Harold Wilson, the former Prime Minister of the UK, is the man who is attributed with first saying ‘a week is a long time in politics’. The pace as which political opinion can be radically transformed is extraordinary. A pariah one moment is a messiah the next. In the digital age, where information is available as it happens can also shift public opinion with similar speed. The sea change in the press coverage of the Syrian Refugee Crisis has been remarkable.
One of the better selling tabloid papers moved from the front page alarmist headline ‘Migrants: How many more can we take?’ to describing the same situation as a ‘human catastrophe’ just six days later. Although newspaper editors might like to think that they help to form public opinion, so often they are reacting to it.
The church as the body of Christ has a responsibility to speak out at times like this, to be a consistent voice speaking of and acting out the love of God into broken lives and impossible circumstance.
Bishop Stephen Cottrell of Chelmsford Diocese has encouraged Christians to give, saying that when we do that without the expectation of getting anything back, save the joy of being blessed by serving others, we are expressing one of the fundamentals of the Christian life.
He goes on to say that our response to the Syria refugee crisis can change us for the better, not just as individuals or as churches, but also as a nation. It can shift the way we understand and discern our priorities. We recognise that we can’t do everything, but we can do something, and this ‘something’ can make a difference.
In the face of such extraordinary need, it can be difficult to know where to start, but a start is needed. Some have been collecting items to be taken to the refugee camp in Calais, others collecting monetary donations for the various Refugee Appeals. The diocese of Chelmsford has made some of its housing available, as well as a redundant church.
This crisis is not going to end any time soon – it’s time to a put Christian faith into action.
(October 2015)