by John Cope, Keighley Quakers

CHRISTIANS celebrated Easter day last Sunday.

Christ’s resurrection after his crucifixion represents the climax of the triumph of good over evil and an inspiration for our earthly pilgrimage.

In many ways Christianity is personal and imbues our life and thought processes but it does not stop there.

What is learned as an individual should inform our dealings with business and organisations. The charge of hypocrisy is legitimate if our life is compartmentalised into what might be seen as our “Sunday best”, and that which happens in our dealings in our day to day existence. So we are striving to show that as Christians our lives have a coherence and credibility. It is not easy and often we fail to live up to the standard required and seek forgiveness.

If we look at our corporations do Christian ethics inform their behaviour? Rights and responsibilities of management and workers stem from the commandment to love our neighbour as ourself. When we read that huge firms are using tax havens and evading legitimate taxation claims, do we think it is smart? To do so robs children of funds that could be used for their education, denudes the National Health Service of resources, reduces help available to mitigate the migrant catastrophe and displays a beggar my neighbour attitude.

Transformation brought about by Christ’s sacrifice at Easter permeates the lives of Christians not only in our personal pilgrimage but how we seek to organise the corporate bodies that operate in society. Christianity has relevance in society as a whole as well as our churches.