Liverpool Nativity: the morning after

I went to Liverpool Nativity yesterday in William Brown Street in Liverpool. It was quite an experience. I was very impressed with the acting and singing of Jodie McNee as Mary. Geoffrey Hughes did a good job as Gabriel, though he seemed lost occasionally. Jennifer Ellison sang well but messed up some of her lines.

I want to comment on Liverpool Nativity as a contribution to the cultural life of Liverpool. This was the first real event of Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008 and I was thrilled that the year began with an affirmation of Christian faith. For the Biblical Christian the telling of the tale wasn't perfect, but it was well done. The identity of this miracle baby wasn't made very clear, though that's surely how it was in the early days of Jesus' life: people came to realise who he was through his words and actions and supremely though his resurrection.

Comments on this blog have said that the event was "blasphemous". I truly can't see anything blasphemous about Liverpool Nativity. This was a piece of drama staged by the BBC, a secular organisation, and it contributed to the Christian culture of our city. Wake up, people! This is something to celebrate, not to carp over. When would the church ever be able to stage a show as professional and expensive as this, and then get it shown live on national television? Christians should be praising this for what it was and what it did well, not looking for theological faults.

Liverpool Nativity is repeated on BBC ONE on Sunday 23rd at 10.45pm. Video it or watch it with some friends and then talk about what was good and not so good about it, and see where the conversation leads.

This blog is about conversation, so please do add a comment (you can do so as "anonymous" if you're not registered with Google). I will reply to the comments and I hope others will do so as well.

Free Thinking

The BBC's "Free Thinking" festival is in Liverpool this weekend, encouraging debate about "freedom", with various performances and activities. I like the idea of the "speed dating" event with a thinker: you spend a couple of minutes listening to someone explaining their Big Idea. It's an event that's worth supporting, and it's good that BBC Radio 3 have brought it back to Liverpool for a second year.
There's not enough about faith on the agenda, though: just one brief appearances by James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, Prof Pillay from Hope University and maybe one other theologian. That's a poor showing by the Church who should be at the cutting edge of cultural engagement and serious thought about culture and society. I'm not blaming the organisers: if Christians were producing interesting work they would included, but they are still catching up with the secular "free thinking" world.