[scoussysows]

Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, has said that Christians are now regarded as mad by the rest of society because they are motivated by charity and compassion rather than the reckless pursuit of money. Christians are now so different from others that they are 'counter-cultural'. Christians daily face the challenge of discrimination and trying to live according to values and standards which society thinks are mad. [This is nothing more than the fulfilment of the prophecy of St Anthony.]

A nurse who is a Baptist was suspended for over a month because she offered to pray for an elderly patient. The nurse's employers accused her of 'failing to demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity'. She has been re-instated after a public outcry.

[9mm_fan]

Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, has said that Christians are now regarded as mad by the rest of society because they are motivated by charity and compassion rather than the reckless pursuit of money. Christians are now so different from others that they are 'counter-cultural'. Christians daily face the challenge of discrimination and trying to live according to values and standards which society thinks are mad. [This is nothing more than the fulfilment of the prophecy of St Anthony.]

A nurse who is a Baptist was suspended for over a month because she offered to pray for an elderly patient. The nurse's employers accused her of 'failing to demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity'. She has been re-instated after a public outcry.

Nothing new here if we are to believe our Lord's words in John 15:18-25.

[scoussysows]

Nothing new here if we are to believe our Lord's words in John 15:18-25. Not in the overall scheme of things, no, but such things would not have been imagined here even quite recently, and so these things do evidence a disturbing change in the climate of thought and an increasing separation of Christians from the society in which they find themselves and in which, not so long ago, their values and beliefs were taken to be the norms of this society, not the despised, ridiculed and eccentric opinions of a marginalised minority as they now seem to be taken to be. Christians have become a 'peculiar people' but not quite in the sense in which that expression was first meant.

[redDoodia]

Why is anyone surprised by this? We heard a few Sundays ago: "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12)

In Xp

Alex

[immoceefe]

It is one thing to say that we shouldn't be surprised about all this. That is not an excuse for passivity in the face of it. Christians ought to be more explicit about this in their own minds and stop trying to get along with the culture. Accept it boldly and proclaim it boldly. And evangelize boldly. Also, the Bishop of York is mired in socialist thinking, and is confusing socialism with Christianity, as many British clerics have done for a long time. To reduce Christianity to just the one thing -- being less materialistic -- more compassionate -- is incredibly stupid. I am sure were he to talk about sexual immorality and abortion, and how we treat women as opposed to the huge influx of primitive Muslims into the country -- he would be driven out of town on a rail. If he had said that we should stay away from secular hospitals and schools and educate our children at home, he would have lost his job in a day. I'm sure he believes none of this.

[farmarrl]

Christians are now so different from others that they are 'counter-cultural'. Christians daily face the challenge of discrimination and trying to live according to values and standards which society thinks are mad. .

This is good news. This means that now all the liberal law organizations (ACLU) that have been persecuting us, by their own by-laws will now have to start defending us. We are now a persecuted minority who are not being fairly treated by society. Interesting.

[BruceCroucshs]

This is very interesting. I've often wondered since the 60's "counterculture" has became the culture, now who do we call the counterculture?

Still, Orthodoxy as "countercultural," is, really, a rather exciting thought. If marketed prudently, it could reap all kinds of material benefits - imagine pop-art Optina Elders replacing Che Guevara on T-shirts, "Orthodoxy or Death" leather jackets, prayer-ropes with little metal studs on them - to the entrepreneur, the possibilities are endless!

OK, maybe not... but still, it's better than some of the current trends!