WE have all heard about the millennium bug, a problem with many computers as they try to come to terms with the transition in the date from two noughts to three.

Those of us who are computer illiterate are not unduly worried!

But there is another millennium bug about which we should all be concerned - the apparent ignorance of so many people of the true meaning of the event.

It was reported in the national press recently that the owner of a night club site adjacent to the 'spiritual zone' in the millennium dome had asked for the use of that zone in addition to the one he had, because the 'spiritual zone' was irrelevant and boring to young people.

Presumably he thought that those views were of decisive importance.

It was also reported that a large majority of the population did not see any connection between the millennium and the birth of Christ: BC and AD are just meaningless letters.

This is a far more serious bug than the one attacking computers.

So many people are ignorant of the riches of the Christian faith and fail to realise how much of our heritage stems from its inspiration.

We can't do much about the computer bug, but this more dangerous bug is one which challenges all Christian people in this coming year.

There is a national committee which is grappling with this challenge, and making suggestions.

Our own Keighley Churches Together is at work on it. But it is a challenge to each of us. Whatever Churches Together plan, they are all made up of individuals like us. We should all try to see what we can do to fight this bug - to the glory of God and the blessing of our fellows.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.