Signs heralding the second coming

Charles Gardner reviews ‘Faith, Freedom and the Future’ by Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali (Wilberforce Publications, 2016).

The Church of England faces a stark choice of either conforming to current fashion with “easily swallowed soundbites” or of being vigorously counter-cultural, according to one of its most outspoken bishops.

Hitting Out at Dumbed-Down Baptism

In a new book, Faith, Freedom and the Future, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali comments on what he describes as a “dumbed-down” version of the christening service.

In a desire not to offend, the Church was in danger of “capitulating to whatever is fashionable”, he writes.

The new ‘alternative’ service for baptism “almost entirely does away with sin and the need to repent…We are not told anything about the Christ in whom we are to put our trust. There is no acknowledgement of him as Lord and Saviour. In general, there is a reluctance to declare that the Bible sees the world as having gone wrong and needing to be put right. This is done by the coming of Christ, and baptism is nothing less than taking part in this story of salvation, no part of which can be sold short.”

And he concludes: “This is a choice for the Church of England – either to become simply an attenuated version of whatever the English people happen to believe and to value, or to be full-bloodedly a manifestation of the ‘one, holy, catholic and apostolic church’ it still continues to confess in the creeds. Which way will it choose?”

Nazir-Ali writes that in a desire not to offend, the Church is in danger of capitulating to whatever is fashionable.

Thorough Analysis

The book is also a thorough analysis of a number of moral issues facing us, and the Bishop’s diagnosis is a breath of fresh air which could help to revive our broken society.

In challenging the increasing marginalisation of Christians, he asks why a law originally based on Judeo-Christian principles is being used to silence them.

He also tackles radical Islam – with his Pakistani background, he is well qualified to do so – and raises the issue of blasphemy against the prophet (Muhammad), punishable by death in many of the Arab countries who have signed up to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion as well as the right to change beliefs.

“What is the difference between Asia Bibi and numerous others on death row, having been convicted on blasphemy charges, and the killings on the streets of Paris and Copenhagen?…Why does the international community tolerate one but not the other? Is it because Westerners are involved in one but not the other?”

Forceful and Passionate

The esteemed author can be laboured in the build-up of his arguments which I sometimes found difficult to follow, but when he gets to the point, he makes it with a forceful flourish and obvious passion for both the Gospel and the Anglican Church, which is no doubt why he has become a popular choice for radio and TV discussions.

This is a theological book with considerable intellectual appeal, but which does not shy away from unpacking CofE politics and driving home the stark choice currently facing the established Church.

Faith, Freedom & the Future (330pp) is available in both paperback and e-book forms. Click here to find out more.

A press release from WIN/Gallup International exploring the religious beliefs of 63,898 people from 65 countries around the world was published in April 2015 and picked up in the British press. Monica Hill looks at the key statistics and comments from a biblical perspective.

Which are the Most (and Least) Religious Nations?

63% of those polled worldwide claimed to be 'religious'. Regionally, Africa (86%) headed the field closely followed by MENA (Middle East and North Africa) (82%), Eastern Europe (71%), America (66%), Asia (62%), Oceania (44%) and Western Europe (43%) trailing behind. Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia, Morocco, Fiji, South Africa are all in the 90+% bracket with Thailand leading at 94%, whereas China claimed to be just 7%.

Western Europe and Oceania are the only regions where about half of the population are either not religious or acknowledge themselves to be atheists. As noted above, the least religious country in the world was found to be China, where 61% of people claim to be convinced atheists (that's twice as many as any other country) and 29% say that they're not religious (cf. just 7% who are). In the Western world, the Swedes proved to be the least religious (78% either not religious or declared atheist). The largest proportion of atheists (14%) are to be found in Western Europe and Asia, with Oceania also at 12%.

Surprisingly, younger people (classed as those under 34) tend to be more religious than other age groups (about 66% as against about 60% in other brackets).

Trends in the Middle East

Israel has a high proportion of unreligious people and convinced atheists (65%, compared to 30% who say they are religious). In the West Bank and Gaza this proportion is much lower (18%, compared to 70% who say they are religious).

Religion in Britain

Just 30% of British citizens consider themselves religious. That's against 70% of Russians and 56% of Americans. 53% of the British said they were 'not religious'. 13% said they were a 'convinced atheist' and the rest were 'don't knows'. Only three countries in Europe were lower than Britain, with Sweden the lowest at 19%.

The Gallup US Question Breakdown can be found here.

