Going Naked!

OK, so on this day in 1535 40 Anabaptists ran naked through the streets of Amsterdam.  This non-violent protest came about, it seems, because they were fed up of there being a dominant religion that was in bed with the wealthy and the city government and yet were not caring for the poor in the way the Anabaptists felt the Bible directed Jesus-followers to.  The group taught that all should share, and as unemployment was high and poverty rampant it’s no wonder the poor were interested.  The rich were not of course, they were “not amused”, and so it was the lower classes in particular who were attracted to the teachings of the anabaptists.

It was a time when followers of different faiths and doctrines were considered heretics but, as long as they didn’t cause a fuss they were left alone. However on this day in 1535 forty anabaptists

did cause a fuss and in act of non-violent protest ran naked through the streets to the town hall. ‘The next day the city officials had them massacred. They were, without exception all killed. Their hearts were cut out of their bodies in the middle of Dam square, their bodies were quartered and hung. Their heads were stuck on poles and placed at the entries to the city gates. The message was don’t you dare rise up against catholicism’.

Today the Guardian reports

that Bideford Council has lost its battle over prayer sessions and prayer before, during or after official council sessions will no longer be allowed.  Already many Christians in the UK are up in arms about this – How could this be? Who do these Secularists think they are? But we’ve always prayed in council meetings!

This raises several questions for me:

1. When will we Jesus-followers in the UK realise that we are increasingly in a post-Christendom era where the church no longer has the influence it once had.  It does not make all the rules and can sometimes barely influence them (for better or for worse).  We might not like this fact, but we need to start being honest about it.

2. What will the last vestiges of Christendom do about this?  Will Christendom fight back a rebellion and if so how will they do this without resorting to showing muscle power as they did in Amsterdam those years ago?  (Ok I know people are unlikely to be hung, drawn and quartered now, but subtle laws which prevent non-violent protests are being passed even as we speak – why are we so afraid of protest?)

3.  What can the Anabaptists teach us about following Jesus today?  There are many who feel that their story resonates loudly with today’s context and can give examples of how to remain faithful Jesus followers in a society which neither acknowledges nor understands him let alone advocates his teaching.  Whilst the Church remained powerful and strong in the time of the naked anabaptists of Amsterdam it’s influence, power and control was crumbling.  As we witness this paradigm shift once again in England (played out in high definition outside St Paul’s this very moment), perhaps the offerings in The Naked Anabaptist by Stuart Murray can help us glean pearls of wisdom from our past.

Some material curtesy of Amsterdam Tourism.  Thanks to Laurence Keith for highlighting today’s story of the naked anabaptists of Amsterdam.

Don’t Mention the S word!

I have a story which I like to tell because it has changed my life, but very often I feel uncomfortable sharing it because the words I have learnt to use make sod-all sense to anyone!  But today as we ran our workshop at the Bank of Ideas I felt that this story, this Gospel, became more fully alive as we sought to understand how Jesus’ teaching can be lived out in practise.

Simon’s historical overview of St Paul highlighted his strong endorsement of equality and ‘mutuality’ (ie I help you out of the surplus I have and when I am in need you will help me out of the surplus you have).  There is a link to Simon’s whole presentation in my previous post.

After this Rob went on to share some thoughts about what this means in practise.  He suggested that the opposite to love is not hate, as we so often suggest, but that the opposite to love is selfishness.  If we truly loved each other we would be generous out of what we have.  But we live in a global culture in which those who have simply want to accumulate more for themselves.  We talked about how supermarkets throw away tonnes of absolutely acceptable food every day simply because they will not give it away, even to those increasing numbers who are in dire need.  This does not arise from their hatred of people but their selfishness to accumulate as much as possible.

And then Rob went on daringly to use the S word!  He called this selfish action ‘sin’.  For one of the first times in ages I did not cringe when I heard this word said, for I understood totally that it explained the selfishness witnessed which is causing protesters so much angst.  Why do people want to accumulate so much?  Why do footballers get paid so much? Why do bankers and CEOs need such huge bonuses?  When people have SO much surplus why do they not use much of it to help those in need? And why do I feel the temptation to be discontent all the time – can’t I be more like Paul who learnt to be content in all situations?

In conversation we then went on to explore how angry many of the protesters are feeling, so much so that of course some have given their lives in the cause of revolution in some parts of the world (makes our complaints about camping in the British winter seem totally petty really…she says as someone who hasn’t camped with Occupy but understands how tired and exhausted many of them are).  But interestingly we asked the question about whether there is ever a time to let that anger go. How do we live with ourselves as people who are unable to make all the changes we feel are needed, who are aware of how complicit we are in all the ‘sins’ we accuse others of, when we recognise our own limits of love and our own selfishness which is always so hard to keep under control?

I came away pondering that out of recognition of ‘sin’ comes recognition of the need for forgiveness.  Some in the movement seem to be asking big questions of the world we inhabit and this naturally leads to questions of ourselves as individuals.  When faced with big questions and uncertainties people search for answers.  Perhaps as we confront ‘sin’ we become more open to forgiveness?

Would St Paul the Tentmaker Have Camped with Occupy?

I had the privilege of running a workshop at the Bank of Ideas today with Simon Jones & Rob Schellert.  I have been following the Occupy movement enthusiastically and I thought the creation of a bank of ideas was inspirational.  The movement has been criticised for not offering any solutions as alternatives to their angst against the current state of things, but in an age when you just know that something is wrong the most important thing I think you can do is create space to think and dream, to dialogue and listen, to share and hone ideas.

