When Archbishops Tread where Angels Love to Tread.

The two Church of England Archbishops are not the first outspoken prophets to be told to shut up, mind their own business, and to go away. Nor are they the first to be told to stay out of politics because it's the powerful who call the shots.

 

"Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.” (Amos 7.12-13)

 

Mind you Amos could give as good as he got! Those first two chapters are all about the judgement of God on those who have no time for the poor, who stifle compassion for the refugee and the homeless, who make idols out of their ideologies, and who trample on the heads of the poor and sell the needy for the price of a pair of trainers!

 

Yes, on second thoughts, it's not hard to see why Amos was told to shut up and get lost. Those who take seriously the categorical imperative of love for neighbour will continue to pray, "Let justice rtoll down like a river, and righteousness like a never failing stream."