by Bijan Omrani, Telegraph
The Bishops would be exerting their efforts on reviving the parishes, not pontificating about reparations
This past year, there has been a lessening of the multi-generational gloom that has hung over British churches since the 1960s. The conviction that Christianity would soon be swept away by secular modernity has been recently overturned by the “Quiet Revival”: the idea that many, particularly the young, are beginning to find faith and even return to the pews.
However, these claims, which were based on surveys by the Bible Society published last April, have now been thrown into doubt. Humanists UK, following the lead of Matthew’s Gospel, has started to warn of false prophets who “shall shew great signs and wonders.” In their view, the Bible Society is one of this number.
The Humanists’ analysis of other new data, including the 2024 Social Attitudes Survey and even some of the Church of England’s own statistics, shows, so they argue, that there is no Quiet Revival in churchgoing, but rather “ongoing decline”.
The truth remains unclear. Sources connected with the Bible Society survey argue that the Humanists’ critique is flawed. Many clergy, dealing with crowds of Gen Z converts, observe that it does not pass the sniff test. The Humanists, however, claim the support of psephological grandees such as Prof Sir John Curtice.
And all this is before one acknowledges that how one measures religious affiliation – is it regular church going, church membership, self-identification? – has been the subject of acrimonious disagreement since the 19th century.
Whatever the truth, British Christians, and especially the Church of England, would be wise not to despite the Humanists’ chastening. What if, like Jeremiah, they are correctly prophesying a collapse from which we are foolishly turning our eyes? If there is even a possibility that the Quiet Revival is merely a statistical mirage, and that “destruction upon destruction” is really what awaits the parishes and congregations, is the Church of England treating this desperate situation with the urgency and seriousness that it deserves?