Number 6...

Ambition fulfilled!

The summer of '14 included the fulfilment of a long held ambition of mine when I visited the quaint village of Portmeirion in North Wales. It held, and still holds, a fascination for me both as an eccentric work of architecture and as the set of the cult 60's series 'The Prisoner'. 

There are a lot of reasons why, as a teenager, this series held my attention - the imagery, the fact that it was on just at the time when I had been given my first TV set so I could watch it after going to bed, the 60's feel to it. On reflection though, it also coincided with that time as a teenager when we rebel against the angst of feeling the increasing pressure to conform to the model of the world and of preparing myself (or of being prepared) to take my place in the rat race. When Number 6 cries out "I am not a number, I am a free man" or "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own." deeply resonated with my 15 year old self. At 19, when I became a Christian, the ultimate freedom I found in Christ was wonderful, of knowing what it is to be "a new creation", of having a heart that beats to a different drum and of being "in the world, but no longer of the world". Marvellous! 

Ultimately, I guess at 15 it was all about the sense of rebelling against conformity, of feeling shaped by society and the expected conventions. But, what relevance has this got to do with todays blog?

Est-ce que "Je suis Charlie"?

The recent tragic shootings in Paris have brought to the fore the discussion of freedom, including freedom of expression. I have been thinking through whether or not "Je suis Charlie" or "Je ne suis pas Charlie" and my final conclusion is that "Je suis Charlie ... en partie". I am not sitting on the fence, I think this is the only position for someone who has deep convictions, where one of those is the principle of "putting others before ourselves". 

Troubling

I am troubled by one reaction to 9/11, 7/7 and the situation in Paris. Where those in power who vehemently defend the right to free speech are, at the same time, eroding that very right by creating legislation that determines which aspects of free speech are acceptable and which are not. One area where the UK is very different to France is the affect of political correctness. I consider that the British culture, of understatement, reserve and desire for respectability make us vulnerable to the bondage that political correctness brings. PD James wrote "I believe that political correctness can be a form of linguistic fascism and it sends shivers down the spine of my generation who went to war against fascism."

Freedom of expression, if it is to mean anything, must mean exactly what it says rather than what it seems we currently experience. Amnesty International's website states: 

• “Free speech is the right to say whatever you like about whatever you like, whenever you like, right? Wrong. 
• 'Free speech is the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, by any means.
• 'Free speech and the right to freedom of expression applies to ideas of all kinds including those that may be deeply offensive. But it comes with responsibilities and we believe it can be legitimately restricted.”

The current approach has serious implications for those of us in the minority group in the UK called Christians. We may be increasingly pushed into a corner, and we may find that when we share our convictions individuals and society is increasingly antagonistic, they don't want to hear the message of freedom in Christ nor of the need for repentance and forgiveness. Sharing the gosepl is a matter of life and death for those that hear ... it is far more important than my opinion about a particular matter. We have been sent to share the message, through word and works, in ways that people can understand. And we have been warned that this will not be well received. Yet, we must continue to do it faithfully.

My response?

I cannot water down what I believe, as a Christian, to suit the pattern of the world, and there are lines that I cannot cross, which puts me apart from others or may be offensive. I should also seek to share my convictions with grace and, wherever possible, find ways to express and dialogue in a manner that is respectful of others.

So, like Number 6 I like to be able to say "my life is my own" and in Christ I have truly found that I am not merely a number, or a cog in a wheel of society to be stamped, filed and pushed around - I am free! 

Free to not say anything offensive, free to respect, free to serve, free to worship, free to bless, free to show what true freedom looks like, free to be a blessing and free to be obedient to His leading - whatever the world might throw at me!

"Be seeing you!"

Press on!