British public turn to prayer as one in four tune in to religious services

From The Guardian-

A quarter of adults in the UK have watched or listened to a religious service since the coronavirus lockdown began, and one in 20 have started praying during the crisis, according to a new survey.

The findings of the poll reinforce indications of an increase in the numbers of people turning to faith for succour amid uncertainty and despair.

The Church of England has said that unexpectedly high numbers of people are tuning into online or broadcast services, and 6,000 people phoned a prayer hotline in its first 48 hours of operation. Other faiths have also reported surges in people engaging with online religious activities as places of worship have been closed during the lockdown.

The survey of more than 2,000 people, commissioned by the Christian aid agency Tearfund and carried out last weekend, found that a third of young adults aged between 18 and 34 had watched or listened to an online or broadcast religious service, compared with one in five adults over the age of 55.

More here-

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/03/british-public-turn-to-prayer-as-one-in-four-tune-in-to-religious-services?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR3rhgPsd3Jx-E_fxh85lE6cxtugY-VZQsxSsj02xACNeFBcw4o0Q2m1qNE

'God is a tourist attraction' Anglican bishop says on cathedral carnival ride

From England-

A controversial amusement park ride erected in Norwich Cathedral has come down after an 11-day installation.

Rt. Revd. Johnathan Meyrick, the Anglican bishop of Lynn, delivered a sermon midway down the helter-skelter slide during the final liturgy held in the cathedral with the ride present.

“God is a tourist attraction,” Meyrick said, claiming that God would be “revelling” in the joy it brought to visitors. During the time the helter-skelter was installed, over 20,000 people came to visit the nearly thousand-year-old cathedral.

While an estimated 10,000 people rode down the 50-foot-high slide, the move drew criticism from Anglicans and Catholic alike.

More here-

https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2019/08/21/god-is-a-tourist-attraction-anglican-bishop-says-on-cathedral-carnival-ride/

Anglicans could receive Roman Catholic communion, Archbishop suggests

From The Telegraph-

The Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Rev Bernard Longley, signalled that restrictions, which can be traced back to the Reformation, might be “reconsidered” as a result of “deeper sharing” between the two churches. 

Although he insisted that he was expressing a “personal view”, the Archbishop’s comments will be closely watched as he is the senior Catholic cleric responsible for dialogue with the Anglican churches. 

His remarks were warmly welcomed by leading figures in the Church of England who said it was time for closer ties. 

For centuries, the issue of communion was a source of some of the deepest and most bitter division between protestants and Catholics. 

In the 16th and 17th centuries Christians from both traditions were put to death because of disagreements over their beliefs on transubstantiation – whether the bread and wine in Communion are the real body and blood of Christ or a symbol. 

More here-

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10373268/Anglicans-could-receive-Roman-Catholic-communion-Archbishop-suggests.html?fbclid=IwAR2zl_RQFZIkIYKdX3gHEQfdr6gIIqE7XLTwa-7GGOU9s_gfAXelsJmvyv4

Britain relentlessly becoming land of secularists and atheists

From The Tablet-

A “dramatic decline” in Christian belief and practice, along with a “substantial increase in atheism”, are recorded in the latest findings on religion from the British Social Attitudes survey.

“Over time, there has been a dramatic decline in the proportion of people who identify with Christianity along with a substantial increase in those with no religious affiliation, and a steady increase in those belonging to non-Christian faiths,” the report says.

The percentage identifying as Church of England or Anglican fell from 40 in 1983 through 22 per cent in 2008 to 12 per cent last year. Catholicism, however, fared better, with equivalent percentages falling from 10 to just 9 and then 7 per cent last year. One increase over the period was among non-denominational Christians, up from 3 per cent in 1983 to 10 per cent in 1998 and 13 per cent last year – a higher proportion of the population than Anglicans.

More here-

https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/11873/britain-relentlessly-becoming-land-of-secularists-and-atheists-

The Guardian view on atheism: good without God

From The Guardian-

The latest British Social Attitudes survey paints a picture of organised religion’s continued decline; the more organised it tries to be, the faster it slips. The Church of England, which is established in the sense that it has a formal constitutional role, now claims the allegiance of just 1% of people under 24. Even among the over-75s, only a third identify as Anglican. More than half of British people now say that they have no religion; about two-fifths are Christians of one sort of another; 9% are Muslims.

