On the other hand I think we’ve understood what it means to be Christian, and engage with others, in a very confrontational way. I think what we are trying to do is help people understand that issues like identity and conscience must be protected but they are not protected only by legislation.
Nobody can legislate my conscience away. I can only give it away. And if I refuse to give it away then I will still be a Christian first and I will take the consequences of being faithful to Jesus.
Christians should not sell their birthright for £10 million worth of funding. It’s not worth it.
CT: So you are saying stay Christian and work through that?
MD: Yes. And do the hard job. Don’t avoid the hard job.
CT: Where do you see Christian engagement heading in terms of working with Government?
MD: There have been huge improvements since 1997. The irony is that the Government likes our works. They like what we do. But they are still unsure of who we are. What I want to do is work out a way to help Government use a language that understands faith properly and sees faith as a motivation.
I am not a Muslim, I am not a Hindu, I am not a Sikh, I’m not a Buddhist. I have a unique allegiance to Jesus. That doesn’t mean I can’t work with Government but it means they’ve got to understand who I am and what motivates me, not just what my works are in the community. I do what I do because I am a Christian.
I think the big challenge is for the Government to understand faith as our motivation, not just our works. I think it is easier now than it was 10 years ago and I think it will be easier 10 years from now.
I believe we have a window of opportunity to establish the church and our witness as an authentic expression of our Christian faith. And if we don’t build it in the next 10 years it will close. My generation has the responsibility not only to look after ourselves, but ask what kind of church do we want to hand over to the people who come after us? If it is not engaged then it is not worth having.
CT: So it is a very urgent time.
MD: Yes, deeply.
