{"id":236,"date":"2016-08-15T00:09:03","date_gmt":"2016-08-14T23:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/?p=236"},"modified":"2016-08-15T00:13:32","modified_gmt":"2016-08-14T23:13:32","slug":"the-resistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/?p=236","title":{"rendered":"The Resistance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"11058924<\/a><\/p>\n

Sermon #18 (7th August 2016\u00a0at Essex Church \/ Kensington Unitarians)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes \u2013 quite often, if I\u2019m honest \u2013 I feel a sense of despair about the state of the world. If we look at the big picture of world events then there often seem to be plenty of reasons to feel like we\u2019re a bit beyond hope as a species\u2026 collectively incapable of making wise choices\u2026\u00a0and we might well take the rest of the planet down with us in a catastrophic blow-out when we go.<\/p>\n

In many ways, here in Britain, over the course of my lifetime at least, we have been largely shielded from the very worst of the chaos. At the moment, there is not war playing out on our doorsteps, and the effects of climate change are as yet not sweeping our homes away, not here in London anyway… but\u00a0political upheaval is having an impact, ever closer to home, or so it seems to me. Policies which serve to concentrate wealth in the hands of the few are ever-more-the-norm\u00a0and those basic rights which had seemed sacrosanct for so long in this country \u2013 the welfare state, free education, social housing, the NHS \u2013 are being whittled away, one by one. \u00a0The gulf between the haves and have-nots seems to get greater by the year\u00a0and there is a scary tendency to scapegoat those in genuine need as \u2018scroungers\u2019 to justify the starvation of funds to vital public services and to stir up disregard for the common good.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Those of us who stand up to preach are generally discouraged from talking about politics. In general it\u2019s quite a sensible policy. In this room there is undoubtedly a spectrum of opinion (though perhaps we might say there tends to be a general leaning on those issues I\u2019ve just mentioned\u2026).\u00a0It is quite understandable that we feel squeamish about prodding at potentially divisive issues… but, I would say, squaring up to injustice is a central, essential, aspect of being religious, in any meaningful sense. It\u2019s a significant historical strand of all the major faith traditions. If we think back to the heroes and heroines of the past, they were often awkward so-and-sos.\u00a0They saw injustice in their time, and spoke prophetically of it, and made a nuisance of themselves. As we heard in the reading from John Cobb earlier, in times like these, \u2018we are called to resist\u2019.<\/p>\n

In a book called \u2018Resist! Christian Dissent for the 21st Century\u2019 Michael G. Long writes:<\/p>\n

“Make no mistake about it: Christianity is resistance, its character indelibly marked by opposition to political powers that undermine the biblical values of peace and liberation. Christianity is also resistance to economic powers that show contempt for the justice of God\u2026 The prophets focused their sights on the evils of economic injustice\u2026 they directed rage-filled words against the unjust accumulation of land and wealth… [to be direct,] Christianity is resistance to economic forces that create cycles of poverty which leave people without access to the material goods they need to survive and flourish.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Those words from Michael G. Long are framed for a mainstream Christian audience, but our Unitarian tradition stems from the same heritage and we share those values, don\u2019t we?\u00a0We would want to stand for justice, peace, liberation. What might that look like in practice, today? There are, of course, of all sorts of approaches we can take to resisting injustice. I\u2019m going to highlight three broad strands where we might focus our efforts.\u00a0For short, I\u2019ll call them \u2018truth-seeking\u2019, \u2018bridge-building\u2019, and \u2018embodying an alternative\u2019.<\/p>\n

1. Truth-Seeking: You can think of this in a number of different ways. An inner truth-seeking, an outer truth-seeking, and a cosmic truth-seeking, for starters, though they\u2019re all connected. There\u2019s something to be said for attending to our own inner reality, working on our own \u2018stuff\u2019, our own values and virtues, and really knowing ourselves in all our varied shades. This sort of honest self-knowledge is the foundation of understanding and compassion for others which, I would say, is the foundation for seeking justice, peace, and liberation for all.\u00a0And there\u2019s a lot to be said for seeking the bigger truths, the meaning and purpose, at a cosmic level, which is probably what a lot of us are doing here on a Sunday morning. But at more mundane level, thinking about the state of the world and our current political situation, truth-seeking might just amount to critical thinking, taking nothing at face value, being aware of the vested interests and distortion that are widespread in the mass media. Both the recent EU referendum campaigning and, in the states, Donald Trump\u2019s presidential bid may be said to characterise \u2018post-truth-politics\u2019. Mischief, propaganda, and outright lies abound and there seem to be no consequences for those who peddle such rot. But, in the end, there will be grim consequences for all of us \u2013 individuals and communities \u2013 who are taken in by it. So one major strand of resistance is what I\u2019d call \u2018truth-seeking\u2019 in its many and varied forms.<\/p>\n

