Prospect is probably not one of those magazines that you would find in a dentist’s waiting room. It can be pretty heavy going at times. Political, social, cultural comment is what it focuses upon and it can call upon some intellectual big hitters to contribute. No surprise then that the latest edition has a list of ‘The World’s Top 50 Thinkers. The writers, scientists and philosophers who are shaping our times.‘ This comes with the challenge that we should ‘Never doubt that thoughtful minds can change the world; they are the only things that ever do.‘ So the Prospect people publish their list ‘to honour the minds engaging most fruitfully with the questions of the moment.‘ Those listed have been arrived at through the nominations of those who in the past have contributed articles to Prospect recognising that readers may be of a different mind. To this end a reader’s poll is being organised.
Two things struck me about the list. First of all I have never heard of 44 of them. But that probably says more about me than anything else. Secondly, although the arts, science, philosophy, economics, law are represented there is not one Christian theologian. (A woman named Amina Wadud is included who is described as a ‘Theologian and Activist’ but she is a Muslim and from what I gather would not claim to be orthodox in her beliefs).
So what do we make of this? It may well be the case that some of the 50 are in fact Christians and are bearing a Christian witness in their chosen field. We will come back to this later. But the fact remains that no one who engages in formal theological thought and research is considered to be ‘engaging most fruitfully with the questions of the moment.’ It is not that these people don’t exist. A glance at my bookshelves gives the lie to that. As long ago as 1970 Francis Schaeffer was addressing what nowadays are known as ‘green issues’ in his book Pollution And The Death Of Man subtitled ‘The Christian View Of Ecology’. Others like Os Guiness, Ravi Zacharias and Don Carson are in touch with cultural trends and comment from a Christian perspective. In Scotland Donald Macleod was a prophetic voice in his role as Editor of the Free Church Record and in his column in the West Highland Free Press. The former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams is often invited to contribute to secular journals such as the New Statesman.
This is apart from the theological reflection that still goes on in our universities and is sometimes heard in the public square. Benedict XVI was perhaps not one of the most popular of popes but no one would deny his monumental intellect which was often brought to bear on ‘questions of the moment.’
Some might say this is missing the point. Let Prospect have its Top 50 Thinkers. Christians will always be on the margins, marching to the beat of a different drummer, voices crying in the wilderness, never among the ‘movers and shakers’. The values of Christianity (at least orthodox Christianity) will always be at variance with those in the mainstream and we cannot expect to be considered worthy of being amongst the great minds. I get that but I cannot say I am content with it. Remember how Jesus thought of the community of faith: light in the darkness, yeast permeating dough, smallest seed yielding spectacular growth. It’s a picture of His people bearing a witness that might be considered of little consequence but which in the end has a significant impact. The Kingdom of God is amongst us, it is destined to grow, no area of society is closed off to it, and that includes those areas honoured by Prospect.
My point is that we must not be dismissive of great minds and the contribution they make to the good of humankind. It may be that society does not recognise the contribution made by those designated as Christian leaders and thinkers but the fields of science, politics, the arts, education are open to Christian influence. Jesus spoke of Christian truth as bringing goodness, love and justice to the whole of society. The Apostle Paul spoke of Christian truth having an impact even on those areas that might seem to be impervious. We need to pray for Christians who are at the sharp end of their nation’s life but also to face up to our responsibility to be true to our faith wherever we are. We are not good at realising our significance. We are the Body of Christ on earth. Whatever our place in society we have a message that offers a change that can occur at the deepest level. Paul spoke about Christians having ‘the mind of Christ’ looking beyond the wisdom of the age and embracing the truth that ‘at all times has firmly stood/And shall from age to age endure.‘ It is those with this mind that will make a difference. It is this mind, to recall the words of Prospect, that will engage ‘most fruitfully with the questions of the moment’ for this is a mind that recognises the need for the forgiveness and renewal that only flows from God.
