Sean Redfearn collates your responses after Kemi Badenoch said she rejected God but still calls herself a cultural Christian
In a recent BBC interview with Amol Rajan, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said that she lost her faith in God after seeing news coverage of the appalling abuses perpetrated by Josef Fritzl.
Kemi said “I rejected God, not Christianity. So I would still define myself as a cultural Christian.”
It has been good to see Badenoch and other figures recognising the importance of Christianity to our society.
But we know that any endeavour to attain the benefits (or fruits) of Christianity without submitting to Jesus’s lordship (the root) will ultimately be an empty endeavour.
Christianity that is only cultural is nothing more than a stopgap; it cannot be sustained. Jesus himself says in John 15:5 (ESV):
“Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
So, we asked you what you’d say to Kemi, and people like her, to encourage a faith in Jesus Christ, not just in cultural Christianity.
Having looked at your responses, it seems the Christian Concern community has three main things to say:
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- We must think about the implications of rejecting God
- God doesn’t remain distant in the face of our suffering
- Cultural Christianity doesn’t add up
We must think about the implications of rejecting God
Sin is very real, its horrors have real consequences, and it is not uncommon to be angry at God because of the sin in the world.
But we must consider what it would mean to conclude that God must not exist because of the state of evil in the world. Christianity belongs to the God of reason, and we must think critically about why and how a good God’s existence could still be compatible with the existence of evil. As one supporter said:
This is why apologetics is so important. – Shaun
And Eva told us:
God has given every single of us freedom. Freedom to either do what we ought to do, to fulfill our obligations to Him and others, or to reject Him and succumb to evil. Fritzl chose the latter.
Eva warns Kemi and us: “Don’t let the failures of other men discourage you.”
Indeed, it’s a tragedy when people reject God not on his own terms, but based on other people who have used the freedom God gave to them to commit horrendous acts.
God is the source of morality – so it’s no use rejecting the One who provides the very basis for us to recognise that what Fritzl did was truly evil. In fact:
That we all know what Josef F did is evil is because of 2,000 years of Christianity! – Nick
We have enjoyed living in a Christian country, because up until recently, we upheld the laws given to man by God, which demonstrates that his is the only way that we are able to live in peace and prosperity. – Carolyn
And not only has Christianity given us the moral foundation to call out Fritzl’s evil, but Christianity is built on a real God who brings perfect justice:
Josef Fritzl has not got away with his crimes because when he dies he will face the justice of Almighty God. – Natalie
No one is going to get away with it; every person will give an account for their life before God (Romans 14:12).
In addition, the Bible is honest about the fact that humans are wicked. So why would we reject it when reality bears out what the Bible says to be true?
One supporter pointed out that we must not forget God’s mercy to all of us, since all of us are sinners reliant on his grace:
In the Parable of the Weeds, Jesus said the weeds would not be pulled until the end of the age (Matt 13:24-30; 36-43). God tolerates the unrighteous because he wants to give them a chance to repent: through love, instruction and blessing, weeds may someday become wheat. After all, all believers were once weeds. – Anonymous
Rejecting God only adds to the difficulty of how we account for horrendous evil in the world, and we mustn’t forget that God himself hasn’t remained distant in the face of evil.
God doesn’t remain distant in the face of our suffering
I’d remind Kemi of the sacrifice of Calvary’s cross. – Jean
Jesus’s death on the cross demonstrates that God is more serious about sin than anyone else.
God is more able than anyone else to bring final justice, and he has promised to do exactly that at Jesus’s second coming (Heb 9:27-28).
And we must remember that in Jesus’s death on the cross, we learn that God himself has experienced what it’s like to be a victim.
Claire writes:
There is no Christianity without God, because Christ is God! And he has been through the horrific not unlike Fritzl’s victims. Betrayal, heartbreak, ingratitude, denial, beatings, mockery, false accusations, and a cruel, cruel death. Jesus endured these for us! You won’t find a more faithful, loving God.
Janette adds that, especially because of the cross:
I know and understand how great God’s love is.
God has certainly not forgotten victims of abuse. In fact, he has experienced abuse himself.
The most hopeful, substantial, and stable thing about Christianity is that it is true.
Cultural Christianity is void because it doesn’t add up.
Cultural Christianity doesn’t add up
In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus talks about the difference between building our house on the rock versus building our house on the sand.
Cultural Christianity is sand because it has denied the very one who sustains Christianity.
James writes:
Kemi, I understand why the evils you’ve seen made belief in God feel impossible. Yet perhaps the very moral outrage you feel is a clue – a compass pointing to the way things should be. “Cultural Christianity” preserves some beauty, but it’s like admiring a doorway without stepping through into the light beyond. Faith in Jesus means stepping into relationship with the One whose goodness culture only hints at.
And Christine says:
That sin, that evil that we see in the world represents a separation from God. Ironically, we deny ourselves hope in justice, as well as peace and reconciliation, if we keep ourselves distant from God.
There is no justice without a holy God, and cultural Christianity ignores the presence of a holy God.
Perfect justice is only deliverable via authentic, historic Christianity.
Christianity only exists because of the person of Jesus Christ. – Phil
Kemi, the Christian Concern community prays that you would know the one true God and see him revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
Kemi has an amazing opportunity to serve God at this moment
Finally, we continue to pray for Kemi and the position God has put her in with all her gifts and talents.
Kemi, you realise the positive impact of the religion of Christianity and that’s great. But far more important is whether Jesus, when He soon returns, will say “Kemi, I know you”. For Jesus made clear that apart from him we can do nothing John 15:5, certainly nothing of any lasting or eternal value. God help you in your very important role. – Skyrakis
Kemi, in your ridiculously challenging job, you really do need His help and that living relationship with Jesus, characterised by Bible study and prayer, is vital. Come to Him – He is the One who promises that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. – Stephen
We thank Kemi for her hard work, and particularly for her support of our clients, the Darlington Nurses.
But our friendly but heart-felt and firm reminder is that cultural Christianity is not the answer.
We, Kemi, and our nation needs Jesus himself.
