The smiling queen

This week’s reflection is a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II…

Sombre silence

It was right and proper that the United Kingdom (UK) marked the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II with a bank holiday. We Brits needed a dedicated day to mourn our beloved monarch who reigned over us for an incredible 70 years.

Sadly for me, key workers don’t always get bank holidays off. So I worked a normal Monday in a local prison and then drafted this tribute on the train on the way home. It was unusually quiet in jail that day. Yes there was the usual clanking of iron doors. But there was far less people noise - no calling out ‘Doc doc!’ as I passed by closed cell doors. No, the loudest voices were those of the television broadcasters commentating on the funeral service. Prisoners joined the rest of Britain in watching our Queen make her final journey.

Formative memory

Now that I think about it, Queen Elizabeth II is the focus of one of my earliest and fondest childhood memories. I remember it like it was yesterday. I guess it was her Silver Jubilee tour. My mother had dressed us in our 1970’s finest. My grandmother had packed a flask of orange cordial and a whole box of cheese crackers. My ‘grandpy’ had donned his military medals. And we had camped out on a grass verge, waiting for the royal motorcade to pass by as it headed into my home town of Kingston-upon-Hull, which back then was somewhat down-at-heel in places.

Cheerfully bright

The crackers ran out - so I guess we waited quite a while - but finally we got to see her! It was just a few seconds, but I remember her outfit being so pretty and colourful, and - thanks to her brightly coloured lipstick - her smile being equally sparkly. My childish take on the whole occasion was one of feeling really chuffed that the Queen had bothered to get dressed up and drive all the way up to see us in Hull!

Although I never got to see her again, I think that - likely subconsciously - I somehow incorporated that early memory into my attitude towards professional attire. Whether I'm in scrubs in an overseas jail, in smart casuals for a day in a British jail, or zipped into a skirt suit in some snazzy lecture theatre, I like to add a splash of colour to my outfit and my lips, and I try to remember to keep on smiling. A cheerful face does wonders for sick prisoners!

Social justice

It’s more than 40 years later and I no longer live in Hull. No I live in London, work in English prisons, and run Integritas Healthcare, an offender healthcare NGO centred on the principle of social justice. And over the intervening years I've evolved a working belief that social justice and hereditary privilege are mutually incompatible. As monarchy is the ultimate hereditary privilege, I guess I’m a republican - in theory. Yet I've always been a fan of the Queen. Her dying has brought all this to mind and so I’ve decided to re-evaluate my seemingly opposing beliefs.

On the one hand it seems perverse that the British Royal Family gets to live in a whacking great palace in the centre of London whilst countless roofless souls squat under its many surrounding bridges. That said, I have no doubt that the fact of homelessness saddened Queen Elizabeth. She was a devout Christian who loved and served both her Lord and her people in exemplary fashion. I’m sure she tried to promote justness in the manner of Proverbs 8:15: 'Because of me, kings [and queens] reign, and rulers make just decrees'. Yet it is true that she also reigned over the twilight years of the British Empire, an organism that was responsible for many unjust acts. And back in ancient times God Himself warned the nation of Israel of the injustices that would occur in response to their desire to create a monarchy to replace their established system of prophets.

On the other hand, many members of the modern-day British British Royal Family spend huge amounts of time on patronage of various socially just charities, and no doubt some of them are similarly generous with their personal wealth. Our new king, Charles III, has done enormous good for socially disadvantaged youngsters through his brainchild, The Prince's Trust. Moreover, in other countries the loss or long-term absence of a monarchy does not go hand-in-glove with progression towards more socially just societies. I've lived in and worked behind bars in many a monarch-less state and so know full well that things are often decidedly grim when a president rather than a monarch sits in the palace!

Give thanks

So is monarchy really incompatible with social justice? Or is the issue a whole lot more complicated than that? Whatever you and I come to decide, I give thanks to God for Queen Elizabeth II and I pray for Britain's new King Charles III. May he be an early adopter of his mother's lifelong habit of greeting everyone in his kingdom with a cheery smile. And may we all remember to smile more - because, no matter our individual problems, there is always something to be thankful for. And a happier heart is a healthier heart.

