Sorry - again!
Twice this week, reports of the actions of two high profile Christians have made the task of evangelism that little bit more difficult. On Sunday, the Bishop of Carlisle was accused of saying that the recent floods were the judgment of God on society. The Sunday Telegraph quoted him: "This is a strong and definite judgment because the world has been arrogant in going its own way ... We are reaping the consequences of our moral degradation, as well as the environmental damage that we have caused." And on Monday, President George Bush commuted , and thereby gave the impression that justice is a somewhat flexible concept.
What went wrong here?
Firstly, the Bishop of Carlisle is right to note that our society is "arrogant", and that "moral degradation" affects us all. However, the whole point of Jesus' teaching regarding the tower of Siloam (Luke 13:1-5) is that we are all under God's judgment, we are all sinners, and that these disasters do not happen because God is specifically judging one particular group. Rather, they happen because the world we live in has fallen, and is imperfect in every aspect. The Bishop has subsequently made it clear that this was precisely what he was trying to communicate - and getting nuanced messages across to journalists is never an easy task. However, it remains the case that by saying this kind of thing, at this time, the impression was given - albeit by misrepresenting the Bishop - that God has flooded Toll Bar because parliament passed the Sexual Orientation Regulations. In such a context, it is hard to see how Christ’s command, "Do not judge" is operative.
And secondly, George Bush's action in commuting the sentence of his long-term associate, Lewis Libby, at the very least smacks of cronyism. Mr Libby was found guilty by a jury of perjury and obstructing justice, and was sentenced to a fine and thirty months in jail. Yet the President, whilst leaving the conviction in place, removed the prison sentence so that Mr Libby merely has the fine and disgrace to deal with. At best, this is misguided behaviour that gives the impression of favouritism. At worst, it is simply unjust. As James says, "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbour as yourself', you are doing right. But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers" (James 2:8,9).
The problem for our non-Christian friends is that they know God seeks justice, and they know God says, "Do not judge". So when it seems that such high profile Christians are ignoring these commands, their conclusion is that we have taken a pick and mix approach to the scriptures. We condemn the sin we don't take part in, whilst ignoring the sins in which we engage. Given this, when they also follow us in ignoring the parts of scripture they don't like, we have only ourselves to blame.
It has not been a great week for the cause of Christ. And I suspect that if we really want to impact our non-Christians friends this weekend, the best we can do is simply apologise - for the judgemental and unjust impressions that have been left. That would demonstrate the true gospel of Christ.
Justin Thacker, Head of Theology, Evangelical Alliance
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