I didn't watch the Olympics opening ceremony, so don't know whether to be offended or not and won't be watching it to find out what I missed.
"Loving our neighbour does not mean inviting them to church, to join us where we are. It involves using some of our privilege to help them where they are. “And our hardest and holiest work is not to look away" There is the challenge for congregations - to go where you are needed with no agenda.
I actually think it’s no longer possible to watch the opening ceremony. I read that it has been removed from the official Olympics YouTube channel. I hear a lot about loving our neighbour and often it can just be words. I’d love to see more of what it looks like in action.
Thanks for this Deborah. I read it having felt confused about the responses to the week’s events. I understand why people are angry and I think it’s extremely important to be able to express an opinion, to stand up for the downtrodden and the suffering but positive actions and prayer must surely be the lynchpin of the Christian response. Thank you for challenging me to question my response.
Thank you for this Lesley. I think it has been confusing, different people telling us how we can respond. And yes, it is important to express an opinion. To be honest I am likely to look at this piece again and again and wonder if I got it right, how I could have better expressed an opinion, who I might offend. It is quite tricky!
Hi Deborah... I'm playing catch up again and love, love, love your boldness and transparency. As someone from an ethnic minority who's married into NI but often wrongly identified as an asylum seeker, refugee or economic migrant... the leaders of one particular church institution here has done more harm to my 'identity' than anyone else. So I can tell you that their words following the past week's devastation of racism are merely that... words! Their actions, while not resembling the destruction and damage caused by the riots, are violating all the same. Despite these actions of the elite minority within the church, my belief in Jesus is what enables me to engage with the reality that violation is not merely physical.
Seeking transparency and accountability from leaders is a gruelling task and not for the faint-hearted. So your solidarity in calling out what we understand of biblically loving our neighbour is gold. Knowing who Jesus is the foundation of knowledge and wisdom for how we live as his followers. The evidence of which is tangible in the culture of Christ that transcends all our differences and unites us the body of Jesus... for God's glory.
Thank you for this R. I totally agree with you re some of the statements being made just being words. It is almost like jumping on a trend and just saying the ‘right’ thing rather than living out what it means to Biblically love your neighbour. And yes knowing who Jesus is can and should transcend all cultures. It should never be about aligning to one culture’s version of what this looks like. Thanks for sharing so openly and honestly about your incredibly difficult experiences.
I so identify with this. So many people are caught up with the myth of their "culture" being taken away from them, even Christian churchgoers, that they are totally resistant to explanations as to why it isn't. For example, so many believe the myth that Muslim asylum seekers all get money and free housing and jobs that they deny the evidence of reality when it is put in front of them. Not only is it frustrating it's resulted in a very dangerous time for the West and the UK in particular.
Yes, it's really made me think about what exactly is Christianity and is it some sort of Western culture system that the church believes it has control over. I'm going to do some brushing up on the concept of Christendom. As you say, it is highly dangerous when people believe their culture is being taken away from them when it isn't.
I often think that many church leaders at parish level are reluctant to challenge the prevailing political narratives. I understand why- they're afraid for their families who live in the parish, they don't want to alienate or lose their congregations. Perhaps that's why the bishops and other denominational leaders have taken so much abuse recently. Do they think it is their responsibility to act as shock absorbers? But this compromising isn't exactly inspiring for those members of their congregations who want to do more and are even more vulnerable.
Yes there is definitely a reluctance to challenge particularly in the form of action. We have had a lot of racist violence in the last few days and the church leaders have come out with statements condemning it but somehow it is easier to condemn something with words when it escalates to violence, people being injured, properties being damaged etc rather than tackle the root causes, act for peace etc. Many churches here have come out with messages welcoming immigrants, saying what is happening is not in their name. I’m glad they are doing this but I’m wondering what more they could be doing.
Thanks B for this, I had not planned to write this piece at all but on Friday when I sat down to write, it felt important to try to describe my frustration. Even beyond what 'Christian' people are not offended by, I am also frustrated by what I am told I should be offended by like we are all the same.... there is a lot of cultural creep in Christanity...
I felt exactly the same this week reading an article about how we shouldn’t be using the “thumbs up” emoji any more as it’s considered passive aggressive, outdated and rude by Gen Z.
Really? Who decides these things?
I can see how it can be interpreted as offensive for cultural reasons in counties like Iran. I agree it’s often used as a quick (even lazy) response to communicate… we’ve all used it for those reasons at some point. But it’s hard enough getting some Gen Z (being mum to a teen) to communicate with words and talking face to face at best of times - they opt for photos , voice notes, abbreviations of normal words are the norm with them, as are emojis. All of which I find annoying (and at times also rude )passive aggressive so maybe the “outdated” generations should speak up and fight back lol 😂
The world is losing a grip on what’s right and what’s important. I agree.
We should be addressing the circumstance and not the pomp.
Well I didn’t know that about the thumbs up! I’m not too worried about offending Gen Z - what do they know! I’ve settled into being an embarrassment to my children. Sometimes they’ll send me messages on Instagram about something I’ve posted and just say cringe… I think the core thing is that we can’t all be offended by things because what offends each of us is different. Better to find the things we agree on and that matter….
I've loved watching the Daley Thompson documentary on iPlayer. He has a great story, has to deal with a lot to get where he did. Very heartwarming. Worth a watch:)
I didn't watch the Olympics opening ceremony, so don't know whether to be offended or not and won't be watching it to find out what I missed.
"Loving our neighbour does not mean inviting them to church, to join us where we are. It involves using some of our privilege to help them where they are. “And our hardest and holiest work is not to look away" There is the challenge for congregations - to go where you are needed with no agenda.
