Hope for our nation?

From Nation to Market States – the loss of a moral community

Recent elections in the western world have highlighted something of a crisis of the liberal democratic relationships between state and society. Many have suggested that we are living in a period when the basic assumptions about the role of the state and how it works are shifting. The vision of the Nation State came to dominate Europe and North America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It assumed that government is trustworthy or legitimate because it promises to this particular coherent nation – both a piece of territory and a fairly homogeneous community – effective defence against outside attack and a high degree of internal stability. The internal stability was based on a firm directive hand in the economy and a safety net of public welfare provision. Those who governed the state were seen as guaranteeing the objective good of the community, including the moral welfare of its constituents; and its success in managing all this was the obvious foundation for its claim for civil obedience.

Liberal education was the means by which the society was prepared to part by complying with the norms set by the State. In the late twentieth century, the cracks in the structure became increasingly visible. Traditional ideas of defending territory and citizens became increasingly nonsensical as intercontinental missile technology designed to carry weapons of mass destruction and, conversely, fundamentalist groups willing to undertake suicide missions in public places overtook traditional means of prosecuting war. More strategic means and perhaps above all deterrent counter threats are relied on when things look menacing.

Economically, capital can increasingly be moved around the world where the markets please, ignoring frontier controls. These are market economies and nation state governments cannot protect national economies in the way they used to, and therefore they cannot guarantee employment in the ways they once could, rather they have continually to negotiate favourable deals with fickle and mobile investors.

Yet these unstable employment patterns generate more and more unmanageable welfare levels. And at the same time people’s expectations about the level and quality of public service and support are higher than ever and are kept high by the prevailing culture of consumer power. Such aspirations towards more consumer power are fed by the carrier of culture that is mass communication. The incentives to push for equality of access both to consumer goods and to certain kinds of civil liberties are powerful as never before.

It is inevitably beyond the nation state to meet the expectations of a consumerist society in this rapidly changing context, and this has led to a change in the way the state operates, it has become a late-modernist market state. In this new political mode, the function of the government is to create an environment in which individuals or groups can carry out their own negotiating to secure the best outcome for them by agreeing the best deal or pursuing what they want. Foucault distinguishes the governmentality of the modern state from sovereignty by noting that the former has no interest in disposing things to lead to the common good, but rather the role of government is “to ensure that the greatest possible quantity of wealth is produced, that the people are provided with sufficient means of subsistence, that the population is enabled to multiply, etc.” And this involves deregulation and the withdrawal of the state from many of those areas where it used to bring some kind of moral pressure to bear. Government is therefore free to encourage enterprise but not to protect against risk; it is certainly not free as once it was to propose a common social policy as the constituency is made up of such diverse and vocal minorities. That together with successive politicians trying to draw a distinction between their private morality and a public morality means that there is, not surprisingly, much in the way of coherent moral policy.

In the market state the individual is left to make the best decisions for themselves. This is all well and good in the short term where direct benefit can be calculated. But what of decisions about matters that may affect them in the distant future or may not directly affect them at all? Evidence from both government and financial institutions suggests that, for instance, retirement pension provision for many in the United Kingdom is far from adequate because neither state nor the individual has taken responsibility for that longer-term provision. Nor have adequate resources been invested in the prison and probation services to address the high re-offending rate and the vast expense of the increasing prison population. Neither of these matters is sufficiently popular to attract the action of a reactive government. In this context, political conflict is likely to be about shifting patterns of advantage rather than major ideological concerns. The state acting as guarantor of personal choice raises short-term expectations and invites instability through a reactive administration ruled by opinion poll and pressure groups. ‘Policy’ becomes a series of disconnected decisions divorced from history or tradition or an overarching or underlying ideology.

One danger in this is that to facilitate some of its goals and avoid chaos, government is likely to rely increasingly on centralised managerial authority. And whilst seeking to respond adequately to consumer demand, the paralysis this inevitably causes is overcome only by flexing the muscles of its executive authority. Ultimately government and culture drift apart, and government abandons the attempt to give moral shape to society. It is a model that has nothing to say about shared humanity and the tough investment needed to create and maintain a shared world of values.

Yet one has to ask how any society can hold together against the forces of disruption without some commonly accepted beliefs about what is right and good and true, and therefore, without some commonly understood and broadly supported sanctions against deviations which threaten to destroy society? The evidence appears to point all too clearly towards a conclusion that the liberal, secular democratic state is in grave trouble. Newbigin insightfully stated as early as 1989 that: The attacks on it from powerful new religious fanaticisms are possible only because its own internal weaknesses have become so clear… The truth of this has only been underlined in the early years of the twenty-first century, and the world holds its breath to see if it is equipped to overcome this challenge or further disintegrate giving even greater scope for a new world order.

