Christians In The News

A lot of the time I am ashamed to be a Christian. I know that is a shocking statement to make, as someone who is hoping to be a priest one day, but let me explain. When I speak to people about God they have an impression of the church as being full of hypocrites, as a place where the most judgmental people in society gather. They see Christians as irrelevant, as worshiping a long since dead god. I believe in a God who is transforming, who is loving, who is so incredibly powerful and Holy that we can’t begin to comprehend it.

A sense of dread grips me every time I see a Christian on TV. Are they going to say something ridiculous? Are they going to do yet more damage to how people see God? So I sat uncomfortably in my seat last night when a vicar appeared on my TV screen to talk about problem they had in Birmingham when a new Mosque had opened, and how lots of people had objected violently. I thought; “here is a Vicar who is going to add fuel to the fire”, but I was wrong. She spoke calmly, she spoke about the fears that people have of Muslim terrorism, and that the desire of a group of people to pray should be supported. Nothing she said compromised the Gospel; she did not say that she believed that Islamic beliefs are correct, but she did say that we should show love to everyone. Hearing her speak made me cry; cry that there are people out there who are displaying Christ’s love, who care passionately about justice and who care about people of every faith and none.

May God bless her and her work.

The Broken Man