Bishop's letters: May 05 +James

False Assumptions

My rather limited experience of television in recent months suggests that any programme which isn’t ‘reality TV’ or some sort of makeover spectacle is likely to be a police drama. That suits me fine: I love them all, from Inspector Linley to Midsomer Murders. And one of the lessons which emerges again and again as the sleuths pursue their quarry is the importance of an open mind. Leap to hasty conclusions or make a few false assumptions and you’ll soon find yourself down a cul-de-sac.


That’s exactly where so many of our peers do find themselves today, precisely because they have made a number of false assumptions about Christianity. These include:

• The notion that being a Christian is all about being good. There is a point here: after all, nobody would argue that Christianity is all about being bad! But a diet of School Assemblies devoted entirely to moral issues and media reports highlighting disagreements over morality has left thousands assuming that Jesus was simply a Teacher of the Law. ‘If only everyone did what he said’ runs the old argument, ‘the world would be a better place’. Well, of course, it would: but that’s because what he taught began with loving God – with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. Reducing the content of his teaching down to a few rules turns the Bible into a sort of self-help manual and ignores the fundamental question of who Jesus actually was.

• The idea that being a Christian is all about going to Church. Again, this isn’t entirely untrue: it is very difficult to develop or grow in the Christian faith without being part of a worshipping community. But since for most Christians ‘going to Church’ occupies only about 1% of the week, it suggests that Christianity is something very part-time and occasional. It also implies a measure of boredom since ‘Church = Dull’ in most people’s minds. And yet – as every Christian knows – nothing could be more full-time than Christianity: it is 24/7 in today’s jargon, and boring it ain’t! Of course, ‘religion’ can be pretty stultifying, and there is always a danger of lapsing into religious mode. But being a Christian means being in a relationship with a Living Lord; and as we’re reminded by the soaps, relationships are the spice of life.

• The view that Christianity is all about values and value-judgements rather than facts. If that really were the case, it would indeed be hard to argue for the validity of the Christian faith against any other religion or philosophy. But it manifestly isn’t the case. Christianity is based on the historical life of an historical person. If Jesus didn’t live, die and rise again in the Holy Land, faith in him becomes a nonsense and the Church is peddling a myth.

When I was at School, my Headmaster frequently pointed out that the word ‘assumption’ begins with an ‘ass’. Having an open mind doesn’t mean believing anything or simply absorbing misguided opinions. It means being prepared to examine the evidence – and discover the truth.

James Penrith