A Personal Perspective and Summary of Key Points
Who is My Neighbour?
A Pastoral Letter from the House of Bishops of the Church of England for the General Election 2015
A personal perspective and Summary of key points
Introduction
The House of Bishops of the Church of England Pastoral Letter is an important document for all members of the Church of England as they prepare for the General Election on May 7th. In my view the importance of the Pastoral Letter is that it does not focus on specific issues though it does ask questions on particular themes.
The press coverage in advance of publication included comments that suggested that the writer had not had sight of the Letter. For example on Saturday February 14th (The Times) the emphasis was on specific policy recommendations rather than putting questions in the public domain on specific topics.
The Guardian on February 18th in an Editorial gave a more positive response:
“In fact, the bishops’ letter tries to do what most people probably want the church to do in the run-up to the election, which is to make an overarching philosophical argument about the state of modern politics’.
The letter offers a traditional Anglican perspective on moral and political questions, its value is that it is not proscriptive and expects the reader to think for themselves. It offers a vision for the kind of society we want to live in, which is based on a dialogue between citizens, politicians and policy makers.
Who is my Neighbour can be set alongside the ‘2020 Vision of the Good Society’ published by CTBI and the Letter of the Roman Catholic Bishops of England and Wales ‘The General Election 2015’.
Themes in the Pastoral Letter
The Letter needs to be read as a whole, in what follows I’ve selected what I believe are the key themes from the individual sections. They are selective and clearly reflect a personal perspective, I offer it as a contribution to the wider debate.
Who is My Neighbour?
Paragraphs 1 -5
The focus is on how to build the kind of society we want to live in. In particular in the light of what the Letter suggests is a trajectory for a new kind of politics. The aim of the letter is to dig deeper into questions about political life and vision. It is a privilege to live in a democracy and we should work for the ‘Common Good’ not our individual priorities. It is important to dig deeper into issues and identify serious questions that can lead to discussion of the kind of society we want to contribute to creating.
Christian Faith and political activity:
Paragraphs 6-9
The importance of religion is identified and it is recognised that religion is not ‘withering on the vine’, in some ways the Letter challenges the current narrative of decline and offer an important insight into the place of religion in offering a vision for society. It is important to understand the dynamics of religion in global society.
The challenge is not how many people claim to have a faith and worship regularly, it is how does reflection based on faith contribute to the bigger picture. It is important to recognise that politicians are a part of the wider community and we should not expect higher moral standards than we allow for ourselves.
Nor should we treat political life as is it is outside the demands of everyday life and society, people of faith have a great deal to offer in developing a vison for the common good.
A Christian Word View
Paragraphs 10 -21
The focus on a Christian world view which is encapsulated in the truth Christ’s incarnation all human being is created in the image of God which leads us to love our neighbour as ourselves. We All fall short of the glory of God, we should not expect higher moral standards from politicians than we expect of ourselves or treat political life as being separate from everyday life.
Neither the state nor corporate sector should be given overweening power over the lives of citizens, power should never fall into too few hands.
The Church does not have a special understanding of politics and policy but with all citizens we share responsibility for working with democratic structures.
Apathy, cynicism and politics today
Paragraphs 22 – 32
The sterile nature of contemporary politics is described with a particular focus on apathy and cynicism. Most political debate is sterile and lacks a clarity of vision, the lack of dialogue in most political debate leads to an argument about who can best manage the status quo.
The challenge to the political parties is summed up as the need to move from policies that are identified for specific social groups, offering a package that feeds sectional interests and is an extension of the consumerism that is a an element within wider society,
The importance of developing a vison that draws on a number of different perspectives could lead to policies that serve the widest number of people.
Visions worth voting for
Paragraphs 33 – 42
The underlying problems we face in political debate are summed up in the inability to hold in tension and a careful balance the contribution of voluntary action, the provision of the welfare state and the shift to a market based model of service delivery. The necessity for consideration to be given to a mixed economy is lost in the ideological perspectives of different protagonists.
The modern nation is a place where the traditions of kindred and neighbourliness are much weaker than in the past leads to a challenge of a recovery of individual responsibility and the capacity for recognising that a healthy community is one in which people value one another.
The adversarial nature of modern politics leads to a lack of communication and an inability to recognise that on occasion there may be common ground to be found between politicians of different persuasions and their ideas.
A Society of Strangers
Paragraphs 43 - 48
The key question in this section is in paragraph 43 are we a ‘society of strangers or a community of communities’?
The focus on the individual leads to impersonal communication, the fact that consumption defines who we are rather than the production leads to an individualism that means that people become estranged from one another. The lack of a common bond and the divisions that are created within society at large and in communities in particular is to lose sight of the fact that God loves all human kind equally.
The positive side of the picture is that the process is not complete. People do come together in social groupings though it is important that the issue of loneliness and mental stress for many people is not missed. The challenge is to find new ways of creating a better sense of community.
A Community of Communities
Paragraphs 49 – 57
The importance of place is described as been a keyt element of the way we live with a particular reference to the Church of England parish. We all belong to a geographical area and have roots in the place where we were born.
The focus on place in a diocese like Southwark is worth exploration where the assumption in some areas that the sense of place as decreased.
