Press hype, or more serious?

The poet John Donne wrote "No man is an iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine". While considering the revelations in the Panama Papers of secret financial arrangements to avoid (legally or otherwise) payment of income tax, the natural reaction of many might be, 'Here we go again, corruption and greed in high places'. Once again we are swept along in a tide of press-fed indignation against the rich and privileged.

Well, yes, but Christians have a responsibility to step back and take a much wider view of the subject and its background because, as the poet might have said, the Panama revelations are but a piece of the whole. What is this 'whole'? It is the evidence all around us of mankind's inherent greed and corruption, his desire to conform to standards set at the Fall (now taken as norms) that he sees practiced all around him, to protect and enrich himself at the expense of others. Rather than dwell on the minutiae of individual claims, we should reflect that they are but the most recent manifestation of the Fall, and the world has not changed since that time.

Scandal Everywhere

It was not long ago that we were treated to the unappealing view of the corrupt world of football (the 'Beautiful Game') and its international governing body FIFA, many of whose leaders were arrested and brought to court. Before that it was the world of athletics and the prevalence of performance-improving drugs that came into the spotlight. More or less at the same time it was horse-racing, this time with doping, that made the news.

The Panama revelations are but a piece of the whole - evidence all around of mankind's inherent greed and corruption.

All this is without a mention of the banking scandals beginning in 2008, with the domino-like collapse of banks in the UK and elsewhere and the grasping behaviour of senior staff regarding bonuses, the on-going UK investigations into paedophilia in which the police have received unwelcome publicity, and the serial unveilings by the Daily Telegraph of the antics of MPs who had been fiddling their expenses, bringing the Mother of Parliaments into contempt and derision.

These signs of corruption began in May 2009 and show no sign of dying. Yet there has been little or no evidence of contrition or widescale resignation on the part of individuals but - incredibly - a call for the Government to step in and control the press!¹

In another arena of public concern, attention has been drawn to the continuing public sell-off of Britain's national resources, to the extent that the future of our nuclear energy (Britain was one of the two original pioneers in the field) is now in the hands of France and China. At the time of writing, the UK's nuclear energy policy is adrift, with no-one really in charge. And now—stop press—the announcement that the UK Government's plea for someone to take over a part of the UK's steel industry sold to India's Tata Steel in 2006 has been at least partly answered as another foreign company steps forward. Nobody is ashamed, nobody is embarrassed. Not responsible, old chap, it was all done before I/we were there.

Words Have Power

But enough of dwelling on the grey desert of Godless national and world society. The United Kingdom is gravely compromised spiritually. I would like to suggest that the most serious of its failures in recent times has not been any statement made by the church, nor any of the various ill-considered pieces of legislation that have passed through parliament (even including the institution of 'gay marriage'), but it was an off-the cuff remark by an unelected Government spokesman during a press meeting with a society magazine.

During a 1993 interview with culture, society and politics magazine Vanity Fair UK, Socialist Prime Minister Tony Blair was asked by a reporter about his Christian faith. Before he could answer, his advisor, Alistair Campbell, broke in to declare that "We don't do God".² That hasty rejection was not countermanded by the nation's executive head (the Prime Minister), nor has it been since by any other such UK leader.

The United Kingdom is gravely compromised spiritually, with signs of corruption being unveiled in every sphere of society.

But words of proclamation can have power—even the most casual, throwaway ones—and can bring blessings or curses on those who utter them or those to whom they are directed. The Vanity Fair rejection would have been heard by the population at large through the media, by the powers of darkness, and by God himself. The phrase 'We don't do...' has entered the national lexicon, recalling the source of its origin. Just as Israel brought a curse on herself when she formally rejected her Saviour, consigning him to the cross and suffering the consequences ever since, so has England formally placed herself in a place of spiritual danger through those carelessly uttered words.

I had a mental picture of the appalled silence of the assembled host of angels at this statement. How could such a nation, formerly so blessed of God, do this? Did God himself at that moment exclaim, 'Well, if that's what they want, I'll give them the desires of their hearts'? It may well be that God has removed his hand of protection (so evident at Dunkirk, when the King announced a day of prayer) so that it may be set adrift.

I am minded of the frequent comments in the book of Judges: "In those days there was no king; everyone did as he saw fit" - there appears to be spiritual and moral anarchy in our day. We can trace the steepening collapse of Britain's finance and industry sectors and the way in which the nation has, recklessly, sold off its resources and allowed foreigners to purchase the most valuable parts of its capital city in a way not emulated by any other country.

Church's Responsibility

A significant responsibility must surely lie with the leaders of the Church of England and its accumulation of errors, beginning with its absorption with 19^th Century liberal theology. Notable events since that time included the 1984 appointment of David Jenkins as Bishop of Durham (who regarded the resurrection as "a conjuring trick with bones") and the Archbishop of Canterbury Runcie's famous Observer headline plea to "Let Rome lead all Christians" (1989). How sad it is to see the established church being dragged through public disgrace!

A significant responsibility must surely lie with the leaders of the established church and its accumulation of errors.

