Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi is one of the great religious thinkers of the
21st century and with wisdom asserts that theology must be part of the solution to the
problems, needs and challenges of our time. He contends that the West has become
more secular over decades if not centuries and the re-emergence of religion as a
global force caught the West unprotected and unprepared as it was in the grip of a
narrative that told a very different story. The West had the market economy and the
liberal democratic state and religion was sidelined if not redundant. What the
secularists forgot is that man is the meaning-seeking animal.Science, technology, the
free market and democracy have enabled us to reach great achievements in
knowledge, freedom, life expectancy and affluence and they are to be treasured. But
they do not answer the questions every human asks in their deepest soul. Who am I?
Why am I here? How shall I live? Our century has given most of us in the West many
choices but not only for us but for the wretched of the world a minimum or absence of
meaning. Jonathan Sacks’ assertion that theology has a crucial part to play needs to be
heard. As we have become more secular we do not see why religion and faith in God
matter, why they are so important. The response of the Church must be humble and
thoughtful. Our religious foundations do matter and without them we will lose much
that makes life in our world gracious, hopeful and humane. This takes us to the heart
of the Gospel, to the Good News, to Jesus.
From the beginning of His life Jesus is always with people and their needs. Born in a
stable, along with his parents a refugee fleeing tyranny He identifies with the human
condition. In his ministry he engages with people and their needs, he feeds the
hungry, rescues the disciples from the storm, engages in conversation with all sorts of
folk, listens, discusses and teaches in parables which live down the centuries with
eternal truths for our time. But when Jesus begins to speak about God’s mission in the
world and the divine dimension to life there is disagreement, complaint and distancing
if not desertion. Even the disciples begin to doubt and Peter asks “to whom shall we
go?” Today we also ask this question and it is this search for meaning that we all need
to engage in. We are reminded every day of the reality of living in our time and we
need to rediscover the divine dimension to life in the company of Jesus, always
engaged with people and their needs. The two most urgent issues of our time may
help our search.
The first issue is that of migration. The United Nations estimate that 60 million people
are leaving their homes because of war, terror and famine to find peace, security and
the possibility of hope for their children. Europe is facing the biggest crisis since the
Second World War and the response has been numbingly inadequate. This migration
has Biblical tones as it reminds us of the several captivities of the people of Israel, of
their long journey to the Promised Land. It also reminds us of other journeys and the
long walks to freedom of the Jews in Nazi Europe, of Black Americans with Martin
Luther King and the people of South Africa with Nelson Mandela. The Church often
calls us people of the way and we walk in the company of Jesus. Be assured He is
always engaged with the wretched and their needs and we must bring this divine
dimension into the West’s and our response to the challenge of migration. The
response is not only to love our neighbour but also the stranger.
The second issue is religious extremism which is Islamist extremism and yet again
Jonathan Sacks’ wise assertion that theology must be part of the solution is cogent.
Islam like Judaism and Christianity is an Abrahamic faith and Abraham is the great
patriarch of all three. There was clearly a profound love between Abraham and God.
Abraham was called by God to go from his country “to the land that I will show you.”
He accepted the call and encountered many of the trials and tribulations which
millions of migrants experience every day. Yet Abraham feels blessed and believes he
must bring blessings to others and all creation. He seeks to be true to his faith whilst
being a blessing to others regardless of their faith. This is a profound truth for the
Church and the 21st century. It is a profound truth for the three great faiths and their
followers. We are all children of Abraham and Desmond Tutu reminds us that as we
weep over this world God joins us in our tears and has no one but us to make this
world hospitable to peace and justice with a future of grace and hope for all our
children.