Across Europe and North America there is a steady rise in the number of “Nones” – people who do not identify with any religion at all. The Pew Global Forum suggests there will be 1.3 billion of them worldwide by 2060, but this figure nonetheless represents a relative decline. The great majority of the present-day Nones are found in east Asia, and especially China, where Christianity and traditional religion are both experiencing phenomenal growth. Meanwhile, demographic growth among Christians and Muslims in the global south suggest that Nones in the world will decline from 16% to 13%.

More here-

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/15/the-guardian-view-on-atheism-good-without-god

Churches Outnumber Pubs in the UK

From Christianity Today-

Every village in the United Kingdom used to have a pub, a church, and a general store. Today, pubs (short for “public houses”) have become iconic, a popular destination for visitors to try drinks, traditional pub meals, and the cultural ambiance.

But these local landmarks are closing quickly; only 39,000 are left in England, down a quarter from 20 or so years ago. There are now more church buildings than pubs, according to recent figures announced last month by the National Churches Trust.

But the number of churches overall is falling too, just not as fast. The share of Christians in the UK is declining, as in America and other parts of the Western world. Total secularization isn’t inevitably around the corner for at least two reasons. First, surveys show that many who say they have “no religion” still believe in God, pray, say they have a soul, or even read the Bible. Second, there is actually substantial growth among certain types of churches in the UK, all in the context of God’s promise to build his church.

More here-

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/may/churches-outnumber-pubs-in-uk-london-attendance-pentecostal.html

The Gorgeous London Church That’s Also A Coffee Shop

From London-

Saint Mary Aldermary is one of the oldest churches in the city dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It suffered quite badly in the Great Fire of London in 1668 and was rebuilt in the late 17th Century by Sir Christopher Wren — the architectural mastermind behind St Paul’s Cathedral and the Royal Naval College. Unlike Wren’s many other city churches, Saint Mary Aldermary was built in a distinctive Gothic style. 

Nowadays, the Guild Church is run by a new monastic community within the Church of England, and they’re all about promoting love, hospitality and inclusiveness. But it’s not just a place for quiet reflection within the big city — it also serves an excellent cup of joe at the gorgeous Host Café.

The Host Café’s coffee is provided by local roasters, Mission Coffee Works; the cakes and breads come from The Artisan Bakery; the pastries come from Little Bread Pedlar based in Bermondsey; and the teas are from Londoners, We Are Tea. There’s also organic soup and sourdough toast available if you’re after something hot.

More here-

https://secretldn.com/host-cafe-church/?fbclid=IwAR3QlI_UyisKhxs7qyeNHmykl4-hhfopJSQNxGzE6zilAECfLSs7BNMnHaE

Has Britain become an unsafe place for Christian preachers?

From The Spectator-

At the beginning of the year, the Royal Holloway University of London published a survey on ‘The Safety and Security of Anglican Clergy’. The startling findings indicated that one in ten members of the clergy had been subjected to violent behaviour in the previous two years. Of the 540 UK respondents, more than two thirds had been on the receiving end of verbal abuse and one in five had experienced threatening behaviour. The authors of the report confirmed that the main reasons for the verbal abuse included the alcohol and drug use of attackers, mental illness, declined requests for money, and anti-Christian sentiments. Some, however, have suggested that the Christianophobic element shouldn’t be played down.

Nick Tolson the director of National Churchwatch, an organisation that advises on church security, told me that anti-Christian hate crime appears to be increasing:

More here-

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2019/03/has-britain-become-an-unsafe-place-for-christian-preachers/

Thought for the day: is it time to silence BBC preachers who keep women down?

From The Guardian-

And welcome to the amoral maze, where our dilemma of the week is: just how insufferable does a spiritual leader have to be before he or she becomes unqualified to preach at the general public? Or to put it another way, why should the church have a monopoly on excommunication?

