Four
Corners breakfast 19 Jan 2018 – Spectrum Centre
I am usually an optimist –
but this morning I want to start on a rather downbeat note, and then quickly
bring the tone and content to a much more positive level.
At the moment, I am deeply
pessimistic about the return of a devolved government. Devolution must not be seen as an end in
itself, though to read and hear what is being said in public, you would think
it was. What we need is GOOD
government – and there is absolutely no public conversation about what
difficult decisions will need to be taken and the consequent impact of
them. I also think that the tone of
political debate in recent weeks and months has greatly set back any worthwhile
discussion about what it means to heal our land. We are a long way from reconciliation being
at the heart of the Executive – TBUC (Together Building a United Community) seems
impoverished within government, even if it is helping at local level..
In a recent article in the
Irish News, Bishop Noel Treanor wrote this: Known for our care for the stranger, for our
response to disaster scenarios throughout the world, we urgently need
leadership in offering a new narrative for a radically new future which is
opening before us in a dwindling and ever more interdependent world and here at
home. We need prophetic, imaginative and
courageous leadership which offers a new narrative for a dawning and
challenging future..
This was paralleled last
night (18 January) in a talk given by Prof John Brewer at Queen’s University. He said:
1. Uncouple the practice of religious
faith from the practice of cultural religion.
Faith commitments need to be separated from the formation of
ethno-national identity, such that the churches should preach loyalty to Jesus
Christ not Ulster
2. The churches should show unity around
the key Christian principles of forgiveness, mercy, compassion, empathy, grace
and justice, principles that define Jesus’ new covenant rather than fragment.
These canonical precepts are sorely needed as people emerging out of conflict
try to learn to live together in tolerance.
3. Inter-denominational and
inter-religious respect between faith-based organisations and communities
should model the culture of tolerance, respect and compassion that the churches
aspire to realise in society generally, making religion truly non-partisan.
4. The churches should develop a public
role in which they become part of the solution in dealing with the legacy
issues of the conflict. This means not
hiding behind a veil of personal piety but entering the public square and
contributing to public debate.
I agree. However, as an ordinary Presbyterian
minister, I am struggling to figure out clearly EXACTLY what we should be
saying, and I am struggling to figure out how ANY message that is non-pc can be
heard. Authentic Catholicism cannot
allow itself to be nationalism or republicanism at prayer any more than the
Protestant Churches can allow themselves to be unionism at prayer. One might even
be tempted to say that we have politics that is almost devoid of consistent Christian
or gospel values, yet which is endorsed by thousands of Christian people.
The Four
Corners ’ festival is wonderful, not least because it brings fresh understanding
to people and develops substantial and robust relationships. My hope and challenge is this:- as the understanding
develops and the relationships develop, can we find ways of standing shoulder
to shoulder with one another, and together begin to articulate in public what Bishop
Treanor and Prof John Brewer are asking – a new narrative for
the future, which spells out the importance of forgiveness, generosity, compassion,
thoughtfulness. And as Philippians 2 so magnificently
puts it: Make my
joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit
and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain
conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the
interests of the others. Thank you very much.
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