'Age of anxiety' is 'age of opportunity' for Christians, says author

Today’s society may be living in an ‘age of anxiety’ but for Christians it can be an age of opportunity, says one author.

London Institute of Contemporary Christianity associate Paul Valler admitted he was not sure things were getting better for Britain, despite signs of falling unemployment, rising bank profits, and renewed optimism in the American markets.

The former Finance and HR director of Hewlett Packard voiced concern over the prospect of a hung parliament and ‘double-dip’ in the housing market.

“Uncertainty is a hallmark of our age ... Uncertainty triggers our underlying fears - fear of redundancy, fear of financial meltdown, fear of failure,” he said.

“Such fears can drive us into workaholism, perfectionism and a need to control everything.

“Rightly this is called the age of anxiety. Yet for the Christian it is paradoxically an age of opportunity. For true faith can only exist where there is doubt. Without some uncertainty there can be no genuine trust.”

In an Easter article for the LICC, Valler said the disciples had reacted to Jesus’ arrest with “extreme anxiety and stress” by striking one of the guards who came to arrest Jesus, fleeing the scene and denying the Lord.

He contrasted the response with that of Jesus, who “retained a calm serenity” in the face of hostility and alienation.

“Even during the agony of the cross, he offered forgiveness, care and encouragement to others.”

He concluded that the challenge as well as opportunity for Christians lay in telling people about Christ and to navigate their way through everyday circumstances focused on Jesus.

He added: “To be immersed in the sense of quiet confidence in God, whilst living and working in this age of economic and political uncertainty.”