Haiti, transformation and the safety of my cheque book

“As long as there are people, Christ will walk on earth as your neighbour, as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you, makes demands on you.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

As I noted in an earlier post, I’ve been thinking about Haiti – how we should respond and what our response would mean.

First of all, I think that there is an imperative that we do actually respond – in cash and in prayer.  We should meet the immediate humanitarian needs that arise from the impact of the earthquake, which has hit an already poor country.  And while there is an inevitable feeling of helplessness (“Can my few quid make a difference?”), we should follow Mother Teresa’s guidance:

“If you can’t feed 100 people, then feed just one.”

BUT (and, if you read this blog regularly, you knew there was a ‘but’ coming!) there has to be more than just a cash commitment in the face of catastrophe.  I liked what Jim Gordon said about working out theological response in the community of faith.

My thinking has taken me down the track of engagement: deep, long‑term, community‑to-community, transformative engagement.  For a long time now I’ve argued that churches, my church, should get involved with one or two projects and embrace them.  I’m talking about getting to know the people and the faces, about making connections that are informed by personal contact, not just by satellite technology. 

I’m talking about giving to help, and learning in the process.  This type of transformative engagement will encompass social, economic, moral and spiritual dimensions – for both giver and receiver.

It’s too easy, in my view, to wait for the next disaster to come along, then respond and forget.  We need to be involved in a deep and enduring way.  As an example, Tony Campolo has been involved in Haiti for many years.  Are we – am I – willing to get so close, to establish long-term commitments with all of the associated frustrations and disappointments?  Or will I hide behind the safety of my cheque book?

Where is the prophetic voice of the church?

Another child’s death filled our headlines for a day or two this week. This time it was Brandon Muir from Dundee – killed by his mother’s drug-using boyfriend. As he was dying from his injuries, his mother was prostituting herself to fund her drug habit.

The details of the story fill me with horror and rage. If you have the stomach for it you can read more on the BBC website or in The Herald.

For once, our politicians seem to have responded to this tragedy in a mature way. Dare we hope that they’ve learned that something needs to change in our society?

Annabel Goldie talked about the “tragic exposure of Scotland’s broken society.”

Adam Ingram, the Minister for Children, said:

“We need to … break a vicious cycle of poverty, deprivation, substance misuse which is all too evident in our society.”

And:

“You’re never going to get a 100% fool-proof system and that’s why we have to tackle the root causes of the problems, not just the symptoms.”

Researchers have estimated that between 40,000 and 50,000 children in Scotland live with at least one drug-addicted parent. (That doesn’t take account of those living with parents who misuse alcohol – and there’s not exactly a shortage of them in Scotland!)

And the churches said… NOTHING! At least, I haven’t heard or read anything from any of the churches.

This seems to epitomise what I referred to in my entry on the U2 lyrics. Is there a more important social issue in Scotland right now?

What are the root causes that Adam Ingram was talking about? Poverty, deprivation, community responsibility, hope for the hopeless - amongst others?

Who - in the churches - is doing the thinking?

How do we get a conversation going about this?

Where should we be raising a prophetic voice?

How should we be demonstrating Christ’s love?

I genuinely don’t know the answers to any of these questions, bit I am convinced that if the church is to be relevant, we must tackle this type of issue - sensitively, openly, courageously and biblically.

“We do, of course, need to be wise in deciding what we should get ‘prophetic’ about, and how to pitch it… well-informed and courageous challenges to values that are inimical to the gospel and damaging to our society, will strike a chord in many people’s heart.

And we must show, by word and by life, that there is – however unfashionable – a different and better way.”

- Helen Parry (LICC)

Rhetoric and reality follow up

A couple of interesting questions about yesterday's Friday photo.

Firstly in reply to That Hideous Man - I dunno. Occasionally Blogger doesn't seem to want to enlarge my photos. I can't provide an explain, nor have I found a solution. Yesterday provides a perfect example - both photos were taken in the same way, handled in the same way and imported in the same way BUT only one of them would enlarge. If anyone can suggest a solution, please let me know.

The inscription reads:

Never again should a people starve in a world of plenty.

His Girl Friday's question has a more complicated answer. In some ways the photos seemed to create a narrative - in an ironic sense. They were taken in Cambridge, Massachusetts (although that is not particularly relevant). I was wandering around snapping photos as the Fish Wife and Dolly D were sitting enjoying the sun.

(As an aside, the ability to take large numbers of indiscriminate photos is one of the joys of digital photography. I probably wouldn't have taken these photos if I was still paying for film and processing!)

Anyway, as I was wandering around I spotted this statue in a corner of the park, so I strolled over and snapped one side of it - the side with the inscription above; then went round to the other side and took a snap. Initially I didn't pay any attention to the guys lying on the benches in the background - I could also remove them from the digital image later!

Subsequently, I discovered that there was a small community 'sleeping rough' in this park. Then I realised how easy it is for us to airbrush the poor out of our world, even when our rhetoric says something different!

I hope that makes some sense, and that the photo will enlarge this time.

Friday photo(s): Rhetoric and reality

Rhetoric

Reality

coiled like a Spring

How can a poor man stand such times ...?

While channel hopping (bad habit - hard to quit!) on Friday night, I came across the end of Bruce Springsteen live in Dublin 2007. I loved his version of When the Saints go Marching In and This Little Light of Mine - so on Saturday went out and bought DVD and CD version from a wee independent music shop in Perth.

By the way, how do high street chains expect to survive if they only sell music that's in the charts? They're not doing theselves any favours in my book! Anyway ...

One of the songs on Sprinsteen's live recording is "How can a poor man stand such times and live". On the same day, the headline soory in The Herald was "Debt figures reach record levels". Spot the connection?

It seems that for some 'poor' people (not necessarily poor in material terms), the answer is to borrow more. Why? Because our society increasingly seems to encourage material acquisition (like Springsteen CD's?). How have we managed to turn shopping in to a pastime? I've asked my teenage daughter - response was quizzical look, which meant that I was being weird again!

More importantly, what could the church do about this state of affairs (materialism and debt - not my daughter)? How can we be salt and light in the modern world?

We can be light by supporting those in debt - building relationships and using the skills that we have within our churches to support people - as Christians Against Poverty do.

But what about salt? How can we have a preserving influence? What behaviours can we model that will help? How do we tackle the needs of the apparently prosperous in our middle class, suburban world? I don't have answers. But I'm sure that for churches in the West, this is an important dimension of incarnational, transformational living - ideas on a postcard ...?

"Well, the doctor comes 'round here with his face all bright

And he says "in a little while you'll be alright"

All he gives is a humbug pill, a dose of dope and a great big bill

Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live?

He says "me and my old school pals had some might high times down here

And what happened to you poor black folks, well it just ain't fair"

He took a look around gave a little pep talk, said "I'm with you" then he took a little walk

Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live?"

- Blind Alfred Reed and Bruce Springsteen