Why do Church of England (CofE) churches and their ‘with-it’, ‘down with the kids’ modern clergy employ ambulance-chasing tactics to try and attract those who really have no interest in any brand of organised religion whatsoever? Similarly, what’s behind their apparent ambivalence towards traditional King James Bible and 1662 Prayer Book-preferring Christians, who just don’t like modern gimmicks?
It seems that the Cathedrals and Minsters, i.e. the larger churches, are no longer content to be places of worship running services, or places for quiet reflection (or indeed even historical sites to visit unless, in most cases now sadly and surely somewhat exploitatively, visitors pay an often exorbitant entry fee, for example York Minster adult entry ticket £18 with tower entry extra, but the Undercroft Museum ‘free’ – to those who have already parted with £18!).
Gaia (the ancient Greek Earth Goddess or now for non-religious types ‘Mother Earth’ as the spiritual embodiment of Planet Earth, akin to a single inter-dependent living organism) on the face of it seems to be a New Age or Pagan belief, excluding altogether the need for belief in any part of the boring old Christian Holy Trinity. Yet the CofE just can’t seem to get enough new age-enviro twaddle or even to see any contradictions, at least when not beating themselves (and their long-suffering congregations) up over slavery, or promoting stuff in their schools that bizarrely run contrary to stated church policy on sexual matters. Still, got to move with the times, there is a ‘climate emergency’ you know and one that mere prayer isn’t going to solve – at least that’s what the CofE apparently believes.
Beverley Minster, once a premier league pilgrimage site (St. John of Beverley died 721 AD, was canonized in 1037 AD, his richly endowed shrine was destroyed at the Reformation, but his relics were later re-discovered and re-interred in a vault under a marble ledger stone) hosted a Gaia Exhibition in 2023.
For the uninitiated, this was predominantly a really vast illuminated hanging globe, that the Vicar in his ‘Friends of Beverley Minster’ 2023-24 Annual Report proudly claims attracted 30,000 visitors. The exhibition was organised by something called Eco-Church (?) and must have well-impressed the Minster clergy and the Parochial Church Council (also The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust who gave it an Award), since Eco-Church now offers ‘Sustainable Lifestyle Suggestions’ in the Minster Notices (printed version only one hopes rather than voiced from the pulpit, but who knows these days and I’d really rather not find out).
Putting aside the obvious sense of accomplishment expressed by the Minster in hosting this frankly shallow and, some might argue, unchristian PR extravaganza (which gels well with their now annual Christmas Tree Festival of 100+, sponsored of course, decorated trees and other unchurch-like ‘events’), I wonder how many of the rubberneckers it attracted even looked at St. John’s Tomb or grasped that they were in a church and not some fancy Gothic-themed art gallery? Fair dos though, Beverley Minster doesn’t yet charge an entry fee and leaves it up to visitors to decide whether to make a donation or not, this surely ensures strong bonding with the townspeople of Beverley, whose Church has been on this spot since the seventh century. Other Cathedrals and Minsters ought to take note.
It’s been CofE policy now for years (they of course will always deny it) to attract the ‘Happy-Clappy’ fraternity and of course ‘Yoof’ (sic) – largely the same thing it seems in most cases. Simultaneously whilst quietly ignoring/marginalising traditionalists and especially the elderly, particularly those who couldn’t or wouldn’t worship online during covid church closures, or who have outlived their usefulness as unpaid volunteers (now replaced by many earnest and well-paid professionals) or as regular but modest contributors to the collection plate. Strangely though, whilst places like Beverley Minster probably don’t attract 30,000 congregants per annum to their actual services, the big traditional services (and dare I say it the more Anglo-Catholic, but with a small a and c, ones) like The Advent Procession, The Epiphany Procession and Christmas Midnight Mass (still known as such, despite the fact that most CofE churches offering it don’t normally ever otherwise use the term Mass for Communion or Eucharist) do attract the biggest congregations by a huge margin.
Why does the CofE (and other Christian denominations too) now always seek the lowest common denominator by dumbing everything down and risking ‘going to Hell in a handcart’ in hot and yet futile pursuit of those who simply aren’t interested, but who might ironically respond more positively to free church entry, ‘bells and smells’ services and not some guitar-twanging Kumbaya or Lord of the Dance (and, unbelievably, still worse ‘modern Hymns’) in free-form, all-age, eco-worship-friendly services?
Martin Rispin has had a career in many different sectors, most lately in the fields of English Tourism and Heritage based Urban Regeneration. He now lives, retired, in Kingston upon Hull.
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The Church of England is a house built upon the sand of the egomania of a false king.
Matthew 7:24-27
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Others would argue that Henry VIII remained a devout Catholic, taking daily Mass, and only dispensed with Papal authority supremacy (admittedly in a fit of pique) and his Dissolution of the Monasteries was about money not faith (as disposed monks and clergy received pensions). It was his son Edward VI who went full on Protestant, no doubt under the influence of others.
Not sure how Henry VIII could remain a ‘devout Catholic’, when he’d made himself head of the ‘English! Catholic Church as opposed to the ‘Roman’ Catholic Church? He’d ‘divorced’ himself from the rule of the Pope. He may have been hearing a form of the Mass, which may have satisfied his egomania, but it was not the Mass. It was the thin end of the wedge in any case, opening the door to the flood.
Surely such an argument depends upon humans interpreting God’s unknown preferences when it comes to church leaders and celebrations of Mass?
Do you mean Henry VIII or Edward VI?
Whenever religion is slagged off, the Islamic faith isn’t included in the discussion, why is that. Are you afraid of death if you even mention Islam in the same vilification or are you just a mouthy coward.
IMO the article is not ‘slagging off’ Christianity in any way whatsoever but bemoaning the loss of emphasis the established church places on traditional Christian teaching and values.
Frequently it is, this article though is about CofE premises and not those of other denominations or faiths.