In my last blog we talked about dignity in our relationships, but it is worth noting that the first of the values espoused by Baptistcare is dignity and compassion in our relationships. What is the significance of having these two words (dignity and compassion) coming together in the same sentence?
The dictionary describes compassion as: Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it. The question is, where does the emphasis lie: With me or with you? We can place the emphasis on me as the provider of compassion, or on you as the recipient of compassion.
As the provider of compassion I most likely want something in return, at the very least thanks or gratitude. As the provider of compassion, I will most likely assign some value to the compassion I am providing. In other words, I will sum up whether some situations or people are more eligible or more worthy of my compassion than others. The result is that there is a power imbalance. The provider of compassion has the power and is using that power to his or her advantage.
If the focus is on the receiver of compassion, the situation changes quite significantly. Now I will be trying to find out what the needs of the person are, rather than thinking about my own needs; I will be concerned about how the person feels about my involvement in his or her life, rather than imposing something against their will; I will treat that person with dignity so that compassion is not something that is imposed but something that is shared.
I’d love to hear some examples of how dignity and compassion work together.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Dignity in our relationships
In future blogs I want to reflect on Baptistcare’s values. These are the behaviours that we expect to see as we go about our mission and strive to reach our vision: To transform and enrich lives.
I will never forget the time I went into a real estate agency to assist an Aboriginal woman in her search for secure housing. The woman’s dress was dirty and she had sores on her face, but she had a basic right to housing. I had listened to her stories of repeated rejection and mistrust and offered to go with her, thinking (rather self-righteously) that my advocacy would help to overcome some of the barriers of race. I was a middle class Caucasian male who previously had no problems with negotiation, but as I stood alongside this woman to advocate on her behalf it was as if my skin colour had suddenly changed and my dignity was crushed by the words and attitudes of the person at reception.
In contemplating how to treat another person a question I like to ask myself is: “How would I expect this person to treat me?”. I would like to be treated with dignity, and no matter who I am or what I have done, or what my relationship with the person is, I would like to think that my basic humanity is respected. The least I can do is to return that respect.
One of the great poets of our time, Bob Dylan expressed the view of so many when he said:
So many roads, so much at stake;
So many dead ends and I’m at the edge of the lake;
Sometimes I wonder what it’s gonna take to find dignity.
What are some ways that you would express dignity in your relationships?
I will never forget the time I went into a real estate agency to assist an Aboriginal woman in her search for secure housing. The woman’s dress was dirty and she had sores on her face, but she had a basic right to housing. I had listened to her stories of repeated rejection and mistrust and offered to go with her, thinking (rather self-righteously) that my advocacy would help to overcome some of the barriers of race. I was a middle class Caucasian male who previously had no problems with negotiation, but as I stood alongside this woman to advocate on her behalf it was as if my skin colour had suddenly changed and my dignity was crushed by the words and attitudes of the person at reception.
In contemplating how to treat another person a question I like to ask myself is: “How would I expect this person to treat me?”. I would like to be treated with dignity, and no matter who I am or what I have done, or what my relationship with the person is, I would like to think that my basic humanity is respected. The least I can do is to return that respect.
One of the great poets of our time, Bob Dylan expressed the view of so many when he said:
So many roads, so much at stake;
So many dead ends and I’m at the edge of the lake;
Sometimes I wonder what it’s gonna take to find dignity.
What are some ways that you would express dignity in your relationships?
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
A symbol
Baptistcare is spread widely around the southern half of Western Australia. We’ve got about 1300 staff and we work from more than 20 different office or service locations as well as providing services in more than 200 private homes around the state. How do we establish a sense of unity in such diversity?
One way is to have a symbol that we can use in each of our locations that reminds us that we are not alone but are part of a bigger family. I heard about one organisation that uses a teapot to remind them of their role of hospitality. I like the idea of a watering can because of our vision to transform and enrich lives – there seems to be some synergy with gardening.
Have you got any ideas? Add your thoughts to the comments at the bottom of the blog and join the conversation.
One way is to have a symbol that we can use in each of our locations that reminds us that we are not alone but are part of a bigger family. I heard about one organisation that uses a teapot to remind them of their role of hospitality. I like the idea of a watering can because of our vision to transform and enrich lives – there seems to be some synergy with gardening.
Have you got any ideas? Add your thoughts to the comments at the bottom of the blog and join the conversation.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Champions of Freedom #3
This is the third in a series on Baptist Champions of Freedom.
Thomas Helwys championed religious freedom for people of all religions, including no religion at all, in 17th century England when the government made the rules about what people could believe. Roger Williams took the same principles with him to America where he was the founder of the state of Rhode Island and championed the cause of separation of church and state, ultimately influencing the US Constitution. Our third Baptist Champion of Freedom is Martin Luther King.
King was a Baptist preacher and co-pastored the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta with his father. His grandfather had served as pastor of that church from 1914 to 1931 and his great grandfather had also been a Baptist preacher. Martin Luther King’s commitment to social justice and freedom stemmed from his Baptist heritage and belief in religious liberty. He became a civil rights activist quite early in his life and in 1964 became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end racial segregation and racial discrimination. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Why did I tell these three stories of Baptist Champions of Freedom? Simply to say that the roots of Baptistcare are intertwined with a long heritage of people who have championed freedom and have stood up for the rights of individuals. I hope that in some way we can maintain the courage of our forebears.
I'd love to hear your comments about these stories.
