Big Brother or Heavenly Father

So the debate over Britain's surveillance culture continues to rage with the latest report from the House of Lords Constitution Committee. In the report, the committee suggested that growth in surveillance by both the state and the private sector risks threatening people's right to privacy, which it said was "an essential pre-requisite to the exercise of individual freedom". The report went on to say that "There can be no justification for this gradual but incessant creep towards every detail about us being recorded and pored over by the state."

It is true to say that no people in history have been spied on like the British public. We have a proliferation of CCTV cameras and the largest DNA database in the world per head of the population; not to mention the myriads of databases containing personal information. Now the Government wants to keep records of all out telephone conversations and emails, supposedly for our safety.

What is uppermost in most peoples' minds is what happens to this data. Government and private agencies seem to "mislay" CD-ROMS and data sticks on a regular basis. Also what happens in the future if Britain comes under the power of some extreme government? We only need to take a lesson from history to see what can happen. When the Nazi regime overrun France and Holland and started rounding up Jews, their success rate in Holland was far greater than in France - why? - simply because the Dutch kept meticulous records on every individual whereas the French did not.

Of course, Christian believe that there is someone who has always kept an eye on us. Long before there was anything like a CCTV camera the psalmist wrote:-

O LORD, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely
(Psalms 139:1-4)

Whereas I find the Government's collection of data on me a worrying thought, I cannot say the same of God. I'm pretty sue he has never lost a data stick and I'm pretty sure also that he does not want to keep tabs on me just in case I do something wrong. Whereas the Government collects data out of fear, God collects his out of love. Whereas the Government say it does what it does to make me feel safe, with God I know I am safe. Whereas the Government constantly betrays peoples; trust, God has proved himself true to his word time and time again.

Peace and all good

Dave

BBC on Lords Report

Managing Time - Managing Myself

Part of today was spent sorting through the bookshelves in the office. I came upon a number of books bought some years ago on the subject of Time Management. Many of the authors followed the basic principals of goal setting, those being long, medium and short term goals. Nothing wrong with that, but some of the examples given of long term goals seemed a little far fetched. "I want to be the CEO of a large Corporation by the time I'm thirty". "I want to make my first million by the time I'm twenty one." There was nothing about a happy family life or any of the more 'normal' things most people can expect.

However, there was one book that was different from all the rest. It was "Ordering Your Private World" by Gordon MacDonald. Unlike the others, this book looked at Time Management from a Christian point of view.

The write up for the book states "We have schedule planners, computerized calendars, and self-stick notes to help us organize our business and social lives every day. But what about organizing the other side of our lives---the spiritual side?"

Being Dyslexic I rely on Time Management and the greatest invention for me has to be the PDA or Smartphone. I now have an iPhone which contains all my Time Management stuff. My diary, of course, kept in synchronization thanks to Exchange Server, also a program called Todo from Appigo - again I keep this in sync with Outlook: it is these two programs that control my external life.

But what about the spiritual life of which MacDonald speaks ? Thankfully, that's now covered with two other programs: ESVBible bundle which gives me access to my Bible wherever I am, and a program called Meditation, which helps me with the periods of quite that I find so essential if I am to take what life throws in my direction.

Those books on time management which I bought some years ago? Well they were purchased in a desperate attempt to get my life back on track at a time when it seemed as if I was failing to cope. Where they useful? Yes, but not as useful as stopping and getting my 'private world' organised. Only when that happened did the real breakthrough come. I intend to keep it that way.

Todo

Bible Software

The Good Childhood® Inquiry

Today the Children's Society released its report into Childhood. It is a long affair and no doubt will become the basis of much debate. Of course, there will those that will rubbish the report without reading it simply because it has a Christian ethos.

One line in the sumary of the report struck me because it tied in very much with my own thinking of late

Most of the obstacles children face today are linked to the belief among adults that the prime duty of the individual is to make the most of their own life, rather than contribute to the good of others. (Children's Society)

As if to reenforce that argument I listened to a mother being interviewed on Radio 4. It was a short interview but I lost count of the times she said "I": not once did she mention her children.

Jesus hated individualism. He could have preached his message alone but he chose others to share in that mission. He talked about his followes as being Children of God - a God who loves them and cares for all their needs, spiritual, physical and emotional: not an absent God but one who is always present. Jesus talked of his Church as being a fellowship of people from all around the world., not a collection of individuals. If Jesus had looked to his own individual interests he could have avoided the cross, but he didn't. In the word of the report he contributed to the good of others.

It would be easy to condemn individualism, it is not condemnation that is required but compassion. The individualistic person is often unhappy deep down because they are operating in a mode that God never intended. Every so often that sadness may surface only to be supressed by a bit or "retail therapy."

The answer to individualism lies in allowing people to taste a better option; as Christians we believe we know what that option is.

The Children Society Report

Who is a Saint?

