Categories
Church Decline

Bishop encouraged Osama bin Laden

The Church of England Newspaper reports that the US government has released information about documents found in the library of Osama bin Laden, the head of ISIS. They include material about David Jenkins, the former Bishop of Durham, who said the resurrection was a “conjuring trick with bones.” The paper, the only Christian-related paper in his library, argued that doubts about the physical resurrection of Christ could facilitate the Islamisation of the UK. I remember reading the paper in 1984.

It was this statement by David Jenkins on Radio 4, shortly after he was appointed bishop, that made me realise God was calling me to take a very public stand against such unbelief. It led to a national campaign, writing to all 10,000 clergy in England about it (and similar issues) and eventually campaigning about them on the C of E General Synod.

I have always stood by what I did in those days but this revelation confirms how important it was. We Christian leaders have an awesome responsibility and will stand before God one day to answer for our behaviour and beliefs. This statement by a bishop did enormous harm and clearly encouraged the enemies of the Faith.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *