Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Ready to test your faith?
Are you really a Christian? I’m going to test the validity of your faith with the following questions (checking Google for answers is forbidden):
1) Name Jesus’ twelve disciples.
2) Recite the Apostles’ Creed.
3) How do you cook a turkey?
4) What were the names of the two thieves crucified on either side of Jesus?
5) What will happen around the world at the time of the second coming of Christ?
6) What type of fruit was the forbidden fruit?
How did you fare?
I’m sure that many of you could answer some of these, maybe you had difficulty with others, or just confused how some of these questions could possibly help anybody decide whether or not your faith is genuine.
The questions might seem ridiculous, but they are all examples of real questions asked to asylum seekers here who have become Christians and fear for their safety if returned to a hostile country. While it does happen that some falsely claim Christianity, this does not mean that there are not many genuine believers who live in fear of being returned. Most pastoral workers can ascertain whether somebody is genuine over a period of time, though this relational testimony does not seem to be highly regarded by the authorities (in some cases, conveniently ignored). The other issue arises when a particular judge is unfamiliar with aspects of an evangelical faith.
Thankfully , this issue has been flagged by the UK Evangelical Alliance and has received some press. This article from The Times “How the government tests for faith” sums up the issue well. Unfortunately, this article went to press over two years ago and not much seems to have changed.
This is an issue that affects some of the people we’re working with, so please keep it in your prayers: that a just and responsible solution will be found to assess the claims of believers seeking asylum in the UK.
1) Name Jesus’ twelve disciples.
2) Recite the Apostles’ Creed.
3) How do you cook a turkey?
4) What were the names of the two thieves crucified on either side of Jesus?
5) What will happen around the world at the time of the second coming of Christ?
6) What type of fruit was the forbidden fruit?
How did you fare?
I’m sure that many of you could answer some of these, maybe you had difficulty with others, or just confused how some of these questions could possibly help anybody decide whether or not your faith is genuine.
The questions might seem ridiculous, but they are all examples of real questions asked to asylum seekers here who have become Christians and fear for their safety if returned to a hostile country. While it does happen that some falsely claim Christianity, this does not mean that there are not many genuine believers who live in fear of being returned. Most pastoral workers can ascertain whether somebody is genuine over a period of time, though this relational testimony does not seem to be highly regarded by the authorities (in some cases, conveniently ignored). The other issue arises when a particular judge is unfamiliar with aspects of an evangelical faith.
Thankfully , this issue has been flagged by the UK Evangelical Alliance and has received some press. This article from The Times “How the government tests for faith” sums up the issue well. Unfortunately, this article went to press over two years ago and not much seems to have changed.
This is an issue that affects some of the people we’re working with, so please keep it in your prayers: that a just and responsible solution will be found to assess the claims of believers seeking asylum in the UK.
0 comments :
Post a Comment
