by Richard Harries, Church Times
Richard Harries assesses the MP Danny Kruger’s clarion call
ARE we a Christian country? Against this is the fact that those who identify as Christian are now a minority. According to the 2021 census, 46.2 per cent defined themselves as Christian, and 37.2 per cent said that they had no religion. Muslims constituted 6.5 per cent of the population, and Hindus 1.7 per cent.
So, from the point of view of individual belief, we are a pluralistic, multifaith country. Most of life carries on without any reference to religion. It is assumed that people have different beliefs, and that this is a private matter.
In a recent parliamentary speech, however, Danny Kruger, the MP for East Wiltshire, argued strongly that we still are a Christian country, and called for a return to “Christian politics” (News, Comment 25 July).
He is certainly right in his first assertion. Our whole history has been shaped by the Christian faith, as have our major institutions. Even more fundamental, the values that we take for granted, such as the equal worth and dignity of each person, are a direct result of the influence of the Christian faith. This has been demonstrated in books by historians such as Tom Holland and Larry Siedentop (who particularly emphasised the influence of St Paul).
This Christian faith has taken particular form in the shape of the Church of England and the special part that it plays in relation to the monarchy and the State. The monarch is crowned in Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Each day in Parliament begins with prayers, in which parliamentarians identify themselves as “We thine unworthy servants”. In recent years, Church of England bishops and priests have exercised this ministry in a very inclusive and hospitable manner. Indeed, other religions welcome the establishment of the Church of England as an umbrella in which their own place and contribution is recognised.