Williams on the dangers of speaking harshly of others

At the conclusion of the first day of the Primates meetings in Alexandria, Archbishop Rowan Williams delivered the sermon at a service celebrating the dedication of St. Mark's pro-Cathedral. Ruth Gledhill has transcribed the sermon which can be heard here. An extract:

Our work may or may not be successful and yet God remains faithful. And so as we turn to one another it also changes how we see each other. The person sitting next to me praying next to me is someone in whom Jesus is praying. I try to listen to the voice of Jesus at prayer in them. I try to see the force and energy of Jesus's life in them.

And when I try to make dismiss them or make little of them when I speak harshly to them or about them I am in danger of destroying that place which is a place where Jesus is.

Many are interpreting these words as intended not just for the congregation of St.Mark's, but for the primates and for the Anglican Communion.

Posted by John B. Chilton on February 3, 2009 8:00 AM | |
Comments (2)

A first rate sermon with a much wider applicability than either the audience or the Primates, though surely, in the latter instance, one can hope that they heard.
Several years ago, I received a call on Saturday morning asking if I could take services for a rector who had broken her leg playing tennis. Though I protested the short time properly to prepare a sermon, I went. At announcement time I looked at the service leaflet and read out the dozens of things they had scheduled for the week. Without thinking, I held upo the leaflet and asked. "What in God's name are you doing all this stuff for?" Later in the week the rector called to thank me for standing in on short notice, and added, "That question you asked on Sunday, well, we are having a meeting of the leadership to ask ourselves why and what for we are doing all these activities." I do not know what I preached on that Sunday, but I do know what got heard.
I just hope +++Rowan gets an equally attentive hearing.

Posted by Phillip Cato [TypeKey Profile Page] | February 3, 2009 9:01 AM

And yet...Jesus himself had very harsh words for the Pharisees who cared more about the letter of the law than their fellow humans. I do believe he called them "vipers" and "whited sepulchers."

It is always a challenge to hold the tension between the loving, compassionate Jesus and the righteously angry Jesus--and to find a way to navigate that difficult space in our own lives.

My problem with +Cantaur is that he seems constitutionally unable to differentiate between types of harsh words (and actions), and the consequences they have for real people. Not all harsh words have the same effect on people's lives. An African Primate who calls gays and lesbians "lower than the animals" literally puts people's lives in danger. My calling that same Primate a Donatist or a gnostic heretic will never have the same power (even though I have much better proof for my harsh claim than he does).

Jesus stood up for the marginalized and he used harsh words to do it. We are not Jesus, and we need to be careful about what we say---but I find it hard to believe that God is pleased when we choose false niceness--or silence--over speaking the truth to those who use God as a weapon.

Paige Baker

Posted by paigeb [TypeKey Profile Page] | February 3, 2009 10:24 AM

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