When the camp first emerged outside St Paul’s Cathedral there were many creative banners and pieces of artwork on display.  If you visited you would be hard pressed to miss the many posters and scrawls which asked what Jesus would do or stated categorically that if Jesus were here today that he would be encamped with the initiators of the movement rather than allied with the 1% (which sadly at the early stages often included the ‘church’ as a whole in people’s thinking).

I found these references to Jesus intriguing and it showed that there must have been some with Christian heritage involved in the movement, yet looking at the programme of topics at the Bank of Ideas there seemed to be few opportunities for continuing Christian thought to be engaged with.  I was aware that some Christian organisations had organised helpful debates with influential business people and had invited members of the Occupy movement along to state their case, but it seemed sad to me that yet again ‘the church’ was inviting people to ‘their’ comfort zone rather than going to engage on ‘their’ turf.

It also frequently occurs to me that the question ‘What would Jesus do?’ is often an un-constructive place to start, and this was my opening comment when I started the workshop today. Whether you believe that Jesus was a good man, a prophet, the Son of God or even an alien, the general consensus is that Jesus was something somewhat ‘other’ than us mere mortals.  He was either super-duper good or supernatural to varying degrees, (I’m on shaky theological ground I know, but you understand the range of what I mean, I hope!).  In our minds this often makes us feel that his actions and life-choices are difficult, if not impossible to imitate as fully as we might like to.  However if we unpack the lives of his early followers, I thought, we might unearth how someone we may consider to be a normal, regular, joe-bloggs human being lives out the teaching of Jesus that they took to heart so earnestly.  Given the place and residency of the Occupy camp, St Paul seemed the obvious choice!

So I hesitantly proposed an event via the website, and was delighted when it was accepted.  Simon was on standby to bring the historical and contextual background as well as a broad understanding of Paul’s economical ideas and Rob was on standby to bring some of his story and experiences of being a Jesus follower who seems to be making a habit of getting arrested for being kind!

You can read Simon’s presentation here if you are interested.

We had five enthusiastic people attend our workshop who each contributed some great insights.  At least four of them would not call themselves ‘Christian’ but were intrigued by the story of Paul and together we discovered that the cathedral’s namesake seems to have much to say into today’s challenging context.

I am off to ponder a brilliant experience and may write more later…

Infl-who-ential?

Neil Brighton recently complied a top ten list of people whose opinions he considers baptists need to listen to as we face major changes in the way we do things in BUGB –  people he suggests could positively influence the future shape: people he would invite if he wanted to start a denominational conversation.

I am flattered that Neil included me on that list amongst people I respect so highly.  Neil’s post has generated lots of responses and helped kick start a conversation in the blogosphere.  It seems to me that the names on the list are not so important but the conversation is.  It seems to me that it is the value of being heard that is key to so much and it’s not just a baptist thing.

The Guardian and the London School of Economics released their findings from their research into the reasons behind the riots last week.  A short summary video was featured on Question Time and there is a link to it here.  A friend who was taken on as one of the researchers said the film was very accurate.

Reading the Riots

There is a lot to ponder from the film but one key aspect is that of those on the margins feeling like they are not being heard.  Whether they are unemployed young people with lack of aspirations and hope for the future, or members of particular ethnic communities who feel repeatedly mistreated by the police, or campers outside St Paul’s who feel they are paying for the bankers’ bonuses, all have something in common – they feel unheard.  Martin Luther King is often attributed to have said that ‘riots are the voice of the unheard’.

But the key question is HOW can people’s voices be heard in a genuine way which can affect change (rather than a ‘let me talk with you but we’ve already decided what we’re going to do’ way)?

I am sure some of you have more constructive suggestions than me regarding the future shape of baptist witness in Britain, but one proposal I mentioned in a conversation at Baptist House in the summer was why not hold an event at Baptist House once or twice a year when anyone (lay or ordained, well-known or unheard of) who thinks they have a practical, visionary idea for how an aspect of the Union’s life can work even better can come and share their idea.  Not so much a Dragon’s Den type of event where you have to impress and win over defensive stake-holders, but more like a TED conference where those known to have a specialism are invited with no agenda, simply to bring their constructive visions for what could make our little, passionate family even more effective at the task we are called to, in the hope that they may connect with others who can help mould the dream and potentially make it a reality. It seems to me that we are living in a age with many questions and uncertainties and in that era idea-sharing becomes a creative starting point (as modelled by the Bank of Ideas).  Just an idea anyway!

And just for fun, one seasonal image crossed my screen this week which seemed relevant on the theme of influence:

#Occupy

Last month I wrote a post about the Openshaw guys and the work they do in Sure Start centres and I asked whether churches might be prepared to step in to help if and when centres like these close.

Having followed the Occupy movement closely and now watching the innovative development of the Bank of Ideas I find myself deeply challenged and asking how many of us would have the courage, determination and creativity to take over empty buildings and reclaim them for community use?

David Cameron has been in search of Big Society – surely the voluntary re-occupation of empty buildings and facilitation of community resources is exactly what he has been looking for – right?  According to this Bank Statement he should be quite pleased!

When our local Sure Start centre, youth club, care home, social club or shops close (as they will continue to) will we sit back and bemoan the sad situation or will we take community action into our own hands and re-open them ourselves?  Remember: schools, hospitals, hospices, children’s homes etc didn’t exist until someone somewhere identified the problem and simply got on with it.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?  ARE THERE CLOSED BUILDINGS YOU THINK SHOULD BE RE-OPENED?  WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO?

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