Accused of Fundamentalism?
It’s not very often that I get round to sending off a response to a TV documentary I have watched, but yesterday evening -having watched a documentary on Channel 4, by Rod Liddle, called ‘The New Fundamentalists’ - I sent one straight away. You can read a little about it here but it is not very informative, helpful or at all balanced. Below is an idea of what I sent to Channel 4. I have obviously used terms and expressions appropriate to a non-Christian public organisation:
How depressing to see Channel 4 once again contributing to the simplistic standard view of evangelicalism and confusing it yet again with fundamentalism. The derisive, dismissive, sneering approach of Rod Liddle did not represent C4 well. It just contributed to further polarisation and misunderstanding. It completely failed to recognise the complexity of views, questions and debates within evangelicalism. Not all of us are 6-day creationists but we are unhappy with the tyranny of Darwinism. Not all of us are at all happy for Stephen Green to claim to speak for all Christians, but we are concerned with the way that freedom of speech is being use to justify offending people of faith. We are not anti-gays but we have to take seriously the teachings of our faith, while at the same time being compassionate to all. We believe in reserving sex for within marriage, and that the throwing off of sexual restraint in a sex-obsessed culture has been devastating to our society, but many of us would still believe in teaching young people about contraception.
Many evangelicals are thinking seriously through how to stay faithful to the biblical and historical faith whilst at the same time relating that faith thoughtfully and compassionately to the issues we face in contemporary society. We are not helped by people like Rod Liddle rattling out the same old, cliched, so-called ‘liberal’ views (which are actually illiberal because they try to shoot down anything which challenges the liberal consensus). And what he failed to recognise or acknowledge is that there is not a neutral, objective public space that Christian’s are trying to take over – it is already occupied by a secular, humanist, so-called liberal agenda. Christians have a right to challenge its assumptions.
I am a pastor of an evangelical, charismatic church and one who is committed to genuine liberal values (that have too often been hijacked by secular humanists and so forced many Christians into unpalatable illiberal positions) and who often appreciates the work of C4. Give me half an hour on your channel and I will show you a fairer, more honest, balanced and nuanced insight into the evangelical world! Or just let me at Rod Liddle!!
March 7th, 2006 @ 3:29 pm
Thanks for that. That’s a really coherant helpful way of putting it.
March 7th, 2006 @ 3:54 pm
You go trevor!!
i think they should give u half an hour and more!
March 7th, 2006 @ 5:48 pm
Well done, Trevor. I didn’t get to see the programme, but can imagine the generalisations and sweeping inaccuracies you describe. What else could we expect from Rod Liddle!
Keep up the correspondence; I think it’s time people like yourself who are able to offer a good Christian apologetic came to the fore.
March 7th, 2006 @ 8:03 pm
Looking forward to that programme Trevor!
March 8th, 2006 @ 4:57 pm
Well done Trevor. I really truly hope you get a response from C4; its time the UK saw what Christianity is REALLY about!
March 8th, 2006 @ 9:48 pm
nice one trevor. i went to emmanuel college in gateshead (one of the three schools featured) and really respect nigel mcquoid, who was principal of my school when i was there and is now director of all three. the schools breed a healthy and safe environment for pupils to grow and learn, whilst encouraging them to think about the bigger issues in life (in science and RE lessons in particular), but they never ‘force’ Christianity upon pupils as was suggested in that documentary. i only caught the last 20 minutes of the programme but i was very upset at the extremely unjust portrayal of three good schools and one very good man. i also intend to write to channel 4, but also to Big Nige to let him know how grateful i am for my education and my time in his school.
March 8th, 2006 @ 11:51 pm
I also caught the tail end of the programme, and was equally incensed by the poor quality, sensationalist journalism of Rod Liddle. Well done for responding in the way that you have, and i hope you get an opportunity to be able to present a more balanced view of evangelical Christianity.
March 11th, 2006 @ 11:10 pm
Well said my friend (I call you friend as someone defending Christ).
The offensive regime of Secular Humanism is one that we really need to stand against. It needs to be recognised as a religion and treated as such.
The ‘mass of evidence’ Rod Liddle attributed to Darwinism in particular has been largely refuted by very reputable scientists, though state education would not have it taught, and the evidence for Creationism is equal to it on a very basic scientific level, see www.creationontheweb.com
Please let me know if you get a response to your letter!!!
Ben
March 14th, 2006 @ 4:59 pm
Great response Trevor. Ern Baxter once said at a leaders conference I attended that to communicate anything well we must define our terms first. I find this to be a challenge to me and perhaps the biggest error I see in the press. Here in the States we often have intelligent reporters who I know can do better turn around and slander anything Christian. I have come to the conclusion that in some cases it’s not just bad reporting but rather calculated attacks using caricatures and myths. Thanks for speaking up for us all.
April 7th, 2006 @ 10:21 pm
So pleased someone who is able to respond so gracefully did so. Well done. I was mad as anything after that programme. I have been a christian for 14 years and get so fed up with being misrepresented I give up. I hate it when people begin to home in on strange things like God creating the world in 6 days. Its like hello, if you understood the concept of God at all and his nature, the fact that he is all powerful, He could have done it all in 6 minutes if He so wished. I bet He loves listening us debate that one over and over. Incidentally it would have been nice if Cnannel 4 had done their homework. God didn’t actually create the sun and the moon until day four when one assumes the 24 hour day became such. Up until then who knows how long it took. I wish these guys would wake up and smell the roses. On judgement day God will be interested in one thing only. What did you do about the sacrifice of my Son? Did you accept it or reject it. I actually went to bed that night and prayed long and hard for dear old Rod. After all he’s only as blind and foolish as we all were before God made us brand new. Thanks God. Your great as usual.
April 17th, 2006 @ 9:00 pm
I heard Rod Liddle on the same old theme on ‘Any Questions’ this week. It is time someone challenged him about his narrow-minded, bigoted caracatures of evangelical Christianity. So glad you responded to this Channel 4 programme so graciously.