The Power of Words

At the beginning of January, the Archbishop of Canterbury led a pilgrimage to Auschwitz. Reflecting on the unimaginable horror of all that happened there, he commented that the genocide that took place began long before Auschwitz opened. It began in the language used by the Nazi regime which, in reshaping attitudes, made the death camps possible because they had become thinkable. Genocide does not begin with killing it begins with words.

So one of the many warnings from Auschwitz is that leaders, whether in church, state, academy, the media or community, help define the boundaries of the ‘acceptable’ in how they use language or fail to use it. That lesson needs to be learned in every age. Intentionally or not, our use of language shapes the wider culture. One of the most disturbing features of our own times is that much of the political discourse on both sides of the Atlantic, and on different sides of current controversies, is so often characterised by aggression and vilification. It demeans those who speak it and it demeans those who are spoken against.

In short, we should not underestimate the power of words to set free or to bind, to unite or divide, to reveal truth or obscure truth. In the Hebrew scriptures God speaks in order to create: “God said ‘let there be…’”. In the Gospels Jesus frequently uses words to heal, free, reconcile and forgive: ‘My daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace’; ‘Lazarus, come out’; ‘Father, forgive them’.

In an age of ‘alternative facts’, when social media makes words cheap, we must play our part in cherishing the careful use of language, so that our words build up our common humanity as children of God, rather than obscure it.

By the Revd Canon Dr Andrew Braddock, Head of Mission and Ministry

Facing our Responsibilities

The ‘migrant crisis’ continues to dominate the headlines. The Prime Minister has argued that ‘bringing peace and stability’ to Syria and the region needs to be the focus for the UK’s efforts. Working towards this is surely right, but it doesn’t answer the pressing needs of those seeking asylum now.

United Nations figures show that the UK receives far fewer asylum applications than many other countries. In 2014 the UK received less than 40,000, compared to over 70,000 for Sweden, over 80,000 for Turkey and well over 150,000 for Germany. Crucially, the biggest driver for migration continues to be conflict, notably in Syria and Afghanistan.

In recent years, the government has spent £900m on aid in Syria and the region, while almost 5,000 Syrians have been granted asylum here in the last four years. This is to be welcomed. But we need to recognise our on-going responsibility in responding to this very human crisis for two reasons. First, a humanitarian concern for those risking so much to seek a new start. Talk of the ‘migrant crisis’ can put the blame on those seeking asylum and turn attention away from the desperate situations faced by those seeking a new life. Secondly, much of the current instability is, in no small part, the result of policies actively pursued by the UK and its allies. We need to have the moral courage not to walk away from the consequences of our own actions and, accepting our part in the creation of the current crisis, play a full part in responding to it.

The Revd Canon Dr Andrew Braddock, Director of the Department of Mission and Ministry and Canon Residentiary, Gloucester Cathedral

Must religion be bad news?

Must religion be bad news? So much of the news agenda for 2014 was dominated by acts of terrorism and  aggression which were linked with religious extremism, the advancement of Islamic State being the most obvious. Closer to home, there has been continued controversy about the place of faith in education, especially after the so called ‘Trojan Horse’ affair in Birmingham schools. There can be no doubt that a toxic combination of religious and political beliefs, often combined with local instability and the weakness of legitimate governance, lies behind many of the conflicts in today’s world.

But how to defeat such extremism? The Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking in the House of Lord’s debate on Syria and the possibility of British intervention, made the telling point that what we are witnessing in the Middle East and elsewhere is not simply a military conflict, but an ideological one. The radical views of groups like Islamic State cannot be stopped by forces of arms alone. There is a need to engage in the battle of ideas and for people of faith and goodwill to present a different vision for how religion can be good news and not a cover for inhuman aggression.

At the start of the New Year the church celebrates Epiphany – the visit of the magi to the infant Jesus. In the story Herod, and his plot to murder Jesus, plays out the bloody combination of politics and religion that leads to the death of the innocent. It is an ancient story whose contemporary resonance is all too real. By contrast, Jesus and his family are shown receiving the gifts that the strangers from the east have to offer as they in turn welcome the magi into their Bethlehem home.

In this giving and receiving of the spiritual and material gifts, people of faith have to offer each other we can begin to see another way for different religious communities to relate to each other. It is a better vision to live by, and it might just help us see that religion can also be good news when it inspires generosity and hospitality rather than suspicion and fear.

The Revd Canon Dr Andrew Braddock, Director of the Department of Mission and Ministry and Canon Residentiary, Gloucester Cathedral

European Elections: Indifferent or Engaged?

During the last few weeks I’ve been involved in trying to set up hustings for the European Elections. The political parties that we’ve spoken to have been hugely grateful that someone is taking an interest in the elections: at the grass roots such interest is generally pretty minimal.

Why is this? Some will say it’s because people are rather cynical about politicians or that European politics doesn’t seem immediate enough to raise interest. Others will say that it’s a failure on the part of politicians and the media to properly engage us with political debate. Others again might argue that indifference to the elections reflects a belief that it is large multi-national companies and financial bodies that now have far more influence over the way we live than anything that happens in national or European parliaments.

Yet I believe that the European elections do matter. They matter, because, like or not, politics still matters. Our elected representatives and governments still wield power and influence over our daily lives. The laws they frame, for good or ill, shape our society. If we want to influence that, we need to vote and our politicians need to know they have an engaged electorate who is watching what they do. We also need our politicians to feel they have a strong mandate from their voters to hold government to account, while themselves being accountable to us. In so many parts of the world people are making huge sacrifices in order to have the right to vote. Let’s be engaged and not indifferent to the political process.

The Revd Canon Andrew Braddock, Director of the Dept of Mission and Ministry