Christianity, a Generation Away From Extinction? The Wisdom of the Old

Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury

Here I am, chatting to my elderly Dad (87). He’s just out of hospital, foot bandaged and propped up on a stool, but still  a keen reader of the Daily Telegraph. 

‘Here you are, this will interest you,” he says and hands me an article headed: ‘Lord Carey  warns that Christianity is a generation away from extinction in Britain.’ It’s all rather depressing ... the Church of England, indeed Christianity in our country, on the brink of demise?  A gloomy picture.

Now Dad has been a church-goer for much of his life and he says to me, in his old-age wisdom: ‘I think people these days just can’t see the point of Christianity – that’s the main problem.’ Before you know it, a letter is crystallising in my mind, I write it and check it with Dad (because really it all started with him) – and so here it is, editor! 

Lord Carey has warned that Christianity is, "a generation away from extinction" in Britain.

‘So what is the problem? We can blame the apathy of the masses; we can blame ourselves for our lack of zeal for evangelism.

For me, one of the keys to unlocking the difficulty we’re facing is this: people have to see the point of Christianity. After all, it’s not just about maintaining church services, important as they are for replenishing and encouraging spiritual life. 

People have to see that Christianity, the embracing of the teachings of Jesus, receiving Christ and all He is, makes a difference.

When the church can be shown to demonstrate Jesus’ teaching in action, it has every chance of growing ... but people must see it first.

I both work and volunteer at a church-based drop-in centre in Coventry. What we do is minuscule compared to the great need that is all around: we supply free breakfasts several times a week, offer help to find homes, run small skills classes to equip and enable people to be ready for work, however low-paid and offer a hand of friendship. We don’t evangelise much; we just try and serve, meet a need where there is one - and people come.

For many homeless and vulnerable people, our centre is their church; people come to help and join us.  You see, they can see there is a point to it all; a true embrace of Christianity issues in love for all, particularly the disadvantaged and poor.

Small expressions of such church-service to the surrounding community are common; where they exist, the boot is on the front foot; we’re moving forward. It’s our small way of replicating Jesus’s story of the ‘Good Samaritan’ – a call to practical love.

So, what’s the point of Christianity?  – “Don’t tell us,” they say, “we can see!”

The letter, somewhat abbreviated, was published in the Daily Telegraph on the 23 November. Daily Telegraph letter 23 November

Love Is Never Intentions Only: William Booth's Legacy

Simple stories sometimes say everything you want to say. Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan, simple, uncomplicated as it is, never fails to reach my heart; it searches me, inspire me, galvanises me and directs my gaze – to others.

The other Sunday morning I had to tell our folks about how ‘Your Learning’ (Skills project) is progressing at Coventry Jesus Centre and I couldn’t resist telling them the following story: 

William Booth died in 1912 and his funeral cortege brought London to a standstill. 150,000 filed passed his casket to pay their last respects and his funeral was attended by 40,000 people. 

William Booth: Funeral Procession

Queen Mary, wife of George V and an admirer of Booth, attended the funeral at Olympia. She did not come as a dignitary; rather she sat unnoticed near the back amongst the vast crowd of, 'thieves, tramps, harlots, the lost and outcast to whom Booth had given his heart' (The General Next to God: Richard Collier: Collins 1965). Next to her sat a shabbily but neatly-dressed woman who had once been a prostitute and when the coffin passed by, the woman placed some red carnations on it. Turning to the queen, she said, “He cared for the likes of me.”

That’s it. Love is expressed in care and care has hands and feet and is never intentions only. At the Jesus Centre we can theologise on what we do, not always a bad thing, but let’s hope the people we work amongst can similarly summarise our work:  “They care for the likes of us.”