My village had two churches, the Anglican parish church and the Baptist chapel. In the nineteenth century, both were central to village life. The current primary (elementary) school was founded by the Baptists in the nineteenth century when their children were effectively excluded from the Anglican school because of their theological beliefs. Religion may have created a fault line, but it was also a deep source of identity and community.

First, we live in a childish age, where immaturity is lionized, whether it be the spoilt-brat behavior of some celebrity or the cheap tantrums of Joe Public on Twitter. True, Jesus commands His disciples to have the faith of children, but there is a big difference between serious childlikeness and silly childishness. Leading worship as a pair of giggling cartoon characters can only be described--and that with charity--as the latter.

Many of us know that earlier generations of Christians tried to make the Scriptures support eugenics, persecution of Jews, and racial segregation. All three of these dastardly practices were popular with cultured elites in their day. Today we condemn those Christians who misused the Bible for those purposes, and in principle reject any misapplication of Scripture to suit the latest dominant mores.

As sheep do, the animals allow themselves to be blindly guided by the canine, which drives them off a cliff to their deaths. The dog meanwhile remains safely at the top of the precipice, impervious to the fact that it has destroyed everything his master has worked so hard to achieve.