15 July 2011 Volume: 21 Issue: 13 North Korea's ... - Eureka Street

Volume 21 Issue: 1315 July 2011This need to distinguish between faith and the alien convictions and conduct with which itmay be associated is even greater in the case of witness, particularly when it is identified withloyalty: the unquestioning support of every attitude and view held by church leaders.It is certainly true that to accept and apply the implications of Christian faith in the publicsphere will incur some unpopularity and criticism. To defend the human dignity of theunborn, of asylum seekers, of prisoners, of indigenous people, of one’s enemies in a war, ofgay people or of the unemployed will invite criticism and rejection. So will attempts to seekreconciliation with people who are considered outside the pale.Even though it might seem unduly self-dramatising to describe this opposition asmartyrdom, the example of martyrs and the importance of witness can certainly encourageconstancy in hard times.But not all opposition is motivated by the positions people take. It may also be inspired bychurch practices and attitudes that the critics judge to fall short of acceptable moral standards.Catholics who defend the human dignity of gay people in society, for example, are oftenaccused of hypocrisy because of the apparently judgmental way in which Catholic Churchdocuments speak of the homosexual condition and because of homophobic attitudes displayedby some church leaders.Such examples suggest that witness does not point to the Christian gospel if itunquestioningly endorses a whole bag of beliefs, attitudes, regulations, taboos and behaviouron display within a church of a given time. Given that the church in every age needs to bereformed from its head to its members, effective witness calls for discrimination. Witness is notsynonymous with witless.©2011 EurekaStreet.com.au 6