InterviewBlog | The inner life of the public person
The inner life of the public person
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 02.03.19
A few years ago, the broadcaster Jeremy Vine stood in front of a public audience to introduce the then Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson. Thompson was speaking at the Christian think tank Theos, and the Radio 2 presenter opened the event with a line about himself. ‘I’m a broadcaster, husband and father’ he said. ‘And I’m also a Christian. So why do I find it hardest to say that I’m a Christian?’
I admired Jeremy Vine’s confidence, and willingness to be open about his faith in our generation. Such a move by any public figure requires courage. Whether it’s as a journalist, politician or any other leader in the limelight, taking the risk of stating your personal beliefs like this takes guts. Vine has it in abundance.
So what’s the problem with ‘fessing up to a set of religious beliefs in a public context? Is it the embarrassment of self-revelation, the crossing over from the personal to the public, or the awkwardness of mixing the socalled secular with the spiritual? All of these probably mitigate against any recognised figure coming out as a follower of Jesus.
So how should the preacher handle these two contrasting worlds, ones that live side by side with each other and yet seem so far apart? Jesus and journalism, religion and politics, and faith and business.
