tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4089597013149576125.post6732310077236311851..comments2023-04-12T16:32:23.995+01:00Comments on The Adherent: I am an idolaterAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08804201159107101302noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4089597013149576125.post-52571982911038914102017-03-31T07:41:35.953+01:002017-03-31T07:41:35.953+01:00Thanks so much for your comment, Ferris. We are (I...Thanks so much for your comment, Ferris. We are (I think) near neighbours; we should meet some time. Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08804201159107101302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4089597013149576125.post-17462467179287563282017-03-31T07:40:36.977+01:002017-03-31T07:40:36.977+01:00Thank you so much for your very thoughtful and hel...Thank you so much for your very thoughtful and helpful balancing comment, Stephen, and for the chance to discuss the issues privately. I am going to leave it there; thanks again for your comment. Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08804201159107101302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4089597013149576125.post-23747678473158686822017-03-31T07:13:34.799+01:002017-03-31T07:13:34.799+01:00Can't say any thing other than "i am with...Can't say any thing other than "i am with you on this". A really thoughtful piece putting matters in eternal perspective. You have brought together with coherence stuff that i have been thinking about in but waysFerris Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10194124740013931869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4089597013149576125.post-2382296948466328412017-03-30T14:54:21.731+01:002017-03-30T14:54:21.731+01:00I really appreciate your comments here. You are qu...I really appreciate your comments here. You are quite right that we must be sure to make our gospel convictions primary and our political/social views secondary. Likewise, your comment about the fleeting nature of kingdoms and empires is especially important to remember - particularly when we are faced with rulers we would rather not have.<br /><br />As somebody who voted for, and has written about, Brexit - and I absolutely share the spirit of your post re gospel concerns before political ones - I surprised to be lumped together with those who support Donald Trump and far-right nationalism. Whilst I know of some who support Brexit who would incline to those other things, there are plenty of us who are vehemently against them. It (sometimes) feels as though this black and white lumping together all people who dared to vote to leave the EU as the same, and worse - as of a piece with far-right nationalism and out and out racism/xenophobia - rather undercuts the calls to unity.<br /><br />Like you, it is hard for me to disentangle my politics from my faith. Not least, having taken both History/Politics and Theology degrees - and spent much time looking for where they intersect - it has become a specific point of interest for me. It is also interesting to be lumped in nationalists, racists and xenophobes given I minister in a diverse, multicultural church reaching out to many folk from EU nations as well as non-European countries. I love both our Eastern European brothers and sisters as much as I value our Middle Eastern, Caribbean and British ones. I would gladly welcome more of them and am delighted at the number of asylum seekers we see coming to know the Lord (and I'd be far more generous than our current system permits with them too).<br /><br />I think it is oft forgotten that all the major parties had 'for Leave' groups. Long before any mention of a referendum, Tony Benn campaigned vociferously to leave the EU and, whatever anybody may feel about his politics, there can be no denying he was not in line with UKIP or far-right nationalism. Comparing the 4m votes for UKIP at the General Election to the 52% majority in favour of leaving the EU suggests we ought not to consider every, even most, Brexit voters as Trump-supporting, far-right nationalists. The lumping together of such things just feels a little lazy to me and isn't going to help the sour feelings, precisely because those feelings eminent from a base presumptions that idiot, xenophobes and racists have managed to gain traction and majority support which, if true, would be depressing indeed (even though your comments about focusing on the gospel would still hold under such circumstances)! But such is not true and it might help the general feelings of despair for those who would have preferred to see continued membership of the EU if we didn't keep propagating the fallacy, even by inference.Stephen Knealehttp://knealesm.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com