I attend what is generally called a “low” church. We are not big on beauty. We meet in a hired hall — our pastor is part time, and his big worry this week was that we would be able to get out of the hall 20 minutes early as the next group had war game tournament on.

In my parish there is a service that is beautiful.

And at the bottom of the hill is Knox, which specailised in beauty. Today I had to do various domestic things, and instead of attending the 8:30 low service I attended one of the beautiful services.

There was a lot to admire. The place is inclusive. We used the new language of ritual (Maori). The songs we sung were written in a right-on, inoffencsive way. The sermon spoke into the unwritten silence — which is rich in speculation.

And the assumptions were liberal. I was welcomed but I felt llike I was a member of the great unwashed. Is it that the religious liberal has the same disorder that Chris Trotter finds in the political liberal?

What is it about the Left’s beliefs, behaviour and overall policy prescription that has driven it below the 40 percent line on Rob Salmond’s Poll of Polls graph? And what is Labour doing (or not doing) that keeps it trailing behind National by a morale-sapping 21.1 percentage points?

At the heart of all these questions, I believe, lies the problem of left-wing arrogance. It’s the problem that has kept me firmly on the outside of the Left’s inner-circles for the best part of forty years. Even as a teenager (when, supposedly, I was most susceptible to the allure of the Left’s grand, all-encompassing theories) I found the superior attitude of left-wingers intolerable.

Like Plato’s ring of invisibility, Marxist-Leninist ideology seemed to grant its adepts the power to sin with impunity. The rest of humanity were regarded as mere raw material – objects upon which they were free to work without ethical restraint. The crimes of their enemies were shrilly condemned, while those committed by their friends and allies were passed over in silence.

This superior attitude was by no means restricted to the multitude of communist sects. If anything, it was even more pronounced among the radical followers of the so-called New Social Movements: Anti-Racism, Environmentalism, Feminism, Gay Rights.

via Bowalley Road: The Arrogant Left.

The preacher was working through the lectionary. She is quite well qualified — both the main pastor and the intern have PhDs in Theology. My usual church has a ex teache who scraped through his bachelors. But he is in tears for his congregation. And his sheep — many of whom have advanced degrees — react to his care.

For in the end, credentials are little. In the end, being spiritual involves good works.

Mark 2:1-12

¹When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ²So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. ³Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ⁷“Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? ⁹IWhich is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he said to the paralytic – ¹¹“I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” ¹²And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

The preacher this morning quotes with approval rabbinic sayings, and there is some truth there. Indeed, the Rabbis sit at the table of Moses, and we should do what they say, for unless our righeousness exceeds theirs, we will not enter the kingdom.

If I was going to speak into the silence I would consider if Jesus had more approval for the men who lowered their paralysed friend down, or those who questioned if healing on the sabbath is lawful.