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  • Added October 20th, 2012
  • Filed under 'All Sorts'
  • Viewed 1798 times

The Way Forward: a leap (of faith) into the dark?

By George Davis in All Sorts

thinking about the alternatives the church has for influencing the future; what is it in our modern world that is worth keeping or worth fighting for?

The Way Forward: a leap (of faith) into the dark?
In the last while I have been attracted to writings which tell about how we determine our future. Possibly my concern about the future of the Methodist Church of New Zealand and its present leadership has prompted me along this path. The historical path of religious certainty and determinism (the converse of free will) where God dictated and Man followed was overthrown by a world where power was gradually vested in various religious, scientific and economic theories. Governance was not found in the statements of priests or monarchs but in an elite who use the political sciences and civic bureaucracies to control the society. During the late twentieth century governmental and quasi-governmental groups and later "conferencing" became the new tools to shape the way ahead for our society. In "Governing the Future" writer Derek Wallace (2012) states that as we are part of our present and future all we can accept is to influence our future, a largely pre-determined future that is already in the process of formation.
A casual meeting with an ex-student Richard Blaikie, Deputy Vice- Chancellor of Research and Enterprise and Professor of Physics (of a Mornington family) at the university led to a brief and general exchange about education, and my remark that present education seemed process- driven. Richard's response was to claim a clear place for proper process, and that "the world had changed," a truism which is hard to counter. This made me think about the alternatives that we have for a future. We cannot change the past, and even with tremendous will and effort we cannot return to what we perceive as a simpler past (though it may not have ever been so).
So it is for the Methodist Church of New Zealand. Older folk may linger in the memories of a golden past with Sunday Schools packed with eager faces of the young, Bible Classes which looked forward with relish to the annual Easter Camps, and packed churches, but the present reality for the Dunedin Parish, at least, is not that. So what possible scenarios exist for the Methodist Church? 1. Carry on as at present and let changing population demographics dictate which churches will survive, expand or collapse. 2. Have a vision which allows for the support of churches losing attendance. This might be accomplished by amalgamation, or joint ventures and activities. 3. Become really imaginative and seek a new vision. The Methodist church began in a British society challenged by deeply dividing social change during the early Industrial Age, and we are now at the point where we have ever-deepening rifts in New Zealand society and a need for churches to stand up and place themselves in the road of personal and societal disaster. But a new sacrificial vision may cost us as an identifiable entity and mean loss. However, this difficult path may be the only vital one for the survival of the church.
The symbolism of the galloping Wesley going out to the fields of an industrialising Britain is intensely attractive to Methodists, but as Richard Blaikie rightly states, the world has changed. We may not gallop or even preach on street corners, but we must fulfil a needed function. What is it in our modern world which is worth keeping or worth fighting for? I hold there are still people of strong principles who recognise when societal and political matters are wrong, even immoral. These wrongs need challenging - perhaps that is our role. Greed and its partner in hand, hunger, need addressing; lies told at whatever level of society need rebutting, for without challenge they rot the fabric of our beliefs - that glue of trust which keeps our society functioning on a day by day basis; violence particularly against the vulnerable - the old, the weak, women and children cannot go unrestrained (NZ has some of the worst world statistics here); injustice needs challenging and whistle-blowers ought to be afforded protection for revealing injustice and corruption. It is unremarkable that this list of wrongs contains the same challenges faced by John Wesley. It is also a given that challenges against wrongs will often carry a great personal cost.
But since we are part of this evolving process we must recognise that which is worth saving and influence the power-brokers of our church and nation to recognise the same virtues (how old-fashioned! Please forgive me). Trust once lost is never replaced by other than a begrudging acceptance, therefore trust and its basis truth must be paramount. Sharing the talents (tangible and intangible) and being generous particularly to the needy is important. As are love, hope, caring and open fairness. Now I guess this is all reminiscent of the first apostle Paul wrote to the people of Corinth. He wrote of the need for faith, hope and charity, and the greatest of these being charity.
So what is in this for each of us, because that is where we must start? We may not be able as individuals within a parish to create a Christian revolution, but we are definitely part of a process of change. That process should promote the Word of God, and should be aimed at a shared vision for the future. My vision is for a society based on trust and truth, where all talents are shared, and where the love of God is clearly evident. It may not be heaven, but it is much more to be accepted than the alternatives.
George Davis