Hypocrisy # end

The current furore surrounding Jimmy Savile and the sexual harassment issues regarding allegations of paedophilia whilst he was retained at the BBC is another example of our culture going through some realistic 'soul searching'. Whilst the issues of the abuse perpetrated by Jimmy Savile and possibly others retained within the BBC are in themselves diabolical, the process of examining the foundations of our institutions is in itself very healthy, mature and ultimately a significant healing process.

 

Parliamentary expenses; priests engaged in paedophilia; banking scandals; phone tapping within the media and the Leveson enquiry. All of these issues are not only recent, but are in themselves challenging and focussing our expectations on what is right and wrong within a mature democracy and what we expect from our institutions and citizens.

 

This is about our collective morality and the hypocrisy within our society which destroys the harmony of our agreed values.

 

It is human beings who govern the world. Now you and I may, or may not agree on who governs human beings, but it is the responsibility of us all to make our planet a better place. Human rights should be aligned with human responsibility. Jimmy Savile raised millions for charity whilst apparently abusing hundreds of children. He was without doubt a hypocrite.

 

He was not the person everybody thought he was.

 

Hypocrisy is in the human heart and by definition impacts on every sphere of life and is a challenge for us all. I am hypocritical and it is only my faith and thus my 'world view' which inspires me to 'work on my character defects' and try and be on the outside, what I am on the inside and vice versa. This inner journey of faith, in my experience, does eventually lead to real freedom as we ask God for His power to heal our characters.

 

Sometimes we are so 'nice in the church,' (and there is nothing wrong with being nice), but we often struggle to be honest about what is going on within the 'community of faith'. As somebody said, if you find a perfect church don't join it because you'll ruin it. The church is a community of which the great Catholic writer Henri Nouwen said "the Christian faith community are in themselves 'wounded healers'."

 

In the love of God, all I've got to give my fellow man is hope that there is healing and there is freedom in God. If my story and communication to others isn't honest then I am hypocritical. People respond well to honesty. They can smell its authenticity.

 

A good definition of hypocrisy is "...the state of promoting or administering virtues, morals or religious beliefs, principles etc. that one does not actually have or is also guilty of violating. Hypocrisy often involves the deception of others and thus can be considered as a kind of lie."

 

In Jimmy Savile's case that hypocrisy led to a life which was a lie, and which seriously abused people and damaged them. I believe Jimmy Savile has to give an account for his life and actions because justice demands it. Whatever the decisions of our judicial system regarding Savile, whatever the outcomes of the work done by those responsible for trying to right the wrongs done to people who were abused, I firmly believe that God will be perfect in His Judgements, and offers healing and hope to those who are hurting and in despair.

 

 

 

 

Running the Race # end

Last month I wrote about the Olympics and the Paralympics at a time when none of us knew just how fantastic the two weeks of the former would be for us as a nation. Looking back on the first couple of weeks in August who would have imagined we would have come third in the medals table beating everybody except the USA and China and then ending with the greatest accolade going to the 70,000 volunteers who gave of their time, energy and resource to make the Olympics a joy for all who attended and watched on TV.

 

Like life, it was a roller coaster event of major ups and downs with tears of joy and sadness. Hopes realised and hopes dashed. The men crying as much as the women and that was just the audience let alone the athletes themselves.

 

The perception of Team GB around the world was definitely enhanced, and who knows, perhaps it will even pay dividends in the future on the tourism front.

 

I for one was very grateful to Providence for the overall outcome.

 

I'm now looking forward to the Paralympics because in terms of inspiration, we should all take encouragement from our fellow citizens who have often overcome incredible odds just to maintain hope for life. I am very humbled by the courage I witness, from all the Paralympians including those of our armed forces that end up competing in the Games as well.

 

We can all play our role in the gift of encouraging each other.

 

I spoke to a friend of mine who is a lecturer at the University and we both remarked on the fact that the Olympics were a perfect launch pad for what some call the 'big society'. All the factors were there: Fantastic athletes; good planning; financial governance; excellent security; great coverage from the BBC and of course the heart and generosity of the volunteers and the goodwill of the nation.

 

What next? Well definitely a legacy of sport for the next generation. Somebody once said that you can judge the quality of a civilisation by how well they treat their children. All over the news a great story of helping the younger generation. The only other news to cloud the whole experience was the death of little twelve year old Tia Sharpe, possibly by an extended family member.

 

If we are to 'run our race' of life as the Apostle Paul said we need to understand, as any athlete understands, that it takes courage, commitment and perseverance to win the 'prize of life'. Giving our children hope is a great achievement for any parent. We also bring our children up in a 'little villages' with Dads, Moms, Aunts, Uncles, Brothers, Sisters and the all important Grandparents. If there is no accountability in the family village, then it is hard for real accountability and protection of our children to be realised. As good as the social services are, they don't live with families 24/7.

 

The athletes all thanked their families for the support they had received. This was almost their first response when asked about winning a medal. Thanks to family and friends for the support without which I would not have made it. Winning the race is tough enough, that's why we have to do it together.

A Tale of Two Stories # end

                                       

 

In the classic Dickens novel 'Tale of two Cities' the opening lines grab the attention of the reader with "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light."

 

Two stories a couple of months ago attracted my attention, because they seem to illustrate Dickens' words:

 

Earlier this year Fabrice Muamba, a professional footballer and devout Christian, collapsed on the field and his heart stopped for 78 minutes. The football community and national press called for prayer. The miracle was that he recovered without any brain damage. Life coming out of death and resurrection are at the cornerstone of the Christian faith. For those who want to see with their spiritual eyes, is this a sign of what God will do in our generation as He has done throughout our history? I believe there are some very positive 'signs' of life within our Christian community.

 

Shane Jenkins watched a horror movie the night before subjected his girl friend Tina Nash to a horrific assault of domestic abuse by gouging out her eyes in April 2011. The courage of Tina was obvious to all and she said "You've only got one life and I'm not going to let him (Jenkins) ruin it." This event shocked all of us by its evil intent.

 

Regarding these two stories, Jesus Christ, Himself says in John 10 verse 10 "the thief has come only to steal, and kill and destroy, I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." The Bible teaches us that before Jesus came to establish what we understand as religion, He came primarily to set individuals free from the enslaving power of negativity and spiritual destruction.

 

People often talk to me about God and these discussions are the 'stuff of life'. Often the discussions relate to the nature of God and the part we play in the theatre of life. The first thing I share and submit is that the theatre of life involves God, us and 'powers and principalities'. 

 

I believe in life after (and before) death and I believe that I can only understand the true love of God and my fellow man with 'free will'. I am not a robot. To exercise free will I must make right choices. There are consequences of actions. All of us are going to face challenging times in this life as the Bible states, but God is the 'power' who carries us through these times. Tina Nash has chosen not to allow this horrendous event to rob her any more and Fabrice is just thankful to be alive. What a testimony he has!!!

 

Yes these are the best of times and the worst of times, but, personally, I trust that my understanding of time and my journey of life will result in eternal life as I put my faith in Jesus Christ (to 'cling to, rely on, trust in Him' as the Amplified Bible puts it).