What should bishops say in public?

Sep 19, 2019 by Jill

by David Baker, Christian Today:

Imagine, just for a moment, being given an opportunity to address the country on national radio.

What’s more, you’ve been asked – specifically as a Christian – . to share with people something that will really make them think. And all you’ve got is a couple of minutes. What might you want to say?

As a Christian, I hope you might find yourself trying to think of ways in which you could present something of Jesus clearly, in such a way as to draw people to him, and not put them off. You might perhaps think, ‘What one simple thing can I say about Jesus that will really provoke thought when it is heard?’

Which brings me to an episode of Thought for the Day broadcast on Radio 4’s Today programme last week where the speaker was Nick Baines, the Bishop of Leeds. Bishop Nick has helpfully reproduced the whole transcript of it on his blog and you can read it for yourself here.

In many ways, it is quite interesting. It certainly demonstrates intellectual breadth, beginning as it does with the phrase ‘the other day I was browsing the German political journal Der Spiegel,’ which is probably not something many of us (or indeed many bishops) could say. We also get references to Bertolt Brecht, Shakespeare and WH Auden.

The fact that I am writing about it now shows at least that it had some kind of impact. But when the bishop had finished speaking, I must share honestly that I felt let down and disappointed. The reason? There was no mention of Jesus.

Read here

See also: Bishops in Bully Pulpit: Get Naked in Cathedrals but Mind your Language in Parliament, by Jules Gomes, Rebel Priest: