Beasts or Brothers?
Delivered on Sunday 06 July 2008 in St George's Chapel
Beasts or Brothers?
06 July 2008 - St George's Chapel - Acts 28:1-16
Recently David Abulafia published his latest book, The Discovery of Mankind. It's not so much a historical record of the discovery of the new world; it's more the story of the initial encounters between Spaniards and other Europeans and the indigenous peoples with whom they came into contact. On first meeting these local peoples the first European explorers had lots of questions: what sort of people were they; were they rational beings; why had they never heard the Christian gospel; and what right did Europeans have to occupy their lands; how should they be treated and brought to knowledge of the true faith? Abulafia treats the material with great sensitivity and delivers his thoughtful prose in an engaging style. If there is a central theme to the book it is quite simply this: coming to terms with difference.
That theme - coming to terms with difference - may well have faced St Paul when he drifted onto the shores of Malta. Mind you any fears he may have had were quickly dispelled. The natives showed him nothing but hospitality. Indeed they even built him a fire to keep warm in the rather cold conditions. It was when Paul went to get some wood to help keep this fire alight that the incident happened with the viper. He stooped down to pick up some wood from the pile when a viper came out and fastened to his hand. The natives saw this and took it to be a sign that Paul had committed some sort of crime. He might have escaped the shipwreck but now surely he would be punished for whatever evil deed he committed in the past. And so they stood and stared, waiting for Paul to collapse and die. But nothing happened. Well if that's the case, they concluded, this chap Paul must be a god - nobody gets bitten by a viper and survives. This wasn't the first time Paul had been mistaken for a god but it seems this time around he didn't pursue an argument or even deliver a sermon. But then that is no longer necessary. It's not a part of the story we need to hear, we need only remember Jesus' words 'the one who listens to you listens to me'.
There are connections between the European explorers as they stood for the first time on shores of the Canary Islands and Paul as he finally found dry land on the Maltese coast. There is, however, one big difference. Paul may well have shared many of the questions held in minds of the European explorers but one of them he did not hold. He was not interested in the question of occupation. His wasn't there to subjugate anyone to anything. He came in peace and he left in peace. But like the European explorers he too had to come to terms with difference.
And it is this coming to terms with difference that I want to think about a little further. It's been on my mind over the past week or so largely because of two stories in the press: one relating to the so-called Jerusalem declaration and the other to the ongoing synod of the Church of England.
Effectively the Jerusalem declaration expresses the intention of a particular group to set up a 'church within a church'. This new body will be called the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans - with its own bishops, clergy and theological colleges. The leaders of the Fellowship claim it is not a split but it does look terribly like one. But why has all this come about? There are, I suspect, several answers to that question but at root, this is the conservative response to what is perceived to be an increase in liberal attitudes, within the Church, to personal morality and matters of belief. It is without doubt a complex debate and I don't want to pronounce judgement on who I think is in the right and who in the wrong.
And as though that weren't enough Anglican troubles for quite a long time, the synod of the Church of England will be asked tomorrow to vote on the question of women bishops. And whichever way that decision goes there will be very clear winners and losers; there will be rejoicing and there will be great sadness. And when setting up a 'church within a church' is the order of the day, we just might find ourselves with the development of yet another Fellowship or two.
These are concerning times for the Anglican Church. It used to be the case that of all denominations the Anglican Church lived out an expression of coming to terms with difference. Ever since its formation it showed skill and hospitality by encouraging a wide range of legitimate moral practice and belief structures. Now, that ability to come to terms with difference is challenged. But the question is this: how will the church - how will we - respond to the challenge. Will we like the explorers react to difference by attempting to subjugate it? Or will we like Paul, on his visit to Malta, react to difference by entering into conversation and by sharing hospitality.
This is a really difficult time for the Anglican church. In our prayers we often mention the redemption of the world; right now we would do well to pray too for the continued redemption of the church.
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