No fear?

Sorry about the US emphasis this week, but it would have been hard not to have noticed that the US Presidential Inauguration took place last week (twice). And in the mass of reporting and comment one of the most commonly quoted phrases was actually from President Franklin D Roosevelt’s Inaugural Address in 1933, ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’

To some it may be heresy or naïve to say this, but how much worse are our economic woes because of the fear that has been created by constant reporting in the media? It’s hard to know how much we have created self-fulfilling prophecies, and not just about the economy.

The Guardian, on a positive note, reported ‘Crime in England and Wales down 3%, figures show’. Meanwhile The Times went for a recession angle, ‘Ministers’ worst fears confirmed as the recession fuels crime surge’? Who was right?

And ironically, one newspaper said that politicians should be sending out a positive message instead of all the gloom (presumably the same gloom reported by newspapers). Nehemiah resisted the attempts of his enemies to stop his work by making him fearful. How can we resist fear in an age of 24 hour news?

For many people, the most memorable part of the inauguration ceremony will be Rev Joseph Lowery’s benediction. It may have drawn some affectionate laughter but it also drew on the same lessons as Nehemiah. It looked back to God’s Law and his faithfulness in the past.

Emlyn Williams