The Hard Gospel
By
The Revd Arthur Carter
Firstly, it is an emphasis on the uncomfortable and often overlooked side of the mission statement of the Christian gospel. This hard gospel project was established in 2005 by the Standing Committee of the General Synod with Archbishop Robin Eames as its President. So it is a plant native to Ireland but capable of growing in universal Christian soil.
Secondly, the hard gospel complements the comfortable gospel. There is only one gospel. Its challenges to us are based on the uncomfortable words of Jesus to his disciples - and to us. The disciples were slow to understand the teaching of Jesus, but when Jesus commissioned them to carry on his work they went out in the power of his spirit to face whatever their task required of them. Being a Christian in our day also has both joy and pain. The promise of Jesus is to be with us in both.
Thirdly, living the gospel must be in the world that surrounds us. This is the only time and the only world we will know. Created in the image of God our lives are a search for how to fulfil the purpose of our being here. Identity is both a personal and a collective construct. Whom do I say I am, and is there a collective identity that distinguishes Church of Ireland Christians as citizens of Ireland? How does our identity-manifest itself in distinctive ways? Is the ministry to the gospel treasured, encouraged and supported and effective; open to all baptised Christians, both lay and clerical?
In the early unecumenical decades of this state Church of Ireland people were sometimes referred to as white mice. Active persecution was not the norm and minority respect was never absent at everyday levels. Economic activity was low for all citizens. A remarkable spiritual development was not religious, but artistic and literary. The anglo irish, represented by people such as; W.B. Yates, Lady Gregory, Douglas Hyde and Sean O'Casey; met with the Gaelic Irish speaking people living in the Aran Islands and remote areas of old irish culture. This spiritual marriage of very different minds was the send waves through irish consciousness that still ripple as a uniting force among us - not to mention artistic and literary creativeness.
The young confident Church of Ireland Christians today certainly do not see themselves as white mice, but as celtic tigers. Much has changed and Irish citizens are also Europeans and citizens of the world. A terrible beauty is born! But many citizens of this new world are not included in its terrible beauty. During the past ten years people from Eastern Europe and from countries elsewhere have immigrated to Ireland. One effect of this unprecedented reversal of former emigration of our young people is that the Church of Ireland Christians are more than ever, seen as part of the indigenous irish population. The decline in vocations to orders of nuns and closing of some convents leaves a partial vacuum in schools, hospitals and social services. In a more relaxed ecumenical scene Church of Ireland people are welcome to serve on community voluntary groups, to complement professional services. Ecumenical prayer groups are giving a spiritual dimension to practical service. Robert Putnam in his book "Bowling Alone" examines the importance of strengthening civic and . community life. Renewed interest in our early Christian celtic heritage is also a shared bond.
Our Ireland today is complex and we need to reflect on our environment and on our Church of Ireland; as we think of our mission to show the gospel. The Church is, when it is at its best, a divinely inspired temple, standing on the floor of the world. In it Jesus says that, "all will know that you are my disciples if you love one another." St. Paul, in his ode to love, speaks of "faith hope and love, and the greatest of these three is love". To love someone who loves you is not hard gospel, but to set out to love all those who come into the orbit of our lives is the command of Jesus. It is a lifetime learning curve. It knows no seasons and the cost must never be counted. Love is of God and God is love. The hard gospel will be valued by the extent to which it helps us become know as people who love one another.
The continuance of the self employed status of stipendary ministry does not sit well with the normal checks and balances under which professional people serve their communities. It lacks transparency and accountability. In an intimate community, such as the Church of Ireland, this can lead to hard questions being left unanswered. The three “fs” of finance, fabric of buildings and fund-raising are best left to chosen lay people, accountable to relevant authority. The local units within the large areas of what are still called a 'parish' often feel being poor relations.
The non-stipendary ministry had its beginnings in the early 1970s. This is a growing ministry. Nevertheless the Church of Ireland has not developed patterns of shared, group or team ministries. The existence of assistant priests in parishes implies that new patterns of shared ministry are the norm. Only in rare circumstances can this be taken for granted, in the absences of planning and supporting resources and a vision of what can and might be achieved.
Finally, if too many pews in our Churches are empty today we must ask the question, do people see us as having the capacity to love one another in the way of true discipleship? This was never an easy option. But it is part of the good news Jesus brought to the poor in spirit and the oppressed in all ages. A Church needs to be in environment that enable; encourages and sustains the ministry of all baptised members. The hard gospel project calls us to sell the gospel in the market place of our world's spiritual life styles.
Arthur Carter
(The Revd Arthur Carter is assistant priest in Clonmel Group of parishes)
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