[Magdalen] whose theology is this?

[Roger Stokes]

The election season here in the UK is starting to heat up.  The official 
season is longer than normal at 6 weeks and kicks off towards the end of 
this month. Nobody with two brain cells to rub together is prepared to 
call it at this stage because of increasing support for minor parties 
and general disillusionment with politicians.  Anyway, as happens when 
you heat any liquid Brownian motion increases and you get all sorts of 
strange eddies and bubbles forming.  The difference this year is that 
the "vessel" has become distorted and so the motion is more erratic than 
normal.

Both the RC and the C/E bishops have issued pre-election statements and 
The Tablet (an RC weekly for the thinking Christian) has castigated the 
RC hierarchy for not speaking as plainly as their Anglican brethren 
have.  Neither group has said "vote for X" but they have said "vote, but 
here are things you should consider when deciding who to vote for".  The 
Tablet article draws attention to the way that Christian thinking 
(across the mainstream spectrum, including Evangelicals) has coalesced 
around Catholic Social Teaching. This focuses on the need to get the 
structures right so as to minimise the need to care for the individual.  
It addresses the structures of sin that are found in modern society, 
those aspects of the way society works that marginalize and dehumanize 
some of our fellow citizens.

Moving beyond that to the international scene we need to recognize that 
trade practices can have a detrimental effect on societies in other 
parts of the world.  Yes, there is genuine need in each of our own areas 
and (much as my own government would like to deny it) that need is 
growing here, as is evidenced by the rapid increase in the number of 
families turning to food banks for emergency rations - something that 
was basically unknown a decade ago in this country.  The only way to 
effectively counter this domestic and international inequality is to 
address its systemic causes, which needs political (issue-based rather 
than party political) action.  Where emergency aid is required then that 
needs to be coordinated as well.  I recall some stanchions along 
Virginia Beach which looked like parking meters.  Signs on them pointed 
out that there are pan-handlers around but more effective, and more 
equitable, help for the needy is provided through organizations 
dedicated to that end.  Money put in those collection boxes would go to 
that end.

Roger

------ Original Message ------
From: "Ginga Wilder" <gingawilder at gmail.com>
To: magdalen at herberthouse.org
Sent: 01/03/2015 21:56:26
Subject: [Magdalen] whose theology is this?

>Our supply clergy this morning was from another diocese...a very 
>liberal
>diocese....but I don't think this is liberal thought. He taught Adult 
>CE
>and preached.
>
>His premise this morning, among other things was that 'we really cannot
>change the world. We do not need to concern ourselves with the world
>beyond our neighborhood. Rather than give money to support ministries 
>like
>ERD, we should simply walk across the street and meet the need of our
>neighbor. (His example was giving money to a particular person in a 3rd
>world country, rather than my ERD example, but the point is the same.) 
>He
>went on to declare that from a theological perspective, we do not need 
>to
>concern ourselves with politics...or even care about politics because 
>we
>cannot make a difference or change the world. It was a one way
>street...meet the need before you and ignore/don't care about anything
>beyond.
>
>I behaved badly. He spoke down to us as of we were the Episcopal 
>bumpkins
>in SC and I called him on it. Now I'm having a major shame attack, even
>though more than a few people thanked me....that has just made it worse
>because my behavior was so similar to how nack in the mid 2000s, I
>confronted the the teaching of the ultra conservative priests at St.
>Paul's. I'm not sure this makes any sense and I am still upset.
>
>So, what think the theological gurus in the pub (all of us) about this
>theology??
>
>Thanks,
>Ginga