Rev. Dustin ParkerStatistics
Apparently it now appears that only 10% of the population of Britain are familiar with the stories of the Bible-90% have never heard of the Good Samaritan etc. This is interesting because according to the last Official Census in 2001 about 76% of British people considered themselves to be Christians.
Which begs the question, what is a Christian?
The Christian World falls into three main groups: Protestant/Evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox. I know these are three fairly wide brush strokes but I think it is an accepable description.
The Protestant/Evangelical world is very keen on conversions-usually instantaneous ones and use the phrase 'Born Again' and the very first question an Evanglical Christian will ask is 'Are you Born Again?' The way you answer that question then tends to dictate the way the conversation will go.
The Roman Catholic and Orthodox has a different view-a Christian is someone who is a member of the Christian Church. A person is 'born again' by being baptised, this then provokes the question 'Do you mean that all you need to do to be a Christian is be baptised?' Well no, no more than having some subjective experience some years ago. The important thing is our continued growth in God. It would be more appropriate to ask 'Are you growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus?', 'Are you studying to show yourself approved unto God?'.
No one sits down and looks at the person opposite and asks: 'Have you been born?' The fact that that person is sat opposite me, tells me that that some years previously two people got together in a (hopefully) loving relationship and nine months later this person emerged and that those two people worked hard to bring that person up to maturity. The same way when I meet a fellow Christian I have no need to ask if they are 'born again'. What I have a need to do is share the things of God with them and they with me.
Even then, must we demand fellow Christians to be theological sophisticated? A few years ago, a Church member approached me about setting up a Bible Study for the older members of our Parish. This lady told me her father although a regular Church goer and a pillar of our community had no undertsanding of Christian doctrine like the Second Coming (strange because we confess the Nicene Creed every Sunday and it makes clear the fact that Christ will come again). I went away and thought it through. I decided against it. This lovely man was Russian. He was born in the bread basket of Europe. During the Second World War, he was pushed around by Stalin and Hitler. He ended up a slave labourer in the submarine pens of Kiel. At the end of the War he came to Britain, and depsite everything that had happened he still believed in God!!!!!
I thought of the many people I knew who had turned their back on God when things had'nt worked out the way they wanted-signs they said that God doesn't love them or God couldn't exist. What a contrast I thought between them and this lady's father.
I told her that it wasn't me who ought to be teaching him doctrine, he should be teaching me how to faith in God when everything else seemed to be going wrong
Which begs the question, what is a Christian?
The Christian World falls into three main groups: Protestant/Evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox. I know these are three fairly wide brush strokes but I think it is an accepable description.
The Protestant/Evangelical world is very keen on conversions-usually instantaneous ones and use the phrase 'Born Again' and the very first question an Evanglical Christian will ask is 'Are you Born Again?' The way you answer that question then tends to dictate the way the conversation will go.
The Roman Catholic and Orthodox has a different view-a Christian is someone who is a member of the Christian Church. A person is 'born again' by being baptised, this then provokes the question 'Do you mean that all you need to do to be a Christian is be baptised?' Well no, no more than having some subjective experience some years ago. The important thing is our continued growth in God. It would be more appropriate to ask 'Are you growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus?', 'Are you studying to show yourself approved unto God?'.
No one sits down and looks at the person opposite and asks: 'Have you been born?' The fact that that person is sat opposite me, tells me that that some years previously two people got together in a (hopefully) loving relationship and nine months later this person emerged and that those two people worked hard to bring that person up to maturity. The same way when I meet a fellow Christian I have no need to ask if they are 'born again'. What I have a need to do is share the things of God with them and they with me.
Even then, must we demand fellow Christians to be theological sophisticated? A few years ago, a Church member approached me about setting up a Bible Study for the older members of our Parish. This lady told me her father although a regular Church goer and a pillar of our community had no undertsanding of Christian doctrine like the Second Coming (strange because we confess the Nicene Creed every Sunday and it makes clear the fact that Christ will come again). I went away and thought it through. I decided against it. This lovely man was Russian. He was born in the bread basket of Europe. During the Second World War, he was pushed around by Stalin and Hitler. He ended up a slave labourer in the submarine pens of Kiel. At the end of the War he came to Britain, and depsite everything that had happened he still believed in God!!!!!
I thought of the many people I knew who had turned their back on God when things had'nt worked out the way they wanted-signs they said that God doesn't love them or God couldn't exist. What a contrast I thought between them and this lady's father.
I told her that it wasn't me who ought to be teaching him doctrine, he should be teaching me how to faith in God when everything else seemed to be going wrong
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i think though that many people would be more familiar with the negative stories of the bible, well by negative i mean the ones most often used to judge people rather than preach about being kind
im sure most people, christian or not, would know the story of sodom and gomorah, the story of adam and eve, the story of the crucifixion etc
plus the more magical ones like noahs arc and the parting or the red sea and the loaves and fishes and turning water into wine . . . all those stories have entered our general vocabulary, they are metaphors or cliches than have been popularised in film and literature over and over again
Orthodox Christian
Your comments about the Bible stories is interesting. I think the survey should how little people knew of the BIble. From a literature and language point of view its a real shame too, so much of modern English is rooted in the Authorised Version of the Bible, Shakespeare can become much understandable with a knowledge of that translation of the Bible.
Are people aware of the Crucifixtion? I'm not so sure. They would probably know the Cross is a Christian symbol but its meaning? Possibly, possibly not. Sodom and Gomorrah? A bit obscure don't you think? I'm sure if you asked me to relate a list of Bible stories, that one would come pretty low, if on it at all. The other events around Abraham's life are far more interesting.
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oh i totally agree, and i think that applies to imagery in so many novels, songs, and films
perhaps to clarify my statement of judgement i should explain: i think (unfortunately) the most common image of a christian is the mid-west bible-belt evangelical picketing against abortion or homosexuals, or for the death penalty or creationism in schools etc
i think the more extreme christians (eg: Fred Phelps) use a few select bible passages over and over, and the media give them attention, so those are the passages the average tv viewer becomes familiar with, and they are used with the intention of condemning others in that context
Sodom and Gomorah was parodied in an episode of The Simpsons, i would consider that to be a highly referenced story in pop culture
The Crucifixion story is in popular films like The Passion of The Christ and Ben Hur . . . metaphorically in stories like The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
i think western culture and bible stories are inextricably entwined, even if the majority of people do not realise the references
Orthodox Christian
Yes I would certainly agree with that
I hope that you have picked up that I'm not a "is the mid-west bible-belt evangelical", although of course I would defend their right to hold their opinions. The day we want to prevent others from holding opinions different from ours is the day we open the door to fascism.
Ben Hur is of course a great film but such is the nature of film watching these days very rarely seen and in most people's minds irrelevant-Sci-Fi and Romantic Comedy are what count these days not history. FWIW I think that is because people dont trust history-it's too open to interpretation, whereas Sci-Fi and Romantic Comedy can take them into a world outside of their reality as an temporary escape from life-I don't have a problem with that myself by the way, I bored my family senseless watching Notting Hill over and over again!!!
I would agree to some extent about the LWW, but I recall many years ago a friend of mine trying to explain the book to the daughter of an acqaintance and getting very blank looks!!!! It only really makes sense I think if you go on to read Lewis's other adult books-eg The Screwtape Letters.
The Passion of Christ, yes I would agree.