Welcome to today’s reflection.
Today I reflect on a troubling week of news, and how easily behaviour that should concern us can become something we learn to accept.
It’s Friday, and for many reasons this has been a difficult week for me.
I have written about Remembrance this week, reflecting on the different ways people remember those who have died in conflict, and the services and memorials taking place around the world. It is a time when we naturally find ourselves looking backwards, remembering extraordinary acts of courage and sacrifice, but also some of the darkest moments in human history.
Against that background, several news stories have caught my attention.
In Germany, the Evangelical Alliance has issued a new confession acknowledging that some of its leaders welcomed Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 and subsequently used biblical arguments to justify measures against Jewish people. Its original confession, published in 1946, acknowledged failures during the Nazi period but did not explicitly mention the Jewish victims. Eighty years later, the organisation has recognised that omission and asked for forgiveness.
Closer to home, there is a legal challenge to the Church of England’s proposed £100 million programme addressing its historical links with slavery. The Church Commissioners have acknowledged that funds entrusted to the Church benefited from investments connected to the transatlantic slave trade. They now want to use part of their endowment for a programme of healing, repair and justice. Those challenging the scheme argue that the money should be used for the Church’s existing charitable purposes.
Then there is Russell Brand, sentenced this week to ten years and six months in prison after being convicted of rape and three sexual assaults. For years, his outrageous public persona was part of his appeal. I have found myself wondering how difficult it can become to distinguish between behaviour that is merely provocative and behaviour that ought to raise much more serious concerns, particularly when somebody is famous and surrounded by admirers.
I know these are very different stories, and I would not suggest that the circumstances or responsibilities involved are the same. But each one has made me think about the ways human beings accommodate things that should trouble us.
How do we become so accustomed to certain behaviours that we stop questioning whether they are acceptable?
