This quotation is from God's Politics.
Chartres and other cathedral authorities have been widely criticized for their handling of the Occupy London situation at St. Pauls, where protesters were allowed to gather beginning on Oct. 15 after being blocked from occupying the London Stock Exchange a few blocks away. Last Thursday, the Church of England’s Chancellor Canon Giles Fraser resigned his position in protest to the church’s decision to begin eviction proceedings against the Occupiers.
It seems that we Christians are still working it out.
I've been following the various Christian news feeds, blogs, tweets etc about the #occupy movement. I know colleagues who have served the protesters in places like Chicago, New York, and Oakland. And in every place the response to their presence has been mixed.
Some people think of the presence of any religious group as an imposition. Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Christian...even Buddhist believers are unwelcome because of what they represent. The presence of religion in this country is one of our problems and not one of our society's possible solutions.
Some people have greatly appreciated the witness. Communion celebrated at the park. People processing down Wall Street with a golden calf calling the financial powers that be to task over their cash-based idolatry. Sukkots set up in the park. Yoga practiced at 3pm like clockwork in Oakland. It's everywhere and it's a mix.
I have linked the above article so that we can get a good example of how complicated our present relationship with religion is these days. The situation in London is a mess and as such is a perfect example of how deeply people inside and outside of religious communities struggle to be involved.
It's a sticky wicket. The separation of church and state in the United States does not equal the separation of faith and politics.
You can follow Occupy Faith NYC on Facebook.