Causing Offence
mp3
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This week, the Archbishop of Canterbury was in the headlines again for apparently being worried about causing offence to Muslims. Of course, the truth was somewhat different. The Archbishop wasn’t worried at all. He was simply stating the fact that some aspects of Christian doctrine are “offensive to Muslims”. Indeed, the Archbishop went on to assert a whole series of doctrines that any self-respecting Muslim would find difficult: the Trinity, the authority of Scripture, the uniqueness and divinity of Christ. In doing this, he didn’t shy away from the fact that Christianity and Islam do have real and irreconcilable differences. All religions are not the same.
I think we can be grateful to the Archbishop for saying all this particularly in a culture that, despite its talk of diversity, is in fact often unable to cope with genuine difference. The fact is, as Christians, we do not think Islam is the absolute truth, we believe it to be wrong. Yet, even as I say that, I can hear the siren voices of those who would accuse me of intolerance or of lacking respect. As a result, there is a great temptation for us to water down the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and his saving message.
I remember hearing one of our best known apologists get challenged in public debate on his views on Islam. Instead of saying that he disagreed with it, he held back from any clear answer and tried to find some words that would appease. Yet, what was strange about this was that the person he was debating with was an ardent atheist who did think Islam was in error. It strikes me, then, that the simple answer we can give to anyone who asks us our views on other religions is no more complicated than this: we believe the same as any atheist – other religions are wrong. And if our culture tells us that it’s OK for an atheist to say Islam is in error, but not us, then they are simply being inconsistent. It’s also worth noting that we think this in precisely the same way that most Muslims consider Christianity to be wrong.
But at this point, I hear the voice of Richard Dawkins telling me that if I’m going to reject the god of Islam, Thor, Zeus, and all the other gods of this world then why don’t I go the whole way and reject all gods, including the God of Jesus Christ. Dawkins presents this as if it’s an argument of some intellectual merit when in reality it’s vacuous. Back in the 19th Century, we didn’t know what caused Malaria. Various suggestions were made including dirty water, bad air, eating mangoes and others. One by one each of these was discarded until we discovered the real cause – the Plasmodium parasite carried by mosquitoes. Now imagine someone using Dawkins-like-logic in this setting. “Look, you’ve declined the causes of dirty water, bad air and mangoes, why don’t you go the whole way and reject all causes, then you’ll be free from this ridiculous notion that the disease is caused by anything.”
The universe is a reality, life is a reality, and the fact that we deny Thor, Zeus and yes, the god of Islam, as the cause and ultimate ground of all this does not mean that there isn’t any ultimate explanation. The reason we believe Jesus Christ is that explanation is that as we examine the evidence of his life, death and resurrection we find it compelling. Will such a position be offensive to some? Of course it will. And we can thank Rowan Williams for having the courage to acknowledge that this week.
Dr Justin Thacker, Head of Theology
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