One thing I’ve learnt from the Leveson Inquiry

Today I watched the live coverage of Lord Justice Leveson as he published his long-awaited report on the press.

In his speech he pointed out that the investigation started with the hacking of Milly Dowler's voicemail and expanded to cover politicians, the press and the police. 

There isn't one guilty party here; large sections of the industry and many outside it have been tarnished by this scandal. And Lord Leveson claimed those who had broken the rules had “wreaked havoc" on the lives of innocent people.

Sometimes in life we cut corners or engage in practices that are the norm at the time; often we just go along with things without thinking about the consequences. I'm not saying I've ever hacked the phone of a missing child, but sometimes just by staying silent we propagate certain behaviours.

Remember the MPs expenses scandal, for example. I imagine it was initially a case of someone buying a spot of lunch for a friend on their expenses rather than forking out for it themselves. Who’s to ever know? Others followed suit. It’s what everyone does, so why shouldn't I? Still others kept quiet about it; not actually doing it themselves but keeping schtum to protect those that did. Before long people were putting up duck houses and building moats around their houses.

A more sinister example is the Jimmy Savile scandal. It is now thought as many as 300 people were sexually abused by the former TV presenter; including victims as young as eight. Obviously, Savile's behaviour is reprehensible, that needs no discussion. But what of those who knew what was going on and facilitated it or even got involved themselves? We’ll probably never know just how sordid the whole situation was.

It might just be a small thing to start off with: an employee ‘borrowing’ stationary and eventually embezzling company funds; harassment of a colleague that results in a nervous breakdown or suicide attempt; or a friend’s casual interest in hardcore pornography that draws them into a situation where domestic violence occurs. 

I can't help thinking it would be better to make a stand before things got out of hand. Think Winterbourne View, Baby P and the Shannon Matthews case; why were these situations allowed to take place? Because no one stepped in and said: “Enough is enough.”

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we have a responsibility to do things the right way: to avoid shortcuts and unlawful practices; to stand up against endemic actions and behaviours that we consider to be wrong; and to be prepared to ‘go public’ (by telling the relevant party) as soon as a dangerous pattern appears to be emerging.

Unlike those involved in the phone hacking scandal, we may not be hauled up in front of a panel to explain our actions (or inaction), but I believe that one day we will all have to give an account.

Romans 14:12 says: “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God”, and 1 Corinthians 4:5 says: “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.”

You might think that what you’re doing isn't hurting anyone, or that it is insignificant. But whether you’re the ringleader or you’re simply turning a blind eye, it’s time to get serious. Let’s get a handle on the scandal before it even becomes one.

PS I'm really glad the News of the World has finally gone.

Read more from Joy in the next issue of Liberti magazine. 

Women lose the vote

I’m sat on my sofa, trying to know where to start. Today, after 12 years of consultation, legal wrangling and campaigning, the draft legislation, which would have allowed women to become Bishops, was today rejected. 42 out of 44 of the church’s dioceses have given their backing to women bishops over the last decade and two out of the three houses in the Synod passed the legislation. In the end it came down to six votes in the House of Laity.

It’s a bitter blow for women looking for the Church of England to acknowledge and accredit their God given gifts. I think it’s a bitter blow full stop for the Church of England. Twitter exploded as the result was announced with many claiming that they were ‘ashamed to be part of the Church of England’. The Telegraph describes the decision as ‘plunging the Church of England into its biggest crisis for decades’ with Damian Thompson suggesting that Archbishop of Canterbury elect, Justin Welby faces the prospect of an Anglican Civil War.

It’s not the kind of talk I like to hear about the church. Jesus said that we would be known as his disciples by the love we have for each other. Days like today make me despair – when the church is, instead, known for its infighting, its hypocrisy and its inequality. Today was an opportunity for a part of the church to show that it loved and recognised women the way that Jesus did. But it didn’t.

My prayer is, that in the aftermath of this vote, the church – all of it, really does respond with the love and the grace that should mark us out as Jesus followers. That as those of us who campaigned and prayed for change pick up the pieces to start again, we do so gently if determinedly and that we treat our brothers and sisters as brothers and sisters and not as enemies. The way the next few days, weeks and months are handled will define the church as much, if not more than, today’s vote.

Today a sad decision was made; a decision that seems to restrict women’s liberty. But today’s decision does not define God’s church and it does not define women. Today’s vote does not define me. Or you. It does not stop me from becoming all that I was created to be. It does not stop you. Devastating as it was, today’s vote will, in time, be voted on again and I believe that there will be change. But in the meanwhile, I will carry on leading in the sphere that I am given, I will carry on being a light to the world I live in and I will love those who say I shouldn’t.

