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To challenge cuts, the church must hold on to its faith in children, not politics To challenge cuts, the church must hold on to its faith in children, not politics
(7 months later)
The Anglican bishops' attack on government cuts this weekend is entirely serious. It offers a programme around which almost the entire church can unite, which appears to transcend party politics and even the familiar divisions of church politics.The Anglican bishops' attack on government cuts this weekend is entirely serious. It offers a programme around which almost the entire church can unite, which appears to transcend party politics and even the familiar divisions of church politics.
The Church of England is certainly the only organisation represented in the House of Lords that has wide and deep experience of the poorest areas of the country. There may have been a time when the Labour party was like that, but how many Labour MPs have worked and lived in inner-city areas? More, at a guess, than Labour peers have. But bishops with experience as parish priests will almost all have worked among the poor and homeless and many will have lived in parts of the city where there are no other middle-class professionals.The Church of England is certainly the only organisation represented in the House of Lords that has wide and deep experience of the poorest areas of the country. There may have been a time when the Labour party was like that, but how many Labour MPs have worked and lived in inner-city areas? More, at a guess, than Labour peers have. But bishops with experience as parish priests will almost all have worked among the poor and homeless and many will have lived in parts of the city where there are no other middle-class professionals.
This is also true of the two archbishops. The archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby comes from a background of privilege at the heart of the establishment, while John Sentamu, the archbishop of York was born in rural Uganda and came to England as a refugee. But Welby, as a romantic young man, dreamed of working in the inner cities, and in his work at Coventry, Liverpool and Durham came into contact with the parts of England that Etonians like to pretend do not exist, while Sentamu worked for 17 years as a priest in a scruffy part of south London.This is also true of the two archbishops. The archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby comes from a background of privilege at the heart of the establishment, while John Sentamu, the archbishop of York was born in rural Uganda and came to England as a refugee. But Welby, as a romantic young man, dreamed of working in the inner cities, and in his work at Coventry, Liverpool and Durham came into contact with the parts of England that Etonians like to pretend do not exist, while Sentamu worked for 17 years as a priest in a scruffy part of south London.
Welby's commitment to ending the evils of loan sharking is one of his most consistent policy lines, and always has been. But the most significant aspect of this initiative has been that it did not come from the archbishops at all, it came from the Children's Society, a church of England charity which now slightly downplays its religious links. The letter to the Sunday Telegraph was to be signed by ordinary bishops, and was passed to the archbishops as a courtesy. That they both signed it is a sign of an organisation learning to take up and act on ideas from below without too much fuss. There is nothing new in this as a policy line, but its expression in such a fuss-free and flexible way is unusual.Welby's commitment to ending the evils of loan sharking is one of his most consistent policy lines, and always has been. But the most significant aspect of this initiative has been that it did not come from the archbishops at all, it came from the Children's Society, a church of England charity which now slightly downplays its religious links. The letter to the Sunday Telegraph was to be signed by ordinary bishops, and was passed to the archbishops as a courtesy. That they both signed it is a sign of an organisation learning to take up and act on ideas from below without too much fuss. There is nothing new in this as a policy line, but its expression in such a fuss-free and flexible way is unusual.
This looks like a return to the 80s, when the Church of England was a bastion of resistance to Thatcherism. Certainly, the counter-briefing from the government is redolent of that. The rightwing press today has all the patronising cliches traditional to these occasions: Welby, says the Telegraph's Tim Stanley, is "a nice man doing what he thinks is his duty as a Christian". Why we should prefer the policies of nasty men is not explained.This looks like a return to the 80s, when the Church of England was a bastion of resistance to Thatcherism. Certainly, the counter-briefing from the government is redolent of that. The rightwing press today has all the patronising cliches traditional to these occasions: Welby, says the Telegraph's Tim Stanley, is "a nice man doing what he thinks is his duty as a Christian". Why we should prefer the policies of nasty men is not explained.
This suggests that the bishops have actually caused the government some pain, which should cheer them up. But it also suggests the difficulties ahead. There are some subjects, like the treatment of asylum seekers and prisoners, where the Church of England is almost entirely out of step with the rest of society, because of its insistence that these people are human beings just like us. Certainly no one would run for election on the church's policies.This suggests that the bishops have actually caused the government some pain, which should cheer them up. But it also suggests the difficulties ahead. There are some subjects, like the treatment of asylum seekers and prisoners, where the Church of England is almost entirely out of step with the rest of society, because of its insistence that these people are human beings just like us. Certainly no one would run for election on the church's policies.
So reports and complaints from the church on those subjects are completely ignored. If the church is to take a consistent line in favour of protecting children from the depradations of this government, it needs to take care that it will go on being heard. The measure of success in this policy will be how much the Daily Mail feels obliged to attack it.So reports and complaints from the church on those subjects are completely ignored. If the church is to take a consistent line in favour of protecting children from the depradations of this government, it needs to take care that it will go on being heard. The measure of success in this policy will be how much the Daily Mail feels obliged to attack it.
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