So what to make of it? Well to begin with we shouldn’t be surprised, firstly Philippa is director of the Centre for Social Justice that has been highly influential in forming Conservative party policy on many home affairs issues, the nearer the Conservatives get to office, the more intense the scrutiny (fair and otherwise). Secondly Philippa is a candidate for parliament in Sutton and Cheam and has been tipped for office, and she is fighting against the resurgent Liberal Democrats. This brings attention your way.
It should remind us of several important facts about our society. Firstly most of the print media has a political allegiance. The Mail, The Sun, The Express, The Times and The Telegraph are all right-leaning political papers. The Mirror, The Guardian and The Observer are left-leaning. You likely read those papers because you agree with what they say and as you read them it reinforces your belief that you are right (note: if you’re a leader you should sometimes read all the different papers).
Anyway, it shouldn’t therefore come as a great surprise, that the paper that led with the story had just declared their hand for the Lib Dems and then immediately targeted an opponent. I don’t like it much, but this is the world we live in. It’s a compelling argument all on its own for there to be more Christian journalists of all persuasions on all papers.
However, this shouldn’t disguise the fact that in almost ALL forms of media, you will not find a single editor willing to endorse the idea that homosexuality is anything other than normal and certainly won’t support traditional Christian teaching on the subject. Neither will any political party, not even the Conservatives. In terms of political debate the issue of homosexuality is a dead one and those of us who hold views to the contrary are quite simply wrong. Christian apologetics has clearly failed in this case.
Philippa has not been without support, influential conservative blogger Iain Dale came to Philippa’s defence, saying
“Philippa is one of the kindest and compassionate people I have ever met.”
What interested me even more than a gay man coming to her defence was what he went on to say about Christians like me.
“Yes, I find evangelical, charismatic Christians slightly bizarre people as a group…I have always found it difficult to understand why otherwise perfectly logical and intelligent people think that some all-powerful being can have such power over us, but they clearly get something out of the whole religious experience.” (emphasis mine)
And that’s what we need to increasingly get our heads around. To many if not most of the people who lead our nations institutions, media, businesses, social services we are ‘slightly bizarre’. We are the batty (and not always loveable) relation that you apologise to other people about, and we have been consigned to a care home until we do the decent thing and die.
I don’t expect the media to either understand charismatic Christianity or to treat it particularly fairly. I think to many people in our country it is ridiculous. Here are just some of the ways I am completely out of step with the dominant views…
This is obviously not a complete list, nor a statement of all that I believe we are for, but just some of the ways that simply believing in Christ puts me at odds with society.
So what should we do? Two things, firstly our love for our neighbours, communities, towns and cities BEGINNING with the last, the lost and the least should be above reproach. And this is what will help Philippa (1 Peter 3:14-16), that her care for the poor is outstanding, hard to argue with and beyond what most people have ever done.
Secondly, we need to live not as if we are a Christian nation but as a pagan nation, we need to rethink our language, our apologetics and we need to be much, much better at debating and engaging with the world on its terms and not ours, to make the case (not defend it) that following Christ is both reasonable, rational, reliable and required for relationship with God.
I believe Jesus when he said 'life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions'. I believe he offers something better. This blog is mostly about that search.
I'm also a husband, a father, church planter, keen runner, reader, and motorcyclist. These and a few other things make guest appearances from time to time.
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