I have just finished reading "Street Boys" by Tim Pritchard, a true story of gangs in London and it really got me thinking. (I did a good blog in my head in the middle of the night but it seems to have disappated a wee bit)
It stuck me as it has often stuck me, how often in this world those who try to sort things out, who send in the money, are generally people from a privileged position. They understand the system, have been educated, have basically been empowered. These lads were not saying so much that it wasn't their fault but just that what they saw around them were people in designer clothes with gold jewelry making lots of money dealing drugs, and these were the only role models they saw. They didn't see how one became any other type of profession. Most of them had no fathers, some had mothers who were in and out of prison. But it was interesting how, as they grew up, these guys were sorry for what they had done, and were trying hard to be an example to the younger boys so that they would not go that way.
I wonder how often, even as Christians, we see these latest figures about young people carrying knives and we make our own judgments, when actually we do not know these people.
And really we need to get involved with them long term, as those in Manchester are doing with the Eden Project and others are doing in this country, but I wonder how often we are more willing in our churches to send money abroad and ignore this country. And also of how often we are to send teams in to "do good" but then we go home again, we feel sorry for these people but we don't see them as equal to us and want to empower them, rather we want to be kind to these poor people. Though there are often wonder how often that is our attitude to the starving, the unclothed, etc. We do not want to get to know them as really people but as people we can do good to, be good Christians with.
The trouble is I feel all this frustration and yet I do not know where to go with it! And as I was planning this last night I felt God saying that He wanted me to empower His church to go - but at times that seems like such a cop-out.
Again I ask myself the question - who are the poorest people I know? Do I really know any really poor people? not sure poor in money terms but poor in empowerment?
I will be interested to see where these thoughts go. I see the end result of people coming to help the poor Latvians. Any Latvians who show any spark are sponsored to go to Bible college somewhere and then want to do the work of the Lord and require sponsorship to do it and no one learns to become a regular member of society working out their faith in their community and workplace. They get wrapped up in a Christian world etc etch and I could go on but what I do know is it is not empowering a people to live in a vibrant community enthused with God's power, they are just worn out.
ReplyDeleteJoanna, I so agree with you. I think even here we do not encourage Christians to be part of where God has placed them, unless it is in a "do gooder" way.
ReplyDeleteI feel a bit lost though on how to out work all this.
again I could go on but I want to do something real rather than go on!
D x