So much talk about the credit crunch / economic crisis has been taken up with statements of either 'We never saw it coming' or 'Why did no-one see it coming.' Last week it came to light that some of the insiders who did see it coming were not thanked for their prophecies of doom and were sacked for their trouble.

I've been ill for the last few days but the positive side effect that comes with that is being pretty much unable to do much except lie in bed and listen to the radio. (I did get up for the rugby!) So it was that I caught most of BBC radio 4 output on Saturday, including Any Questions / Any Answers. Listening to the comments on our economic crisis almost made me get up and email a response.

Almost ... Instead 'Mr Angry from Cardiff' let it go ...

but now that I am up and well again I find I need to get it out of my system.

During 'Any Questions' the 'same old same old' about no-one could have predicted this came from the politicians who in turn pointed out (on the basis that the best defence is offence) that no-one in the Media had been running stories predicting the problems on TV or in Newspapers. So it seems that no-one could have possible known what was going to happen.

Well .... no. There have been voices in the Church and charities movement clearly criticising the growing culture of individual and corporate debt and prophetically anticipating the future as it has come to pass. Folks such as Kathy Galloway, leader of the Iona Community who six years ago this month gave the The Christian Socialist Movement John Wheatley Lecture, entitled the

Spirituality of Economics http://ilrs.org/faith/wheatley2003.pdf Much of what she said there is still so relevant to the crisis of today ... not the financial one but the spiritual crisis that diseases our souls. Of course there have been many others, raising similar prophetic voices, Kathy's lecture just came to mind as one, and I am sure it gives her and others little pleasure to know that their uncomfortable message was been proven right.

None of this is to encourage smug I told you so's

but it is to encourage the rest of us to listen again to the voices from the radical margins ...

on economics,

on ecology,

on matters of violence and justice ...

because these may well be the days that belong to the prophets.