There is little question as to what awaits Christians who decide to go against the will of God: Fire, brimstone and an all round unpleasant experience for the rest of eternity. And there are few ways more blatant of going against God’s will than defying the ten commandments he handed down to Moses, set in stone no less.

So it would be fair to say that most Christians would follow these commandments fairly rigorously, and should they find themselves breaking one, should repent as soon as possible, lest they face the dire consequences that await in the afterlife.

It would be even more fair to assume that a Vicar, a person who has dedicated their life to following God’s word, would be the least likely candidate for an active and knowledgeable breaking of one of these allegedly sacred commandments. Yet, Church of England Vicar Tim Jones has caused an uproar in the Christian world when he recently advocated stealing.

This York Vicar has stated that while he still maintains firm faith in the ten commandments and what they stand for, he also stands firm on his position of stealing. He says that it is OK to steal from big businesses, when there is no other immediate method available. After laying out his stance on thievery, he expanded his point by saying “I would ask that they do not steal from small, family businesses, but from large national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices.”

However, the Venerable Richard Seed, Archdeacon of York, opposed Vicar Tim Jones’s position, saying that the Church of England does not promote stealing or shoplifting in any way.

Tim Jones’s position was received with mixed sentiments by the Christian community, as well as those outside of it. Many of our London escorts tried to understand that sometimes, stealing a loaf of bread for a starving family might be the only option.

Although there are many mixed opinions on Vicar Tim Jones’s controversial statement, there has been no massive uproar from the Christian community. It could very easily been expected, as a Vicar advocating the breaking of a commandment might sound like the work of the devil to some. Yet, although there has been disagreement, perhaps everyone can see the reason behind the Vicar’s stance to some extent.