Endagered species?

Just been on a discussion programme on BBC Radio Shropshire with Peter Brierley  (Christian Research) and Derek Rowse (a Baptist minister from Telford) discussing the hypothesis "Are Christians and endagered species"... The questions that formed the biggest chunk of the discussion were 'Are Christians being marginalised, are we marginlising oursleves or are we marginalised at all? '  (I suppose the root of the question is is the Gospel being heard/are we being listened to?) and 'Is mutli-culturalism (multi-faith) destroying our cultural faith?'

It would not be fair for me to sumarise the views of the other participants, suffice it to say that I don't think we agreed on everything ;-) but... the question of marginalisation was an interesting one, Peter's stats show in my view that we are not becoming marginalised... we are marginal!  We can no longer talk about Christendom, we can no longer demand a voice... we have a job to do if we believe we ought to have a voice and be listened to!  That job has to begin with listening!  Yes, I believe we have a role as a moral 'guardian'... but where it really matters, where people are really hurting - The Jerry Springer Opera was mentioned as an instance where the Christian view was not listened to - but do we really want that kind of thing to be our 'cause celebre'?  OK, I do understand that for manyit was personally offensive (me included, hence once I saw the clips on the news I decided to vote with my remote!)  - but how many things are there in our society that God would find far far more offensive than a bit of silly sensationalist theatre?  A self-harming teenager, a family living in a squalid bed sit, big corporate megaliths squeezing local trade out of the market, people who are left to seek spiritual meaning in the placing of furniture or the columns of the commercial horoscope write and the domestication of Christianity to name just a few!  Again, I understand that many saw the programme as an attack on the Church - to make us ridulculous - but surely we do that better than anyone else anyway?!

If the fact we are [becoming] marginalised is a motivation to Christians/the Church to rethink and reorientate... to become radical once again, to be scared into action, to become vital ... well praise God for marginalisation!  Are we the quick or the dead?  As for cultural faith, that is just an oxymoron!