Friday 28 October 2011

Not What Jesus Would Do?

It is sad that today I have heard more about the Church of England, St Paul's Cathedral in particular, today that I have heard for some time. This is not about the actions of one man resigning but the situation whereby the CofE is billed as caring more about the bottom line on its balance sheet than it does about offering the cure of souls and the support of the marginalised and disposed - something that has a deeper ring to it with today's publication of a survey of director's pay by IDS (Income Data Services)!

On a day when it is revealed that directors of FTSE 100 companies have received pay rises in excess of 50% over the past year meaning an average salary (including benefits) of something around £2.7m whilst their employees received between 2.2% - 3.2% and the public sector find their wages frozen! Is it any wonder that people are taking to the streets in response? What makes it worse is that the company's represented weren't doing showing comparable gains?

What St Paul's should have done is open its doors and welcome the people in, offering services and praying around them. If they wanted to be the guests in a home then they should either be welcomed or turned away - the question is, as ever, "What Would Jesus Have Done?"

Opening our church buildings to those who need a place of security is something that has always been the province of the Church. We have tended the ill, comforted the bereft and fed, clothed and housed the poor. Have we lost this in our struggle for sustainability and handed control of the Church to the balance sheet rather than the Holy Spirit?

As for Giles Fraser - he's irrelevant in this discussion and so will rightly be passed by with nothing but this reference to say that I know he's one of the (many) players in this farce and the spotlight for some might only turn out being the light that exposes the guilty!

Still, ignoring the sideshows once again we find ourselves living in troubled and troubling times indeed.

Pax

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So you'd let people camp outside or inside your church would you?

Just another of those people who stand on soapboxes and belittle others. Giles Fraser is a champion against the likes of you and your rigid closed minded christianity.

Where you you be when the light points at you?

Vic Van Den Bergh said...

Oh dear - I appear to have touched a nerve!

I tend not to stand on soapboxes (I get nosebleeds) and I suspect, from your tone, that if I did I'd probably get a nosebleed when I got off (if I hadn't whilst on it!)!

I'm not sure what Giles Fraser is a champion of but if it's against the likes of 'people like me' then I guess I probably wouldn't like him (mind you, there are few I don't like - fancy going on the list?). That said, I'm not sure what sort of person I am so I remain confused of Tamworth over that one!

Of course I'd let people camp outside the church building of the church where I find myself - what a silly thing to say. Let them camp inside? Do that on a regular basis!

Seems you have no understanding of where, what or who I am and so your vitriol falls alkali-like to the ground.

Thanks for the comments though - always good to have someone accuse me, set someone against me and demonstrate the paucity of their understanding on so many level in such a concise manner.

pax

Ray Barnes said...

Ouch Vic. Remind me not to cross you.
I do think St Paul's was in the wrong, and also that they missed a superb opportunity to be what they pertain to be. However, I have some sympathy over the issue of the disruption of the regular daily work of the church. Not a straightforward issue and no easy answers but they did fail to seize a seldom offered chance to demonstrate what the CofE is all about.

Vic Van Den Bergh said...

The staff of St Paul's have missed an immense chance to come alongside the people camping and make church (local) relevant and engaged. The problem is that relationship and support for the 'huddled masses' (who I understand generally go home at night as it's cold in a tent!) as one newspaper plagiaristic ally put it.

The disruption is a sad and real problem but the opportunity, evangelistically, was surely something tho be snatched at?

As for the crossing me - I was just a bit sad at the succinct misreading and assigning of what and who I am, didn't think it was that bad. I'll watch that in future.

Thanks Ray,

V