Christian Converts from Islam were seeking asylum in the UK. These were refugees from countries that were hostile toward Christianity. What was the first response of the Home Office of the UK? They set up a list of questions to ask the one seeking asylum to determine the credibility of the person’s claim to conversion. If the refugee was unable to answer the questions, he or she could be rejected and face deportation.
The idea seemed good, but its actual implementation proved problematic. Many of the questions were Bible trivia questions, such as “How many books are in the Bible?” or “Who did Jesus raise from the dead, and which book can you find it in?” or “How many chapters are in the book of John?” Some questions referred to information or practices that were not necessarily known to all Christians, like “What is Ash Wednesday?” or “What is the date of Pentecost?”
Concerns were rightly raised about this approach. The questions were too simplistic, and could not accurately reveal the genuineness of a person’s conversion. In the first place, even those who were born and raised in a Christian environment could easily miss some of the questions. And not all of the immigration officers were themselves Christian. They would have no proper understanding of the nature of the religion they are evaluating. More importantly, being a Christian is much more than being able to recite the Ten Commandments from memory or being able to identify Esther as a woman after whom a book of the Bible is named. This is not to depreciate the value of biblical and religious knowledge, but as one pastor points out: “It is better to ask how a convert feels about Jesus, what being a Christian means to that person, and how being a Christian had affected his or her daily life” (Mark Miller, pastor to Iranian converts, as reported in Christianity Today).
Fortunately, the UK Home Office listened to the concerns that were raised and revised their guidelines. Yet the whole incident puts forward a suitable stimulus to reflect on our own understanding of our faith. On the one hand, how much do we really know about the faith we say we embrace? How much do we know about the Bible and what the Bible teaches? Are we able to discern what is essential and non-essential in our doctrines and practices? On the other hand, how much of what we say we believe is making a difference in the way we see the world, in the priorities that we pursue, in the decisions we make, and in our behavior and way of life?
—Keith Y. Jainga