Reflecting on ‘Brexit’ from a Christian perspective
by Ian Paul, Psephizo:
With the bizarre events of the last few weeks continuing to unfold, I felt I wanted to write something by way of reflection on everything that has gone on. After all, it might be felt to be odd to have nothing to say from a theological or spiritual point of view on the political and national event that will probably have the most significance in our lifetime.
Yet there are some good reasons for holding back from commenting! For one, the whole debate seems to be mired in such complexity that it is hard to say anything useful that doesn’t sound completely trivial or simplistic. Secondly, it is very difficult to offer clear theological principles that have some bearing on the big questions that face us, since a slight change in understanding the complexities can easily push the theological reflection in a different direction. Thirdly, one of the dangers facing Christian leaders in commenting on this question is ending up sounding partisan. I agree with those who say it is of concern when the bishops of the Church of England appear to be almost uniformly convinced ‘Remainers’ when not only the regions in which they live but also the churches that they lead tend to the opposite view. Is the gap between the ‘ordinary’ and the ‘elite’ which has shaped this debate nationally simply reproduced in the Church? And, lastly, when Christian leaders have made comments, they have often been neither nuanced nor convincing.
And yet there are some dynamics around the current discussion that cry out for comment—and these are some observations that I think we need to reflect on and learn from, both within our national life and in thinking about our life as the people of God.
See also Brexit – what now? by Andrew Symes, Anglican Mainstream (from November 2018, but still 100% relevant).
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