Last November whilst on a course I had an interesting discussion with a Congregational minister regarding Saints. He was particularly interested in what I saw in Francis. During the conversation he commented that, for him, Cromwell was his hero and that if he was to believe in Saints then Cromwell would be on the list. I thought of this conversation today as some in the Anglican Communion remember Charles, King and Martyr.

Now I cannot think of any other person in the Anglican Calendar who causes so much controversy. According to The Society of Charles King and Martyr (SCKM) he is honoured as a martyr "because he died for the Church. He was offered his life if he would abandon episcopacy but he refused for this would have taken the Church of England away from being part of 'the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church’ and made Her into a sect."

True, Charles was offered his life if he was prepared to accepts certain terms and conditions one of which was to allow the Church of England to become Congregational, but the truth is more complicated than that. Anyway, to continue holding to that theory seems to me to say that Congregationalist, and all who do not follow the Episcopal pattern, are sects and not part of the true Church.

My feeling about Charles was that at best he was guilty of naivety and at worst, stupidity. As a King he failed to grasp the changing times in which he lived. He held on to a medieval view of kingship, forgetting that even medieval kings had been deposed.

And there we have it, it seems you have to be deposed in order to become famous: Charles, of Course; Henry VI, with moves still being made to bring him to sainthood and Richard III, who even today has a loyal band of followers on both sides of the Atlantic.

But back to Charles, should he be a saint? The Church of England seems ambivalent. Charles was included in the Book of Common Prayer 1662 but removed in 1859, now he is back. Personally, I'm not so ambivalent as the man lead us into a Civil War in which thousands died. I believe his 'martyrdom' was less to do about the church and more to do with his ego.

Just as I do not wish to uphold Charles, neither do I wish to hold up Cromwell, many of the traits I find in Charles I also find in his opponent. There is no doubt that both men wished to serve God as they saw fit and for that reason I trust they will have their reward, which should make for interesting conversations in heaven!

So who should we commemorate? Well, if I do not like the inclusion of Charles in the Anglican Calender I do like the inclusion of what I call 'the little people'. Those we don't necessarily call Saints, but those who got on with whatever God called them to do quietly and without fuss; and those who made life better for ordinary people without any thought of reward. To me these are the real Saints.



Dave

Learning From The Green Man

On a recent walk in the park Dave stumbled upon this excellently crafted sculpture. There was no plaque to say what it was an who carved it but he immediately thought of the Green Man.

The image of the Green Man is a bit of a mystery, for it is found all over the world. The usual form the image takes is a face surrounded by leaves. Some people believe that the Green Man represents new birth in the spring. Recently, Wicans have taken him on board as the Horned God, but that is likely to be a modern construct. Because of this interpretation a few eyebrows are raised amongst our Christian friends when they see a face surrounded by ivy peering out from the side of one of our apple trees. We would not be surprised if some did not think of us as being closet pagans. Our answer is that to us the Green Man is a type of Christ. He is the one though whom God made the world (Collosians 1:16). He is the one who sustains it by his power (Hebrews 1:3) Looking on the Green Man reminds us that whatever humans do to nature and the environmet, ultimately Christ is in control. When we see the Green Man we see the Christ of nature.

Of course, Green Man images adorn our medieval churches. On our pilgrimage around old churches Dave is usually off on a Green Man hunt. Some are high up in stone, some low down on misericordes, some inside and some outside. Vary rarely is he disappointed.

The theory is that early on the Church in the British Isles realised that rather than attacking pagan practice it should seek ways of integrating it into its own teaching and worship whilst at the same time being true to its own teaching. This integration came in the form of appropriating sacred places and imagery giving the early evangelist a starting point for their mission.

It may be argued that the Church today finds itself in a similar position. The need, therefore, is to identify things in modern society that can prove useful in getting the message of Gospel across to all those who seldom see the inside of a church. That will require a lot of soul searching and a lot of openness on the part of Christians, just as it did with our Christian forebears. There has to be a willingness to change. Can we do it? Well it has been done before. We need to learn the lesson of the Green Man.


See: Mike Harding, The Mystery of the Green Man

Trust and Belonging

Last week it was my turn to write the editorial for our Parish Newsletter. The subject was community, or the lack of it, and how we had become more isolated and individualistic. The article examined ways in which the Church was a community of people who were in turn part of the wider community of the parish. It is a matter of priority for our Ministry Team and Church Council to find ways in which we can create dialogue between ourselves and those outside of our church walls but who are nevertheless part of our wider community.

Lack of community and individualism is something that has been on my mind for some time. It was with much interest then that I read Mark Easton's blog on trust and belonging. Mark quotes from the ESS (European Social Survey)

Trust is the glue which holds society together, so evidence that the UK has the poorest "trust and belonging" levels for every age bracket from 15 to 50 is deeply disturbing.

The ESS tries to measure trust and belonging by comparing answers to questions such as these:
• Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or that you can't be too careful in dealing with people?
• Do you think that most people would try to take advantage of you if they got the chance, or would they try to be fair?
• Would you say that most of the time people try to be helpful or that they are mostly looking out for themselves?