2. Bridge-Building: Each of us needs to cultivate relationships with people who are not like us. Try to mix with people of different backgrounds, different ages, different life experiences, and \u2013 this is the one that I find most challenging \u2013 different political viewpoints. It\u2019ll do us all good. Speak your truth, and listen to theirs, with an aim of mutual understanding. It\u2019s not easy. I\u2019m not especially talking about going to interfaith meetings or joining neighbourhood committees (though both those things are laudable). I\u2019m mainly talking about making personal connections. There\u2019s a bit of a tendency \u2013 especially for those of us who use social media \u2013 to end up in echo-chambers where we are surrounded by people like us who hold more-or-less similar opinions. If we think we\u2019ve got some truths to share then we need to reach out beyond our own cliques. Speaking up and challenging other people\u2019s (friends\u2019) opinions about issues that are important… that\u2019s hard but necessary work. It\u2019s so tempting just to keep our mouths shut for a quiet life. And undoubtedly we\u2019ve got stuff to learn from people whose lives are significantly different.<\/p>\n

3. Embodying an Alternative: As John Cobb said: \u2018we hold up the picture of an alternative\u2026 it is important that people know that the self-destructive world in which we now live is not the only possible one. Together with [others who share these values] we must proclaim that \u2018another world is possible\u2019 and then make this possibility visible.\u2019<\/em> And I say that involves speaking up for those values and living by them for all to see. Doing our best, as the flawed and fabulous humans that we are, as the peculiar and promising community that we are, to embody those ideals of justice, peace, liberation. There is some great work being done by religious progressives in the states on this front. You may have heard about the \u2018Moral Mondays\u2019 protests which started in North Carolina. A broad coalition of religious voices have joined together to stand up against injustice. Their stated aim is to \u2018redefine morality in American politics and challenge leaders of faith and moral courage to be more vocally opposed to harmful policies that disproportionately impact the poor, people who are ill, children, immigrants, communities of colour, and religious minorities\u2026 [and to] rise above hatred, fear, and left \/ right politics, in order to reach the highest values of love and justice.’ They also affirm rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and they also speak up for reproductive health rights. I imagine it was no mean feat pulling together something that they could all sign up to.\u00a0Wouldn\u2019t it be amazing if progressive religious types over here could do something like that? I\u2019d love to be part of such a thing \u2013 speaking prophetically against injustice in all its forms from a progressive religious standpoint instead of being timid \u2013 it\u2019s what we are called to do. Sometimes people argue that religious groups should stay out of politics and remain neutral but I recall the words of the historian and activist Howard Zinn who said:<\/p>\n

\u2018It is impossible to be neutral. In a world already moving in certain directions, where wealth and power are already distributed in certain ways, neutrality means accepting the way things are now. It is a world of clashing interests \u2013 war against peace, nationalism against internationalism, equality against greed, and democracy against elitism \u2013 and it seems to me both impossible and undesirable to be neutral in those conflicts.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

On all of these fronts, there\u2019s a limit to what any one person \u2013 or small community \u2013 can do.\u00a0And it\u2019s easy to feel personally or collectively overwhelmed (especially in moments of crisis). There\u2019s a balance to be struck. Each one of us will need to step back from time-to-time. The world needs each one of us to do what we can \u2013 and not to disengage altogether \u2013 but at the same time we need to practice self-care if not self-preservation. It\u2019s a balancing act. Even if our circles of influence \u2013 those people, communities, and causes we can have a noticeable influence on \u2013 are much smaller than our circles of concern \u2013 there is nearly always something positive and outward-looking we can do. There are some well-known words from Edward Everett Hale, a 19th century Unitarian minister, which come to mind:<\/p>\n

\u2018I am only one, but still I am one.<\/em>
\nI cannot do everything, but still I can do something;<\/em>
\nAnd because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

So let us do whatever we can to resist injustice in all its forms \u2013 to seek truth, build bridges, and embody an alternative way of living \u2013 standing up for justice, peace, liberation, and showing loving-kindness to the world.<\/p>\n

I want to end with some words of encouragement from Howard Zinn:<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places\u2014and there are so many\u2014where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don\u2019t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvellous victory.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Amen<\/p>\n

Sermon by Jane Blackall<\/strong><\/p>\n

An audio recording of this sermon is available:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\nhttp:\/\/www.kensington-unitarians.org.uk\/pod2011\/KU_jane.blackall_sermon_07.08.16.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sermon #18 (7th August 2016\u00a0at Essex Church \/ Kensington Unitarians)\u00a0 Sometimes \u2013 quite often, if I\u2019m honest \u2013 I feel a sense of despair about the state of the world. If we look at the big picture of world events<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=236"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":240,"href":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236\/revisions\/240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}