Getting involved
On our front cover this month, is a photo of a new statue that was recently unveiled at Belfast City Hall. It depicts Mary Ann McCracken (1770–1866) who was an abolitionist, social reformer and businesswoman. She was also a Presbyterian. Born into a middle-class family, Mary Ann could probably have enjoyed a quiet life, yet she could not turn a blind eye to the injustices she saw around her. Instead, she chose to get involved and bring about change – right from her childhood until she was well advanced in age.
Mary Ann was clearly exercised with righteous anger for the things in her society that she saw as wrong. In contrast, Norman Hamilton, in his column this month, comments on our complete lack of righteous anger. He asks the following questions: “What, if anything, do you get angry about because it offends the Lord? If there is nothing that does that, what does that in turn say about your understanding of God’s holiness; your concern for what is right…?”
Rebecca Stevenson, PCI’s public affairs officer, echoes this as she reflects on the significance of the Stormont Assembly being up and running again. She offers several reasons why we should be engaged in politics and public affairs, not least because we have a biblical mandate to do so.
The apathy that is prevalent in our society is particularly obvious in our young people. Alison Woodrow highlights one aspect of this in her article on engaging young people in mission. She observes that interest in this has waned and encourages us to be better role models for our children in regard to our own mission engagement.
Our world is so full of causes that need attention and perhaps our apathy is in part due to feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start. The Centre for Cultural Witness is endeavouring to bring a Christian voice into the cultural issues of our day and encourages us to engage in this. Graham Tomlin, director of the Centre, explains why this is so important. In an age when church attendance is diminishing, he says, “I think people leave the church…because they no longer see any connection between what happens in church and what happens in the rest of their life.”
Engaging well with culture can be challenging, but avoidance does not seem the best solution. Rebecca Stevenson reminds us of the difference getting involved can make: “…creating a more just and compassionate society, which promotes values such as respect for human dignity.” Jesus described us as the “light of the world”. Just as a lamp cannot be put under a bowl, so he tells us to “let your light shine before others.”
The Presbyterian Herald is the official magazine of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. It provides a forum for debate and discussion on a wide range of topics and aims to challenge and encourage Presbyterians, as well as inform them about what the wider Church is involved in. It has a readership in excess of 25,000 and is distributed throughout Ireland.
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