Responses in the British Media

It is not surprising that in the British Press the UK statistics were highlighted. The BBC and ITV News headlines were essentially the same: Britain has been found to be one of the least religious countries in the world. The Daily Telegraph's website gave a balanced breakdown across the world in a helpful map.¹ The Independent charts the following points and asks for (and receives) comments:²

1. There are twice as many religious people as non-believers.
2. Religion is dominant on every continent.
3. Older people are, surprisingly, less religious.
4. People in the middle aged bracket (44-54) are the least likely to be religious, the most likely to be atheist.
5. On the other hand, people in their twenties are most likely to identify with a religion, and so are a high proportion of under 25s.
6. Housewives are the most often religious, the full-time employed the least.
7. Wealthier people are less religious and so are people with more education.

Secularist Groups

The comments from Secularist groups were interesting. The British Humanist Society empathised that other polls have all found similar results in recent years. Their Director of Public Affairs and Campaigns, Pavan Dhaliwal, commented:

While politicians continue to make exaggerated claims about the importance of Christianity to Britain's shared cultural life, yet another poll has shown that British people are largely non-religious. On top of that we know that a majority of people in Britain, whatever their religious or non-religious beliefs, do not want to see public policies influenced by religious ideas. Let our politicians take note: continued attempts to justify policy on the grounds of a religious identity most of us do not share not only breeds needless division, but builds upon serious shaky ground.³

While Stephen Evans, National Secular Society campaigns manager, commented:

It's striking that of the least religious countries, the UK is the only one with an established state religion. Instead of burying their heads in the sand and constantly repeating the mantra of the UK being a 'Christian country', perhaps the time has come for politicians of all stripes to recognise the need to reflect the reality of changing times by separating religion from the state.⁴

Comment: Reasons to Hope

Statistics are only indicators and global statistics (good or bad) in particular should not overwhelm us. We must learn how to use them as advice for developing strategies to reach people and places to which God is calling us. This survey is one of self-perception with no factual proof required, and understanding in many dimensions will differ. But whether you agree with the above comments or not about the situation in the UK, Christians need to take note. Perhaps they are! Have you noticed the following signs of growth?

Growth in small groups:

• Although many church congregations nationwide are getting smaller, we have been noting for some time a great growth in small groups – and over the summer months we can also see that the larger gatherings of Christians across denominations are also growing almost exponentially.

Summer celebrations:

• Songs of Praise recently showed the Keswick Convention, which has been going since 1875 – this has grown to 3 weeks every summer plus 20+ ancillary meetings around the country, packed and moving into new premises in the Lake District. Although this attracts people mainly from the more traditional evangelical spectrum, there has also been tremendous growth in other sectors using large residential Easter and summer holiday time venues.
• Spring Harvest started these in 1979 in Butlins, reached 70,000 over 3 sites in the 1990s and is still going strong (see right). New Word Alive, now separate from Spring Harvest, attracts around 4,000 each year. New Wine from the Charismatic sector was founded in 1989, with Soul Survivor youth events four years later in 1993 and Momentum (for 20s and 30s) in 2004. Soul Survivor alone now has over 25,000 young people attending their camps each summer. And the list could go on!
• So growth in small groups AND in conference events are both to be reckoned with.

Three Tiers of Interaction

I am reminded of an understanding of church dynamics which we need to be able to rejoice in: Christians need at least three tiers of interaction – small group, congregation and celebration.

Although the regular congregational meeting is important and has been the visual mainstay of the church, small groups where Christians can interact and get to know each other and the Lord better were the bulwark of Wesleyan Methodism. It was in small meetings in the home where people accepted the Lord as their Saviour and these personal relationships are becoming more and more important. But we also need large celebration events where we can be encouraged and fortified in a way that may not be possible in smaller groups.

Jesus knew something about group dynamics. He chose a small group of 12 to be his disciples, of whom four were really close to him. He then drew together the 72 who were much more task-orientated, as he sent them out to be active witnesses. But he also had gatherings of the 4,000 and 5,000 who were blessed in very different ways.

Each level had its purpose and all are still necessary for Christians today. Communities and relationships of faith may now be facing different pressures and strains because of the internet, individualistic Western culture and increasingly global perspectives, but we still have the same needs in our Christian life. We must not limit what the Lord can do at each level.

References

1 Akkoc, R. Mapped: These are the world's most religious countries. The Telegraph, 13 April 2015.

2 Boren, Z D. 7 charts that reveal the most – and the least – religious people across the world...and how it is the young who are the biggest believers. The Independent, 13 April 2015.