A happy heart makes the face cheerful...

Proverbs 15:13

Dr Rachael Pickering is our voluntary Chief Medical Officer. Her personal opinions are not necessarily the same as those of Integritas Healthcare. We are always grateful for support.

C. René Padilla and the birth of Integral Mission

As an organisation that bases its principles on that of Integral Mission we remember Carlos René Padilla, the ‘Father of Integral Mission’ who sadly passed away in April this year.

CARLOS RENÉ PADILLA, 1932-2021

René Padilla was born in Quito, Ecuador before moving to Columbia with his parents at the age of 6 years. His father was a tailor by trade, and a Church-planter by faith; a difficult calling in a Catholic dominated society. Schooling was difficult due to his evangelical background resulting in several expulsions and exclusions. He went to University in the United States of America (USA) studying at Wheaton College (1953) and Manchester University (1963-1965), returning to Wheaton College in 1992.

As an economic migrant and as a member of a religious minority community, Padilla was shaped by a context of violence, oppression, and exclusion. The relationship between suffering and theology was an organic one for Padilla. As a young person, he recalled ‘longing to understand the meaning of the Christian faith in relation to issues of justice and peace in a society deeply marked by oppression, exploitation, and abuse of power’. The question for Padilla was not whether the gospel spoke to a challenging Latin American context, but how.

NEW THEOLOGY

In 1959 Padilla was Secretary to the Latin American International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. This meant travelling between institutions, providing him with an ‘ear to the ground’. In the 1960s, South America was gripped by politics and political unrest. Students were powerful and could cause turmoil, and often did with strikes. Evangelism was dominated by the large movements of the richer nations, with a model of separating out evangelism from social action.  Renée Padilla and his colleagues could not reconcile this style of working as he surveyed the young people and their political struggles. Working with Samuel Escobar and Pedro Arana, they began to generate a theology that would respond holistically from the Gospels to the pressing realities evident around them: social justice with an evangelical theology.

LAUSANNE MOVEMENT

In 1974, over 2,400 evangelical leaders met in Lausanne, Switzerland. This conference, known as the International Congress on World Evangelization (ICOWE) or the Lausanne Congress, brought participants together from across the world to share ideas on global mission for the first time. It was at this meeting that Padilla presented his theology on combining social justice and evangelism.

During his presentation, Padilla castigated American evangelists for exporting the American way of life, bringing solutions to local problems, devoid of any social responsibility. Mainstream protestant evangelism considered social action as implicit and not inherent with evangelism. Padilla argued that social action and evangelism were essential and indivisible components (opposite sides of a coin) or in Padilla’s words, ‘two wings of a plane’. And that belief in Jesus not only brought salvation but a demand to look after the immigrant, poor, needy, vulnerable, and widowed; a new societal way of thinking that remains valid today. The Christian faith was a way of life, not an added extra.

From this meeting the Lausanne Covenant was drafted, a document detailing the goals of evangelism, including Integral Mission. This eventually led to the Lausanne Movement, a way to connect ‘influencers and ideas for global mission’.

RADICAL DISCIPLESHIP

Seizing the momentum generated by Escobar and his plenary papers, Padilla, alongside John Howard Yoder, rallied an ad hoc group of 500 attendees they called the ‘Radical Discipleship’. This gathering sought to further sharpen the social elements in the drafted Lausanne Covenant. After the congress, Padilla recalled their radical discipleship document as ‘the strongest statement on the basis for holistic mission ever formulated by an evangelical conference up to that date’. He also declared the death of the dichotomy between social action and evangelism in Christian mission.

The proclamation of the gospel (kerygma) and the demonstration of the gospel that gives itself in service (diakonía) form an indivisible (indisoluble) whole. One without the other is an incomplete, mutilated (mutilado) gospel and, consequently, contrary to the will of God. From this perspective, it is foolish to ask about the relative importance of evangelism and social responsibility. This would be equivalent to asking about the relative importance of the right wing and the left wing of a plane.

It may have been ‘radical discipleship’, but Padilla did not invent integral mission. Integral mission is the core teaching of God’s word. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God calls His people to be aware of the undervalued (poor, refugee, foreigner) and vulnerable (old, widowed, sick). He frequently laments that His people are not doing this and constantly exhorts and reminds us of our duty and responsibilities.

Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

Isaiah 1:16-17

HOW CAN WE DO INTEGRAL MISSION IN HEALTHCARE?

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is one of the largest employers in the world, employing 1,093,638 whole-time-equivalent people who work alongside many ancillary staff employed by partner organisations. The NHS budget in 2018/19 was £130.3 billion, 9.8% of gross domestic budget.

The NHS has employed chaplaincy staff (formal and informal) to look after the spiritual needs of patients and staff for many years, but overt expressions of faith by Christian staff are discouraged and often obstructed. The law in the UK and many other countries reinforce this.

For too long the Christian Church has colluded with society, encouraging ordinary folk to keep their faith private, to take it off like a coat when they arrive at work or - better still - leave it at home. Yet the Gospels tell a different story. Christians are encouraged to share their faith (Matthew 28:16-20), not to hide their light under a basket (Luke 11:33-36) and to be the salt in society (Matthew 5:13). The Manila Manifesto (a 1984 elaboration of the Lausanne Covenant) states that the ‘Gospel must become visible in the transformed lives of men and women’.

We are never promised an easy life, rather one of hard toil and persecution. The Christian life requires total dedication, not attention just one day in seven.  The work place is the largest mission in field in the world. How often have we seen churches commission pastors, overseas workers, schools workers and Sunday school teams whilst overlooking those who toil in the secular world? We are called to witness to our friends, colleagues and families - to plant that small seed (Luke 13:18-21).

How can we be witnesses in the work place? Why, simply by demonstrating the love of God to our patients and our colleagues. We can be a beacon for God, a mirror that reflects His love and glory (Isaiah 43:10). We are His ambassadors to a troubled world.

Intercede for your work place. Pray for your colleagues and patients. Be prepared to be open and vulnerable, to share your story. This may come at a cost. It may be uncomfortable and difficult initially but rewards will follow. People will come to know God. Talk to your colleagues. Have a coffee or meal with them. Listen and share. Deliver a loving service to your patients, respecting their intrinsic value as beings made in the image of God. Demand justice and peace for them. Take any opportunity that is offered - the Bible on the bedside table, a throwaway statement or a direct question.

Tomorrow may be too late, so seize the day: ‘Carpe Diem!’

Dr David Smithard is a consultant physician for older age adults at a South East London hospital
and is a current participant on the Health & Justice Track.

Resources on Prisons

Following our recent opinion pieces on the Price of Pandemic on Prisons and Period Poverty in Prisons, we want to signpost relevant resources for those wishing to further explore the issues we have raised.

The Christian charity Tearfund has published a wealth of resources to allow everyone to equip themselves to help end poverty and injustice. These are free to download and distribute, and are available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. A recent edition of its magazine, Footsteps, is devoted to tackling injustice in prisons. It excellent articles include tips for advocating for positive change in prisons, communicating health messages in prisons, and caring for prisoners’ families.

Penal Reform is an NGO that works to promote the human rights of all those within the criminal justice system. They have published tools on a variety of searchable topics, including children, torture, prison conditions and women. They have videos, guidelines, reports and other formats available. The guideline on mental health created for prison staff also has important information for the public, such as understanding the causes of mental ill-health among prisoners. They have also produced short easy-to-read guides on the Bangkok Rules and Nelson Mandela Rules, the guidelines set by the UN on the treatment of female prisoners and all prisoners respectively.

The Prison Reform Trust aims to create a just and human criminal justice system through informing prisoners, relatives, and government on the rights of prisoners. It has a series of publications for those in prison and those outside.

Prison Fellowship International is a Christian organisation that has created programmes in countries around the world to allow prisoners to rehabilitate and then integrate back into society when they leave prison. Its website has a useful learn and engage section.

Here are more links that provide interesting information on how to get involved in working with prisoners and their families:-

• Prison Fellowship UK

• Restorative Justice Council

• Prisons Week

Please leave comments to tell us about other exciting educational resources you may be aware of!

Education in the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. (Nelson Mandela)