John tells the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8. No-one condemns her after Jesus says: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Jesus doesn’t condemn her either, but says: “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

How does the church cope with this type of situation today? Since it doesn’t place much emphasis on – or even believe in, in many cases – sin, it takes a different approach.

All Saints Church–Community Centre in Toronto is giving prostitutes – or “sex-trade workers” as the current circumlocution has it – cameras for them to “tell their stories” – while plying their trade, one presumes. The idea is that this will “empower” them. I can certainly foresee new opportunities for blackmail; perhaps that is what is meant by “empower”.

From the Journal:

A photography project to empower women who work in the sex trade has raised about $38,000 for the drop-in program at All Saints Church–Community Centre in downtown Toronto, where the project began.

Carly Kalish, a full-time social worker hired by the church, dreamed up the idea of giving 10 women disposable cameras and photography lessons as a way to tell their stories. The result was The Exposure Project, an exhibition of 33 images at Holy Trinity Church in downtown Toronto. The exhibition ended in a fundraiser on April 19 which attracted a sold-out crowd of 250 people. Most of the photos, which were professionally framed, sold for $75 to $200 each; gala ticket sales and donations further boosted the bottom line.

While the photographers did not attend the gala themselves, they did bring partners and friends to a private viewing beforehand. “It was just breathtaking to see them see their own work,” says Kalish. “They were so proud of themselves.”