Apparently Brit Hume stepped into a firestorm a week ago on a news show. He recommended that Tiger Woods actually consider Christianity. Since that time, Hume has apparently been vilified all over the media and blogososphere. This column pointed out some of the fallout, then raised the idea that maybe we should, indeed, talk about faith.

One of the main points of the Manhattan Declaration was to point out that faith has a place in the public arena. The Manhattan Declaration was controversial in itself because, horror of horrors, Catholics and Orthodox signed on! What fellowship hath light with darkness? (Or so was the mantra from some very conservative Christian leaders.)

This episode with Brit Hume points out the glaring need for that third point in the Manhattan Declaration. Faith has a place in the public arena. We allow other opinions there, sometimes by default. Why not just be open about it? Faith informs our decisions in many cases. (Case in point, it’s becoming more and more a matter of “faith” to believe in the global warming gospel.)

In the case of Christianity, I am not afraid to allow the discussion to take place. It can be vilified. It can be debated and people can try to debunk it. But you put Jesus up against all other sources of “gods” and Jesus is magnificent. This is why I am apprenticed to him.