Divine Fire on Earth, Hubris and Nemesis .........
Will Hutton, writing in Sunday's Observer, comments on the current right wing drift of politics, and offers reassurance that it will soon be overturned by a new revolution of common sense.
His argument is that the current right wing groundswell is not deep rooted and will be swept to one side by winds of change.
The most recent observations as reported in the press and on BBC Radio News of Mr Farage addressing an audience in Australia, seem to be a clear case of Lese Majeste, it remains to be seen what the outcome of Mr Farage's reported comments might be.
But we have a situation in our political life where individuals are seen promoting policies against the advice of other more sensible heads.
Rational thought has been exchanged for a do or die approach to any problem.
Whether it is Brexit or Climate Change, the two most pressing problems of our civic life, the solution seems to be lets press on, see what happens, claim back sovereignty, or as Norman Lamont observed on Radio 4 today, the Market will decide because markets always have a tendency toward correction, echoing of course Mrs Thatchers view that markets are, like the weather, inevitably correct.
Which again begs the question in the light of climate change whether that is true, when weather becomes less predictable and more extreme what does that tell us about the effect of weather on markets, exchange rates, monetary policy, very little I would suggest.
We are living in unpredictable and confusing times. Whether the weather is the underlying cause of this or the result of other seismic changes yet to be revealed is not clear.
As I was once advised by a weatherman I met on a camping holiday in South West Scotland the unbroken blue skies of the past three weeks were not weather, that he said pointing to a small white cloud, that is weather and after he had packed and gone the weather came, deluge, bucketing down, torrential.
There will as Herodotus observed, be Nemesis after this season of Hubris.
A Gospel of power and devastation is set for this Sunday:
49 "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." 54 He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, "It is going to rain'; and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, "There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
An interesting challenge to preachers. Bringing a hermeneutic to bear on this text will be a tough call.
This isn't Jesus the good guy talking.
Indeed in his own hermeneutic, addressed to the crowds in vv 54 -56, Jesus talks about interpreting the appearance of earth and sky whilst failing to understand the present time.
But who indeed can understand the present time?
The signs are hard to interpret. Good people are demonised and demonic forces applauded. Changes are railroaded through. Resistance seems generally useless.
So we move forward cautiously hoping not to draw too much attention to ourselves, keeping our head below the parapet, hoping that tomorrow will be better.
Hoping indeed that Will Hutton has a vision for a better future ........
His argument is that the current right wing groundswell is not deep rooted and will be swept to one side by winds of change.
The most recent observations as reported in the press and on BBC Radio News of Mr Farage addressing an audience in Australia, seem to be a clear case of Lese Majeste, it remains to be seen what the outcome of Mr Farage's reported comments might be.
But we have a situation in our political life where individuals are seen promoting policies against the advice of other more sensible heads.
Rational thought has been exchanged for a do or die approach to any problem.
Whether it is Brexit or Climate Change, the two most pressing problems of our civic life, the solution seems to be lets press on, see what happens, claim back sovereignty, or as Norman Lamont observed on Radio 4 today, the Market will decide because markets always have a tendency toward correction, echoing of course Mrs Thatchers view that markets are, like the weather, inevitably correct.
Which again begs the question in the light of climate change whether that is true, when weather becomes less predictable and more extreme what does that tell us about the effect of weather on markets, exchange rates, monetary policy, very little I would suggest.
We are living in unpredictable and confusing times. Whether the weather is the underlying cause of this or the result of other seismic changes yet to be revealed is not clear.
As I was once advised by a weatherman I met on a camping holiday in South West Scotland the unbroken blue skies of the past three weeks were not weather, that he said pointing to a small white cloud, that is weather and after he had packed and gone the weather came, deluge, bucketing down, torrential.
There will as Herodotus observed, be Nemesis after this season of Hubris.
A Gospel of power and devastation is set for this Sunday:
49 "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." 54 He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, "It is going to rain'; and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, "There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
An interesting challenge to preachers. Bringing a hermeneutic to bear on this text will be a tough call.
This isn't Jesus the good guy talking.
Indeed in his own hermeneutic, addressed to the crowds in vv 54 -56, Jesus talks about interpreting the appearance of earth and sky whilst failing to understand the present time.
But who indeed can understand the present time?
The signs are hard to interpret. Good people are demonised and demonic forces applauded. Changes are railroaded through. Resistance seems generally useless.
So we move forward cautiously hoping not to draw too much attention to ourselves, keeping our head below the parapet, hoping that tomorrow will be better.
Hoping indeed that Will Hutton has a vision for a better future ........
Comments
Post a Comment