“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” said one of Canon Chancellor Giles Fraser’s favourite authors – Friedrich Nietzsche. In the light of last week’s events, we can take this affirmation even further and say, at least in the case of Canon Fraser, that some great thoughts are embodied by walking away.
It takes much integrity for a man in his position to recognise the value of moral action despite the implications of his resignation for the church, and still act upon his religious convictions.
We cannot know for sure what happened behind closed doors in the church. But what we do know is that his decision to resign signalled the separation of the church as an institutionalised entity, from the person of faith within it. Many Christians – whether serving within the church by virtue of their beliefs, or simply those for whom the Bible’s teachings resonate – will recognise this as a crucial moment. Giles Fraser’s resignation shows the ability of individuals to moralise where institutions often cannot.
You do not have to be a Christian to acknowledge the discrepancy between the church and the man. By walking away, Fraser has highlighted the dichotomy between the religious establishment and Christ’s original moral teachings. As an individual, he has rejected the institutional acceptance of possible violence. Historically, the church has not always shied away from such measures in pursuit of a perceived ‘greater good’, so Fraser was not obliged to say: ‘Not in my name’.
The Canon’s departure leaves a large void within the church. Without his spirit filling the walls of St Paul’s – giving metaphysical meaning to the sound of bells awakening protesters nightly – the cathedral is suddenly reduced to just another building of marble and glass in the centre of this Mecca for bankers. It remains architecturally astonishing, but has been emptied of the morality that cements its foundation.
It is also worth mentioning the warning that Fraser included in his letter of resignation: “If the camp is forcibly evicted, there will be violence in the name of the church against peaceful protesters.” We must not fool ourselves; if all other methods to censor our voices and remove our presence fail, violence will occur. It is important to remind ourselves that this protest is not a festival campsite of peace and love. We are seen by many – especially the powers that be – as a hostile presence, and in our hostility to that which is unjust lies our virtue.
This protest provides a physical reminder of the failure of those in possession of socio-economic power to act morally. By leaving St Paul’s in sympathy with those camping out in tents like those St Paul himself once made, Fraser has illustrated that by forcing those with power into moral dilemmas and highlighting the chasm between people and profit, we can succeed in bringing about real change.