I actually think it’s no longer possible to watch the opening ceremony. I read that it has been removed from the official Olympics YouTube channel. I hear a lot about loving our neighbour and often it can just be words. I’d love to see more of what it looks like in action.
Thanks for this Deborah. I read it having felt confused about the responses to the week’s events. I understand why people are angry and I think it’s extremely important to be able to express an opinion, to stand up for the downtrodden and the suffering but positive actions and prayer must surely be the lynchpin of the Christian response. Thank you for challenging me to question my response.
Thank you for this Lesley. I think it has been confusing, different people telling us how we can respond. And yes, it is important to express an opinion. To be honest I am likely to look at this piece again and again and wonder if I got it right, how I could have better expressed an opinion, who I might offend. It is quite tricky!
Hi Deborah... I'm playing catch up again and love, love, love your boldness and transparency. As someone from an ethnic minority who's married into NI but often wrongly identified as an asylum seeker, refugee or economic migrant... the leaders of one particular church institution here has done more harm to my 'identity' than anyone else. So I can tell you that their words following the past week's devastation of racism are merely that... words! Their actions, while not resembling the destruction and damage caused by the riots, are violating all the same. Despite these actions of the elite minority within the church, my belief in Jesus is what enables me to engage with the reality that violation is not merely physical.
Seeking transparency and accountability from leaders is a gruelling task and not for the faint-hearted. So your solidarity in calling out what we understand of biblically loving our neighbour is gold. Knowing who Jesus is the foundation of knowledge and wisdom for how we live as his followers. The evidence of which is tangible in the culture of Christ that transcends all our differences and unites us the body of Jesus... for God's glory.
Thank you for this R. I totally agree with you re some of the statements being made just being words. It is almost like jumping on a trend and just saying the ‘right’ thing rather than living out what it means to Biblically love your neighbour. And yes knowing who Jesus is can and should transcend all cultures. It should never be about aligning to one culture’s version of what this looks like. Thanks for sharing so openly and honestly about your incredibly difficult experiences.
I so identify with this. So many people are caught up with the myth of their "culture" being taken away from them, even Christian churchgoers, that they are totally resistant to explanations as to why it isn't. For example, so many believe the myth that Muslim asylum seekers all get money and free housing and jobs that they deny the evidence of reality when it is put in front of them. Not only is it frustrating it's resulted in a very dangerous time for the West and the UK in particular.
Yes, it's really made me think about what exactly is Christianity and is it some sort of Western culture system that the church believes it has control over. I'm going to do some brushing up on the concept of Christendom. As you say, it is highly dangerous when people believe their culture is being taken away from them when it isn't.
I often think that many church leaders at parish level are reluctant to challenge the prevailing political narratives. I understand why- they're afraid for their families who live in the parish, they don't want to alienate or lose their congregations. Perhaps that's why the bishops and other denominational leaders have taken so much abuse recently. Do they think it is their responsibility to act as shock absorbers? But this compromising isn't exactly inspiring for those members of their congregations who want to do more and are even more vulnerable.
Yes there is definitely a reluctance to challenge particularly in the form of action. We have had a lot of racist violence in the last few days and the church leaders have come out with statements condemning it but somehow it is easier to condemn something with words when it escalates to violence, people being injured, properties being damaged etc rather than tackle the root causes, act for peace etc. Many churches here have come out with messages welcoming immigrants, saying what is happening is not in their name. I’m glad they are doing this but I’m wondering what more they could be doing.
Wow. I opened Substack tonight feeling quite desperate. I wanted to read something that was real, that might help me unspool this tension in my gut.
Thank you for writing this. The part about what ‘Christian’ people are not offended by put words to something very important.
I’ll be sitting with this for a while. Thanks x
Thanks B for this, I had not planned to write this piece at all but on Friday when I sat down to write, it felt important to try to describe my frustration. Even beyond what 'Christian' people are not offended by, I am also frustrated by what I am told I should be offended by like we are all the same.... there is a lot of cultural creep in Christanity...
Ain't that the truth!
Couldn’t agree more Deborah.
I felt exactly the same this week reading an article about how we shouldn’t be using the “thumbs up” emoji any more as it’s considered passive aggressive, outdated and rude by Gen Z.
Really? Who decides these things?
I can see how it can be interpreted as offensive for cultural reasons in counties like Iran. I agree it’s often used as a quick (even lazy) response to communicate… we’ve all used it for those reasons at some point. But it’s hard enough getting some Gen Z (being mum to a teen) to communicate with words and talking face to face at best of times - they opt for photos , voice notes, abbreviations of normal words are the norm with them, as are emojis. All of which I find annoying (and at times also rude )passive aggressive so maybe the “outdated” generations should speak up and fight back lol 😂
The world is losing a grip on what’s right and what’s important. I agree.
We should be addressing the circumstance and not the pomp.
Well I didn’t know that about the thumbs up! I’m not too worried about offending Gen Z - what do they know! I’ve settled into being an embarrassment to my children. Sometimes they’ll send me messages on Instagram about something I’ve posted and just say cringe… I think the core thing is that we can’t all be offended by things because what offends each of us is different. Better to find the things we agree on and that matter….
Great piece Deborah.
Thank you! I appreciate this. I hadn't even planned to write it - was meant to be writing something totally different!
I've loved watching the Daley Thompson documentary on iPlayer. He has a great story, has to deal with a lot to get where he did. Very heartwarming. Worth a watch:)
Thank you for this. I must have a watch. Story is very important.