Standing up for Truth in Babylon
As a British Christian I have over the years watched world and cultural events mainly through the various media outlets that were available to me at the time. Certainly in Britain one of the most famous and most watched news networks was and is the British Broadcasting Corporation or the BBC. As time passed I came to the personal conclusion that journalism from the BBC was biased. It was in my opinion anti-Christian but pro-Islam, anti-Israel but pro-Arab, pro-choice concerning abortion, left-leaning politically and so on. In particular I observed over time Christians and Jews viewed with suspicion and distaste by reporters and treated unfairly and often not given enough time to respond to complex questions or interrupted before they could finish.
I must interject here that there was one glorious occasion, one moment I remember when the light broke through the dark recesses of the studio. I will never forget an interview with two American singers on "BBC Breakfast". These ladies were clearly full on and passionate about their faith. They talked openly about God and Jesus and faith and I watched in delight as the two BBC journalists sat on the couch with frozen faces probably having never experienced such a thing before. Sadly that was a rare event.
It was only at the advent of the internet and the availability of more foreign news networks that I realized that not all journalists thought like the BBC. During this time, I came across the Fox News Channel. The news report I watched was about Israel and Hamas. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. A journalist defending Israel! I watched more. God was mentioned and not in a derogatory manner. In another segment prayer in the public arena was discussed. What? It was like entering a new and beautiful land where they spoke a wonderfully and refreshing language. The Internet has been even more enlightening. I have discovered your very own American Thinker and many other websites and blogs which promote basically the Judeo-Christian Philosophy.
Now please don’t misunderstand me at this point because there are many fine journalists in Britain who stand up for conservative and Christian values. One in particular comes to mind, a lady by the name of Melanie Phillips. Unfortunately we do not see enough of her and people of similar integrity on our screens in Britain.
I felt led to write this piece today because I have been following closely the continued attack on your rights as Americans to declare your faith in the public arena and I realized something very sad that as British Christians we have to a large degree been silenced in the public arena. Oh yes, we still have freedom of speech but through a process of intimidation and political correctness our faith has been relegated to only being discussed in a religious setting or in the privacy of our own homes.
It was with this in mind that I recently came across Professor John Lennox. He has written a book about the Prophet Daniel called Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an age of relativism. I haven’t read the book yet but the synopsis alone was so revealing and relevant at this moment in history. It reads:
Daniel and his friends did not simply maintain their private devotion to God; they maintained a high-profile witness in a pluralistic society antagonistic to their faith. That is why their story has such a powerful message for us. Society tolerates the practice of Christianity in private and in church services, but it increasingly deprecates public witness. If Daniel and his compatriots were with us today they would be in the vanguard of the public debate. What it was that gave that ancient foursome, Daniel and his three friends, the strength and conviction to be prepared, often at great risk, to swim against the flow?
In closing I still have hope for my country although we have a long way to go if we are to take back the ground which the secularists have won. You, my dear American friends, have a great opportunity to stand up for truth and religious freedom like Daniel the Prophet and prevent your nation from becoming another Babylon. God will be with you.