Confessing Evangelical

One of the biggest threats to religious freedom in the West is "equivalence" - the idea that, to avoid accusations of "Islamophobia", every criticism of Islamist extremism must be "balanced out" by an equal and opposite criticism of Christian "fundamentalism". We are repeatedly invited to believe that there is no real difference between Bible-wielding Christians and bomb-wielding Islamists.

This attitude has now permeated to the highest levels of British political life, as evidenced in comments made yesterday by the Home Secretary, David "Make My Day" Blunkett as he announced plans for a new law to prohibit "incitement to religious hatred":

"We need to be able to take on those extremists and say, I’m afraid in our society, pluralism and openness, the ability to accept differences without being subsumed, is crucial to our survival, it’s what distinguishes all of us, from every faith, from those who would take our lives because they reject our faith, and it applies equally from far right evangelical Christians, to extremists in the Islamic faith."

A useful response to sweeping generalisations like this is, "Name five!". But in this case the challenge can be made even narrower. Mr Blunkett, kindly name one evangelical Christian in the UK today who has ever called for, or supported, the murder of those who reject the Christian faith, or the imposition of Christianity on Western society by violent means.

As the Christian Institute pointed out in a press release issued yesterday in response to Mr Blunkett's remarks:

"David Blunkett today has showed the danger of giving politicians the power to censor religious belief ... He appears to want to introduce this law to clamp down on evangelicals. A new incitement offence could put church leaders in jail and affect Christian schools, youth work or street preaching.

"Many evangelicals have gone down in history as great Britons – Wilberforce, Shaftsbury and Josephine Butler, to name a few. To equate evangelicals with terrorists is an outrage. I call on the Home Secretary to retract his implied assertion that evangelicals in the UK are calling for the murder of non-Christians."

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." - 1 Timothy 2:1-4.