Dear Friends

There continues to be considerable interest about the Church of England in society at large and in the media. This is on a number of different platforms; for example, how the Church is responding to issues concerning human sexuality, whether the Church will remain established as the church of the state, but there is an on going issue regarding the decline in church-going, which is true for all the mainstream churches in this country.

It is not easy to be clear about why church attendance is falling, as it can be viewed from many different vantage points giving rise to very different explanations. With this magazine you will find an A5 sheet giving you the chance to take part in a UK interdenominational church survey exploring this issue, if you would like to. There is also a short article on p23 looking at other survey results.

Looking with a longer perspective the decline of the church in society has been taking place for over a century. A different strand of thought suggest that the decline is overstated partly through using church attendance as an indicator, and that England has been religious in a much broader way with a wider interest in spirituality. This is evident today. In education the national curriculum requires that education is spiritual (1), it is a growing specialism in health care (2) and the government has appointed a minister, John Battle MP to engage with the church, which of course has a countrywide presence and influence at the local level. Churches have been recognized as important partners in social change; in being political with a small ‘p’.

I was approached recently as a church leader to put my name to a statement in which the signatories urge Christian people with a democratic right to vote to use their vote in the forthcoming elections and to make careful selection for candidates whose policies reflect a spirit of inclusive welcome. This lies with our belief that all human beings are created equally in the image of God, whatever their faith, language or experience of life. I signed the statement which seems important within our multicultural Metropolitan district of Bradford.

In all this I am reminded that religion is an important part of our culture, with some authority and power of influence, hopefully for good. Christian distinctiveness has something to offer when it engages with our contemporary culture and we become deeply involved in the world, as Christ did. Martyn Percy powerfully argues for this (3) and it’s an engaging read whether you are into football, shopping or other forms of immersion in our society!

Yours in Christ

Ruth

• (1) Alan Brown and Joan Furlong, Spiritual Development in Schools – invisible to the eye. The National Society 1996
• (2) Mark Cobb and Vanessa Robshaw (ed), The Spiritual Challenge of Health Care. Churchill Livingstone 1998
• (3)Martyn Percy, The Salt of the Earth – religious resilience in a secular age. Sheffield Academic Press 2001