Linking two worlds

As Kieran Turner puts it, his new role is to be ‘a link between two worlds.’ The young politics graduate was speaking at Hilton Church last Sunday. For the last couple of years Kieran has worked in the Inverness office of MSPs David Stewart and Rhoda Grant, but on Monday he starts a new job as Glasgow-based Public Policy Officer with a Christian think-tank, the Evangelical Alliance.

Kieran will be a link between the world of Christian faith, and the world of Scottish politics. He will relay to policy-makers the views of evangelical Christians, and help churches engage with politicians locally and nationally.

The day before Kieran spoke at Hilton, a thought-provoking article by Matthew Parris appeared in The Times. The journalist had taken part in a panel discussing proposals for gay marriage. Another panellist was the former Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali.

According to Matthew, the clergyman’s argument could have been put forward ‘by an unreligious professor of sociology and was apparently based on the social and cultural value of marriage as presently defined.’ Lying unspoken behind the former Bishop’s words, Matthew detected his Christian-based belief that homosexual practice is wrong.

It was, Matthew continued, the same with the recent debate over whether the legal limit for abortion should be reduced from 24 to 12 weeks.  The arguments of some of the participants were, he believed, driven by unspoken religious belief rather than by pure logic.

Matthew Parris believes religious people should be upfront about where their opinions are coming from, as the knowledge that views spring from religious belief can affect how they are received. If an audience knows someone’s advice is ‘faith based’ they ‘might wish to discount it.’

What Matthew doesn’t seem to understand is that the way of living Christians believe God calls us to is not arbitrary or restrictive. It is the lifestyle which best enables us to flourish. And so when thus way of living is put into practice the benefits are evident.

Even Matthew’s unreligious professor of sociology would be able to see and measure the results in people’s lives of conforming to God’s ideal, while not discerning the source of these benefits. So it is perfectly possible for Christians to argue coherently and logically about the benefits of putting Christian values into practice without being explicit about our faith.

However, I am concerned by Matthew’s implication that if we are to be heard on equal terms with others taking part in the debate then we need to set our faith on one side because the presence of faith in our views somehow undermines the validity of what we are saying.

Because for religious people, just as much as for atheists like Matthew or agnostics, our perception of reality is not a bolt-on extra, but is fundamental to our identity. Yes, Matthew, we’re only too happy to come clean about our faith, to be real. But please recognise that our deep Christian, or Muslim or Jewish or Buddhist convictions are as central to our lives as your thoughtful, atheistic position is to you. Please respect us as we respect you.

I’ve just been reading a book called A public faith: how followers of Christ should serve the common good. Its author, Miroslav Volf argues that in a democracy everyone should be entitled to speak out from where they are taking part in debate over the future of society. If as a religious person you are asked to leave your faith perspective at the door, or if when you speak up your point of view leads to what you say being discounted or ignored then it is fundamentally anti-democratic.

Volf’s vision is for people of different faiths and none to be able to take part in debate, both listening and being listened to with respect, in an honest search for the best way ahead for society, in a forum where we ‘argue productively as friends rather than destructively as enemies.’

This, I believe, is the kind of constructive, loving engagement which Kieran Turner will promote as he articulates the views of a significant section of the Scottish Christian community.

It’s not just Kieran who aims to bring two worlds together. All of us face the challenge of being our Christian selves wherever we are, bringing together the world of faith, and the worlds of home, work, school, community. It’s the challenge of speaking with integrity and listening with respect as together we work to bring a flourishing across our nation.

But as Christians we believe that the dimensions we link together are not just the worlds of faith and everyday life, but heaven and earth as with God’s help we seek to reflect into our own dear Scotland the very life of heaven.

(Christian Viewpoint column from the Highland News 25th October 2012)