I hope that you will too.

(S)he that cannot obey cannot command!

I like this Benjamin Franklin saying, but I must admit that obedience and submission don’t come naturally to me… I like getting my own way far too much. Now I'm studying these concepts at Bible College and it’s challenging stuff.

When I was young and my mum told me not to do things, I often did them anyway and learnt the hard way that she was right all along. I now know that she told me not to do them because she wanted the best for me, not (as I thought then) because she wanted my life to be boring. I'm discovering the same thing about God’s commands.

Growing up in a Christian home, I also knew I should obey those in authority: parents, teachers, church leaders and bosses. I publicly did and said the right things (obedience) a lot of the time as a child/adolescent. 

Submission has been harder for me to learn. Often I outwardly did as I was told, but my heart wasn't in it. I complained about things (sometimes to myself, sometimes to others); I obeyed, but I wasn't fully submitted. This is something I'm still working on.

I am discovering, though, that God’s grace (ability) is what makes us able to obey – we don’t have to do it in our own strength (although we do still have to choose to obey). Jesus laid down His will entirely to do the Father’s will, and this is how we should live. I am also starting to realise that we should be obedient because we love God (John 14:15), and that this obedience should be instant and joyful. 

One area I am particularly challenged in is my driving. When I'm behind the wheel I take on my (earthly) father’s personality. I drive too fast, I get angry; I have even been known to swear. I disregard parking notices and speed limits. In short, I disobey the law and by doing so, I put myself and others at risk.

Initially, I laughed this behaviour off, but I soon came to realise that I wasn't just disobeying the law; I was disobeying God. If we disobey the laws of those in authority – who are in fact ordained by God Himself (Romans 13:1) – we disobey the One who is over all. And until we learn to yield to authority, we will never be good leaders ourselves.

I know that with the Holy Spirit’s help I can put off the old (wo)man with her anger, foul language and so on, and allow Him to renew my mind (Colossians 3:8-10). And the more I meditate on the Word and listen to the Spirit, the easier it becomes to obey and to emulate the personality of my Heavenly Father.

Eventually this should become a natural reaction rather than an adopted or forced behaviour. And Bristol’s roads will be all the safer for it!

Read more from Joy in the next issue of Liberti magazine.

What’s so special about Justin Bieber’s mum?

Courtesy of Pattie Mallette

A couple of weeks ago I was offered an interview with Justin Bieber's mum. This had two immediate effects on me – the first was that I found myself singing that delightful “Baby” song in my head and have been trying to shift it ever since.

And I’ll be honest about my second reaction, too. Rather than jumping to a conclusion about her, I positively leapt to one: I mean, what on the earth could the mother of this teenage singing sensation have to say that could be of any real interest to me or the magazine?

I did what we all do in situations like this and googled her, expecting to find a couple of pictures of her and Justin prancing down a red carpet or too, but nothing of any real substance. I soon discovered I was wrong.

It turns out Pattie Mallette has penned a bestseller and that she is using her first-hand experience of child abuse, drug addiction and teenage pregnancy to help others. She even has her own Wikipedia page. My views on this rather beautiful young woman were starting to change.

We decided that her story would in fact be of great interest to Liberti readers and her agent swiftly shipped me a copy of her book, Nowhere but Up, which I had about two hours to read before the interview kicked off. I got started right away and was instantly moved by Pattie's story and by the frank, honest way she told it.

This is a woman who has been through a lot. I won’t spoil it for you, but I can pretty much guarantee it will move you; not only because of the subject matter, but because writing it down took guts and must have been painful to do. And because instead of sitting around feeling sorry for herself she is determined to use her terrible experiences to give hope to those who have been through similar things.

Now a committed Christian, Pattie shares how her relationship with God has helped her to come through some extremely tough times and how, rather than pretending they didn't happen, she has confronted them and sought God’s healing and deliverance.

I’ll never just think of her as “Justin Bieber’s mum” again, although having a famous son has given her a good platform to share her story (and the foreword he wrote in the book is lovely). I now feel ashamed that I more or less wrote her off before I even knew anything about her.

She is brave, engaging and inspiring in equal measure and, if you’ll excuse the pun, I will endeavour never to judge a book by its cover again. I really enjoyed speaking to her and I hope you’ll enjoy reading what she had to say in the next issue of Liberti magazine (our January to March edition).

If you can’t wait that long, a whole host of other inspiring women have appeared in and written for the current issue (October to December), which focuses on ‘50 shades of freedom’.  It’s a good ’un if I do say so myself!