THIS IS THE REAL WORLD NOW
The case of the Cornish couple who ran a bed and breakfast and who were sued by a homosexual couple has received quite a lot of attention and comment during the past week. There has been a great deal of sympathy for Peter and Hazelmary Bull across the media and, of course, within the Christian world. All sorts of opinions have been expressed by different people and a number of issues have been raised about the legal judgement. Discussions have begun about everything from the relevance of Christianity to a modern world through to what constitutes a free society. But in the end there is surely one issue above all else that should engage our minds. As Judge Rutherford put it, “Whatever may have been the position in past centuries it is no longer the case that our laws must, or should automatically reflect the Judeo-Christian position.” In other words we really are living in a pagan society where Christian values have no particular influence.
A similar statement was made in the case of the Christian Relate counsellor dismissed for refusing to offer sex advice to gay couples. Then Judge Laws said, “The general law may of course protect a particular social or moral position which is espoused by Christianity, not because of its religious imprimatur, but on the footing that in reason its merits commend themselves.” Indeed that statement was quoted in his judgement by Judge Rutherford. It is surely interesting that both these judges play a notable role in the Church of England.
The legal validity of these two statements by these judges may yet be challenged in a higher court and certainly a number of questions arise from what they say. But there is one truth that comes through from them that we cannot ignore. Social attitudes and public policy no longer reflect in any substantive way Christian values. It is something that, by and large, Evangelical Christians have yet to come to terms with. We actually live in a pagan society. Maurice Cowling, a notable thinker in the twentieth century, once said that when the public influence of Christianity waned, the space would not be filled with anything truly secular, but with a new religion. That new religion is beginning to show itself.
Albert Mohler, the American theologian and social commentator, says the new religion is sexual anarchy. I think that is over specific and too narrow. I would rather suggest that it is the religion of the socially acceptable. So we now have a sort of pragmatic tolerance where social attitudes determine right and wrong and the law is framed to reflect the shifting sands of public values. Fit in with these public values and you are alright, differ from them and you are unacceptable. But public values are influenced by a whole range of opinions and people. So back in the 1980’s, as Matthew Parris informed us, four very influential men who were practising homosexuals sat down and plotted how they might use the media to change public perceptions about gay issues. Their success is staggering. Now the situation is that even medical realities and statistical facts are overridden by a new mythology about the legitimacy of homosexuality. But that happened because the influence of Christianity was failing and more amenable ideas were taking the forefront in people’s thinking. It also happened because some of the ways biblical teachings were applied and defended were quite unacceptable and inconsistent with the Bible itself.
Those who have understood the philosophical ideas that have grown in influence over the past 80 to 100 years and that have infiltrated the thinking of our society will not be surprised to see relativism, pragmatism and the promotion of individualism now dominant in our culture. What will happen as these concepts begin to work through into every part of life is not that freedom will be increased but that greater restrictions will develop. Looking back several centuries we can see that the political and social freedoms that we enjoy in Western nations were the direct result of the influence of biblical teaching and values – Judeo-Christian values. The power of those values were seen in the way men gave their lives in heroic struggles to establish them. Sadly the vigilance of Christian people failed and instead of working to develop even more biblical values in society by a constant reformation, compromise and godlessness began to prevail. Now those values have been removed from many aspects of the legal framework and other values are coming in that will be less generous.
What the future holds we cannot tell. The question for the church is not what we can do to reverse the trend. That issue must come but it will be the result of a spiritual renewal not political action. Fundamental questions must be asked. Why has the church not been more alert to what has been happening in our nation? Have we been so eager to relate to the world that we have become so like them that they can see no value in what we say? Have we so adopted their language that we actually say nothing that is distinctive enough to convince them that we have a viable alternative? There has been complacency about so many Evangelicals while the loss of influence has gone on apace. Will we now wake up?
Is it not a feature of the history of God’s dealings with His people that He often awakes them by what He does through the world around? Is it not when the state of society around sinks to the depths that the people of God begin to realise the need and their calling? Can it be that what is happening in the nation is God’s way of rousing His people from their stupor?
The need of the hour is for Christian people to return to Biblical practice. It is time to preach the Gospel with greater zeal and clarity. The issue of sin and eternal judgement is still the primary concern. There is massive confusion in the general populace about what the Bible teaches. It is time to proclaim its truth fearlessly and so display the paucity of all other ideas. It is time to return to holiness of life which is attractive because it reflects Christ and is impressive because it is manifestly different from the lifestyle of those we reach out to. It is time to engage in desperate and passionate prayer. If when our Lord walked the earth it was necessary for Him to devote Himself to prayer as He did, and if the early church did the same, why do we feel that we can progress without the same intensity? It is not change in the nation that must come first. It is change in the church.
How can such a change take place? Surely what this week has demonstrated beyond all doubt is that we need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Nothing less than revival will meet this need. In all that we do let us make this the priority for our prayers, that God Himself may come down and help us.
Roger Hitchings 22/01/11