Church of England Dying

The Church of England is on a death spiral, with only 17% of British identifying as Anglican (down from 40% in 1983), while 49% identify as “no religious faith.” The number of regular attendees at Anglican churches is extremely small. One in four Anglican parishes have fewer than 10 regular worshipers. The Church of England was never established on a Biblical foundation, and in the last half century it has killed itself with unbelief and liberalism. In 1953, Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple said in Nature and God that “there is no such thing as revealed truth.” In 1961, Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey said, “... heaven is not a place for Christians only. ... I expect to see many present day atheists there” (London Daily Mail, Oct. 2, 1961). In 1982, Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie said he was an agnostic as to why Jesus suffered on the cross (Sunday Times Weekly Review, London, April 11, 1982). In 1984, David Jenkins, Bishop of Durham, described Christ’s resurrection as “a conjuring trick with bones” (AP, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Oct. 28, 1984), and two years later, Jenkins called the God of the Bible “a cultic idol” (Ecumenical Press Service, July 16-21, 1986). In 1984, the Associated Press reported that only 20 of 31 Church of England bishops polled insisted that Christians must accept Jesus as both God and man. In 1994, it was reported by the Sunday Times (July 31) that at least 100 Anglican priests were atheists who did not believe in “an external, supernatural God.” In 1996, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey lashed out at “fundamentalists” who place the Bible “above and beyond human inquiry” (Christian News, Dec. 9, 1996). In 1997, a survey found that 31% of Anglican vicars in England do not believe in the virgin birth (Alliance Life, March 12, 1997). In 2002, Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford, said Christians should pray to “God the Mother” (The Times, Nov. 3, 2002). On September 14, 2008, the Church of England officially apologized for rejecting Darwin’s theory of evolution (“Church Makes ‘Ludicrous’ Apology,” The Daily Mail, Sept. 13, 2008). On May 16, 2009, the bells of the Anglican Cathedral of Liverpool pealed out John Lennon’s atheistic song “Imagine.”

(Friday Church News Notes, October 30, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

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