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Good morning. “Put your mobile phone away during meals, never eat on the train, and remember that reclining your aeroplane seat is selfish”. So says the latest edition of the DeBrett’s Handbook of Modern Manners. They’ve been dispensing advice on etiquette for 250 years and the latest edition, out this month, includes protocols for smart phones and e-cigarettes. Memorising their rules should enable anyone to avoid causing offence in any setting. On the other end of the spectrum, also published this month is Russell Brand’s Revolution. With a total disdain for the establishment, manners are the last thing on his mind. Some commentators find his book lacking in concrete answers, but his approach – to raise big questions and rattle the status quo – is resonating with many younger readers. Each book represents a very different ethos; fitting in impeccably with society, or shaking things up for revolution. The ethos of Christianity is usually associated with the former – perfect etiquette, dressing up in Sunday best, and visiting the vicar for a genteel spread of tea and cucumber sandwiches. American minister Orville Dewey sums this perspective up, saying: “practical Christianity” can be defined as “politeness”. The danger of this version of faith is that it assigns Jesus to simply being a ‘terribly nice chap’ - and one who would never rock the boat. Yet from the Gospels it’s clear this isn’t true. Was he loving? Yes. Inoffensive and impeccably mannered? No. If the historical Jesus walked into Church today, he’d probably be an uncomfortable guest as he valued truth above protocol and honesty above politeness. His dinner etiquette raised eyebrows. For a start, he invited himself to meals at other people’s homes. And as he was homeless, he never paid back the favour. In Luke's Gospel he criticised his host for only inviting the rich and famous, then told him the seating plan was all wrong. The atmosphere in that room must’ve been awkward. Similarly when he walked into the Temple and slammed the tables over, money clattering to the ground. Christianity at its heart is neither the flawless manners of DeBretts, nor the anarchic idealism of Russell Brand. For me it’s the raw, revolutionary Jesus who perfectly balances justice and grace. Many seeking a radical society today would consider the Church the last place to find it. Perhaps that shows how lost the true identity of Christ, or John the Baptist, or the Old Testament prophets have become, as history allows us to polish away the aspects that we find uncomfortable. Manners are valuable, but honesty and truth must come first. Niceness and love are not always synonymous, so sometimes love requires unsettling the status quo. As Jesus demonstrated, and as Laurel Thatcher Ulrich famously wrote: “Well-behaved women (and men) rarely make history.