This map compares "trust and belonging" scores in 22 European nations for residents

The map looks at under-25s, but it is the same depressing story for ages 25-34 and 35-49. If it weren't for some reasonably healthy scores among the over-50s, the UK would drop below Bulgaria and Slovakia as the least trusting of all the European nations surveyed.

It would be easy to argue about the causes of this lack of trust although it is true to say the 'individualism' has been peddled by Governments and Big Corporations alike since the early 80's, but handing out blame is not going to cure things, what is needed is action. The question for us in the Church is, "What form should that action take?" I wish I had the answer. How do you turn round something that has been happening slowly for decades? It has happened in the past - times in which God has moved in unexpected ways - usually when some individual or individuals have been listening for the voice of God. Perhaps as we come up to another General Synod we should stop talking and start listening.

Mark Easton's Blog Here

A Day at the Seaside

Yesterday Gill and I availed ourselves of our free Travel Passes and I took a trip out to Southport. The weather was pleasant and it presented the perfect opportunity to get away for a few hours, have a meal and walk along the Victorian splendour of Lord Street before taking a quick stroll along the pier. The scene that greeted us was very different from the one that greeted us just eleven months ago. Then everything was vibrant, now we were met by empty shops and closing down sales. People were shopping but a quick look showed that most were not carrying much in the way of purchases. The stores that did seem to be doing well were those with massive discount sales and the usual plethora of Charity shops. Neither Gill nor I shop in town centres very often, so this was quite a shock.

So where is all this going? I don't think anybody really knows. Even whilst writing this a Twitter message came in announcing the possibility of another 2,000 jobs going at the Steel Manufacturer, Corus. Such messages are becoming more and more frequent and not a day goes by without me receiving at least one.

Yesterday I also received an email from friend in the States. The message spoke of the inauguration of President Obama and their hope that things may change. I was with them the day Obama was elected and we had toasted the occasion with champagne. Can one man change things? Well it is possible but this is a job for all of us. What he can give is hope and hope when acted upon leads both to positive thinking and to positive action. Any good psychiatrist will tell you that is the key to coming out of depression. Depression and recession go hand in hand in a vicious cycle. Break that cycle and we have a chance.

Time to Change Campaign

I have no hesitation in drawing attention to the Time for Change Campaign. Both Gill and I have had experience of mental health issues, personally in the past and more recently with a family member.
Please check out the website at Time fto Change and read the stories of some people who I am sure you will know.

God Bless

A Tale of Two Countries

USA

US President Barack Obama is expected to sign an executive order to start the process of closing down the Guantanamo Bay detention camp within days. http://tinyurl.com/a7n4vd

UK

Plans to exclude relatives, juries and the press from some inquests - on national security grounds - are being brought back by ministers.

They come in a new bill covering coroners, murder laws, witness protection and sentencing. Just months ago, similar plans were shelved.

The government says secret inquests, which many oppose, would prevent intelligence details from leaking out. http://tinyurl.com/8xpyv7

I've often criticised the USA in the past but it seems to me that they have some advantages that we in the UK are denied.

• They elect their President - we have a Prime Minister pushed on us whether we want them of not
• They have a fixed term of Office so that everyone knows where they stand - Government in the UK can call an election on its own whim
• They have a written Constitution outlining the rights of individual citizens - we have laws that can be changed by government whenever they choose

Under New Labour more individual rights have been abolished than by any Government before. We Brits are the most spied on nation in the world (including Communist China).

Come back Tom Paine - all is forgiven!

Life over Christmans

Life has been a little fraught in the Chambers household of recent and I have not got round to updating this blog. Also, being dyslexic I'm always full of ideas but never seem to get round to putting them into print.

Gill and I managed to get away for a few days before Christmas. We visited Ledbury and Leominster before moving down near Raglan Castle, just outside of Monmouth. Both Ledbury and Leominster are places we frequently pass when travelling down to re-enactment events but never visit. Monmouth and the surrounding area was visited by us some nineteen years ago - the same year we joined the White Company which began our long involvement with the re-enactment world. Interestingly, the ex-members of the White Company have just formed a Facebook group and many of the old photographs and video footage have come to light: some of which may best be forgotten!

Christmas was spent at Gill's sister's house in Suffolk. There was something nice about walking across fields to attend the Midnight Communion. The family joined us and were able to have a relaxing time, punctuated with visits to the Butt and Oyster Pub.

On boxing day we watched the Morris Dancing which is a traditional event. I was to read later the Morris Groups are finding it hard to recruit new members and are in real danger of dying out. What a shame after all these years! It seems life is getting blander (just like drink with Real Ale being taken over by chemical lager)

People are forgetting how to celebrate as a community. Perhaps now our pastime of 'retail therapy' is being taken away we shall remember what life is all about.