3 British Humanist Association. UK among least religious countries in the world, finds international poll. 13 April, 2015.

4 National Secular Society. Survey: UK is one of the least religious countries in the world. 13 April 2015.

'The Secular Terrorist: The Slow Suicide of Christian Britain', by Peter Mullen (RoperPenberthy, 2012, 189 pages, available from the publisher for £9.99)

This is an interesting if disturbing read on a familiar theme: the decline of Christianity and Christian values in Britain. The author's experience as rector of Anglican churches in London, together with his keen observation of society in general, means he is well informed. Moreover, he believes the situation is so dire that he is prepared to speak out strongly, in some cases very strongly, hence his choice of words for the title.

Moral reversal

Mullen examines all the usual areas of concern, starting with sexual morals, abortion, embryo research, and family breakdown. His main contention here, as elsewhere, is that over time, through a slow but steady series of incremental changes, humanistic values and secularism have transformed society until an almost complete reversal has occurred. Utilitarianism now dominates our thinking and consumerism our lifestyles.

He contends that the denial of our Christian roots has produced a slow suicide. We have been beaten by losing faith in what we believed. Secularisation is the hidden terrorist in our midst, creating impotence and encouraging self-doubt. Cultural and social defeat was "guaranteed once Christianity had died in the soul of Western man" (p119). The author maintains that only the re-discovery of our Judaeo-Christian heritage will save Western society. What is needed is "nothing less than a return to the practice of our faith" (p9).

Mullen contends that Britain's slow demise is due to our loss of faith, with secularisation the hidden terrorist in our midst.

Moreover, he believes that we "shall not turn again to God until we are overwhelmed and perhaps almost annihilated by some great catastrophe" (p180), and not one that we can blame upon God for: we will have brought it upon ourselves, as has happened repeatedly throughout history. Israel's desertion and repeated disobedience brought disasters. We cannot expect to be an exception to this pattern in the human/Divine story.

The problem with political correctness

In a strong section of the book full of good examples, Mullen vigorously attacks political correctness as a key component of the decline. He argues that "the secular gospel of Political-Correctness" creates a linguistic dictatorship and a form of social conditioning, deceiving many, especially into thinking that we have made moral progress. The claim that we are now much more advanced and enlightened has found an enthusiastic audience. We now feel superior to the primitive pre-PC era.

Mullen vigorously attacks political correctness as a linguistic dictatorship and a form of social conditioning that deceives us into thinking we have made moral progress.

In discussing science, creation and design, Mullen also makes many useful points, simply put but displaying good knowledge. The same is true when he examines literary trends and the history of reason and philosophy. Overall, he covers a wide range of intellectual ideas with skill and understanding.

Looking forward or backward?

The weaker points in the book come, first, when he attacks the press (tabloids and others) for crude reporting and dumbing down of information. His excessive examples add little to his overall argument and may be off-putting.

Second, Mullen rails against the Church of England for trying to be modern, correctly arguing that the Church has done little to stem the decline and has indeed contributed to it through situation ethics and de-mythologising Biblical truth. But his insistence that the only proper Bible translation is the Authorised Version and that the Book of Common Prayer is vastly superior to the Alternative Service book make him appear stuck in the past. He may be right that, in a typically memorable phrase, modern worship is merely a "third rate echo of recently abandoned fashions in pop culture" (p86) but to assert that the AV and BCP were meant to be preserved for all time suggests his only solution to modern trends is to retreat into a bygone age.

Nevertheless, the book overall is an important contribution to a vital debate. We do need to "wake up to the fact that there is a militantly anti-Christian elite in Britain today" (p41). But he ends with positive advice for Christians in such circumstances: be diligent in prayer and study, form strong church communities, and trust in God.

Over the next few weeks we will use some recent surveys from the Brierley Consultancy to delve further into what God is saying to Britain. Each instalment will feature statistics on a different set of trends, followed by biblical analysis from Monica Hill.

Hard factual evidence drawn from different kinds of surveys can help Christians to ascertain exactly what, where and how our society is changing, and can equip them both to pray and to take action where necessary.

Christians should be alert to current trends and be prepared to act to bring things into alignment with the ordained will of God. While nothing can take place outside the sovereign will and knowledge of God, not all activities are God-ordained.

This week: The Rise of Secularism: YES, I have NO religion!