Evangelical Christian, Kate Forbes, has been made Deputy First Minister of Scotland. The so-called ‘progressives’ are furious because they hate her moral values, and no doubt they will be looking for any opportunity to take her down. So, she will need much wisdom, and no doubt she would welcome our prayers for that.
ET staff writer
Does her appointment signal a shift in the culture? Has our society become more open to people in public life holding socially conservative Christian beliefs? Or is her appointment just a blip in an otherwise constant stream of anti-Christian hostility? The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Kate Forbes is, herself, realistic about the future. She acknowledges that her place in politics is temporary, but her faith in Christ is eternal.
Now to Russell Brand. Some Christians get all giddy with excitement when a once-wayward celebrity ‘converts’ to Christ and gets ‘baptised’. Others, filled with cynicism, roll their eyes and say it will all come to nothing. The truth is none of us know Russell Brand well enough to make a reasonable judgment. We can only go with what is in the public domain.
ET staff writer
We can, though, say this. The word ‘church’ was conspicuous by its absence in much of the publicity about Russell Brand’s baptism. Baptism is not just an action done by the individual assisted by a couple of his mates, however well-intentioned they may be. Nevertheless, if he has genuinely come in repentance and faith to Christ, then he is our brother. Time will tell.
In the final analysis, our confidence in the gospel does not depend on whether our fellow believers hold high office or whether we have celebrity converts. Our confidence should be in Christ first and foremost, and he is always with us to the end of the age. ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man’ (Psalm 118:8).
