The tents were empty...
The banker's are crooks....
Of course neither of these is completely true, though doubtless there is truth in both.
What prompts me to write now is a deep sadness at the resignation of two fine clergy, Giles Fraser and Graeme Knowles.
Why is resignation always seen as the answer? Politicians are hounded out of office, others go for sake of conscience. May be our culture of leadership would be more healthy if people were encouraged to say "OK I got it wrong, lets work together to put things back together..."
There are several advantages of this approach: It acknowledges on the part of the leader that s/he is a frail person who does not always get things right. This is surely at the heart of Christian ministry and I am reminded of the words of Robin Greenwood:
The quality of the relation between priest and people may be expressed as an unwritten mandate. The priest, in a spirit of vulnerability, is saying: ‘Although I believe I have been called simultaneously by you, the bishop and God, to be your parish priest, please never forget that I am also, like you, a baptised member of this congregation.’ On their part, it is as though the people were saying, in a spirit of openness: ‘Yes, we are glad to hear you acknowledge that at heart you are one of us by baptism, but we ask you, for as long as it seems right from both sides, to be president of this local community in a spirit of persuasive and courteous leadership.Another consequence of resignation as solution is that it causes another problem, the loss of the knowledge of the situation, which will be vital in repairing the damage that has been caused. Giles and Graeme will leave massive holes in St Paul's and not just for the size of their personalities.
So, lets not see resignation as the solution but rather work through difficulties to a lasting, healthy solution.
2 comments:
Perhaps a little mealy-mouthed, Mark: What is your take on the underlying issues? But I certainly think that the C of E establishment should say, "OK I got it wrong" -- although that's not exactly what you suggest!
Ben
It may be mealy-mouthed but I still think it represents the right way forward and it seems, so do the Chapter of St Paul's.
I am delighted that they have called off the baillifs but remain saddened that 2 ver capable clergy have had to resign before it happened.
Now we need a coming together of protestor and banker to seek reconciliation, I believe the church could be well placed to mediate, but only after admitting that it got things wrong.
This blog by a former tutor of mine might interest you http://christianitycontemporarypolitics.blogspot.com/2011/10/real-battle-of-st-paul-cathedral-occupy.html?spref=tw
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