to transform the lives of those in need – healing, forgiving, restoring them to community – provides a pattern for us that shows we must speak up for the vulnerable, and cannot stay silent about God’s good news any more than could the early disciples after that first Easter.
This week's news
On Monday 1 April, major welfare benefit changes started to come into force in the UK. First came cuts in housing benefit for those with spare rooms and alterations to council tax benefit, but further changes will follow throughout April. These include a below-inflation rise of just 1% on existing benefits and the replacement of Disability Living Allowance with the controversial new Personal Independence Payment, both on Monday 8th.
Predictably, the official ‘Opposition’, the Labour party and left-wing media, have sharply criticised the reforms. And more than 250,000 people signed an online petition calling Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, to try living on just £53 a week himself. But less predictably (at least in the media’s eyes!) many in the Church have also spoken out against the government’s policy decisions.
In the Church of England, 43 bishops signed an open letter published last month, arguing that the below-inflation rise in benefits will increase child poverty. Their letter was backed by support from the Archbishop of York and Justin Welby the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
Over the Easter weekend four other churches – the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church, United Reformed Church, and the Church of Scotland – added their voices to the mix, speaking out against elements of the reforms that they believe will harm the most vulnerable in society. Their criticism follows on in part from a recent report published by the Baptist, Methodist and URC churches, which aims to challenge attitudes towards poverty in the UK by examining its true causes. You can find the report, Truth and Lies About Poverty, online.
And what is the Government’s response to the Church’s entry into this debate? In a speech on Tuesday 2nd, George Osborne retaliated that: ‘In recent days we have heard a lot of, frankly, ill-informed rubbish about these welfare reforms’. Some commentators have felt this was aimed in part at the churches and charities who have objected to aspects of the plans.
Reflection
So, should the churches have spoken out? Authority is rarely happy to be challenged, so Osborne’s reaction is unsurprising. Further, there are many who believe the Church should stay out of politics altogether. It should also be acknowledged that in politics there is rarely one ‘right’ answer, and there will be Christians who support the reforms in good conscience, just as others have vocally opposed them. But for those who do believe that the changes will prove damaging to the vulnerable in our society, would it be right to stay silent in order to appease those in the political sphere?
The Temple authorities grew angry as they heard reports of Peter and the apostles preaching in public at Solomon’s Portico (Acts 5.12-26). The apostles had already been ordered to keep silent (Acts 4.18) and even jailed for disobeying that order (Acts 5.17-18), yet they continued to speak out, drawing crowds of increasing number, healing the sick and winning new believers to Christ. All this was in direct opposition to the ‘strict orders’ of the Council and the High Priest. (Acts 5.28) And so they were summoned back to court again to answer to the charges that they had defied orders and ‘filled Jerusalem with [their] teaching’ about Jesus. (Acts 5.28)
The apostles’ defence when questioned once more by the council was simple: ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority.’ Their civil disobedience was an act of spiritual obedience. (Acts 5.29-32) When God calls on us to speak out, silence is not an option. Then or now.
Prayer
A prayer of praise, with apologies to Psalm 150
This prayer could simply be read out in a time of praise, or, if appropriate in your context you could include a simple call and response at the end of each set of lines, as follows:
Praise God!
Praise the Lord!
Praise God with the sound of trumpets:
ringing out clear and true to announce the good news of new life in Christ!
Praise God with the lute and harp:
strumming sweet melodies to bring comfort and peace to the broken-hearted.
Praise God with the tambourine:
joyously jumping and jangling to wake up our hearts and refresh our minds.
Praise God with the dance:
bending our bodies in obedience to God’s ways as we sweep aside our sins.
Praise God with the pipe and flute:
sounding out a new song so beautiful we want to share it with all around.
Praise God with clashing cymbals:
clanging so loudly that complacency is impossible and no one can ignore the news!
Jesus Christ is Lord!
Amen.
A simple prayer of petition
Dear God, we ask that you will help us to hear your voice through the Holy Spirit, like Peter and the apostles, that we might know how to speak out, and when. Help us to have confidence and courage in your resurrection love and power that we might speak up when called to bear witness, and sound out your praises as loudly as the clashing cymbals of the psalms.
Amen.
Questions
Preaching in public: Where might Peter and the apostles have taken their message today? What are our public spaces? Would they have been posting status updates on Facebook, video messages on their YouTube channel and Twitter messages by the dozen? Brainstorm as many methods as you can. Would they still have taken to the streets? Even with the wide reach of the internet, real-world human contact is incredibly powerful (politicians on the campaign trail never leave everything to the virtual world alone) so it’s likely they would still have made face-to-face gatherings a priority. So, where are the public spaces in your area that they might have chosen as a space to teach and heal? Can you imagine the reactions?
Solomon’s Portico and the steps of St Paul’s: Just over a year ago, in London, a growing band of protestors who had gathered in the name of the Occupy movement were finally evicted from their makeshift camp at the foot of the steps to St Paul’s Cathedral.
Action
Truth and Lies About Poverty: The online resources for this inter-denominational report include a ‘pocket guide’ and a number of campaigning strategies with which your church can get involved. There is also a series of infographics that could be used in a presentation or printed out to challenge people’s thinking about the causes of poverty in the UK and a round-up of resources for use by churches.
Walk of witness: In my local area the churches of different denominations get together on Good Friday for an outdoor service in the local park. Before the service we cause a bit of local civic disruption as we walk down the middle of the high street, in silence, following a trio of wooden crosses and holding up the traffic as we go. We do this to offer a tangible witness to our belief in Christ crucified, Christ risen, for us. It’s not quite civil disobedience – we do get permission – but it does provoke some uncivil reactions from some of the drivers who meet this unexpected obstacle on their journey! Others are more understanding but this walk of witness through town is unusual enough to draw attention and – we hope – to provide a reminder of the reason behind the bank holiday. Perhaps your church already does something similar. If not could you start planning now for next year?
The suggestions for young people, would also work in some adult or all-age groups.
Young People
Crowds and queues spread the news: Good news spreads fast, and when word gets out that something new and exciting is happening, people gather to find out more. As those people get excited, they pass the word on to others and the crowds grow. The high priest and council understood this and knew how far-reaching the effects of the Gospel might be if the early excitement continued to develop unchecked, which is why they were frightened and angry (look back to Acts 4.17) and tried to silence it. But the apostles’ joyous drive to spread the good news of Christ couldn’t be stopped. We might think it nearly impossible to have that kind of evangelical energy ourselves, but perhaps it is already inside us… What excites the members of your group? What have they gathered together to see or experience? What news have they rushed to share with friends? On Facebook, if not in real life?! Have they queued for hours for gig tickets or to see a celebrity in the flesh? Huge numbers of adults queued for over an hour at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to see the preview of the new ‘David Bowie is…’ exhibition when it opened on 23 March. It is the fastest-selling exhibition in the Museum’s history and advance tickets have already sold out for its entire run thanks to the excitement generated by early publicity and reviews. How much more exciting is the message of Christ’s resurrection? If we can summon up the energy and commitment to see and share these other things, might we perhaps also have in ourselves the desire and devotion to draw close to God and share what we learn with others?
Rebecca Froley was the launch web editor of Roots and is now working part-time as the web development manager of an investigative news site while seeking opportunities with her new spare time. She was in the queue for ‘David Bowie is…’ on the 22 March and joined her local churches’ walk of witness a week later on the 29.
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