Jessica Kingsley (London 2016) Pbk. 176 pages.
Enchantment and Activism: not two concepts that traditionally are perceived as comfortable bedfellows. And for several sound reasons: many so-called activists are perceived to be without humanity, humour or fellow-feeling towards any who disagree with them. The words they use are didactic and overly-moralising, communicating their ideas and opinions more as a polemic to stigmatise those who hold a contrary opinion as bad and immoral, than reasoned argument. Their words are often spoken with a hint of menace towards not only those who utterly dispute them but also all who do not totally concur with the stated aims, objectives and means of the activist.
With my apologies to Keith Hebden and his supporters, I cannot conceive of him as an ‘activist’ – he is a ‘reformer’. As such he forms part of a huge group. Spirituality and Social Change (his book’s sub-title) makes for me a much closer description. This group falls into a category which we could term the Second Great Reformation – the earlier being the Reformations (Protestant and English) from 1517 to 1648.
This started with Wilberforce’s Act of 1833, and continuing to the present day, represents the greatest social changes we have ever experienced; the freedoms created in the original Reformation have multiplied a thousand-fold and more since 1833 and at an ever-increasing rate since 1939. These freedoms are those that directly affect everybody’s personal lifestyles, choices and well-being – and they have been hard-won. In a system such as our democracy (however imperfect) change can and must only come by popular consent – which process must have some starting point or conception which in turn requires a practical and moral imperative. This is the utterly critical contribution required of the Reformer, this and the ensuing struggle to convert such ideas into reality.
It is clear from this description that a lifetime of reforming zeal must leave the reformer with feelings of being burned out and disillusioned and in need of restorative treatment – treatment which Re-enchanting the Activist provides so delightfully.
When we recognise God in one another and in the space between us, our acts of violence become weightier and our goodness becomes relational rather than legal. We reclaim God, because by doing so we reclaim justice from the generalist and dictator who fixes an imposed morality on their neighbour.
Richard Wood-Penn is SOF Membership Secretary and a SOF trustee.