'Doing God' the LibDem way

"To be a Christian is to accept that Jesus Christ existed, that he made the amazing claim to be God and the only route to eternal life, and that those claims were true. If that last sentence is accurate then, to be blunt, our personal opinions of Christians and Christianity are irrelevant because Jesus Christ's life death and resurrection would become the most significant events in the history of the universe - and how you respond to those facts would be the most important decision you ever need to make."

Nicky Gumbel? nope, it's Tim Farron, president of the Liberal Democrats, in 'Liberal Democrats Do God', a surprising conference-season publication. There's been plenty of chat about this already, from Ship of Fools to the Sheffield Biblical Studies blog. The latter points out that the 'God' of the Libdems, one who values individual freedom above all else, sound remarkably like Margaret Thatchers deity.

Other contributors include Sarah Teather (update, who just announced she's quitting), pensions minister Steve Webb, and several other MPs and members of the Lords.

The most peculiar response came from Jacob Rees-Mogg, a neighbouring MP, via assertion of the legend that Joseph of Arimethea visited Glastonbury with Jesus. This is on a par with the Pub Landlord's 'proofs' of God's existence.

You can see various excerpts from the book on Amazons 'look inside' feature, including the contents list - chapters cover immigration, environment, justice, international development, and whether you can be a Chrsitian and a LibDem. Good for the contributors for putting their heads above the parapet, even if you disagree with them.