Divestment debate

Having watched the divestment debate on Wednesday of this year’s General Assembly in anger, and reading both sides of the ‘Divestment debate’ in Life and Work, I can see the scribes and pharisees nodding in approval at the approved stance on investments.

Don’t upset the money lenders. Work with the Romans, the powers that be. Yes, a quiet voice in the ear of power, that is what we should do.

NO! These companies still seek for more oil. If we burn all that is already known and accessible, climate change will be catastrophic. It is time to ask: What would Jesus do, and remember that the options include overturning the tables of the money lenders, and clearing the courtyard with a whip.

Alex Sandison, Dundee

With regard to the Rev Jenny Adams’s article supporting disinvestment in fossil fuel industries (or divestment as it has also been entitled) and without entering into the many highly complex, technical and controversial aspects of this subject, I would simply caution her upon using wide sweeping statements, as examples to support her argument. Statements that is, such as our attitude to gambling. Although it may be seen as unrelated, in that our Church does not directly invest in this pastime, we do nonetheless benefit from its existence. This involvement is exemplified by our applications for state Lotto funding, from a government approved money making system, which is nothing more nor less than a gambling casino, as a result of which many families seriously suff er. For this action, we have been roundly and rightly, in my opinion, widely accused of hypocrisy. Unfortunately, many aspects of the disinvestment policy can fall under that same criticism and this simply has to be taken into account, but only if we wish the world to take us seriously.

Ian Cooper, Bearsden

What is the Church – any church – for? Should churches hold to Jesus’ strategic priority of the kingdom of God, or allow over-riding ‘prudent’ considerations to dictate policy? In time of climate crisis, these questions become more acute, visible and difficult.

The false alternative of ‘engagement versus disinvestment’ in dealing with corporations, which consciously, cleverly and intentionally evade compliance with Paris targets, gets us nowhere fast, but we have long since run out of time. We can engage – as churches – without playing the part of shareholders, but in wholehearted solidarity with those employed in these industries, as we energetically advocate a ‘just transition’ towards a carbonneutral economy.

The idea of ‘forcing transformations in corporate behaviour’ is one churches should abandon. Christian mission cannot be of coercion, only persuasion. Freed from the aspiration to dictate, our witness gains power and momentum to touch hearts and change minds. Nor can we wait until we ourselves are perfect before we take the relatively easy first steps of reshuffling money. However strange and counter-cultural that might seem, public witness will continue to be compromised when mouths appear to be where money is, or where hearts appear to be where treasure is. To wait, shoots mission in the foot.

Brian Duffin mentions injustice ‘to those companies’ making cosmetic changes towards compliance. What of the manifest climate injustice, long highlighted by Christian Aid and others, of devastation of crops and inundation of homelands? And if you wish to reward those companies that really are changing, switch investment to those primarily engaged in sustainable energy. The location of investments is ultimately a moral, rather than a financial decision. That was the journey that led to a unanimous decision of the United Reformed Church to disinvest (and switch), with ripples beyond their expected financial clout. It also led to a recognition that conscientious financial and other advisors can be reconciled with those who have seemed to be opposing them. This isn’t about victory or defeat. It’s the hard lesson, for churches, of responsiveness in faith, to the signs of the times.

Rev David J M Coleman, environmental chaplain,

Eco-Congregation Scotland