Thomas Helwys championed religious freedom for people of all religions, including no religion at all, in 17th century England when the government made the rules about what people could believe. Roger Williams took the same principles with him to America where he was the founder of the state of Rhode Island and championed the cause of separation of church and state, ultimately influencing the US Constitution. Our third Baptist Champion of Freedom is Martin Luther King.
King was a Baptist preacher and co-pastored the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta with his father. His grandfather had served as pastor of that church from 1914 to 1931 and his great grandfather had also been a Baptist preacher. Martin Luther King’s commitment to social justice and freedom stemmed from his Baptist heritage and belief in religious liberty. He became a civil rights activist quite early in his life and in 1964 became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end racial segregation and racial discrimination. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Why did I tell these three stories of Baptist Champions of Freedom? Simply to say that the roots of Baptistcare are intertwined with a long heritage of people who have championed freedom and have stood up for the rights of individuals. I hope that in some way we can maintain the courage of our forebears.
I'd love to hear your comments about these stories.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Champions of Freedom #2
This is the second in my three stories about Baptist Champions of Freedom
In my last blog I mentioned King James 1 who was persecuting Catholics and Puritans, including burning heretics at the stake. He was replaced in 1625 by King Charles 1 who began another campaign of persecution against the Puritans.
Roger Williams was a Church of England minister who left the Church of England to become a Puritan because he became convinced in his beliefs of separation of church and state, so after Charles began his campaign Williams and his wife Mary sailed to America. After challenging the government in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 about the way it tried to regulate religious matters and its appropriation of land from Native Americans, Roger and Mary Williams were banished from the colony.
They headed south from Massachusetts to Rhode Island where they purchased land from the local Naragansett Indians and founded Providence where Williams organised the first Baptist Church in North America. In 1652 Williams wrote a pamphlet entitled “The Bloudy Tenent yet More Bloudy” which discussed the separation of church and state. His work on this subject has been credited by US Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison as providing the original influence for the first amendment of the US Constitution.
Just as Helwys, who I described in my last blog, was critical to English thinking about religious freedom and freedom of conscience, so Roger Williams, another Baptist, provided the impetus for fresh thinking about religious tolerance in North America and as a result influenced the decision-makers.
In my last blog I mentioned King James 1 who was persecuting Catholics and Puritans, including burning heretics at the stake. He was replaced in 1625 by King Charles 1 who began another campaign of persecution against the Puritans.
Roger Williams was a Church of England minister who left the Church of England to become a Puritan because he became convinced in his beliefs of separation of church and state, so after Charles began his campaign Williams and his wife Mary sailed to America. After challenging the government in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 about the way it tried to regulate religious matters and its appropriation of land from Native Americans, Roger and Mary Williams were banished from the colony.
They headed south from Massachusetts to Rhode Island where they purchased land from the local Naragansett Indians and founded Providence where Williams organised the first Baptist Church in North America. In 1652 Williams wrote a pamphlet entitled “The Bloudy Tenent yet More Bloudy” which discussed the separation of church and state. His work on this subject has been credited by US Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison as providing the original influence for the first amendment of the US Constitution.
Just as Helwys, who I described in my last blog, was critical to English thinking about religious freedom and freedom of conscience, so Roger Williams, another Baptist, provided the impetus for fresh thinking about religious tolerance in North America and as a result influenced the decision-makers.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Champions of Freedom #1
Since the organisation we work for carries the name Baptistcare I thought it appropriate to reflect on the roots of our name. Over the next few blogs I want to tell some stories about three significant Baptists who I call champions of freedom. One of the distinctives of the Baptist Church since it began in the 17th century has been religious liberty and freedom of conscience. I hope these three stories will be helpful.
Born in England around 1550, Thomas Helwys joined an independent church at Gainsborough in England at a time when independence was not looked upon favourably by the church-controlled Government. In 1607 the High Court of Ecclesiastical Commission began putting intense pressure on independent churches and a group of people, including Thomas Helwys, made their way to Holland where the first Baptist Church was established by John Smyth.
After some time Helwys became concerned at the persecution of both Catholics and Puritans that was occurring in England under King James (the guy who authorised the translation of the Bible we now call the King James Version) and in 1612 he decided to return to England shortly after Edward Wightman, a Baptist, became the last person in England to be burned at the stake for heresy. Helwys found a publisher for his book, “A Short Declaration on the Mystery of Iniquity” and dedicated a copy of it in his own handwriting, to King James. The Mystery of Iniquity was the first exposition in the English language to fully express the concept of liberty of conscience and religious liberty for all people, including those who claim to have no religious attachment. Helwys was imprisoned for his efforts and probably died in prison.
Born in England around 1550, Thomas Helwys joined an independent church at Gainsborough in England at a time when independence was not looked upon favourably by the church-controlled Government. In 1607 the High Court of Ecclesiastical Commission began putting intense pressure on independent churches and a group of people, including Thomas Helwys, made their way to Holland where the first Baptist Church was established by John Smyth.
After some time Helwys became concerned at the persecution of both Catholics and Puritans that was occurring in England under King James (the guy who authorised the translation of the Bible we now call the King James Version) and in 1612 he decided to return to England shortly after Edward Wightman, a Baptist, became the last person in England to be burned at the stake for heresy. Helwys found a publisher for his book, “A Short Declaration on the Mystery of Iniquity” and dedicated a copy of it in his own handwriting, to King James. The Mystery of Iniquity was the first exposition in the English language to fully express the concept of liberty of conscience and religious liberty for all people, including those who claim to have no religious attachment. Helwys was imprisoned for his efforts and probably died in prison.
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