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As the end of the summer term approaches, many students will be faced with the prospect of their imminent transition from university life to the world of work, careers and playing a wider role in society. That society is keen for us to become good citizens, to contribute taxes to the exchequer, to uphold national law and to avoid rocking the ship of the state. Society similarly expects Christians to be law-abiding citizens who join their vicar for strawberries and cream on the manor house lawn during the annual church garden party, and who do a bit of charity work on the side. I had a similar view when I first went to university to do an engineering degree, for at that time I saw my future role in the church as that of one of the upstanding members of the laity — working hard in some industry that was ideologically sound (i.e. not involved with weapons, chemicals or third world plantations), paying my tithe to the church coffers and helping out the church where I could. The very fact that I would have conformed to society’s expectations did not concern me. But now I believe that much more is expected of Christians than being respectable and honest citizens by the world’s standards. The problem with respectability is that it requires a certain allegiance to the establishment, and this may both blind us to the problems around us, and compromise our duty to serve the poor (Matthew 19:21) and to strive for justice (Matthew 5:6; Luke 11:37–44).
I became aware of the apathy of respectability when I worked for an engineering company in South Africa during the dark days when Nelson Mandela was in prison. I was very struck at the time by the way in which the White South Africans in my office were largely unaware of the evil of the apartheid system which surrounded them. This was in spite of a surprisingly free press and of world trade sanctions which served as constant reminders of the world’s disapproval of the racial injustice in the country. Many of the Whites in my office had never been in a township (even though there was nothing to stop them), and had little or no contact with the African majority. Some were Christians and many did not appear to hold any overt racial prejudices. They were ordinary people like you and me. They were aware that something was wrong in the country, but I think that they believed that by being decent law-abiding citizens they were absolved from doing anything about the injustices that were prevalent in their society. And they managed to prevent their consciences being plagued by those injustices through avoiding contact with the uncomfortable truth. It is so easy to become oblivious to the problems of the world if we choose not to seek them: if the so-called respectable White citizens of South Africa managed to be so blind to the obvious injustice of the apartheid system how much easier will it be for us in this country where we have to dig deeper to find injustice.
When you leave university you will have to decide what your priorities in life will be, whether they be a career, a family, money, power, success or your Christianity. Will you be working for yourself or for God? Will your Christianity mean more than just becoming a respectable law-abiding citizen who goes to church on Sundays to ask God’s forgiveness at Communion for “the good that we have not done”? Can you do more than that? What would Jesus do given your skills and opportunities? And regarding those skills and opportunities, remember that to whom much has been given, much will be expected (Luke 12:41–48).
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Last modified: 25th November 2005