I wrote the other day in defence of my home city following some deeply unpleasant comments about the city and its recognition as City of Culture 2025. Now, obviously, a big part of my motivation was indignation at an attack on my home town. However I hope that I would have reacted similarly if it had been Oldham, Sunderland or even Leeds in the firing line. I hope other Christians would too. So, I spoke up for other reasons.
First, there is something deeply, disturbingly wrong about the blase way in which the panel engaged with particular stereotypes, the sniggering at a northern industrial city as opposed to places more palatable to the middle classes like Bath, York or Edinburgh being chosen.
Then there was the sneering addition of a large immigrant/Pskistwni population to the list of negatives alongside high crime. This was also given as an example later of the negative things that apparently we British don’t want to represent our culture. That this kind of sneering happened freely without challenge is a much more negative statement about our culture than anything to do with Bradford itself. This should surely be unacceptable.
I want to pause and specifically ask why no senior Christian leader has spoken up about this?
Those kinds of attitudes are deeply wrong, deeply anti Gospel. So, I’m disappointed that as far as I can tell, I’m so far a lone voice speaking up against it. Christians are from time to time invited onto the particular news channel. I hope that those who do will speak up on this matter.
But what concerns me secondly is that the attitudes witnessed in the video reflect attitudes towards Bradford and places like it that I’ve witnessed too often in my life. I remember as a student getting involved in politics and despite Bradford being a tightly contested local authority and despite one of the three city constituencies being a marginal seat at the time being told again with the same sneers that the place didn’t matter.
More importantly, I have seen those attitudes towards northern and Midland towns and cities too often from Christians.
I had hoped that things were changing when it came to the wider culture. Yet the same jokes and sneers are being made about Bradford as were 40 years ago.
Have things changed among evangelicals?
Faithroots 