Here’s what the public really thought of Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon

Theos, the think tank that explores the place of religion in British society, has commissioned some research to explore the attitude of the British public to that sermon from Bishop Michael Curry at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Charlotte Hobson from the Theos team has done a good job of outlining the key features of the research, conducted by ComRes. The findings include the statistics that only 12% thought the sermon improved their understanding of Christianity.

Approval of aspects of the sermon seemed to increase the more often a respondent went to church and there was also a more positive sentiment the younger the participant in the survey was. Hobson also draws out the intriguing fact that behind the massive media approval of the sermon, the general public were rather more ambivalent:

“Bishop Curry’s sermon generated widespread media attention as an unexpected and entertaining – both in the reactions of guests and in its charismatic tone – segment within a globally anticipated, historically significant ceremony. It would be naïve to imagine, therefore, that it would thereby effect any widespread, long–term change with regards to public opinions concerning religious belief and practice. A single 14–minute sermon does not a revival make. Our poll confirms this in revealing generally high levels of ambivalence and uncertainty, and a positive correlation between existing religiosity and positive attitude to the sermon.”

I have to admit to suppressing a laugh when I read the section on whether the respondent would be more likely to attend church if sermons were like the one preached in St George’s Chapel to an audience of millions (16% said they would). The number of times I’ve done funerals as a parish priest and a local resident has said to me “I’d come to church more often if they were like you” and I’ve bitten my lip rather than responding, “That’s the third time you’ve said that to me this year, but you clearly don’t actually believe that because I never see you on a Sunday”.

Going deeper

If you want to know more about how the public responded to the sermon, you can read Theos’ research here. As a statistician I’ve taken a closer look at the demographic questions ComRes asked. I think the results make for fascinating reading.

Read here