We are brilliant

                                                                Picture Credit: Google 

A few weeks ago, I did something unusual for me, hold the front page... I got my hair cut on a Sunday. I needed a tidy up before the working week started and after church was a convenient time to fit in a quick trim (I mention this to make sure you understand I went to church first...). I got thinking about the law that changed Sunday trading forever and how some fellow Christians might refrain from such activity themselves. 

Back in '94, campaigns sprung up to oppose the legislation and Christians were prominent among the activists. Where did you stand on the issue? If you were writing back then, did you commit your beliefs to paper to influence the agenda? If you were part of the 'keep Sunday special' camp, do you remain faithful to that stance thirty years on or has your position altered?

Indeed, we can ask that question of so many issues. Has your theological or moral position shifted about anything from the one you used to hold? Even as I write this, the Assisted Dying Bill has just passed the first stage with differing ideas raging before the vote. Could you envisage a scenario in which your current view on that could ever alter, or is it an immovable matter of right and wrong?

I've just finished reading a book by an author, well known for their Christian faith and who many of you would recognise from the media. Perhaps because they are a celebrity, their book has reached the shelves of all the high street bookstores. I enjoyed reading it, but I didn't agree with everything that was said. However, the author recognises the responsibility of writing stuff down and publishing it for others to consume. They state... 'writing this book has not been an entirely easy experience... the more I've written, the more worrisome the idea of having my name on the cover has seemed... there is something frighteningly permanent about it... I'm not sure every opinion expressed here is what I'll think in five years or five minutes.'

Sometimes I wonder if I’m qualified, learned, or certain enough to write and share the thoughts that pass through my mind. What if someone were to be misled by my half-baked theology? What if I change my mind? Shouldn’t I leave it to the experts?

Another book I’m reading is ’10 Habits of a Peace Maker’ by Professor Steven Collis. He's an American legal expert specialising in a niche area of law, yet he opens by stating how little he knows about his subject. Regardless of our expertise, he suggests we all acknowledge in our communications how little we know about anything as individuals, but collectively, we are brilliant. I am not writing alone. There is room for my words and grace for my mistakes. I am a speck among a giant community of writers worldwide, dead, alive and not yet born, all with variations of opinion, belief and experience even among those of the same faith. My own views might change over time. Some of my favourite books are the ones that challenge my thinking or introduce me to something new. The world would be dull if we just passively agreed with everything we read, wouldn’t it?

Do you wrestle with the responsibility of writing and influencing others with your words on matters of faith? Have you ever committed something to writing and published it only to find your position changing afterwards? What advice would you give to your fellow Christian writers about this?