Holy or unholy indignation?

That great Latin American missiologist, Rene Padilla, once wrote, "One does not become a revolutionary through science but through indignation." Simplistic? No, powerfully insightful. The great man went on to say of his native continent, "In Latin America I believe very few people become Marxist because it has intellectual appeal; rather they become Marxist because they see poverty and injustice, they are moved to indignation and they wanted to do something about it". *

I have been reflecting on this as I listened to the family of Abdul Waheed Majid (the British suicide bomber who blew himself up in Syria last week) talk about his desire to do humanitarian work. Did Abdul leave Britain as a radicalised Muslim terrorist or as a compassionate humanitarian volunteer? Is it not just possible that he left his family to go to Syria because he really wanted to care for traumatised families? But what happened next? Was what he saw there so overwhelming that his indignation and revolt demanded a more vigorous response than handing out bottles of water and sticking plasters? Did his indignation find a home in radicalised Islam? When he sat in the cab of that truck-bomb was he still looking for a way to deal with his indignation?  Probably, we will never know the answers to those questions.

But I have another question ... What about holy indignation? Is there enough indignation in the Christian community to radicalise us, to turn us into a powerful, revolutionary, force for the Kingdom? Or is that too dangerous?

* in "Marxism and Christianity" published in "Facing the New Challenges: The message of PACLA" Padilla,R. 1978  page359

Tit for tat demonisation?

I had a difficult dilemma today. Let me explain. A good friend of mine, a bishop in Malaysia, sent me some material about a protest being mounted in his country by Christians and asked me to publicise it. Sounds simple - Christians under pressure in an Islamic country, let's stand with them in solidarity, why not?

However the issue concerned a seminar being held tomorrow in Johor State (sponsored by the Education Department of the State and the office of the State Mufti of Johor. The title of the seminar is “Strengthening the Faith, the Dangers of Liberalism and Pluralism and the Threat of Christianisation towards Muslims. What is the role of teachers?” In fact, under protest, the words "Threat of Christianisation" have now been removed from the title but the text of the lecture has not been changed.

So why did I have difficulty in joining my friend's protest? Well, as soon as I read "Threat of Christianisation" I found the words "Threat of Islamicisation" were ringing even more clearly in my ears - words I hear day after day from American preachers, European internet pundits and the prophet who comes up to me after church every time I dare to use the word 'dialogue' in my sermon. In fact, I think this is the very first time I have heard the phrase "Threat of Christianisation" whereas I read of the opposite threat daily in our press. So ... my question was, why is it OK for lectures to be give, books to be published and YouTube videos to circulate warning of an Islamic threat but totally unacceptable to debate the perception of a Christian threat?

Of course I would prefer to do away with all threats, but in a real world we do often find each other threatening and perhaps it is better to talk about it than let the threats grow unhindered in our imaginings.

Yes, I did publish ... but I also voiced my questions - I hope my friend Ng understands.

Burn, burn, burn

On a golf course in southern Britain a few days ago, early morning golfers discovered a body burnt and tossed away in the bushes. So bad was the burning that it took forensics to determine the gender of this discarded humanity, but now a few days later we get to know this man and his story. Overtaken by life he takes to drugs, lives on the streets, finds a home and friends in a hostel. "A quiet man" say his friends - but someone needed to set fire to that life ... was it out of fear or anger? Why?

Several hundred years earlier three more men were set alight. Not secretly at night but in front of crowds, jearing or silent. A cross of stones still marks that spot in the centre of my city where three bishops (Ridley, Latimer and Cranmer) burnt like candles. They, and many hundreds of others, were burnt by Christians, in the name of Christ, for the sake of truth. Was truth strengthened? Did Christ's kingdom grow out of those ashes?

Now a different fire is proposed. Pastor Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Centre in Florida has announced that his church will mark September 11 this year as "International Burn a Quran Day". How many lives will that cost? Not in Florida of course, but all around the world such an act is designed to enrage Muslim communities who will have ended their most sacred season of Ramadan just two days earlier. Why are we so fearful of each other? Why do we think that burning things - people and books - is going to solve anything?

I had an email tonight from a senior world Christian leader saying he and others are seeking to meet Pastor Jones and persuade him that there is a more Christ-like way to respond to our Mislim neighbours. Join me in praying that their efforts to meet and talk with be effective. We must stop burning everything!