Thanks to Simon Woodman for leading me to this article citing Rowan Williams talking good sense... alas I'm not convinced Lord Carey emerges so well.

Being teased, made fun of or ridiculed suggests that Christianity has - or maybe Christians, especially the stereotypical ones have - some degree of interest to other people.  I think that has to be preferrable to being ignored as irrelevent, doesn't it?  In any case, persecution it is not.

The wearing of crosses - which seems to lie at the heart of so many claims of discrimination or persecution - really annoys me, there is no obligation or recommendation for Christians to wear crosses, fishes, doves, WWJD, PUSH, clerical collars, flowing robes or anything else whatsoever.

Sometimes you might be forgiven that Jesus said: "if anyone would follow me let them go to their local jeweller, deny themself the price of a few large lattes and purchase an elegant silver cross which they will then wear visibly at every possibly opportunity" which was probably right after he said, "sinner, pray this little prayer with me and I'll give you a ticket for the glory train..."

Alternative scripture plagiarised from Veronica Zundel via Simon Woodman.