What might a new move of God look like?

One of the most striking features of the Charismatic Renewal in Ireland was its ecumenism. The very word ecumenical was anathema to many in 1972 when the Renewal began, but the Holy Spirit was poured out prodigally on Catholic, Protestant and even atheist. And why should we be surprised, given God’s love for all?

Significantly 1972 was the worst year of the Troubles for casualties, with 479 killed and more than ten times that number injured. Society and Church on the Island were both deeply divided and deeply traumatised but, without fanfare, God drew people together by a common experience of the Holy Spirit which was utterly transforming. Early meetings were peopled by seminarians, religious sisters, university students and house church members. Worship was exuberant, contemporaneous, and littered with charismata- the spiritual gifts.

It was a healing environment as Catholics and Protestants encountered each other while worshipping a common Heavenly Father. This added an extra frisson as the deep societal fractures, giving rise to and exacerbated by the violence in the streets, were bridged by the Holy Spirit.

Much has been written about the influence and impact of the charismatic movement. In my lifetime the character of church life and inter-church relations have changed dramatically. Home groups, contemporary worship styles, teaching and evangelism courses such as the Alpha Course, prayer ministry, social outreach activities or mercy ministries and short-term mission trips are just some of the innovations introduced as fruits of the renewal movement. Furthermore, the involvement of committed Christians in peace-making and reconciliation played a vitally important, if often hidden, role in ending political violence and creating the opportunity for a new political dispensation.

The work of the Holy Spirit directly addressed the fault line at the heart of society which gave rise to both discrimination and destruction, while at the same time renewing the church.

Today, more than fifty years later, we face quite different problems and yet the underlying reality of division, ruptured relationships and alienation is still prevalent. We wrestle with many more societal fault lines as we fragment into numerous minority and identity groups.

One of the most ubiquitous dividing lines is social class- the division between working class and middle class, what used to be the manual class and managerial class or, as David Goodhart has redefined it the” Somewheres “and the “Anywheres”! My observation, having worked as a local politician, is that there is a huge gulf culturally between working-class and middle-class communities. Many middle-class professionals lack any understanding of working-class culture, and many working-class communities resent the patronising attitude with which many middle-class commentators and politicians dismiss their concerns. The alienation between social classes has been one of the factors at play in Ballymena when racist violence erupted resulting in many traumatised individuals and community cohesion in tatters.

Yet God’s activity has always been to bring people together, to reunite the lost, to rescue the abandoned, to welcome the alienated and to place the lonely in families. He has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:19). Never has this message been more relevant.

Just as the Holy Spirit sovereignly brought Catholics and Protestants together in the 1970s transforming the ecclesiastical and social landscape, might He not also want to deal with the social and cultural schism between working class and middle class?

The New Testament church was thoroughly diverse- Jew, Greek, barbarian, Scythian, male, female, slave and slave owner, wealthy and poor. Luke records at least thirteen different language groups represented on the day of Pentecost.

This diversity inevitably led to tensions and disagreements; the book of Acts and the Epistles are full of examples, but none were ignored or tolerated, reconciliation was always the goal.

As a church how should we respond to this thorny issue of class?

The Bible has much to say about social attitudes. The Epistle of James explicitly challenges us not to favour the wealthy over the poor (Chapter 2), so the problem is not new and the Apostle Paul, in describing the life which is pleasing to God says, ‘do not be haughty but associate with the lowly’ (Rom 12:16). However, many of us live in social (and Church) bubbles associating with people who are like us, and social media reinforces this, creating echo chambers where our views and attitudes are affirmed.

The Epistle of James exhorts us ‘to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger’ (1:19). The journey of transcending class divisions with meaningful relationships begins with listening, itself a countercultural activity in a world full of people forcefully expressing their opinions.

Despite being flooded with information we can be surprisingly ignorant of what other people’s lives are like; what they wrestle with daily; what they fear and what they love and enjoy. Listening to “the other’s” story opens our eyes to see the world from a different vantage point. Listening is love in action. Friendships will develop and grow over time, and while not every encounter will lead to friendship, listening to someone else’s story can make us wiser. Part of our mission is to seek justice and listening to others will reveal injustices of which we were unaware.

For some it will require a conscious decision to reach out and befriend someone of a different social background. Many of our churches are, often unintentionally, socially segregated. To see social reconciliation churches may need to actively partner with a sister church in a different location.

I have no doubt whatsoever that the Holy Spirit is creating a church that embraces all social classes and that speaks eloquently to the divisive political rhetoric that prevails in the media. Listening to one another’s stories, struggles and life experiences will create bonds which are simultaneously enriching and God honouring. May the Holy Spirit move again amongst us developing these relationships. Even though at times they will be costly, they will stand as a prophetic witness to the world of God’s nature and purposes. And they will keep us in step with the Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit …we pray… and make us one.