Introduction to the debate on the implications of the financial crisis and the recession at General Synod

I Introduction

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity".

(WB Yeats,'The Second Coming')

In a crisis, do we panic, or hang on in there? When things fall apart, where do we find hope?

Reading the Psalms we soon become aware that others have faced these same questions.

We may be troubled, the city may be threatened by enemies on all the surrounding hilltops, but somehow we find it in us to hope, and to hope in God - in company with others.

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills: from whence cometh my help. My help cometh even from the Lord: who hath made heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2).

Theologian Walter Bruggemann sees in the Psalms a threefold movement in the understanding of God. The psalms of orientation seen in the Creation psalms, Torah psalms, and Wisdom psalms reflect a resolute confidence in a divine order present in the world. As it says in stone above the door of the Bank of England: 'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof..."

May England rediscover this divine order and the Lord, "from whence cometh our help". The Psalms of Orientation.

Then there are the psalms of dis-orientation, those born of a time of exile or adversity in which the psalmist expresses abandonment - the sense that in the chaos God is not there. "My God – why have you forsaken me.." (Ps22:1)

May our cry of agony, like that of the Psalmist, be also a declaration of divine deliverance: "Everyone on this earth will remember you, Lord. People all over the world will turn and worship you, because you are in control, the ruler of the nations ... people not yet born will be told of your deliverance that, 'The Lord has saved us'". (Psalm 22:27, 28,31).

Finally, there are the psalms of re-orientation - even in times of exile and being overwhelmed, there is hope of deliverance. In deep despair there is always hope: "you are my rock and my fortress". (Psalm 71).

We can be sure of this re-orientation because of who God is: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff comfort me". (Psalm 23:4).

This three fold movement - from orientation to dis-orientation and through to re-orientation – should help us to map our journey through this economic and financial crisis. How we got here, where we are now, and where to aim for next.

II. So let us, first, look at Orientation.

We have come from a time of orientation when for the West all seemed good in the world. Sustained growth, historically low interest rates, managed inflation and low rates of unemployment – all seemed so well. But now we find ourselves bewailing our economic exile, and blaming for our collective ills, those who have besieged our city - the bankers, mortgage lenders, money-markets speculators and government deregulators.

But, we have all worshipped at the temple of money. As Rabbi Heschel said, "We must continue to remind ourselves that in a free society, all are involved in what some are doing. Some are guilty, all are responsible". (Pacifism and the Jews by Evelyn Wilcock, Hawthorn Press, 1994, p.169)

We have been guilty of idolatry: the worship of God falsely conceived – which is deadlier than either heresy or sin, for it is the prolific source of each. It is this idolatrous love of money, pursuing profit without regard for ethic, risk or consequence, which has led us from orientation to dis-orientation.

III. Secondly, Dis-orientation.

We have heard the predictions. This slough of economic despond is deep and we are told it will get deeper. For every statistic on the hundreds of jobs lost, there are hundreds of stories of individual hardship and of families in need. Their struggle must be our lament – as we face up to our responsibilities.

Now is the time not for passive stoicism but for active solidarity. We are called to seek the welfare of the city of our exile. We are to plant seeds of hope in the furrows of despair, both by practical action and by offering a vision for the future. We are to point out and walk with others the path to re-orientation.

IV. Thirdly, Re-Orientation.

Of course this is not just economics. We need a deeper vision. A political vision alone won't do it. It is not about what governments can do for us but what we can all do.

It is here that the Church of England and all religious communities will make a special contribution. We start with a great advantage - a moral framework and a big vision. We must act prophetically, proclaiming the big vision, living it out in practice and decrying any injustices which desecrate it.

The Christlike vision we hold to will have a threefold base: respect for the person, care for one another, and selfless service. Speaking prophetically is not just about condemning failures, it is about helping everyone to accept common goals which uplift the heart. Moving together in the same direction and thereby enriching and supporting each other as fully as we can. Pilgrims together on the Way.

These common goals and this shared vision must not end at our national borders. Love for my neighbour is not limited to the person next door.

We must ensure that the Millennium Development Goals are not abandoned in the current crisis.

England, you think you've got problems? It's time to get real.

We live in a world where:

· a child dies every three seconds due to extreme poverty, almost 10 million children a year.

· One person dies from HIV/Aids every 11 seconds.

· Approximately 1 in 7 children in the world – 270 million children – have no access to healthcare.

· Every single day unsafe water coupled with a lack of basic sanitation kills 5,000 children.

· Poor Governance, in countries such as Zimbabwe, has led to malnutrition, a crumbling health system and the outbreak of avoidable diseases, like cholera, claiming thousands of lives in Zimbabwe.

As a Church we are already responding.

Whether it be the work of the Al Ahli Arab (Anglican) Hospital in Gaza, the work of the Mothers Union Literacy Development Programme in Malawi, Zambia and Botswana, or the Five Talents income generating programme in Uganda, India and Peru, the Church is at work living out the vision of a common humanity where everyone is valued by God.

Here in the UK each of us can point to new or existing church projects to help those in need. In London there are night shelters, food banks, debt counselling and youth employment projects to name but a few. The ARC Addington Fund continues to help farmers and those in rural communities facing hardship; whilst in Leeds the church has been involved in cracking down on doorstep lenders seeking to exploit the most economically vulnerable.

Our strength as a Church lies not only in our vision but also in our presence. Our place in every parish in England gives us an unparalleled opportunity to make this fresh vision a reality.

We share a hope, born of the incarnation, which goes far beyond economic recovery. It reaches into the heart of every man, woman and child. Yes we lament our situation, but we do so knowing that our song will finish in hope: the hope in Christ's message to us. "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive for ever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Do not be afraid". (Revelation 1:17-18).

Archdeacon Annette Cooper, I trust that in this 'Take Note' debate on the Report GS 1719 we shall hear more of the responses to the challenges and opportunities presented by these difficult times, for the mission and ministry of the Church of England.

I beg to move the motion standing in my name.