If we follow this analysis of issues facing western democracies and the evaluation of the zeitgeist which gives rise to them, how can we move towards making a difference to the way society operates in a way that is consistent and coherent with Christianity?

2013 Women in our World.

Tradition, culture, political will, education and religious belief, all influence the place afforded women in our societies. Whilst countries in the Western world have seen considerable change for the better in the last century, women in many countries are still significantly disadvantaged. In Burkina Faso the literacy rate for girls is half that of boys. That is not because of ability, but because boys receive preference in schooling. The UN Development Program Report ranks Burkina Faso as the country with the lowest level of literacy in the world. Whilst this has improved in the last decade, female literacy is still around 12%, compared to over 25% for boys. But disadvantage has a more tragic consequence. There is an African saying: ‘A PREGNANT WOMAN HAS A FOOT IN THE GRAVE AND A FOOT ON THE EARTH’ Maternal Mortality is high at 484 deaths per 100,000 lives births in Burkina Faso Every year, more than 2,000 women die there from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Most of these deaths could have been prevented. Several structural factors continue to prevent women from enjoying their right to health care that is available, accessible, acceptable and of good quality. Availability of care is undermined by a lack of adequate health facilities as well as shortages in medical supplies and personnel. Accessibility is hampered both by geographical and financial barriers and by women’s lack of information and decision-making power. Acceptability of care is compromised by the disrespectful or even cruel attitudes and conduct of some medical personnel. Quality of care is often inadequate, with medical staff not properly monitored or held accountable, and poor pay and conditions for staff. In Nepal a similar picture exists. Nepal is also one of the poorest countries in the world, and although men too face enormous difficulties, particularly those from the so-called ‘lower’ castes, women and girls are doubly disadvantaged because of the added burden of living in a deeply patriarchal society. In Nepal, society, institutions and communities continue to impede local women's ability to enjoy public life and limit their ability to negotiate their position according to their own interests and needs. International Needs in Nepal seeks to educate women and help them to build livelihoods as well as reclaim control over their bodies, their families and the right to choose and exercise their faith. At our vocational training centre in Kathmandu, we provide a safe and secure environment for women to come from all over Nepal and recover from any trauma of their recent lives, receive loving pastoral care and biblical teaching from the staff and local pastors, receive nutritious food (sometimes for the first time in their lives) are giving vocational training, most often in sewing and tailoring, educated in female and maternal health and hygiene, and are given a sewing machine to start their own business upon graduation. Here we meet not only our Gospel mandate but also Millennium Development Goals, namely • Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women; • Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health; • and Goal 8: in developing a global partnership for development. We have also made a bold statement in our leadership of our work – we have appointed a woman. In Burkina Faso we are also seeking to achieve these Millenium Development Goals: • Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women • Goal 4: Reduce child mortality rates • Goal 5: Improve maternal health • Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases • Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development We are seeking to do this through the Good News Secondary School we have establishes, which now sees over 400 pupils attending, the majority of them girls. This is all the more remarkable as this is a majority Muslim area where girls have traditionally been kept at home to carry out domestic duties. To compliment and build upon this success we have recently opened a community medical centre next to the school site. Here, as well as providing general primary medical care for the whole community surrounding the school, our medical practitioners are developing a women’s health centre of excellence. The weeks following the opening of the centre we saw hundreds of women queuing for screening. A large proportion of these were again Muslim. We are keen to provide good quality and widely accessible ante-natal and post-natal care to these women, who would otherwise receive very little, if any medical care surrounding pregnancy and child birth. To this end we have just managed to procure an Ultrasound device that our lead medical officer in Bobo had requested. This device will not only help in maternal care but will bring income from patients who can afford to pay for their screening and treatment. This is will help our partners bring sustainability to their work. In the developing world, many women are still disadvantaged. We want to make a world of difference to their life opportunities and this year wish to highlight their plight and provide means of alleviating their suffering, giving them hope and future in a holistic way.

Churches at the heart of mission?

