The Church and the occupiers

The occupy London encampment next to St Paul’s cathedral has brought some difficult issues into sharp relief for the Church of England. Those who will be familiar with how churches operate will not be surprised to note that events have overtaken both the hierarchy of the church and the management of the Cathedral. Two have resigned from the chapter,  the governing body of the Cathedral  and it is clear it has raised big questions for the COE.

To be fair, the church recognises its failings and faults which is helpful, but more worryingly is the deep indecision it has shown, on for what was for many was more of an ethical than a legal issue. Where should exactly the church stand in relation to inequalities promoted by capitalism. This it seems was further muddied by the fact that St Pauls comes under the jurisdiction of The City of London Corporation; a democratic oddity that has at its heart much of the big business that the protesters are opposed to.

At first under the somewhat hesitant leadership of the Bishop of London Dr Richard Chartres, it appeared that legal methods were to be employed which may well have ended in violence and a forced eviction. However now that is on hold, and there is a desire to engage in the issues and come to a consensus without resorting to such methods. It seems The COE is at last catching up with events and holding on to a principal of dialogue and understanding. The surprising thing for me is how the Corporation of London are pausing too.

At last the Archbishop of Canterbury has said something meaningful other than expressing regret for the resignations from the chapter. Writing in today’s Financial Times he recognises the church has become a unwitting lightening conductor for peoples unease at the financial sector.

All this is encouraging, but the Corporation has paused its plans for eviction not shelved them. It remains to be seen if they are set on a collision course with the church. St Pauls is as part of the establishment as is the stock exchange, but are we now seeing some real energy in the church wanting to play a transformative role in the country. The one sadness is that it has been through the hands of the occupiers that has forced the church to examine its own stand on such issues not through any real discomfort of its own thinking.

My own denomination, the Church of Scotland, remains deadlocked on the debate of homosexuality amongst its leaders. This of course chimes in with the Scottish Government considering changes to the law to allow same sex marriages.

Minsters forum the unofficial organ and place to rant for ministers has been dominated for many months by this debate. For me, it is sign that as the world turns and we are confronted with difficult ethical debates like the COE are engaging in, the COS would rather get bogged down in this. I do not attempt to diminish the importance or passions on both sides, but I can’t help wondering as the economy struggles, the world starves and our communities suffer if we are out of touch? Maybe we need something like what is happening at St Pauls? In the Bible God would often use a foreign nation to teach the Hebrews something about him and his will. Maybe the Occupy London camp is the modern day equivalent. Will we in Scotland too need something to confront the church to make a stand on something that affects our nation?

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