It is not very often I get to blog about my specialist academic subject. I am a little out of the loop now; having last written on the subject at an academic level back in 2015 for the Evangelical Review of Theology & Politics journal. I still try to keep up with developments and was reading, writing and very much following matters back in 2006 when Denis Donaldson – a former IRA volunteer and Sinn Fein official – was shot following his admission that he had for decades been an informer for MI5 and the PSNI (fomerly the Royal Ulster Constabulary). I was still following matters when The Real IRA claimed responsibility in 2009 and continuing to take an interest in 2016 when the BBC alleged that Gerry Adams, former West Belfast MP and President of Sinn Fein, had sanctioned the murder.

The reason this episode has reared its head again is because Gerry Adams has decided to take the BBC to court for defamation. Adams’ specific claim is that the documentary in question, along with an accompanying online article that remains accessible on the BBC website, is false and smeared his reputation as a peacemaker. As you can imagine, the BBC have thus sought to demonstrate that Adams’ reputation is not altogether peaceable. This has led to Adams’ oft repeated and long-time claim that he was never a member of the IRA.

Now, I am unaware of any academics who accept Adams’ claim to be credible. As much as he consistently maintained the claim, the overwhelming academic consensus is that Gerry Adams joined the IRA in the mid-60s and held Officer Commanding roles in the 2nd battalion of the Belfast Bridgade before eventually becoming the Officer Commanding of the brigade in the early 1970s. Further, he went on to become the IRA’s Chief of Staff in 1977 and was a member of the IRA Army Council in that same year and remained as such until 2005. These conclusions are supported by various investigative journalists and have been affirmed by numerous known IRA members.

Whilst none of those details (should one accept the academic consensus) prove that Gerry Adams sanctioned the murder of Denis Donaldson, they do call into question the level to which Adams’ reputation as a peacemaker is genuine and the degree to which he has actually been defamed. That is to say, even if the allegation is wrong, it is hard to argue a man’s reputation as a peacemaker has been damaged significantly if he was a former IRA council member who has been named by numerous IRA members as giving specific orders related to the terrorist activities of the organisation that include bombing campaigns, murders and the cases of “the disappeared“. Again, almost no academics or invesgative journalists accept Adams’ claim that he was never a member of the IRA.

The other claim at the centre of the story is that the BBC documentary was “bad journalism”. Specifically, Adams’ claims an allegation by a source known as “Martin” was not corroborated and was, therefore, aired on a flimsy pretext. The specific allegation he maintains is not true. The BBC insist the source was corroborated by “multiple, authoritative, credible sources”.

I don’t want to prejudge the outcome of the trial. Other things may come to light, there may be some unambiguous and exonerating evidence and it may be proven that the BBC engaged in “bad journalism” by airing an unsubstantiated allegation against Mr Adams and did, in fact, harm his reputation as a peacemaker. I am not, however, convinced that will happen. Both sides have laid out competing versions of Adams’ reputation and the BBC have insisted they followed editorial guidelines and corroborated the allegation before airing. The trial continues.

The apparent revisionism of Gerry Adams, against the overwhelming academic consensus on the question of his IRA membership and involvement on the Army Council, provides an interesting point of note from a Christian perspective. One cannot meaningfully repent of sins that we refuse to admit. Certainly, in the case of ‘known sins’, but even where we have ‘unknown sins’ we nevertheless acknowledge the possibility of them and repent generally for even those things of which we were otherwise unaware. It is basic Christian teaching that an inability to own our sin and actually repent of it is a sign that we do not actually belong to Christ.

Such revisionism in the Christian life e.g. ‘I never thought/did that!’ not only strains credulity to breaking point, particularly where our views and actions have impacted others, it speaks to a brittleness in ourselves that cannot admit wrongdoing. Worse, it suggests a dishonesty before the Lord and those we have wronged as well as a seemingly low view of God, whom we will not approach honestly and admit our failings, perhaps out of fear that he might not actually like or accept us if we dare admit them. It leads to a fear of God, but not that which is the beginning of wisdom leading us to Christ and subsequent adoption as children, but that foolish kind of fear that, like Adam, seeks to hide from God and eventually finds itself in exile from his presence and goodness.

The way of Jesus is the way of truth. He is the way, the truth and the life. He calls his people to own the truth too. That is, we are fallible sinners and we are, therefore, going to have to meaningfully say sorry to him for specific things we have and will do as well as doing so to people we can see whom we have actually sinned against also. An unwillingness to own our false beliefs, previous missteps and ongoing sins means an unwillingness to meaningfully repent. As Jesus said to those reporting about the sin of others: ‘unless you repent, you will all perish as well’ (Luke 13:3,5).