thinking mission

blair on benn

This evening I wrote a blog piece about the threatened burning of the Qur’an in Florida, only to hear thankfully, that it may be called off.  Ignorance, idiocy and offensiveness are never a good mix, especially in someone who purports to be the pastor of a church. 

 

So, a late change in direction!  I am reading Tony Blair’s autobiography A Journey (one third read so far) in which he recalls a night in the early 1980s when he first heard Tony Benn speaking in public, addressing a constituency meeting in Margate. 

 

What he describes is not all that I believe preaching to be, nor that preaching is only of one style – and this is it.  But sometimes we lose sight of the fact that as ministers there is a certain something called stagecraft.  There are skills to learn, to observe and appreciate, about how to lead from the front, how to conduct oneself.  There was value in the sermon class of old that critiqued not just the state of your sermon but also the state of your shoes! 

 

I love to watch and learn from skilled people in any walk of life, and anyone who works with a crowd of people potentially has something to say to preachers and worship leaders – the impeccable timing of a comedian at the microphone, the body-stance of a politician at the podium, the dress-code of the TV presenter and so on.  So, consider a wonderful description of a gifted orator:

 

“What impressed me most was not so much the content…but the power of it, the ability to use words to move people, not simply to persuade but to propel... 

First there was his utter confidence.  From the outset the audience were relaxed and able to listen, because they knew the speaker was in control.  When he began he looked around at them, there was no squeakiness, no uncertainty, no negative energy.  It wasn’t the absence of nerves.  It was the presence of self-belief. He held them, easily and naturally.

 

Second, he used humour.  If someone can make you laugh, you are already in their power.  The tension between speaker and audience, there until they get the measure of one another, evaporates.

 

Third, there was a thread that ran throughout the speech.  There was an argument. Sometimes there was digression and the thread was momentarily obscured, but always he returned and the thread was visible once more.

 

Fourth, the argument was built, not plonked down. Although introduced broadly at the beginning, it was not glimpsed fully until layer upon layer of supporting words built it up and finally the argument was brought forth.  Suddenly all the words were connected, the purpose was made plain and the argument was out there, and you thought only the wilfully obdurate could not see its force and agree with it.”

 

David Kerrigan

the not-so-silly season

The summer is sometimes referred to as the silly season by journalists who suddenly have acres of air time to fill but no line-up of easy-pickings from the UK Parliaments to help.  As a result, they get whipped into a frenzy about the craziest things, like the woman who was caught on CCTV putting a cat into a recycling bin.  Goodness knows why she did it, but I was so grateful when it all came to an end.  At least it had its lighter moments as this short video captured superbly.

But there has been much in the last month to remind us that just because politicians go on holiday, the problems of the world never do. The floods in Pakistan were so bad there was really no choice but to do what little could be done to just keep people alive, but then wait for the waters to subside.  Everyone asks about climate change of course, and the Independent and the Guardian are brilliant sources of good information on the subject.  As the momentum grows towards the next climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico later this year, I’d encourage you to read 'Why failure of climate summit would herald global catastrophe'.  It hardly comes more urgent than this. 

August also saw the killing of 10 workers in Afghanistan, both national staff and foreigners.  The loss of these gifted men and women is a tragedy of the highest proportion.  A day will come, we pray, when the blood spilt that day in the sands of Afghanistan will allow new life to blossom in that troubled nation. 

And so to today, and President Barack Obama has managed to get Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas within striking distance of each other, though hopefully not literally. If I was tempted to be cynical about the seriousness with which some may approach these talks, I have to remind myself that cynicism is a luxury no-one can afford.  Yesterday, four Israeli settlers woke up to a bright new day, and were dead within hours, Hamas claiming responsibility. 

When the pain, the injustice and the madness of this world threatens to completely engulf us, it may be tempting to run away and bury our head in the sand. Distract ourselves with stories of cats in bins.  But that is not our calling.  Our faith gives us hope and I pray we never lose hope. 

David Kerrigan