On Wednesday of this week the Associated Press ran this story:LONDON — For a priest in northern England, the commandment that dictates "thou shalt not steal" isn't exactly written in stone.
The Rev. Tim Jones caused an uproar by telling his congregation that it is sometimes acceptable for desperate people to shoplift — as long as they do it at large national chain stores, rather than small, family businesses.
As you might guess, this has caused a slight commotion. Media attention was brought to Father Jones, and the Church of England was moved to issue a statement rejecting the view that shoplifting can be socially acceptable.
And as you also might guess, there is more to the story than the notion that shoplifting might be viewed by the church as acceptable if the shopliftee is a bog-box store rather than a neighborhood mom-n-pop store.
Father Jones, the report continued, stands by his remarks and explained the context, which was that shoplifting by the needy may be absolutely necessary when all other avenues are closed. His point, consistent with church teaching but made in an exceptionally clumsy manner, was that society must not turns its back on those most in need.
That fundamental lesson about charity always resonates at this time of year. But shoplifting is not a part of that lesson.
