In true Independent style, the wannabee broadsheet produced a list of 50 "good" people this morning. I dutifullt bought a copy and had a look. I was interested to find something that the lovelies at the Indy may want to be kept quiet.
11 of the 50 had a stated Christian belief. 2 had obviously had their Christian credentials cut off (Gee Walker and Jean Vanier). There were also 3 muslims, a jew and a sikh.
Perturbed by the Indy's reticence to acknowledge faith I've done some digging: and discovered that Sheila Cassidy is a follower of Christ, as, I think are, Martin Dent, Bill Peters and Ann Pettifer. I also think Richard Adams might be.. Anne Owers got motivated for justice in the Southwark diocese and Clive Stafford Smith views his work as a calling and has spoken at Greenbelt (resist temptation to make cynical comment). In addition, Jon Snow and John Sulston are both clergy sons (no indication of own beliefs).
I'm not trying to say that only Christians are good people- but I am slightly smirking at the INdy- who are VERY anti established religion.. that when they gather a secular independent panel to establish this list they come up with at least one in three who seek to follow Christ!
I love it that our left wing media can't quite reconcile the anti mantra with the reality that its people who have something to believe in who change the world: and not always for the worse.
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Apparently Desmond Tutu is just a "moral man", and according to Polly Toynbee in the Guardian, all those churches who schlep away on our roughest estates are only doing what secular institutions would do if they weren't there. Anything to avoid admitting that faith changes lives for the better.
Having said that though, what does it say about us in the church that people see us that way? That when a Christian does an amazing thing for justice, it's just because they're 'moral', but when someone says something dreadful about abortion or women bishops, or gets their knickers in a twist over Jerry Springer the Opera, it's because they're a Christian.
Maybe the church is also partly to blame that people are all too quick to associate 'Christian' with 'bigoted' and 'hysterical', but rarely with 'justice' and 'love'.