Tuesday 20 May 2014

A Christian Nation?

Is Britain still a Christian country? That is the question that was dominating the political agenda, and with it the television and news media, just a week or so ago. It followed some comments that the Prime Minister made at Easter, and which were seized upon by his opponents and then by those who oppose any sort of faith influence in public life. Though many saw David Cameron’s comments as little more than a pitch to get back potential voters ahead of the coming elections, voters angered by the Gay Marriage legislation, what he said certainly stirred up a debate.

The first problem with answering a question like that, of course, is the need to define what we mean by a ‘Christian country’. The number of people who define themselves as ‘Christian’ in surveys and censuses declines decade by decade, and even though this would still be a majority of the population, we are far from a position where we could say that the whole of the population is broadly ‘Christian’. Indeed the same politicians rejoice in the diversity of faiths and cultures that mark Britain in the twenty-first century. We are probably on safer ground when we recognize that Britain’s history and cultural heritage has been so immersed in the Christian faith that large areas of national life are still affected by it, and to that extent we might still be regarded as a ‘Christian nation’. Judging by the last few decades and the legislation that has been introduced, one wonders whether that level of influence will be maintained.

But in answering the question, we need to go back one step further and make our definitions even clearer. Before we can define a ‘Christian country’ we need to define what a Christian is. That’s a discussion that I haven’t seen taking place in the media in the last few weeks. But it is of ultimate importance that we get that definition correct. Whether or not Britain is ‘Christian’ is not of eternal significance to you and I as individuals, but that we understand what a Christian is, and that we have become one, certainly does matter in that way.

A Christian isn’t just somebody who is kind, moral, clean living, charitable and a good citizen. People of most religions would fall into that category. Nor is it one who has a high regard for the life and teachings of Jesus. Most Muslims would have that, and they wouldn’t regard themselves as Christians. On the authority of the Bible, we would have to say that a Christian isn’t even somebody who regularly goes to church, has been christened or who reads their Bible. We can all do that without being a true Christian.

No, a Christian is one who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation. They have been ‘born again’ by God’s Holy Spirit, have confessed and turned away from their sin, and are now consciously living under His lordship. Though there are many things that they now ‘do’ as response to God, they do not trust in those things, but in what Christ did on the cross at Calvary.

Never mind Britain, what about you?