It was a tough challenge and it came when I was taking part in a live discussion on BBC Three Counties Radio.
A Muslim spokesman strongly condemned the violence that had followed an anti-Islamic film appearing on the internet.
But he went on to ask why it was that Christians seemed not to protest when their faith was ridiculed. It was a genuine question, asked during a lively Sunday morning debate.
I thought back to the stands Christians had taken against the BBC’s screening of ‘Jerry Springer: the Opera’ and Monty Python’s ‘Life of Brian.’ Both had used images that some Christians found insulting to their faith and they rightly had made their concerns known.
Yet when it comes to protecting ‘the honour’ of our Lord, it raises questions. After all, Jesus Christ came down from Heaven to be born in a stable, raised in a country under occupation and executed on trumped-up charges, before rising again to life. He gave up his ‘honour’ to bring new life to people who believe in him. He still offers that life today.
But I do take offence. I’m offended at the millions of children, made in God’s image, that die through malnutrition or are caught in the crossfire of civil war. I’m offended that people are trafficked around the world. I’m offended at God’s world being scarred for personal profits.
It makes me look at what I can do, in Christ’s honoured name, to make a difference.
 

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