Dare to be a Daniel

Most people today agree that Britain is no longer a Christian society. If you want convincing on this point, just pay a visit to the newsagent and look at the magazines and newspapers on sale. Can you find any Christian ones? Christianity has certainly been a very important influence in Britain's history, but is now not that significant in many people's day-to-day lives. In most schools there will be few pupils who are active churchgoers. The Christians on the staff will probably be a small minority. Are there any biblical models that can help us understand how Christian teachers should think about their role as public servants in a society that doesn't seem to share many of their convictions?

Video - Daniel - role model for Christian teachers

Daniel's Life

At this point many people turn to Daniel for inspiration. Daniel lived in a time of great challenge for the Jews. Their country had been invaded by the Babylonians and their finest young men, including Daniel, were taken into exile with little prospect of ever returning home. Nebuchadnezzar's policy was to snatch the brightest and best Jews and press them into the service of his empire. This raised huge questions for Daniel and his friends. How were they to retain their integrity and remain faithful to God in these circumstances? Had God abandoned them by leaving them in this situation?

The first eight chapters of Daniel describe what happened. They tell a story of a man who remained faithful to his God in difficult circumstances, but who also became a leading civil servant in the Babylonian system. The secret of Daniel's successful ministry in Babylon was that he never lost sight of his ultimate loyalty to God. So when asked to eat food that he knew was forbidden to him, he quietly refused. If possible he tried not to make a public song and dance about such issues, but, when necessary, he was prepared to face the heat. Famously on one occasion, he was thrown into the lions' den rather than worship another god. Daniel avoided being assimilated into Babylonian religion, but at the same time was highly respected for the quality of his work.

Daniel's unpretentious loyalty to God made a huge impression on a succession of kings. They could see that he had something special to offer and he rose to prominence in the Babylonian civil service, ultimately becoming a trusted royal adviser. In his life, he showed there was a better way. The quality of his work opened up huge opportunities to transform the way that the king ruled his empire. When Daniel was called upon to interpret the meaning of the king's dreams, he was able to transform the way they thought by offering God's perspective.

Daniel's Example

Many Christian teachers find themselves in a similar situation to Daniel. True, they are not in physical exile in an alien country, but God has certainly placed them in a situation where Christian beliefs and values are not to the fore. Like Daniel they are public servants in a situation where there may be many challenges to their faith. So what can Daniel teach us if we feel like that?

• Daniel shows us that although this may not be a comfortable calling it is a noble calling. We may sometimes long to work in a situation where others share our Christian convictions; but that was not where God wanted Daniel. God needed Daniel in Babylon, not Jerusalem.

• Daniel models the determination to remain faithful to God and the willingness to make a costly stand when necessary.

• Daniel demonstrates how such faithfulness can still mean that he was highly admired for his professionalism as a public servant. He was actually able to transform the king's understanding through his advice so that the king came to see things from the perspective of God even though he was not himself a believer. This transformation of our colleagues' thinking through the quality of our life and work is something that Christian teachers should aspire to.

For a really good reflection on Daniel as a model for Christians today see Gerard Kelly's book Stretch: Lessons in faith from the life of Daniel published by Authentic.