Justice

Also from a very very old Greenbelt blog post and has been a little reworked.

The question of justice is a perplexing one. We’re born. We die. We object to major injustices- poverty, slavery etc but every day we allow little injustices. We allow inequality of genders; we allow homophobia to breed and walk by the homeless. In some spheres the rules of the game of life are unfairly weighted in one group’s favour- some would argue that politics are to blame. When politics goes wrong it has the potential to produce more than just bad government- it can be a living nightmare. (We’ve seen that proved throughout the 20th and the start of the 21st centuries)

It makes me angry that there are all kinds of injustices around the world. It’s easy to take a stand on an injustice if there’s no risk involved; no sacrifice. It’s easy to give a pound to someone who’s homeless but keep a few quid so you can buy a bagel and a coffee on the way home. My anger becomes energy; it’s a force for change. There are things for which an uncompromising stand is worth. These injustices motivate us to do something, to take risks, knowing if we don’t, things will remain the same.

The Arts

Something I wrote elsewhere which I’ve had another crack at…

I grew up in an independent evangelical church house plant (got that?) Christians who “dabbled” in the arts were sometimes seen in a similar light to those who “dabbled” in other dark recesses. It was only ok as long as you used your art for “Holy Purposes”. Theatre must be bible stories. Nothing could be in and of or for itself.

Example.

In Charles Sheldon’s “In his steps”, that book spawned a squillion WWJD bands, the only acceptable use for an opera singers’ voice is to give up her place on tour, stay and sing for a local mission. All very acceptable.

If it were me who were to approach writing that story now I’d have the opera singer head off to do a world tour of “La Boheme”, see how she lives an authentic Christian spirituality on the road (whatever THAT means) , how she stays connected with her spiritual centre when the location she finds herself in changes week by week.

And if I were to really have a go at writing it, well, it’d end up being a Spiritual “Bridget Jones” “Rent” fusion- lots of wild parties, fabulous people wearing fabulous clothes and shoes and gossip but at its centre is our beautiful Red headed singer seeking a way to authentically express her spirituality.