From the Revd Martin Jewitt
Sir, - It is refreshing to read Ann Morisy's honest
admission, in the context of violent fanaticism, that we have our
own examples of ferocity in the biblical canon (Comment, 5
September). But to avoid facing this in public worship can
hardly be the best way of helping one another to deal with it.
As preaching is one of the most evident sources of inspiration
for the extremist Islamism that we are witnessing, perhaps
preaching may be one valuable forum to "unscramble the clichés" and
gracefully "explore the context and purpose" of the difficult
passages.
"Christ is the solution" may be reduced to a cliché, but Jesus,
the one who graciously liberated his people and their scriptures,
is himself the radical challenge to furious religion from the first
to the 21st centuries. Our convictions about him and our commitment
to him can indeed become indoctrinating, but he can also be offered
with the grace, humility, and awareness of our own capacity to get
things very wrong for which Ms Morisy rightly pleads.
MARTIN JEWITT
12 Abbott Road, Folkestone
Kent CT20 1NG