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Richard Littledale

Richard Littledale's
Views on the News: January 2007

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Of bridges and badges… Badge of Honour
Millau Bridge in southern France

Badge of Honour Emil Brunner once said that a Christian engineer does not build Christian bridges, he builds good bridges. Working on that basis, we should not be in the least surprised to see the names of Christians appearing in the New Years Honours List in their various fields. After all, it is not alongside their Christian beliefs that they have excelled as performers or carers or scientists, but because of those beliefs. As Christians we believe that all our powers, skills and abilities are handed over to God's sovereign care on the day that we first place our trust in him. The net result is that we clean or bank or research or type or preach for Him. Furthermore, this leads to a healthy fusing of our 'sacred' and 'secular' lives, but rather sees only one life, which belongs wholly to God.

Badge of Honour This is part of what lies behind the Protestant work ethic - namely a belief that God has a right to expect hard and diligent work from us in all things. Some believe that there is another element too. Calvinistic Christians believed that God would reward faith and hard work with material prosperity. Christians therefore worked harder in order to gain more and thereby show themselves in receipt of material blessing, and by implication of God's favour. This is probably less the case today, since Calvinistic beliefs are deeply buried beneath more modern statements of our faith. Habits, however, are deeply ingrained.

Badge of Honour So, how should we feel about rewards and honours which the world confers upon us in recognition of our hard work? Should we decry them, since we were not working for the world's sake anyway? Should we accept them grudgingly, as we might a compliment from a mad and uncomprehending Aunt? Or should we accept them gladly as recognition of a job well done? Whichever we choose, we must surely see them in perspective. Rewards of any kind, whether a weekly wage or a once in a lifetime award, are small in comparison to God's favour, and should be seen accordingly. Like St Paul of old, 'we are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts' (1 Thessalonians 2 v. 4). The old adage that 'our reward is in heaven' is surely true, since a Christian's highest accolade will be one day to hear the words 'well done' from Christ upon his throne in heaven.

Badge of Honour To all those who have been honoured in this year's list, including our own webmaster, Views conveys congratulations. To all who read these words, we wish a happy 2007, and trust that you will excel in all the good things you do for the sake of God in heaven.

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