Repent over child migrants: Gordon Brown warned

Ekklesia – Gordon Brown’s apology in the House of Commons today is likely to be met with debate and comment about the extent to which a political leader can apologise for the wrongdoings of another government. It has certainly done so in the past over such issues as the transatlantic slave trade.

Those children, now adults, who suffered terrible abuse under the Child Migrants Programme from the 1920s to the 1960s during which more than 130,000 were sent to former colonies, are likely to value the apology.

When there is talk of apology, our conceptions of justice also tend to lead the focus to punishment for previous offences. Who was responsible? How will they be dealt with? Whilst questions of accountability are important, they miss the big picture. Christian theology helps in this. At the heart of Christian ideas of justice is the idea of atonement, or at-one-ment. This is not about laying guilt and blame, indeed the liberation from such things is the objective. It is primarily about making things right again – as much as they can be.

And this is why the “R” word is also important. ‘Repentance’ is something which many liberals shy away from, and many conservatives misinterpret. In the minds of many it conjures up pictures of flagellation and sackcloth and ashes. In this context it doesn’t at first glance seem relevant, as Brown is focusing attention on something that didn’t happen on his watch.

Read more