I have a new blog reflecting on mission at: Internationalneeds.blogspot.co.uk Here is a taster: Churches - at the heart of mission? Today we know more about the world than ever before. World issues are presented to us every day. Children do projects on world issues at school, Fair Trade products are in the news and on our supermarket shelves, our televisions, radios and newspapers ‘show and tell’ to a degree that we can know more about far flung places and its people than we do about our neighbours. With this understanding and public interest, why then is world mission support and engagement in decline in our churches in the UK? The reasons are legion and complex. The world is in a time of unprecedented and rapid change and so is the church – which is popularly renowned for its reluctance to accommodate change. What future is there for Christian mission to a staggering array of cultures and subculture in this fast changing world? I would propose that we look to build an understanding, and therefore a platform for action to reverse this trend, based on two foundations: Firstly, the Church needs to relate to the whole world biblically. Our church culture on world mission is linked to a recognition, but little understanding of, the Great Commission: And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (NRSV) This is most commonly understood as Jesus’ final command (which it is) but less often in the context of it being a culmination of the whole revelation of a great rescue plan for human beings and our world, based on the character of God. This is God’s world, He made it and cares for it. We are to care for it too as God’s stewards and we need to communicate the message of rescue and restoration to people everywhere. Even Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, set his own mission in this context: to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. It is the character of the God we love that should motivate us to reach out in love to our world. It is playing our part in His mission to the whole world. Secondly, there is a need for some organisation reordering! This is not, I hope, shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic, but effectively organising ourselves to enable more Christians engage in God’s mission to the world. We have seen a transition from missionary societies to mission agencies over the last twenty years or so. This has facilitated people supporting particular projects rather the all embracing missionary society and has seen mission become task-orientated rather than mission family orientated where you became part of a close spiritual family – for life. This has had its pros and cons but I will not rehearse them here, as we are moving towards a new model for mission, one of world consultancies. Looking ahead to the next twenty years I suspect churches will look for partners to help them develop and deliver their response to a world in need; churches will look for partners to help them fulfil their world mission mandate. This will be a more service-orientated approach.

Prayer - a real mystery?

"And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." (Luke 18:1 ESV) So, we are to be persistent in prayer. But are we in danger of simply trying to manipulate God into doing what we think should be done? Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways are not always (or even often) our ways (Isaiah 55:8). Many of us at International Needs had been praying in recent months that Pastor Joshua from Kenya would receive his visa and be able to join us in the UK for two weeks of deputation visits to various churches and supporters’ groups. His visa was refused. Was our praying without purpose or effect? I don’t think so. In some mysterious way I believe the greater purposes of God have been served. In this and in many other ways my experience is that prayer benefits others – those we pray for. God heals, brings new life, gives courage, guides and brings unity. But most of all God brings hope where there is otherwise despair. Prayer also benefits us as we pray. When we pray for others something happens to us too. The more we pray, the more we begin to glean what God’s heart is for those we pray for – we better understand how God is moving in the situation, our prayers become more focussed and effective and we move closer to the Father heart of God. In another mysterious way, our motives and actions change. For Pastor Joshua – we have stood with him and some of us have told his story to others, perhaps understanding it is a deeper way because of the situation. May you know the God’s transformative blessing as you pray.

Addressing Injustice

According to Rowan Williams, the cry 'Abba, Father' is not just a calm acknowledgment of God's abstract fatherhood, it is the cry of outrage, rather like a child awaking from a nightmare and calling for parental intervention; It is the cry of outrage in the face of world where injustice is commonplace. Having started working this week for International Needs - a Christian development charity - confronting injustice and empowering some of the poorest people in the world to find new hope and opportunity, is the urgent, exciting and challenging work that God has laid at my door. But it is also something that we can all play a part in, whether great or small.
Psalm 37:5-6 says:
'Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.'

Whether is it sponsoring the education of a child who would otherwise have no opportunity to be equipped to climb out of poverty, or to go a visit and help first hand on one our trips, we all can make a difference. Why not visit www.ineeds.co.uk or contact me.

(International Needs is a worldwide Christian mission and development agency, that seeks to connect people around the world and bring lasting transformation to areas of great need.)

Talk about changing world...

So much has happened and is happening in our world this year and its only April! The pace of change in so many realms is head-spinning. The temptation may be to stick that spinning head into the sand and pretend everything goes on as normal. But instead should we not do as Karl Barth suggested - 'take your Bible and your newspaper, and read both'.
Perhaps reading our newspapers would lead us to despair, as news of the tragic murder of Pakistan's Minorities minister hits us, a tragedy for all who cherish religious freedom; as we see images and hear stories of unrest and uprisings in Egypt, Bahrain and Libya, Syria, Yemen and Ethiopia with all its associated violence. Then we have seen earthquakes in Christchurch, NZ and NE Japan, with all the devastation that followed them. But we should not give in to that. Barth went on to say that for the Christian, our interpretation of the news should always be fuelled by our understanding of the Bible. And a dominant theme of the Bible is hope.

Easter is a permanent reminder that violence and destruction, arrest and even death are not the end. Darkness cannot overcome the light; Hatred cannot overcome love; and tombs don't always contain bodies.

Christmas is coming!

I've just heard that the BBC will be screening a new dramatisation of "The Nativity" story in the week before Christmas. It will be broadcast on BBC1 in four, 30-minute episodes at 7.00pm, beginning on Monday 20th December. This is the slot usually occupied by "The ONE Show". The Church and Media Network has produced a website with information about the series.
Visit: www.nativitydrama.info
I've left the first review! - Well, a kind of preview really. Anyway, worth a look.