I’m not a fundamentalist but two fundamentals I (still) believe in is that all human beings have been created in the image of God and that even though that image has been shattered each person has an opportunity for redemption through Jesus. And that really does mean everybody – no matter who they are, where they’re from, what their current beliefs are, what they’ve done to shatter the image, who they hate etc., etc. Most Christians probably agree with these two beliefs.

Now if these two things are true then it puts enormous value on all human life. Indeed, as a Christian I would argue that nothing else could put higher value on human life; no other belief system, philosophy, or religion could elevate humanity as high as this. A key truth that underlines this is that in Jesus God became one of us. He became a human being and shared our likeness. To dignify humanity in such a way must say a great deal about how God sees us. With me so far?

As we engage with the world, therefore, be it in everyday life or more formally as part of the systems of this world, political etc., the value of human life surely must be one of our under-girding beliefs. And it is with this belief that we surely have to approach issues such as torture and the penal system – two very current issues. To approach these issues from any other angle would surely be a denial of the good news in Christ.

And if we don’t stand for humanity – its value, dignity and potential – then who will?