In Cambridge I frequently get an opportunity to mull over the impact of evangelical Christianity. This sounds like a completely random statement, but it’s truth lies in the way the University Christian Union insists on forcing its agenda down everyone’s throats. I have a certain respect for them as a Christian myself, and a certain fear based on their sometimes-fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible as the literal word of God. (That’s a matter for another post). The issue I have is the way they consistently spread their propoganda throughout the University and the City, creating antipathy and anger wherever they go. This troubles me somewhat:
- I don’t like the way they stir up trouble for Christians in Cambridge. This seems a crazy thing to say, but there’s times I’ve been sat with friends, listening to them decry the evangelism of the CU, while I’ve been too scared to reveal my own religion. Perhaps this is just a hatred of my own weak will, but there’s a definite anti-Christian feeling which is actually being propogated by the Christian Union!
- The Bible calls upon us to evangelise as part of our lives. This troubles me again; I feel like I ought to be doing more, but am scared to be labelled as “another nutty Jesus-lover,” and tend to avoid the issue.
Thinking about this led me to thoughts about the historic implications of preaching. The original Saints and evangelists were all celebrated for their pious and learned nature. Nowadays we seem to be preached at by dogmatic buffoons who refuse to alter their teaching to the modern world. Should preaching be left to only those trained to do so? Perhaps in Cambridge, the answer is yes, except for the fact that those trained often seem scared to actually preach to people. One thing is certain, preaching should always be done in a way designed not to scare off the listeners.
Apologies for rambling…