Politics at Norwich Cathedral

 

The Revd Andrew Bryant, Canon for Mission and Pastoral Care at Norwich Cathedral, wrote a Network Norwich and Norfolk pre-election article on the citizen's voting responsibilities. The article can be read here:

Network Norfolk : Why voting should be regarded as a spiritual act (networknorwich.co.uk)

In these days when the cut and thrust and contentions of constitutional politics are under threat from those who seek to disabuse us of the right to agree to disagree and vote on it, I found myself agreeing with the article. Here was my reply

Timothy V Reeves (Guest)           21/06/2024 11:00

Thanks for the article, Andy. I very much agree with your conciliatory tone.

The constitution, forums and media of democracy must be preserved; they cater for the truism that as frail & fallible human beings we have a natural propensity to disagree and contend and therefore contention must be managed by systems of arbitration & accountability. Obviously, there’s always room for reform and enhanced justice but let’s respect our democratic culture of accountability as the way forward: As you say:

<<"Just as God calls us frail, fallible disciples to be bearers of the divine light in the world, so too the governance of our nation is placed in the hands of equally frail and fallible men and women, who need are our affirmation of their willingness to serve rather than a continuing reminder of where they have fallen short. Even as they are held accountable at the ballot box, we too will be held accountable on the Last Day.">>

Excellent! May we take that quote to heart! The alternative is dictatorship and the threat posed by dictators-in-waiting who make loud claims to being the saviour of society. There is of course only one saviour.

 

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Quoted from Network Norwich and Norfolk....

The Revd Andrew Bryant is the Canon for Mission and Pastoral Care at Norwich Cathedral. He was previously Team Rector of Portishead, Bristol, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells, and has served in parishes in the Guildford and Lichfield Dioceses, as well as working for twelve years with Kaleidoscope Theatre, a charity promoting integration through theatre for young adults with Down’s Syndrome.

You can read Andrew's latest blog entry here and can follow him via his Twitter account @AndyBry3.