In spite of the initial claim that the Christian Union may be associated with ‘homophobia and neo-colonialism’, it is intriguing to note that recent empirical research demonstrates that students who identify themselves as ‘Christian’ are much more liberal and open than the official teachings of the churches they attend (or, for that matter, the societies to which they belong would suggest). I suspect that one of the reasons for this gap is that, at University, students discover an environment where different ideas and perspectives are subjected to scrutiny and debate. The experience of difference and diversity generates new questions and new perspectives. As a graduate of Balliol myself, I can only offer a plea that the humane and liberal values of generosity and tolerance, which have characterised that institution for generations, should continue to provide a space for intelligent and courteous discussion. It is reassuring that the JCR has committed itself to precisely that as students have considered the media response in recent weeks. Part of my understanding of a University is that it should be a place where contested forms of discourse interact with each other. Universities are supposed to be ‘public spaces’. Where voices are silenced or suppressed, something of the character of a ‘University education’ is lost. While some discussion and debate may be uncomfortable and challenging, I believe that in the future an important part of the role of the University Church will be to stimulate reflection on the ‘secularity’ of a modern University. 

Just ten years ago, Charles Taylor published A Secular Age. He suggested that 'our age is very far from settling into a comfortable unbelief’. The world does not always fit neat and tidily into the narratives of secularisation which have been provided. He was particularly fascinated by the resurgence in religious belief in post-Soviet Russia. Taylor suggested that ‘in the secular “wasteland”… young people will begin again to explore beyond the boundaries.’ He spoke of 'a new age of religious searching, whose outcome no one can foresee’. Whatever shape that may take, my hope is that St Mary’s will continue to be a place for open and critical inquiry, a place where those who are searching are welcome to explore the riches of the Christian tradition and to enter more deeply into the mystery of God.