The Most Rev. and the Rt Hon. the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury GCVO and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat.
Long ago a piano teacher of Bickerstaff’s went on a tirade during a lesson about institutions like the poor old C of E, “apologizing for being Christian.” Those four words sum up nicely what is happening with many of the protestant churches, both here and abroad. With each loosening or ignoring of their doctrines, whatever they may be, instead of drawing more worshippers through their doorways, precisely the opposite is happening: their present congregants are, as Samuel Goldwyn would say, staying away in droves. Some of them go in search of something more substantial in church, others are choosing to stay home on Sundays, it’s just too much bother.
To a lesser but still significant extent, a similar occurrence is taking place in the Holy Catholic Church. Because of the dumbed-down ritual, chatty extemporizing by priests, god-awful music, and other waterings down of the mass, many Catholics have left the Church; attendance is down precipitously from years ago. It doesn’t seem likely to Bickerstaff most of those deserters have joined protestant parishes, they probably still consider themselves Catholic even if they no longer go to mass. However, empty pews are empty pews, it makes no difference if those who once sat in them claim to be Catholic, they won’t be counted.
The solution to the emptying of churches, and this applies to the Worship Centers® of England as well, is not minimizing ritual and glossing over unpleasant topics like sin, it’s quite the opposite, but most Church leadership will never admit it.
The Holy Catholic Church will survive, even with vastly lower attendance figures. Still, this Catholic prays our churches will make efforts to rid themselves of the silliness that has infused itself in so many of them. Benedict XVI was making real progress toward that end, but it abruptly ended with his resignation. Pope Francis in many ways is Benedict’s antithesis and we do not know what his eventual successor will bring to the papacy. Many of the potential candidates however do not look promising. The Church of England? It doesn’t look good at all for the institution that once knew glory. Churches throughout England have closed their doors, especially in neighborhoods where Islam has supplanted Christianity. It could well be someday the only still-open churches in England will be found in well-endowed institutions of higher learning, and in Canterbury. In the United States the situation for the Episcopal Church is certainly less dire than that of the Church of England, but the trend is not good. Church attendance is steadily going downward and in time, the Episcopal Church, like the C of E, will experience an existential crisis. Shed a tear for Bickerstaff’s former church.
With thanks to William Tighe.
THE TAOS TATLER. 