Riot

I was intending blogging about the Bible today but there are other things on my mind. It's not looking good for the UK at the moment as we seem to have a breakdown of public order, from London to Liverpool. There doesn't seem to be any particularly good reason for it - people realise they can get away with a spot of casual looting and so they do it. The police seem ineffectual, fires burn out of control; right now the situation seems hopeless. I don't know what the answer is. Yet somehow I know that the answer is in the Bible after all. But where to look?

Let's start with rioting. Not literally.
Titus 1:6 in the KJV gives a checklist of requirements for an Elder:
"If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly."

The word 'riot' doesn't make it into more recent translations, but I find it interesting that it's applied here to children rather than adults. A news report today said that there was now organised looting going on, with people driving around causing problems. But before that it was largely teenage rioters doing it for a bit of 'fun'.

So the biblical advice is for adults to live a life whereby their children are not out of control. Police have been asking parents to know where their children are. Certainly part of the problem is that too many just don't care.

Much of what has gone on seems to be utterly pointless criminality. Disturbing in itself - even the terrorism we've seen in London was trying to make a point. There's more to it though. Social unrest is generally symptomatic of people who feel disempowered, ignored. When people are losing their jobs, and essential services are being cut, while it still seems the rich are getting richer then it's not surprising that there is unrest. Economic injustice is of course a major theme in the Bible. Though perhaps that's to lend an unwarranted justification to most of what's been going on.

Social networks - like Twitter and Facebook - have taken some of the blame. These are enabling technologies. They enable us to do bad or good, as we choose. There was a time when the police had radios and few others did - and so had a communications advantage. That time has long gone.
There is a positive use of social networking going on, amid the (presumed) organisation of criminality. #riotcleanup appeared on Twitter, followed by a website for people wanting to help, not destroy.
This is one sign of hope in a desperate situation.

The other thing that cheers me is the response of Christians. Prayer vigils around the country. And especially Richard, whose response was to go on a late-night prayer walk.
There are signs of hope if we want to see them.

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."


Update: Found this article from our local baptist 'bishop' Phil Jump.

Location:Shed