From the Christian Institute:The right of churches to decide for themselves who may attend Holy Communion is being challenged by the Charity Commission. The Commission has refused to register a Plymouth Brethren group because its Holy Communion services are for members only. This would have a huge impact on the group’s tax relief and would also have other implications.
Elders from the Plymouth Brethren gave evidence on the matter to a parliamentary select committee last week.During the evidence a letter from the Commission’s head of legal
services emerged claiming that churches cannot be assumed to be acting
for the public good. It said: “This decision makes it clear that there was no presumption
that religion generally, or at any more specific level, is for the
public benefit, even in the case of Christianity or the Church of
England.”...
Colleen Francis made himself right at home in the locker room at
Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington. The forty-five year-old
student showered, used the sauna and walked around naked in front of the
other people using those facilities.
Now if you’re having trouble squaring the name “Colleen” with the
male pronoun “himself,” you’re not the only one. Those present in the
locker room also had trouble with the combination that the locker room
in question was the women’s room and “Colleen” is anatomically a male.
Thus when he showers, sits in the sauna, and walks around naked,
Francis is exposing himself not only to his fellow students but students
from local high schools and families who also use the college’s
swimming pool and locker room. Thus, among the females he has exposed
himself to are minors, some as young as six.
If you’re wondering, “Why doesn’t someone stop Francis,” well, they
tried to, and that’s when the story became surreal. The swimming coach
from the local high school and the mother of one of the team members
called the police. When the police arrived Francis informed them that he
was a transsexual and that, under Washington State law, he was entitled
to use the women’s locker room.
If that sounds ridiculous to you, well, it worked. The coach
apologized and the college informed parents that state law, which
prohibits discrimination on the basis of “gender expression or
identity,” tied their hands. The best they could do was to provide
screens for those made “uncomfortable” by Francis’ presence.
As we imagine the scene
at the treasury of the Temple, we ought to try to imagine perhaps
someone giving to the Church, perhaps our congregation today. How
would we respond if someone walked in and dropped in a fat cheque?
How would our response differ to, say, a child putting in their
week's pocket money? Would we treat them differently? I suggest most
of us would.
The truth our Lord
reveals is that God sees things very differently. Our Lord would
assess any gift on the basis of the degree of sacrifice involved, and
the degree of generosity. St John Chrysostom, commenting on this
said, “Our Lord paid no attention to the amount of money but only
to the abundance of her generosity.” What the Lord looks for is our
generosity. So it might be a worthwhile exercise imagining our Lord
watching us as we give – what would he say of us? Well the truth
is, that our Lord knows the secrets of our hearts now, and He is
aware of the truth of the matter. There is perhaps nothing like the
issue of money to crystallize our commitment to something.
Central in this concern
for generosity is what we might call today 'detachment'. How detached
are we from our wealth? To what extent are we ruled by our wealth?
How free do we feel towards our wealth – beyond providing for our
basic needs? How much of a hold does our wealth have over us?
The Beatitudes of the
gospel call us to blessedness through being 'poor in spirit'. This
isn't to do with whether we are economically poor or not, but how
detached we are to our wealth. Blessedness, or eternal happiness or
joy, is reached through a detachment to wealth.
People become attached
to wealth because they believe it can provide them with the security
they need. This is in fact the opposite to the Christian way. For a
Christian finds security not in material possessions but in Christ.
The Christian does not build up treasures on earth, where moth and
rust can corrupt, but builds up treasure in heaven. It might seem we
can buy security and happiness, but sooner or later we must all learn
that we cannot take it with us! Christ alone can give us eternal
happiness (which is what blessedness is) and eternal security (which
is salvation) ; we in fact depend on His great generosity bestowed on
us – He asks us to be as generous with others.
So the issue we are
addressing is not just to do with how much we give to Church, but the
attitude of our hearts. Do we have hearts formed by habits of
miserliness, that is grudging, or that is over cautious? Because this
will not only affect the way we give money, but also the way in which
we give ourselves to Christ. How wholeheartedly have we given
ourselves to Christ? How much have we held back? How generous are we
in giving our lives, our time, our energy to Christ? If He stood
before us in bodily flesh would you give all, or be reserved? Are there
no-go areas in our lives, where we are not prepared for Christ to
enter?
These are the things
that matter in the Kingdom of God. What matters to God is not the
quantity but the quality of the spirit in which we give. Do we give
as generously, as He has given to us?
