'How do you know what Jesus would have done?'

On BBC Question Time last week Peter Hitchens posed the question to the poet Benjamin Zephaniah, 'How do you know what Jesus would have done?' This was said in the context of the St.Paul's resignations where opinion was divided and those who thought the church's actions were wrong based it on the premise that it went against how Jesus would have acted.

Frankly, the circumstances surrounding the question are irrelevant because the question itself raises an important fundamental issue of faith teaching. As Christians, surely, we ought to know how Jesus would have acted or, at the very least, had an informed opinion on the matter given that we have this book called 'The Bible' which documents what Jesus said and did. (Yes, I do know that some things in the bible are open to interpretation and especially of St.Paul's view.)

The question is not about the Science of predicting an outcome based on variables but on a set of teachings which provide a clear framework for Christian lifestyle decisions. Our Christian faith and daily pray is not unconnected to what went on before but is linked to achieving an outcome that accords with what Jesus desired. Even in this ever changing world of madness characterised by shaky economics, unpredictable political outcomes and feared natural disasters I still think that the actions of Jesus can safely be a predictable bedrock.