The lack of dispersed power is contrasted with the role of State and the Market where power is focused and all to often this means that its been being taken away from communities. The importance of recovering subsidiarity is identified in particular recognising what can be focused on the local and what rightly belongs on the wider canvas that constitutes our towns and cities.
A vision for the future which reaffirms the importance of mutuality and shared bonds between social groupings would underpin a more coherent perspective on society.
The Person in Community
Paragraphs 58 – 64
“Our society celebrates the autonomy of individuals but does too little to acknowledge that dependency on others is what makes human beings social creatures”.The importance of mutual support both within families and communities needs to be recovered and better understood.
The possibility of equality is contradicted by the way people are treated in particular those unable to work, the materially poor and the mentally ill. It is important that we identify ways of empowering everyone to make a full contribution to society and contribute to the rediscovery of neighbourliness.
The Letter encourages a critical perspective on the importance for a renewed understanding of the individual in community, none of us is only the value of what we can offer to others. There is virtue in the place we give to family and community and how we develop our wider understanding of what this means.
The Community of Nations
Paragraphs 65 -74
The importance of understanding the importance of our links with Europe might be read as being an argument for the status quo, they are rather critically supportive of a more creative debate. In better understanding our sense of identity we can gain a great deal from our cultural history and an understanding of the importance of belonging to the European community of nations.
The issue of the value of Trident and other nuclear weapons is addressed with nuanced argument for politicians to trust a public debate on its retention within the context of the bigger debate about the capacity of the nation in the context of defence in an uncertain world.
The accumulation of wealth and power in the hands of a few, should be challenged alongside the issue of wealth and power by a small number of nations that can lead to global instability.
The distribution of overseas aid remains a moral imperative not the least because it indicates the fundamental importance of mutuality and reconciliation.
Equality – us and them
Paragraphs 75 -77
The importance of mutuality and solidarity between social and ethnic groups, is a key to a healthy society, the challenge is to overcome an attitude of ‘them and us’ there is no such thing there is a society to which we all belong and in which we play an equal part.
Strengthening Institutions
Paragraphs 78 – 87
The importance of Intermediate Institutions is a key element in a healthy society, the role of Housing Associations and Credit Unions being just two examples. In the debate about what makes a good society there must be a recognition of the importance of diversity.
The challenge is not to assume a position of neutrality on what constitutes society, we should work for a community of communities in which there is mutual understanding in which a society of strangers is seen to be a negative outcome.
Disagreements, Diversity and Coalitions
Paragraphs 88 – 89
Constructive alliances have been built by the Church of England both nationally and locally, this makes the point about the importance of intermediate institutions in a democratic society. The value of constructive alliances with other voluntary agencies, charities and community groups often includes people who hold different view on some issues. The creative tension that holds alliances together is a positive sign of what is possible.
Beyond “Left” and “Right”
Paragraphs 92 -96
The country is looking for a new approach to politics which breaks the log jam associated with ‘Left’ or ‘Right’, anew political story is required to allow for a more articulate debate ‘on how we live together virtuously as well as prosperously.’
There needs to be a change of emphasis to an approach that can draw on the roots of both political perspectives. The Big Society was promoted as a key idea following the last election, it continues to have relevance that should be more widely explored, without becoming bogged down in political rhetoric.
History in an old country
Paragraphs 97 -99
Constitutional Change (following the Scottish Referendum) requires consideration and must be open to a critical dialogue open to all citizens, the debate must move beyond political parties using the debate for point scoring.
A wide ranging consultation on the nature of what constitutes the UK Constitution and how it can lead to the widest possible debate that draws on as many citizens as possible.
Power, identities and minorities
Paragraphs 100 -105
The importance of mutual understanding between communities and people with different ethnic backgrounds paragraph 105 is a clear summary of the issues.
Debt and a humane economy
Paragraphs 106 – 114
The financial catastrophe of 2008 has been wrongly used as a political football that lays the blame on particular politicians whilst failing to challenge the contribution of the Banking industry.
The programme of austerity implemented by the coalition has been debated by the General Synod with particular reference to its impact on the poorest in our communities. It is important that serious consideration to growing an economy that serves everyone and most especially the weakest.
It is good that employment has risen but the fact that in work poverty is a problem for many people points to the importance of the need to recognise that wages need to underpin a decent way of life.
The moral limits of the market economyneed to be recognised, a good society recognises that to be secure there needs to be a mutual interdependence and this must include an economy that serves the common good not the greed of the few.
Our grandchildren’s future
Paragraphs 115 -117
The importance of understanding of economics as a moral discipline that leads to an investment in the future for the good of our grandchildren is explored. To ensure that this is seriously considered there needs to be clarity about investment in the future and not for immediate short term gains.
The importance of intergenerational justice cannot be underestimated, we need to build a stake in our communities and to ‘cherish the created order’. Assisting in building an equitable society for future generations.
The campaign ahead
This section offers a summary of the main outlines of the Pastoral Letter and reminds the reader that it is about building a vision for the future. The Christian vision is rooted in belief in God, in service and prayer.
Terry DrummondBishop of Southwark’s Advisor on Urban and Public Policy 26 March
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