The Church vs. progess

Last weekend I listened to a sermon where the priest asked the question “Why is the church not seen as a force for progression?” Unfortunately it was posed as a rhetorical question and was left unanswered leaving me to think on my own of the many reasons why the church is seen more as a force of regression rather than something calling for society to move forward.

You have only got to look at the results of this month’s general synod to see why. The subject of women bishops was once again debated and once again the decision was delayed until later. There was a brief glimmer of hope that finally a landmark ruling would be made in favour of the ordination of women bishops and the CofE would take a huge leap forward in terms of modernisation and equality but at the last minute a few conservative Bishops made an amendment that would create a two tier system of Bishops where women where inferior to their male counterparts and thus making them more or less obsolete. Granted the decision was delayed in order for this amendment to be taken out, and thus is a good thing, but it is still a glaring example of why the CofE seems to be such a huge barrier to change. Legislation for female Bishops in England has been worked on for 12 years already and since then the church has been overtaken and left behind.  Over 90% of dioceses in England and Wales are in favour of female bishops whilst in other countries, such as Australia and Swaziland, the Anglican church has already ordained women as bishops. So when looked at in comparison it is impossible not to come to the conclusion that the CofE is a force of regression.

 Then there is the issue of gay marriage. Parliament declared that they intended to debate the issue of gay marriage and the Church came out in uproar, even before anything had been said of a law being drafted let alone passed. Whilst the majority of Britons were heralding the coming of marriage equality many people in the Church were spouting fear-mongering diatribes against the plans stating that it was the biggest threat to the Church since the dissolution of the monasteries. Once again the Church is seen as proudly holding back social progress.

Finally the Occupy Movement provided the Church with the perfect way to show the general public that they stood against the bad guys and were a force for good in this country helping to fight injustice and caring or the poor. It started off well with, then canon of St Pauls Cathedral, Giles Fraser allowing the camp to set up on the cathedral’s steps and Archbishop Rowan Williams stating that the Occupy Movement was highlighting serious questions that needed to be asked. The Church was in the public eye being portrayed as offering a helping hand to those seeking change and as a potential vehicle for that change to be brought about. Unfortunately when it came to the eviction of the camp it came to light that the Cathedral authorities had asked the bailiffs to clear the steps of the Cathedral, resulting in people innocently praying on the steps being kicked and dragged away. There were also images of police appearing on the Cathedral balcony showing that, despite originally being in favour of the Occupy Movement and the change it wanted to bring about, the Cathedral authorities were far too tempted by the status quo and the money it provided and thus eager to stifle the voices of progress by siding with the opposition.

So to answer why the CofE is no longer seen as a force for progress you only have to look at three of the major social and political changes being talked about and notice which side the Church falls on.

Fortunately it seems that those within the Church who try to stifle change and oppose gay marriage and women Bishops are the elderly conservatives. Unfortunately they are the ones who hold a lot of power and influence within the Church and so are able to control what the Church does and says. Like most movements it is the conservative minority who have the loudest voice so the liberal majority is often drowned out and ignored. This is just as true with the Church as any other organisation for example the afore mention Giles Fraser is a very vocal supporter of progress within the Church and society and the recent creation of an online petition for Anglicans to sign showing their support for same sex marriages in response to the official statement of the CofE against same sex couples was hugely supported.

Legislation for Women bishops and Gay Marriage will both be passed and accepted within the CofE, it is just a matter of time. Liberal ideas and progress always win in the end, it is sadly often simply a case of waiting for the conservative elements to either leave or die out. 

Render unto HMS revenues and customs.......

Tax resistance is one of the most heavily debated areas within Christian anarchist circles. Paying your taxes supports the repressive state that is responsible for the mass poverty (often due to heavy handed taxing) found in this country and others. But taxes pay for schools, hospitals, roads and rubbish collection. They also pay for tanks, missiles and unmanned drones........

Throughout Christian history there have been groups (often decried as heretics) that have refused paying taxation, most famously the Quakers, who refuse to pay for government’s wars.

The Bible is filled with more passages on refusing tax then paying it. Even the great “render unto Caesar” passage (Mat. 22.15-22), so often quoted in support of the state, can be read as Jesus’ warning against taxes. His question of whose image appears on the coin contains hints of the issue of idolatry and graven images so prevalent in Jewish society, especially considering a war was fought simply over a statue of Caesar being placed in the Temple. And so Jesus is warning his followers against caring too much for money. The passage continues “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”, as the coin bears Caesar’s image it belongs to him and so should be given back. However if that is the case then what belongs to God is what bears God’s image and should be given back. Now it is a strongly held belief in Christian tradition that humans are made in God’s image and therefore belong to God and not to Caesar. So not exactly a call for his believers to refuse the tax but it is certainly a lesson that there are more important things then money and taxes and that we are not bound to Caesar and his rule.

Another example from Jesus’ ministry involving taxes is his dealing with the Temple tax (Mat. 17.24-27). Jesus asks his disciple who is required to pay taxes, the son’s of the king or other people’s sons? Other people’s comes the answer, which Jesus goes on to explains means that children of God are exempt from paying taxes to the Temple. To avoid upsetting the authorities Jesus then pays the tax using a coin found inside a fish, an act not of submission bowing to the powers that be, but of ridicule and cheek paying with money that belongs to know one, and so is worthless.

In one of his parables Jesus puts tax collectors in league with nonbelievers, the worst kind of sinners(Mat. 18.17). He also eats with a tax collector (Luk.19) to make a point that no one is beyond salvation, even someone considered so evil by the Jews as a tax collector.  

It’s not just Jesus who has a negative view of taxation in the bible. Throughout the Old Testament taxes are only introduced by tyrants and cause nothing but suffering on their subjects. Pharaoh introduced one during a period of famine when the people had nothing else to give him(Gen.47).

So it would seem that once again the Bible is not authority’s friend when it comes to taxation. There is virtually nothing that supports the paying of taxes, however there is also no commandment of thou shalt not pay income tax. So tax avoidance comes down to the moral decision of the individual and in the current economic climate and with many unpopular wars being fought with suspect tactics, it is a moral dilemma that is becoming more and more prevalent. Combine that with the news of big business and the super rich avoiding their taxes and it becomes a very hot topic that today’s Christian should not shy away from. 

This piece was mostly influenced by an article written by Reverend Nemu http://theoccupiedtimes.co.uk/?p=4763