A Muslim school gets state funding . . . a government minister 'comes out' as a lesbian . . . the future King wants to defend all 'faith', not just the Faith.
To many evangelicals, these reveal a political disorder requiring a revival of a 'Christian nation'. Others doubt this. How can we support persecuted Christians overseas yet deny equality to Muslims here? Can Christians dictate others' private lives, whatever their worldly duties? How should an unconverted prince respond to a destiny to head a 'church'?
These questions highlight challenges in today's 'pluralist' society. For students of politics, 'pluralism' is a system where groups with opposed ideas and interests can live as neighbours with equal opportunities in public life. 'Pluralists' believe this society can work. Opponents (notably, in our century, Marxists) see society as dominated by powerful groups, so all politics is a struggle to come out on top. But the peaceful fall of the Berlin wall and of apartheid are among recent dramas suggesting that pluralism may be the great survivor from 20th century struggles.
