Taking Offense

I've just finished an enjoyable read - "Brick Lane" by Monica Ali - Flora bought it in an airport bookshop. At the end of the book is an article written by the author after the book was published. It is titled: "The Outrage Economy". Clearly Monica Ali took some flak for stuff in the book/film.

As she points out, stock in the market for "outrage" or offense is rising. To put it another way - it is the trump card of the protestor: "I was outraged/offended/hurt (delete as applicable)".

As someone said I think - implicit in freedom of speech, has to be the possibility of giving or taking offence.

But is that a defence for being offensive? Answer: Maybe. I suspect that giving offence is sometimes the only way to make an important point (Jesus did it). But not always.

Sometimes offensive humour works - sometimes it is crap.

Taking offence - that is another issue - I think that playing the "I'm offended" trump card is just fueling "offence inflation".

It seems that some Christians see it is their role in life to be offended and make a lot of noise about it. That is so far from the core of the Gospel. "Im deeply offended" - is such an un-gracious response.

I'm not saying that people who find something morally wrong should stay silent. We do need to speak out sometimes - but let's not fuel offence inflation. We need signposts on the moral map not cowpats.

I find this mental tape a good one to play: "I am not responsible for what happens to me, but I am responsible for my reaction".

Would someone like to remind me of this post next time I act all offended?

Is faith private?

Recently I heard of a Home Office argument when trying to deport an Iranian Christian, that despite the clearly real danger of them being persecuted for their faith, (maybe even being killed) that they could just practice their religion "in private".

Now that is clearly a load of tosh! Faith is not a private thing (however coy we may sometimes be about it).

So I was interested to hear the episode of "Beyond Belief" on Radio 4 yesterday, driving home from Glasgow. (31st Dec 2007) The subject was religion in the workplace - and the key question was - "Can we keep religion out of the workplace?"

The speaker that kept making me shout back at the radio was Douglas Murray A Neo-Con apologist from the "Centre for social cohesion" (I was in the car on my own!)

Murray said "We have to divorce the private spiritual lives of employees and the situation they are in in the workplace" He goes on to point out that (Faith) "Affects your personal life - your spiritual life- it is not something you take to the workplace - it is totally irrelevant."

The totally irrelevant bit really got my goat! Douglas seemed to be appealing to some "higher" form of morality (of his own invention) to rule in the workplace - denying the relevance of any scripture (Christian, Jewish or Islamic)

A refusal to handle alcohol by Muslims in Sainsburys was denounced by Murray as hypocritical, yet he seems comfortable with one set of values at work and another elsewhere.

At the end of the program, Lord Brian Griffiths brough some sanity when he said that is was "Impossible to privatise religion".

Trick is to "publicise" it without being too cocky.. (Glen has a good post on this)

Happy new year...

Ann outdoes herself again!

Well my beloved sister outdid herself again this year. Last year's pants were pretty amazing - this year she continued her long tradition of misspelling one of our names in a fairly permanent way. Jono spent some time as a child wearing a Tshirt with a brilliant original Anne design featuring what was nearly his name ("Jonathen").

This time she managed to mis-spell my first name - a real achievement! The wrapping was pretty cool I have to admit - and I smell nice today (I think).

Got my own back (pre-emptiveley) by giving her a bag of pigfood for her present. The deal is we pay a couple doing an amazing job among the Aeta Indians in the Philippines (Pam & Martin Scott) and we give a card to people (like my sister) so effectiveley Ann&Renzo (& Phil/Gabrielle & Bal/Noodle) have supported this brilliant work!

The pigfood was because I gave my brother (featured in flourescent yellow lycra pants on last years Christmas blog) a pig. We named the pig Peppa (Phil is the producer of "Peppa Pig").

Spent a lot of Christmas day watching Dave Gilmour's "Remember the Day" DVD (thanks Jono) - even my mother liked it.

This article in "The Inquirer" from the Philippines puts Pam & Martin's work in context brilliantly. Doing Jesus stuff in Jesus' way - wholistic - body, and soul.

Missed This... Missional Church & Communal Salvation

A great piece on the relationship of Mission to church. On Glens blog. (sorry - that sounds sooo patronising!!!!)

Must confess to having uncritically taken on board the idea that salvation is communal - and that is (as with a lot of good ideas) partially true.

I suspect that the communal dimension to salvation is very culturally conditioned. Reading Vincent Donovan's excellent "Christianity Rediscovered" a culture that is very group oriented responds village by village - the whole village accepts or rejects the gospel. And we individualistic westerners think - "I wonder if some of them have decided that the gospel is true?"

Answer: "Does not compute" And for some X / Y (whatever) gen people it seems to compute less.

Cherish the contradictions is perhaps a better reponse!

What Would Jesus Buy Trailer

Love this....

Post Religious?

I heard this phrase used on Radio 4 this week - on Michael Burke's "moral maze". He used the phrase it as if it were a given. This is nothing new - it has been heard quite frequently for a while now, mostly on the lips of "evangelical" Atheists. (They are so unattractive in their fervour - maybe we Christians need to learn from that.) Ironic then that the programme was peppered with quotes from the Bible.

I also took a look at an article in today's Independant by Bruce Anderson. However good the article is (very in my opinion) the assumption is actually untrue - if our local cemetery is anything to go by, to say nothing of the ever increasing number of roadside shrines.

A peripatetic liturgy

My opening hymn of praise on today's cycle ride (with apologies for appalling singing to those whose gardens are alongside "The Lines" cycle path in Allerton Bywater) is from Sting.

You could say I lost my faith in science and progress
You could say I lost my belief in the holy church
You could say I lost my sense of direction
You could say all of this and worse but

If I ever lose my faith in you
There'd be nothing left for me to do

(My latest favourite recording - a Radio 2 concert featuring Mr Ben Castle on Sax). Funny how woship songs can sound like love songs (and vice versa) - or is it?

I think I have lost my faith in some aspects of Church. We had a debate this week in our Church about allowing alcohol "in the building". As some helpfully pointed out the place we need to be talking about is the mouths of the members! - in the building or anywhere. Some people sadly didn't get that joined up sort of thinking. (No wonder Kez is depressed)

After a stop for a crappychino at RSPB Fairburn Ings (Hey they stock Divine Chocolate now - last year I suggested they stock it and now they do!) - time for the communion hymn (alcohol free)

"Grace" from Jonathan Elias's Prayer Cycle complete with brilliant memories of Viki Hannan's dramatic communion prayer set to the music.

Closing hymn on the HiFi at home - Pulse from Floyd in very loud Dolby 5.1 (Flora still not in from church and Jono out overnight with his arty meatalhead mates)

chained forever to a world thats departed
its not enough
its not enough

Post everything

Post Christendom - post evangelical - post modern - yes I am that groovy (?) - but post religious - no - on reflection I think not. After all - those who ignore the lessons of history....

And no - I dont only do church (or religion) on my own - I'll be in the building this evening - oh joy unconfined - Jeremiah again.

He is a bit depressing isn't he.