How important do you think it is to know what the Church of England thought about that ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march in London two weeks ago? There is a very good argument for saying it is about as meaningful and relevant as finding out what Bonnie Blue, that young lady touring the country flat on her back and welcoming anyone who fancies a bit of frictionless poking, thinks about the fractious border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. There are many institutions in this country that are irrelevant to the great mass of citizens, but few more resolutely so than our established Church. That it is antithetical to the beliefs and aspirations of the majority of the population who call themselves Christian is reflected in its attendance figures, which the Church will tell you have risen a little of late, but only because it is still recovering from Covid – when, with the courage and fortitude for which it is so justly regarded, it shut its doors to worshippers entirely.
The C of E has been rendered even more ineffectual recently by failing to find, in the past ten months, anybody to lead the benighted organisation – presumably because it’s impossible to find someone who hasn’t either abused an altar boy or connived to protect someone who has abused an altar boy. Almost one year has passed since the last sorry excuse for an Archbishop of Canterbury was forced to resign after admitting he ‘could and should have done more’ to protect the victims of the sexual sadist John Smyth. Not many mourned the passing of Justin Welby, whose hand-wringing, wet-lipped, incoherent liberalism was entirely in keeping with the tenor of the modern C of E and, as the lefties say, on the wrong side of history.
And so, as the Pentecostalists and the evangelicals go from strength to strength by sticking to reading out bits of that most de trop of texts, the Bible, and offering its worshippers vigorous moral guidance, the Church of England has twiddled its thumbs on the sidelines, occasionally making fatuous statements on issues about which it knows nothing and has no jurisdiction. Such as the statement from 22 May this year which demanded, among other things, that the government recognise the state of Palestine without any conditions – a move which an opinion poll this week suggested was opposed by 87 per cent of the British public. That is where the C of E currently resides – pontificating about right-on causes which get up the noses of anyone who is demonstrably sane, in the manner of an eternally superannuated Polly Toynbee or Owen Jones.
Maybe we should just ignore the C of E altogether, except that it is supposed to have relevance and moral force in our lives, even those of us who have long since jumped ship. And so perhaps we should examine the view it took of the ‘Tommy Robinson march’. Of course, it didn’t like it and took particular exception to the marchers carrying crosses or proclaiming that they were Christian. There were various open letters and statements from the bishops, one of which said: ‘We are deeply concerned about the co-opting of Christian symbols, particularly the cross, during… the “Unite the Kingdom” rally.’ What, it angers you that people who have political views which differ from your own should proclaim their love of Jesus Christ? That’s not very inclusionary, is it?
The C of E has helped to create the crisis to which that Tommy Robinson march was only the latest objection
Another statement went on: ‘We are deeply concerned that the march will cause fear among minority groups. We wish to reject intolerance and we stand in solidarity with all the people of South London and East Surrey celebrating the rich diversity of our communities as we continue to work for a truly united nation of all faiths and races…’ So the focus of their concern is ‘minority groups’ and, regarding the people of Sarf Lunnun and Surrey, how many are ‘celebrating the diversity’ which has been visited upon them with the blessing of the C of E? About eight, I would reckon. All this gets us to the nub of the problems with their worshipfulnesses: an epic disregard for the people in this country who would call themselves Christian and wish for the United Kingdom to remain a Christian country and a concomitant preference for the belief systems of anybody who actually isn’t Christian.
What has the Church of England had to say about the unhappiness caused across the country in formerly Christian communities which have been subjected to mass immigration and seen their towns and cities transformed before their eyes? One could summarise it basically as: ‘Suck it up, yo’ bitches.’ One of the signatories of that letter was a former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, whose contribution to that aforementioned great debate was to suggest in 2008 that sharia law should be officially recognised within the UK.
Welby, meanwhile, has urged upon his flock the need to welcome migrants from abroad and has criticised attempts to reduce the flow, such as the previous government’s Rwanda scheme, as ‘morally unacceptable’. What is morally unacceptable, Justin, is broke taxpayers forking out as much as £200 per night for migrants to stay in hotels and local communities fearing for their safety because some of these incomers have a certain Paleolithic approach to sexual matters, especially where British girls are concerned.
About those things we hear nothing. Nothing about grooming gangs. Nothing about violent crime. Nothing about Christians becoming a minority in their own country. Just the lazily expressed sentiment that the incomers are ‘Yuman Beans’ whose every whim must be catered for. The C of E, in its stupidity, has helped to create the very crisis to which that Tommy Robinson march was only the latest, heartfelt, objection.
I was rather touched by the crosses on display. They expressed one of the two inviolable truths that day which no decent Christian could gainsay. That Jesus died for our sins. The other one? I would suggest the massed chant of ‘Keir Starmer is a wanker’.
Comments