St Paul's, protest and reaction: a round-up

Here's a quick round-up of comments that have caught my eye or ear in the last few days, in relation to the Occupy London Stock Exchange protest and the behaviour of the church. 

3 days ago, after Giles Fraser's resignation as Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral (London) Dave Perry's post The Christian Church in an age of protest: no signals no hope? says (among much else worth reading) that Christianity is 

 in tune with popular outrage at the economic and social chaos which the elites of the global banking and financial systems have brought down upon the masses worldwide. For the church to offer no signals and no hope at a time like this is just unforgiveable. It empties the gospel of meaning and reduces it to something vacuous, facile and futile.

2 days ago, in Capitalism and the Church of England, Lay Anglicana's blog enjoys the irony of the fact that the address of the London Stock Exchange is Paternoster Square. (Pater Noster = Our Father, just in case your Latin is a little rusty). The words 'Our Father' are of course the opening words of the Lord's Prayer. Her thoughtful post has links to other commentators worth reading on the current occupation outside St Paul's.


1 day ago Richard Littledale wondered how a moment of kindness on the church's part has led to a debate about the wrong question. The 'wrong question' being 'what would Jesus do? He points out the danger of hi-jacking Jesus as a poster boy to support a particular view. He asks how has a critique of capitalism turned into a debate about the church? His story about the rabbit disturbed by protesting mice and the role of the fat cats might be an oversimplification of a complex problem, but hits a nail or two on the head I think. Read it here. 


Also yesterday, but I only caught up with it today is an interview with Bishop Alan of Buckingham by Krishnan Guru-Murphy of BBC Channel 4 News. Watch it. Here's someone in the church hierarchy talking some sense.

Photo (CC) 'Unlikely Campsite' by shaundon