The question is not, emphatically, restricted to the case of the ubiquitous prelate, blogger and speaker, Giles Fraser, although with his recent blog – chastising women who fail to stay near home for the future convenience of incontinent fathers – he has done more than most to focus attention on the sort of qualities that should, ideally, distinguish a Thought for the Day contributor from, say, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Actually, since the latter Brexit supporter is hardly less ostentatiously devout, is yet more ostentatiously fertile, is also hired by the BBC to troll its audience and believes – conclusive indicator of divine approbation – that women are designed for bottom-wiping, it seems almost unfair that he is not, like Fraser, invited to provide “reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news”.

More here-

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/02/thought-for-the-day-silence-bbc-preachers-who-keep-women-down-thought-for-the-day

Prayers have no place in Parliament, say a number of UK MPs

 From Free Thinker-

FOR at least 450 years Anglican prayers have kicked off proceedings in Parliament, but a group of British MPs have decided the time has come to ditch this silly and arcane practice.

The MPs have moved a motion that says the prayers are incompatible with a society which respects the principle of freedom of, and from, religion.

The early day motion has been backed by the National Secular Society (NSS) at a time when church attendance in the United Kingdom has plummeted to new lows.

NSS chief executive Stephen Evans, above, said:

Religious worship is for individuals who choose it – not for nations or legislative bodies. Members of parliament are of course free to pray in their own time, but institutionalised prayer doesn’t belong in the legislative process.

Parliament should reflect the country as it is today. Ending this anachronism would be tangible example of the reform needed in the house and represent a positive step forwards for modernity, equality and freedom of conscience.

More  here-

 https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thefreethinker/2019/01/prayers-have-no-place-in-parliament-say-a-number-of-uk-mps/

Shalt thou pray in British parliament? Group of MPs move to scrap practice, Indian-origin MP against

From India-

A group of British MPs has moved a motion to stop the ancient practice of starting the day in parliament with Anglican prayers on the ground that they are incompatible with a society which respects the principle of freedom of, and from, religion.

The early day motion has been backed by the National Secular Society (NSS) at a time when church attendance in the United Kingdom has been dwindling. Reciting Anglican players has been a practice in parliament for at least 450 years, but MPs hold mixed views about it.

The motion has so far attracted support from ruling Conservative, Labour, Scottish National Party and Liberal Democrats MPs, but at least one senior law-maker – Labour MP Keith Vaz – wants the practice to continue.

Tommy Sheppard of SNP said: “Parliamentary prayers is one of many archaic Westminster procedures that is long overdue a rethink. The current system completely ignores that MPs, and society as a whole, come from all faiths and none.”

More here-

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/shalt-thou-pray-in-british-parliament-group-of-mps-move-to-scrap-practice-indian-origin-mp-against/story-h0UlE7TQGoViI3pBGv1UWL.html

Justin Welby: No-deal Brexit would be 'moral failure'

From Premier-

The Archbishop of Canterbury has suggested a second referendum may be required on the Brexit debate.

Speaking in the House of Lords, Justin Welby also said it would a moral failure should the UK leave the European Union without a deal.

The Anglican leader was taking part in a debate in the upper chamber as MPs continued talks in the Commons next door ahead of a vote on the Prime Minister's plan next Tuesday.

Welby said: "There has to be an agreement in which all accept the need to deliver the will of the people, which was expressed in the referendum. While also recognising that when it was expressed in such a close result there is a duty to build in compromise, an inevitability, albeit unwelcome to some.

"If not there will by default be a no-deal Brexit. That outcome would be not only be a political and practical failure but a moral one, equally as serious as ignoring the result of the referendum entirely.

More here-

https://www.premier.org.uk/News/UK/Justin-Welby-No-deal-Brexit-would-be-moral-failure

Does Theresa May’s Anglicanism explain her muddled Brexit?

From The Spectator-

Ever since ‘Brexit’ was first breathed, there have been comparisons with Henry VIII’s break with Rome. At first such comparisons seemed a bit far-fetched, for there are some big differences between the Catholic Church and the EU, and between Protestantism and zeal for Brexit. But now they seem uncannily apt.

