Reverend Rutton Viccajee writes about the eternal questions the followers of Jesus have faced.And we launch our Christmas shoebox appeal to send a simple gift to Romanian children, many of whom are deprived and disabled.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York today announced the names of the 11 Commission Members who have been appointed to the Racial justice Commission, joining Lord Boateng whose Chairmanship of the Commission was announced on 9 July 2021.The Racial Justice Commission was appointed by the Archbishops in response to the Anti-racism Taskforce report, ‘From Lament to Action’, for a period of three years.It follows a series of commitments by the Archbishops to take action to identify, respond to and root out systemic racism in the Church of England.The Commission is an independent body bringing together a range of experience and expertise within and beyond the Church.Members include specialists in areas such as Theology & Racial Justice; Ecclesiology & Liturgy; Formation & Theological Education and History & Politics.Full membership:Chair: The Rt Hon Lord Boateng, Former Cabinet Minister and High Commissioner to SA.Professor Anthony Reddie, Dept of Theology, University of OxfordThe Revd Canon Dr Chigor Chike, Chair of Anglican Minority Ethnic Network (AMEN)Professor Duncan Morrow, Dept of Politics, Ulster UniversityDame Melanie Dawes, Chief Executive, OfcomProfessor Mike Higton, Dept of Theology, Durham UniversityLord Wei of Shoreditch, Serial Social Entrepreneur and Social ReformerDr Nirmala Pillay, School of Law, Leeds Becket UniversityThe Revd Canon Patricia Hillas, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of CommonsThe Revd Canon Dr Philip Anderson, Canon Precentor, Liverpool CathedralThe Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of DoverThe Revd Sonia Barron, Diocesan Director of Vocations, Diocese of LincolnCommenting on the appointment of the Commissioners, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York said: “We are delighted that these 12 Commission Members have agreed to join the Racial Justice Commission.“They represent complex interests and expertise, within and beyond the Church, bringing a rich experience that will inform and meet the needs of the task that lies ahead.“We pray for a transformation in our Church that will bring hope to the world."We look forward to their reports and pray for their work.” Lord Boateng said: “These exceptional individuals bring wisdom and a passion for justice rooted in God’s love to the work of the Commission.“Each, along with breadth and depth of experience in their respective fields, has a proven track record of bringing about transformative change.“I feel privileged to work with them and am grateful for the prayers and encouragement the Commission has received from so many in the Church as we set about our work.”
A church pastor in America caused something of a media storm recently when he argued against people using "religious exemption" to avoid getting vaccinated or wearing a mask.Quite rightly, he argued that true Christians will always put the needs of others above their own, although that did not go down well with some of his readers.We don’t have the same sort of religious exemptions in the UK as they do in America, but the same principles apply.Those of us who claim to be Christians are called to love God and love our neighbours as ourselves. So, when we are thinking about whether to wear a mask or be vaccinated, we should be thinking less about our personal freedom and more about what is good for other people, and especially those whose age or health makes them especially vulnerable to Covid-19.St Paul wrote: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. "Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."To those who protested, saying that Jesus came to set us free, he wrote: "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love."For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbour as yourself."Jesus himself called on his followers to act in the interests of the vulnerable: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."In a free country, we all have the right to refuse the vaccine or to go mask-free except where the law requires it, but if we are trying to live our lives as Christians we will not do so.Loving our neighbours means recognising that being vaccinated and wearing a mask is about protecting others, and especially about keeping the vulnerable safe. Quite literally, it’s about sacrificing a bit of our freedom to save other people’s lives.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Pope Francis and dozens of religious leaders have signed a joint appeal to governments to commit to ambitious targets at the upcoming UN climate conference in Glasgow.The religious leaders also promised to do their own part to lead their faithful towards more sustainable behaviour, as "care for the environment is a moral imperative to preserve God's creation for future generations"."We have inherited a garden; we must not leave a desert to our children," said the appeal, which was signed at a formal ceremony in the Apostolic Palace before being handed over to the COP26 President, Alok Sharma.The "Faith and Science: towards COP26" meeting brought together Christian including the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch, as well as representatives of Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, and Jainism.Experts say the appeal is a make-or-break chance to curb greenhouse gas emissions.Allow me to offer three concepts for reflection on this shared endeavour: Openness to interdependence and sharing, the driving force of love and the call to respect," declared Pope Francis.The meeting follows a youth climate summit in Milan last week, and many of the faith leaders are now insisting that faith and science must listen to each other to save the planet.We need our youth to continue their call for change with the passion that we have heard today. We need the scientists with their academic authority to amplify further their voices in the public debate. And [we need] faith leaders to use their moral leadership to make the case for action," said Sharma.In their appeal, the church leaders begged political leaders to adopt measures to limit temperature rise and for countries that are most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions to provide financial support to the most vulnerable communities.Pope Francis is widely expected to attend the COP26 on October 31, a summit aiming at securing more ambitious commitment to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, with a goal of keeping it to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.
