Peter Owen Jones seems so at home with this newfangled technology called ""a camera"". Must be all that BBC training. I, on the other hand, seem utterly bemused by it all.
So anyway, just come back from Question of Faith. Thanks for all your help and prayers.
Reflecting with an older wiser Christian afterwards, we noticed that the watchword of the night was "tolerance." This was the Absolute Good and that which no-one dare speak against. But interestingly, my friend made the point that the history of religious toleration was very different to how we use the word today. So, for instance, the Act of Toleration in 1689 was the granting of liberties by a strong majority to a weak minority (the non-confromists). It was not, as it is assumed to mean today, the decision of equals to get along together.
I think that's a fascinating point. True tolerance is a strong incumbent majority who nonetheless accommodate themselves and stoop to serve the weak. The truly Tolerant One is the Lord Jesus who makes Himself Servant of all. And He wouldn't be more tolerant if He stopped insisting on being Lord. He can be Lord and the most tolerant all at once (when tolerance is properly understood).
Anyway, that's one reflection.
My answers were as Twitter-like as I could make them. We got 90 seconds maximum, so there's not a great deal that can be said. I had the very best questions from some teenagers who came up to me at the end of the evening. They appeared to be with their mother. There was no pussy-footing with the teens: "So you think the other panelists are going to hell?" etc, etc. It was definitely the most fruitful time of the evening. At one point I tried to make fun of the omni-being of philosophy: "You know that nonsense they teach in religious education, 'God is omniscient, omnipotent, omniverous, ambidextrous'." They laugh nervously. I think it's because I'm deliciously drole. Then the woman introduces herself: "Hi, I'm their RE teacher..." Oh.
The evening was video'd and will be up on the web in a week or so. I'll link to it when it's available.
Once again, thanks! :)
.
Padre, your answers were the only ones with any meat.
And answering WITH Christ? Unbeatable choice.
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Glen,
Look forward to watching you in action, my brother! What a great opportunity, praise the Lord!
Very pleased, but a little surprised, that you weren't lynched or burnt, or whatever the latest tolerant PC punishment is
P.S. CONFLICT-FREE WORSHIP
GIVEN: “The time will come when people will not worship the Father either on this mountain or in Jerusalem. The time is coming and is already here when by the power of God’s Spirit people will worship the Father, as he really is, offering him the true worship that he wants. God is Spirit and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is.”
(JESUS CHRIST in Samaria, declaring God as personally knowable, John 4: 21-24)
QUESTION:
Isn’t conflict-free worship beyond all religions long overdue, worth tracking and recovering?
Thanks BB, Bobby and Marc. Everyone was too tolerant to be really mean to me but I did break a number of pluralistic taboos. Oh well.
woldeyesus, you're welcome to join us on a Sunday for conflict-free worship. We happen to be Church of England, but I'm sure that, since in Christ we're beyond the flesh and the written code, you won't let that stop you.
:)
Hi Glen- well done! Can't wait to see the action replay. Any chance you can tease us with the questions you were asked? That way I can work out what I might have said, then watch the video and repent...
Seriously though, isn't it fun being a complete Jesus freak? It's all about him. I pray that, when it comes to speaking of him, we're all stuck records until the day we die and see him face to face.
Not sure my performance on the recording will be very illuminating!! I've spent all day thinking of all the things I should have said :-/
The questions I can remember were roughly:
* Is there a place for bishops in the House of Lords (good prediction Tim!)
* Is there a place for faith schools in multi-faith Britain?
* Projecting 50 years into the future, do you think we can avoid war when the religions cannot agree?
* How can I know God?
* Does your religion give a very good impression of itself to the world?
* Does inter-faith dialogue mask real and important differences between religions?
* What does your religion think of women?
* What does your religion think of other religions?
And some others I can't remember right now.
Hi Glen. We'll always spend time thinking of what we could have said. But the Spirit's gonna give you plenty more opportunities!
And besides: you spoke of Jesus. Unrivalled power was set free in that room. You don't think God's word is going to return to him empty, do you? :)
It is worth adding that speaking of Jesus, in the third person, is not necessarily "unrivalled power" unless one knows what it takes to secure his personal presence. Otherwise, your expressed fear will be real!
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