I hope you will all indulge me, as I have prepared a little speech. I am a Christian who joined Occupy London on the 15th October 2011, when the Occupy here in London first began outside St Paul's cathedral, but was intended for Paternoster Square.
Before Occupy I had never been an activist, although I guess in a way I have always been against the injustices that I have lived through in our world. I am from South Africa and grew up under the inhuman social and economic injustices of the undemocratic Apartheid system. Personally, I believe that the Holy Spirit is moving like a jet stream through the Occupy movement and I feel God’s hand in His desire for us to confront those who are fighting to keep the iniquities of the City in place.
Occupy London has been striving, as part of the wider global Occupy movement, to raise awareness of the economic, social and environmental injustices that are being committed by the corporations, the governments and the banks.
I don’t need to highlight the global economic crisis, as I am sure that everyone reading/hearing this is fully aware of the global crisis, but when it comes to asking the question “what can we do?” I have to speak as a Christian first - we can stand up and protest against what may seem an insurmountable task to try and influence changing the system. This is the narrative that Christ taught us, he too protested peacefully.
We must action our faith.
Many Christians feel that the church has lost it’s way. The very cathedral in which this speech will be heard, has collaborated with the iniquitous City of London Corporation to evict the Occupy London Stock Exchange camp that tarnishes the views of the historic Wren building.
But I ask you, is the building more important than the narrative of Christ? The churches were built to protect and house the alter - a place of sacrifice - but since Christ was the sacrifice, and communion the means by which Christians remembrance of that sacrifice is taken, then the building is surely less important than the narrative. The church needs to be dynamic, but always in keeping with the values and principles given to us through scriptures.
In Habakkuk, Chapter 2 vs 5 to 8 it clearly says:
"Wealth is deceitful. Greedy men are proud and restless - like death itself they are never satisfied. That is why they conquer nation after nation for themselves. The conquered people will taunt their conquerors and show scorn for them. They will say, 'You take what isn't yours, but you are doomed! How long will you go on getting rich by forcing your debtors to pay up?'
But before you know it, you that have conquered others will be in debt yourselves and be forced to pay interest. Enemies will come and make you tremble. They will plunder you! You have plundered the people of many nations, but now those who have survived will plunder you because of the murders you have committed and because of your violence against the people of the world and its cities."
For the cathedral to have played a role in supporting the City of London Corporations eviction case, through the testimony of Nicholas Cottom, simply because the camp is an eyesore and has attracted some of the marginalised and problematic people that make up our society, it seems forgotten that Jesus was homeless and mixed with those marginalised in His society … tax collectors, lepers and prostitutes. The Occupiers outside the cathedral doors may seem like the lepers of today, as we struggle to engage the establishment in addressing change. The preservation of a building was not what Jesus taught for He challenged the authorities, He challenged the law and in 1 Peter 2 vs 5 it says "Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple ..."
That spiritual temple is the one we should be focussing on as Christians and as community, because we are all part of this global community. Surely there is a better way, a way that encompasses faith, love, understanding and respect for all people with a desire for peaceful resolution towards an equal, just, sustainable and democratic global community.
In practical terms, there is much that the church can do and consider through collaboration, through pursuing the philosophy that all faiths teach us, and through encouraging conversation and forging relationships to foster discourse with those who are actively challenging the system.
The Occupy movement has much to offer in collaborating with the church and the church needs to recognise that for any of us to achieve structural change to the nefarious system that currently dominates our world, we need to share our skills and knowledge to challenge that which is unjust, in order to attain the shared values we hold.
Occupy Faith UK is an affinity part of Occupy that has recently started, autonomous in some ways, but acting on and engaging in the wider Occupy movement ideals and principles. In the United States Occupy Faith has over 1000 churches affiliated in support. I am happy to share some of the plans Occupy Faith UK has at the moment, that would be mutually beneficial for the church to be participant in, and we are open to discussion and receiving support on some of these initiatives. We need the churches involved in some of these initiatives, but mostly we need people to remember we are all bound together with shared values, regardless of faith.
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