Honouring God and human action

In commenting yesterday on the article by Karen Armstrong, I passed over (because it wasn't germane to my purpose) her suggestion that 'violent jihad' was to be traced back, not to any religious belief, but to 'the godless cruelty of modernity'. It appears that the Archbishop of Canterbury thinks otherwise. In a sermon at York Minster he has spoken of terrorists who 'believe they serve their God and justice by organised slaughter and suicide'; he describes the belief as blasphemous and as 'indulging in the fantasy of being in control of events'. I think his argument for this proves rather too much. Here is what he is reported as saying:

This represents a condition of spiritual weakness that is both pitiable and terrifying. For the person who resorts to random killing in order to promote the honour of God or the supposed cause of justice, it is clear that God is not to be trusted. God is too weak to look after his own honour and we are the strong ones who must step in to help him. Such is the underlying blasphemy at work," he said.

"Last week the prime minister appealed to 'moderate' Muslims to challenge the extremists in their midst... but perhaps we should be saying too that what we look for is not just moderation, if all that means is a measured and unexciting religious commitment... It is people who are extreme in their confidence in God who will most effectively challenge the extremists of murder and fear."

The trouble with this argument is that, if Rowan Williams is right, it will rule out not only random killing 'to promote the honour of God or the supposed cause of justice' but anything else to achieve these ends - helping people, campaigning against known injustices, working towards a better world, and suchlike. What's wrong with random killing is not that it's a form of action intended to honour God or promote justice. The Archbishop's view that God can look after His own honour would seem to have a rather fatalistic implication. Would he really want to discourage those of the faithful who seek to honour God by doing good in the world?

The report also says that 'Dr Williams acknowledged in his sermon that the church is "confused and struggling"'. If this is true, I think he has added to the confusion.