For it looks as if we are embarking on an almighty compromise, a monster muddle middle-way that will be decades in the making. It was about thirty years after Henry’s break that his daughter Elizabeth started stabilising things. Let’s hope we’re a bit quicker to realise that we must lay aside our purism and channel the Tudor spirit of compromise.

Now, like then, tidy-minded ideologues on both sides scorn the very idea of a middle-muddle way. How can the nation be expected to unite around a compromise? Surely the alternatives, fully in or fully out, are far more attractive? What logical coherence can a third way have? It’s the worst of both worlds! To Reformation purists, it seemed sheer madness to seek a middle course when the salvation of souls was at stake. It seems that most MPs are similarly minded now: auditions for More and Tyndale are in full swing.

More here-

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/11/does-theresa-mays-anglicanism-explain-her-muddled-brexit/

Trendy new churches poach worshippers from stuffy ones

From The Economist-

HELD WITHIN the blackened walls of a disused department store, the evening service at Portsmouth’s Harbour Church resembles a gig in a trendy nightclub. Guitars take the place of a church organ; hymn books have been swapped for plasma screens displaying song lyrics. Alex Wood, the vicar, favours skinny black jeans rather than a clerical robe. Swathed in blue light, his congregation of teenagers and 20-somethings sing their way through a playlist of uplifting Christian rock.

Churchgoing has plummeted in Britain. Only 740,000 worshippers regularly make it to Anglican churches on Sundays, half as many as in 1970. To halt this decline, the Church of England has launched an evangelism drive. Part of its strategy is to attract young agnostics by “planting” churches, an American model where members of a healthy church set up a new one elsewhere. Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), a thriving evangelical church in west London, has been planting churches since the 1980s. Now the clergy’s top brass want to emulate its success. According to Ric Thorpe, the Bishop of Islington and a former HTB man, 2,400 church plants are planned by 2030.

More here-

https://www.economist.com/britain/2018/10/27/trendy-new-churches-poach-worshippers-from-stuffy-ones

Welby proposes radical tax reforms

From The Church Times-

BIBLE verses are not normally traded at press conferences, but there was a sharp exchange on Wednesday, when the Archbishop of Canterbury launched a radical set of proposals to reform the UK economy.

The proposals are contained in Prosperity and Justice, a report produced by the Institute for Public Policy and Research (IPPR) Commission on Economic Justice, of which Archbishop Welby is a member. The report’s premise is that wealthy individuals and corporations must contribute more to ensure a just society.

“Isn’t there a risk that, if the Government were to impose a wealth tax, particularly on earnings that people had already paid tax on, they would fall foul of the eighth commandment: ‘Thou shalt not steal’?” Sky’s economics editor, Ed Conway, asked.

More here-

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/7-september/news/uk/welby-proposes-radical-tax-reforms 

and here-

https://www.ft.com/content/268ff106-b1f7-11e8-99ca-68cf89602132

How Sean Bean gets the life of a parish priest right in a new BBC show

From American Magazine-

Shortly after the election of Pope Francis, I was called to a hospital near my parish. The clerk said neither the social worker nor the security chief were available to deal with a developing situation. The family of a recently and tragically deceased patient was becoming increasingly agitated, even hostile, while waiting to see their loved one in the morgue. As a parish priest, I presented a last-ditch hope for intervention.

I usually make the eight-minute walk from parish office to the hospital at a leisurely pace so I can prepare mentally for what I might encounter. This time, while walking, a strong directing question came to me: “What would Pope Francis do in this situation?” I was not asking what would the Holy See do, but rather: What would Francis the priest, the pastoral minister, do? I do not think I ever had such a thought in the past. For the first time, I was mentally reaching out to a pope, not as voice of theological authority or center of ecclesial unity, but as a source for help in a basic pastoral need.

https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2018/04/12/how-sean-bean-gets-life-parish-priest-right-new-bbc-show

Misspelled Acomb sign proclaims 'Chris is Risen'

From The BBC

A church was presented with signs reading "Chris is risen" after a mix up at the printers.

