Moving on from the London march today I am prompted to continue on a different vein. Office said (Harriet Monsell) and desk looking clear (it's all on the floor!), fresh tea on desk and a collection of tits, sparrows and dunnocks hanging from the feeders I am drawn to a letter which tells me that, "Churches and Christians have no place in protesting."
The focus of the protest to which the letter relates is that of 'HS2' (High Speed Two), a rail service which will provide a second high speed link from London to Scotland and one which threatens to cuts communities and houses in two.
* Leaders of industry in the region are saying that the cutting down of the journey to London by forty minutes will bring investment and business to the area.
* Ecologists and nature lovers tell us that the trains increase the carbon economy figures rather than reduce it as the trains consume three times the power of the slower existing stock.
* People can work in London and will be effectively working on the trains whilst they travel and so this is a win-win (unless you count the cost of those commuting into London leaving local workforces).
* Air travel from London to Scotland will be cut, reducing the carbon economy.
These are but a few of the issues and the question is, should the churches be getting involved in this issue. As chairman of the local churches together group I have asked this and the jury is out with many of the leaders. "we shouldn't be getting into stuff like this, it's not our business!" said one minister.
well I think they are wrong, for we are called to serve and support the communities in which we find ourselves, and this is a need which needs to be addressed.
Where I am I am finding ministers who have the attitude that we shouldn't engage in areas where there is difference of opinion and should avoid confrontational issues such as Palestine, Abortion, Homosexuality and the like. The problem with this is that if the minister's are so unsure of what they believe (or too cowardly to dialogue) how can we expect those to whom we minister to have any integrity, rational thought processes and ability to dialogue and debate.
1 Peter 3 tells us that we should be able to answer any who ask, telling them of the hope we have in Jesus.
Now if the ministers cannot do this, then what hope is there for the members?
Anyone fancy coming to a public meeting - details soon?
I love this blog, enables me to dialogue with the voices inside my head, the people outside it and the God who is everywhere.
Pax
5 comments:
Two points occur to me:
The HS2 will seriously disrupt the lives of those in the areas closest to it while offering no compensatery benefit. Some people will lose their homes, others their livelihoods while all will be affected by the loss of beautifull landscape.
The involvement, or not of priests in community affairs ahould never be a personal or diocesan decision.
If you have responsibility for the care of your flock, their problems become yours. At the same time you are a human being with opinions and do not become less so with ordination.
Just for the record, I live in one of the areas affected by the proposed route of HS2
Ray,
Hit the nail on the head on one.
I am struggling with those who seek to prevent those whose communities are affected by this (and other) issues and seek to limit the pastoral involvement of ministers.
Just realised how some seek to limit and legislate and the ways that ecumenism fosters this.
HS2 is s big issue for some within our patch and we need to be engaged and listening, praying and supporting.
Thanks for comment/s
V
When the TGV lines were being built in France, towns actively campaigned to be on their route. True, some people's lives would be disrupted by building a railway, but far more would be disrupted by the extra roads needed if there is no railway, in terms of countryside destroyed, pollution, carbon footprint and other environmental degradation. There's the 'compensatory benefit' !
Not convinced by the extra roads argument any more than I am by the benefits that such a small number will have. Not only that but the TGV was a very different situation and the cost (financial, ecological and community) appears to be fat too great a price to pay, especially at this time of cuts elsewhere.
By the time enquiries and the like have finished the next government will be in place and this project will be scrapped.
But that's not the issue, my concern is that because some decide 'church' shouldn't be involved we find ourselves failing in our pastoral duty of car.
Best compensatory benefit would be to use the money where it is needed now and look at HS2 (or whatever) at a later (and more sensible date.
Absolutely we should speak out as individual Christians - which is why I did. As churches, I'm not so sure. I had a similar situation with a windfarm affecting 3 of my parishes, and decided the church needed to be available to pro and anti factions alike, even though anti was the large majority. Rarely is any community 100% of one mind - some people will want HS2, so to come down on one side could not help but alienate somebody. It's not as if such infrastructure projects are 'wrong' - when the church _should_ speak out - just unwelcome to some.
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