On the foundation of liberal theology, the Socialist Government of 1997-2010 erected its new edifice of equality and diversity, which included the institution of 'gay marriage' as one of a number of acceptable unions. Since that time historic marriage has declined and the family unit has fragmented.

If the established church, with its privileged position in the House of Lords, is so wayward, can we really blame a secular world for trying to protect its amassed fortunes by squirreling them away in secret offshore funds?

What is God Doing?

The prophetic Church should ask, is there any word from the Lord regarding these evidences of mankind's sorry plight? Yes. God is exposing corruption in high places, shining a light in the darkness. Senior, formerly respected people are being exposed in the court of public opinion. It is part of what the prophet Haggai refers to when he says that God will shake all nations in preparation for the coming of his glory.

There is surely only one recourse, the grace of him who is ready to dispense restoration following the response of a Church and leadership that falls on their knees and implores divine mercy in accordance with God's promise of forgiveness in Jeremiah 18:8, "if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned." There is much good work in progress in the Church and para-Church bodies.

The only way forward is through the grace of him who is ready to dispense restoration, if the Church would only fall on its knees and implore mercy.

We also remember Jean Darnall's vision of a Britain in which pinpricks of light - Spirit-filled churches and fellowships - grew in intensity until they blazed forth from north to south, many even crossing the Channel to sow the fire abroad (see Hugh Black's book Revival, which includes the prophetic vision of Jean Darnall).

It may be that after all the press hype, tax havens feature quite minimally in God's scheme of things. All the mountains of mammon will come to nothing when Babylon falls – "In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!" (Rev 18:17).

References

1 Leveson Inquiry, published November 2012.

2 E.g. see coverage in The Telegraph.

The latest revelations from the Panama Papers are damaging the Prime Minister's credibility.

Next week promises to be a very lively week in Westminster, with the Prime Minister fighting for his political life following revelations of his offshore investment - and charges that Number 10 brought forward the announcement of the publication of the EU leaflet to deflect attention from David Cameron.

Officially, Parliament is still on its Easter holiday break. But from all over the country, breaking news today (Friday 8 April) shows MPs on both sides of the House highly disturbed at what is going on in the government. The publication of the so-called 'Panama Papers' is rocking Downing Street because David Cameron's father is said to be one of those named in the database of Mossack Fonseca, the Panama-based law firm. The leaked documents are said to show how the law firm helped rich clients to launder money, dodge sanctions and evade tax.

Damaged Credibility

There is no suggestion that David Cameron or his father were involved in illegal financial deals but the very fact that it took some days for the PM to admit that he had personally owned some shares in his father's firm is damaging to his credibility. He has stated that he sold the shares in 2010 before he became Prime Minister and that he complied with all the UK tax requirements when cashing in his investment.

Further damage to the Prime Minister's standing comes from the advanced publication of the government's EU Referendum leaflet which is to be distributed to every household throughout Britain - at a cost to the taxpayer of nearly £10 million. Already the leaflet is being heavily attacked for the veracity of its claims, which are said to be highly biased in favour of recommending the public to vote to stay in the European Union.

The very fact that the government is going to such extraordinary lengths to try to persuade voters to stay within the EU is profoundly disturbing. It is more likely to make people question the reasons why they are using such heavy-handed tactics.

The extraordinary lengths to which the government is going to persuade voters to stay within the EU are profoundly disturbing.

Doubting the Government

There were already many doubts about the 'new deal' the Prime Minister had said that he would negotiate with all the member states of the EU. He had boasted that he aimed to see a 'reformed Europe' which he could present to the British people. In pursuit of this reform he toured the capitals of Europe and spent hundreds of hours in discussion with EU leaders. But the resultant deal was certainly not a 'reformed Europe'.

Now, with this government leaflet that appears to be little more than EU propaganda and the Prime Minister's personal reputation being damaged, public trust in the government's handling of the Referendum may well wane.

A Nation Under Judgment

Many Christians believe that Britain is already a nation under judgment, following so many unrighteous Acts of Parliament that have steered the nation away from its biblical heritage into the paths of secular humanism. When a nation has embraced the Judeo-Christian faith for hundreds of years - as we have done in Britain - and then turns away from the truth, there are inevitably dire consequences in its spiritual and moral welfare which affect the social and economic health of the whole population. Quite simply, this is what has happened in Britain.

There is a severe warning in scripture to those who deliberately turn away from the truth: "The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him" (Deut 28:20). I know that these words were said to Israel who are a people in a special covenant relationship with God. But in Jeremiah 18, there is a similar warning that applies to all nations. It says this: "If at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it" (Jer 18:9-10).

When a nation embraces God for centuries and then turns away, there are inevitably dire consequences.

Confusion and Rebuke

Clearly our government is being severely shaken, with many backbench MPs even considering refusing to vote for the budget because of the distorted 'facts' in the EU Referendum leaflet – "confusion and rebuke" would be a good description of what is likely to be happening in our parliament in the next few days.

What can Christians do? Certainly we should be praying for our leaders. But also we should be calling for a clear presentation of the facts about the EU and not standing for attempts to scare people to remain under its jurisdiction. It is time for honesty and truth from our leaders. This is the only way that trust can be restored.