Acomb Parish Church, in York, had ordered four banners saying 'Christ is Risen' but the 'T' was missed off the finished article.

However, assistant Curate Ned Lunn said the error was discovered before the signs were delivered.
A BBC Radio York Facebook post has been shared more than 3,000 times, prompting one person to reply 'More T vicar?'

Mr Lunn said: "I'm so glad the customer spotted the mistake. It'll save a bit of embarrassment and a lot of confusion.

"I had to check the four banners when I distributed them though, just to make sure.

"The pastor at the Baptist Church is actually called Chris and he's got to get up for a sunrise service at 6.30am on Easter Sunday.

"His predecessor didn't manage to get up for the service last year."

See it here-

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-35899023

Edmund Burke’s Counsel on Religious Liberty and Freedom

From The Imaginative Conservative-

Edmund Burke, the eighteenth-century British statesman, has long been a popular figure for political conservatives to cite. But his views on religion get relatively little attention. This is a shame, because Burke has a lot to offer those concerned about matters of religion, morality, and politics in contemporary American life. He is a figure who may make some orthodox Catholics uncomfortable because, despite placing great emphasis on the importance of religion, he sometimes seems unconcerned about precisely which religion one follows. His writing on religion is centered on its role in politics, society, and morality, not on theology or questions of salvation. But his perspective is both sophisticated and pious, and speaks to the need for a deep sense of reverence—and of how to maintain it.

Burke’s own religious background is actually a matter of some controversy. He was an Irishman; his mother and sister were Catholic. Burke, his father, and his brothers were officially Anglican, but this was probably a reflection of the political realities of the time. Due to the severe challenges presented by the oppression of Irish Catholics, it was common in families for the women to be openly Catholic while the men were secretly Catholic but nominally Anglican.

More here-

http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2018/02/edmund-burkes-counsel-religious-liberty-freedom-william-f-byrne.html

Catholic bishop says churches should stay open like the Church of England

From The Telegraph-

Catholic churches should follow the Church of England to keep their doors open outside of services, the bishop of Portsmouth has said.

Philip Egan complained that on a recent visit outside his diocese he had been unable to visit any churches because they had all been shut.

In a Tweet posted on Sunday he said: "Why oh why?! Just spent a few days outside the Diocese but every Catholic church I tried to visit was locked.

The Church of England recommends that its churches keep their doors open outside service times as best practice.

It says churches are actually more likely to be attacked when they are locked, "possibly as criminals feel they are less likely to be disturbed in a closed church than one where anyone could appear at any time".
More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/15/catholic-bishop-says-churches-should-stay-open-like-church-england/

also here-

http://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2018/01/15/bishop-outraged-by-hypocrisy-of-locked-churches/

Not even vicars have the patience of saints

From The Guardian-

“You only work one day a week!” Clergy hear it all the time. The people who say it think they’re being original. They’re not. Being a vicar is an enormous privilege, but it is also hard work and the clergy can pay a heavy emotional price.

So when I read that the Rev Andy Thewlis in Wiltshire had written a strongly worded letter to his congregation for what he perceived as their lack of warmth – a letter for which he has since issued an apology – I wasn’t remotely surprised. He said his enthusiasm had been sapped by “grumbling and disunity”, also complaining about “arrogant gossips” and “criticism and negativity”. It “drains energy”, he said. Every case is different. But all clergy will recognise something of this.

The demands are many. A typical day for a member of the clergy begins with morning prayer, reading from the Bible and mentioning to God the needs of the whole community. They can then find themselves going from a lively school assembly to a visit to a bereaved parishioner to plan a funeral service. They may then attend a meeting to discuss repair works to a listed building, take a communion service in an old people’s home, liaise with organists to choose next month’s liturgical music, report a potential safeguarding concern, and in the evening chair a meeting of the parochial church council. No day is quite the same, which is one of the great things about being a vicar. But a schedule requiring such mental, spiritual and emotional agility can take its toll.

More here-

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/05/vicars-patience-saints-clergy-congregation-god?CMP=share_btn_fb