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Southwark Cathedral
So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.
2 Timothy 1:8 NLT
Do you ever feel that, as a Christian, you are swimming against the tide? Our culture has largely abandoned the idea of God, and our faith is accepted only as a private preference, just as someone might choose golf for recreational purposes. Yet even golfing appears to gain greater understanding than any pursuit of the Divine.
All of us want to get on with others. Our lives are lived within a web of relationships, created by the contexts within which we find ourselves. From neighbours to work colleagues, classmates to family, we need to ensure we’re accepted if we are to function effectively. This relates both to the outward necessity of getting on with co-workers to our own inner need for self-esteem and belonging. Yet, Paul makes it clear that while following Jesus doesn’t change our humanity, it does change our citizenship. This doesn’t make us enemies of our own country of origin, although history reveals that governments may decide we threaten the advancement of society from within.
How should the Christian community react when it clashes with a nation’s social and cultural legislative programme? Does it look to God and live a life born out of a coherent understanding of scripture, or quietly assimilate and become consumed within the emerging social norms? I sense that the intensity of this conversation will increase as society pursues a humanist agenda. I believe the Christian community is ill-equipped and lacks the necessary provisions to determine how to articulate its identity.
Psalm 139 tells us we are wonderfully and fearfully made, entirely free to determine our response to God. The challenge is to refuse the ostrich strategy, burying our heads in the sand, and instead consider how our faith engages with society. I have always engaged with social thought. I will have to become a stronger advocate of Christian values as the secular current grows stronger and threatens the wellbeing of humanity.
QUESTION
What are your core values?
PRAYER
Lord, what do you want me to take a stand on?
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