IT'S MY ultimate TV nightmare. Just before Match of the Day starts, the BBC announces Dale Winton has been appointed as the new presenter of TV's top-rated football show.

Now, I'm no fan of the current host, the bland former Leicester player turned bland crisp seller, Gary Lineker. But DW doing the footy? At least Gary's played the game. Red card for the BBC's head of sport.

What next? Ant 'n' Dec co-hosting The Today Show? Jeremy Paxman presenting Animals Do The Funniest Things? Dannii Minogue judging musical talent? (oops, that TV absurdity has sadly come true.)

In the real world, the BBC (usually) does what it says on the tin.

Football players present football programmes; journalists present news programmes; professional chefs present cooking programmes and Dale Winton does cheap cheesy chat shows. It's natural selection.

So, why do many Christian charities and ministries not understand this basic principle? Why, in spiritual terms, are they allowing Dale Winton to host Match of the Day as well as Newsnight?

Let me explain. As a Christian journalist, I'm in regular contact with different Christian charities and ministries across the denominations. It is obvious an increasing number are increasingly uncomfortable with the 'C' word.

A good staring point are websites. You could easily confuse the websites of many Christian charities with those belonging to Comic Relief or Children In Need. Its called cafeteria Christianity, where you pick and chose your own faith dish. Ah waiter, I'll have a hint of humanist philosophy, go heavy on the social-political agenda, add a supporting celebrity or two, but hold the theology, please. We don't want to put people off their food.

We live in a society where the culture, not least the media, ridicules and excludes Christianity. Nurses are suspended for praying with patients, airline staff disciplined for wearing a cross. The last thing we need is for Christians to fuel the dumbing down.

For example. I was interviewing a senior member of a major Christian charity when I asked for a Biblical perspective on an issue. He confessed he'd have to 'look it up' as he was agnostic.

For example. I asked the spokesman of a major Christian charity for an update on its work in Haiti. Within minutes, I received an email detailing how much money, food, blankets etc had been dispatched.

When I asked him how the charity answered the question why God allows such tragedies, I was told the woman who gives Christian comment was 'at lunch' and she'd get right back to me. She never did.

I believe there is a crisis of confidence among many Christian charities, a fear of being seen as Bible bashers.

For many staff, there is genuine ignorance of Biblical teaching. This is not helped by increasingly restrictive laws as politicians insist Christians become 'more inclusive'.

But can you ever see an Eton-educated, card-carrying Conservative being appointed Head of Media for the Labour Party? Don't hold your breath.

Some charities claim that as they work in countries where conflict is rife, it is wise to restrict the word Christian.

Its strange how other charities avoid persecution even though they refuse to camouflage their Christian identity.

Now, Dale Winton is a talented television presenter. He can read an autocue and knows how to work an audience. But while Dale or Jamie Oliver or Jeremy Paxman may like football, even attend matches, Gary Lineker and his studio pundits are all former football players, driven by a passion to communicate their love of the game. And that's also why they don't do Newsnight.

Recently, the banks defended the huge bonuses they pay staff by claiming they are necessary to secure business in highly competitive financial markets. In the process, the banks lost sight of their origins and almost collapsed as a result.

It is a tragedy, that in their rush to save the world, many Christians have lost sight of the Saviour of the world.

James Hastings is a freelance journalist