Most mornings I wake up to the sound of Radio 4's Today programme. I like that it means before I've even got out of bed I've got a basic handle on the current state of the world. I realise this isn't everyone's idea of a great way to start the day, but it works for me!
It's rare I hear a theme emerging as I drift in and out of consciousness, but today I did. It was the simple fact that we as a nation are still shockingly bad at caring for and valuing the most vulnerable in our society. First there was the headline news of the 'scandalous' quality of care extended to young people who run away from residential homes, quickly followed by evidence that a significant proportion of those suffering from depression receive little or no treatment . Then there was an item highlighting the fact that those who care for disabled family members often put their own health at risk by delaying going to their GP when they're ill. And finally (and this gives you and indication of what time I eventually got up this morning!) one of the items on Women's Hour this morning was about the recent sharp rise in the number of homeless people in the UK.
We should be ashamed of ourselves.
And, I would venture to suggest, those of us who would describe ourselves as Bible-believing Christians should be the most ashamed. Around two hundred years ago, an assorted collection of Christians, from across the social and theological spectrums, took it upon themselves to take seriously the Biblical call to show their faith by what they did. We might now have questions about some of their approaches, but they transformed our medical professions, our schools and our attitude to welfare. I think they'd be pretty disappointed in us.
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