Preaching on the Church of Ireland’s ‘Hard Gospel Sunday' (9th September) in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, the editor of The Church of Ireland Gazette, Canon Ian Ellis, will say that there must be a renewed determination in the international community to protect religious freedom around the world.
Ahead of next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing, he will refer in particular to reports of lack of religious and media freedom in China, while at the same time acknowledging the recent renewing of certain Church links with the Church in China.
Canon Ellis will also refer to the March 2007 report of the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Asma Jahangir, which includes 65 communications between the Special Rapporteur and no fewer than 35 states, over information received by her. Canon Ellis will point out that in 28 of the 65 items, Dr Jahangir expresses concern at lack of replies from governments.
Full Text of Sermon follows:
Today has been designated as ‘Hard Gospel Sunday’ in the Church of Ireland. The Hard Gospel Project - a three-year programme running throughout the Church - aims at helping us all to overcome sectarian attitudes and to accept ‘difference’. It is a tall order, but the success of the Project will lie in Church members allowing themselves to be challenged by the vision that is set forth - a vision of reconciliation and acceptance of others in their diversity.
The Hard Gospel Project is indeed a ‘Gospel’ project, because reconciliation lies at the heart of the Gospel. St Paul tells us that ‘God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ’ (2 Cor. 5:19). And the ministry we have been given, St Paul says, is the ministry of reconciliation.
To perform this ministry, of course, we must be free to do so. Sadly, we live in a world where such freedom is not everywhere to be found and often, where it does exist, it is not properly valued.
In just under a year, from 8th - 24th August 2008, the Olympic Games will be held in Beijing. Yet, recently, a theological consultant to the Christian Conference of Asia - the Revd Kwok Nai-Wang - went on record as saying that even though China had tried to give the impression it would improve its human rights record, when it was applying to host the 2008 Olympic Games, there has been no substantial evidence to show that its human rights situation has improved. He added that religious freedom in China exists only when the faithful do not challenge the political status quo. That is certainly not real religious freedom. However, it is good to note the recent renewing of certain Church of Ireland links with the Church in China, including student exchanges.
Then again, the international human rights group, Olympic Watch, has gone so far as to say that media freedom is “nowhere in sight” in China. Independent monitors, such as Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, the organisation says, register at least 30 Chinese journalists and 50 Internet activists in jail. Olympic Watch states: “Chinese domestic media face a policy of systematic censorship and the reporting of international media into China is blocked.” Indeed, major Internet companies have voluntarily, and controversially, restricted their services within China in order to gain access to the vast Chinese market.
The March 2007 report of the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Asma Jahangir, includes 65 communications between the Special Rapporteur and no fewer than 35 states, over information received by her. In 28 of the 65 items, she expresses concern at lack of replies from governments. The March report was an addendum to an earlier one, in December 2006, in which Dr Jahangir emphasized the “urgent need to eliminate the root causes of intolerance and discrimination” - a goal that is a fundamental part of the raison d'etre of the Hard Gospel initiative.
Religion is a vital part of human experience. It always has been and it always will be. So, there must be a renewed determination in the international community to protect religious freedom around the world.
Religion is, if you like, the formal expression of the spiritual experience. While it has often made mistakes because of the human aspect of that formalizing process, religion should be judged first of all by its inspiration. Equally, religions must always strive to be faithful to their inspiration. For Christianity, that inspiration is the person of Jesus Christ.
It is when we look to our inspiration, Christ, that we find at the heart of his ministry the Cross itself. That way was the way of true peace and real healing: this is the message with which we are entrusted and, indeed, the message with which the Hard Gospel Project is concerned; this is the message of God’s reconciliation.
May our world become a place in which there is greater freedom for us to proclaim that message, and greater freedom for the Church to fulfil its ministry.
Article from: The Church of Ireland