Evangelicals from different denominations based in the north east of England were joined by Church of England evangelicals from the rest of the country for the 24hour Jesmond Conference in Newcastle in late February.
David Holloway, vicar of Jesmond for more than four decades, has given considerable thought to the decline of Christian influence in Western culture and his reflections provided the basis for the discussions and the final conference statement.
Holloway gave four lectures on: democracy and the family; the rule of law and spiritual and moral order; individual liberty and its limitations; and tolerance and respect. Each talk was packed full of summaries of key social and political thinkers, from Aristotle to Augustine, from Locke to Mill, showing that the idea of a common religion undergirding worldview has been axiomatic in all societies.
Sacred canopy
In Britain, for centuries, we have also taken for granted a ‘sacred canopy’ in which biblical Christianity is embedded in the structures of state, but tolerant and respectful of all faiths and none, allowing the flourishing of a genuinely ‘liberal’ environment in which individuals and groups can pursue ‘the good life’ according to certain common values and restraints. But this canopy has now been largely removed.
Prophesy, purify, prepare
These talks were followed by discussion in small groups, based around the headings ‘prophesy, purify and prepare’. The subjects addressed were: what the national and local church could do to speak truth to power; to apply the gospel in the public square; to bring back Christian foundations to politics, law and education, and what the obstacles to this might be. One such obstacle is pietism and fear of controversy in many evangelical churches.
Approaching dark age
As a final lecture, Charles Raven continued the theme of national values, taking as his starting point the premise of Alastair Macintyre in his influential After Virtue; that the West, in abandoning its common over-arching narrative, is heading for another dark age. According to Raven, same sex marriage is ‘an icon of secular libertarianism’, as now marriage has been redefined as no longer linked to gender or procreation, but to personal fulfilment. It is one more example of a process of ‘cultural amnesia’ – the erosion of national self-consciousness based on history and sense of purpose.
Stale and unsure
Both politics and church appear stale, unsure of past foundations and future vision, and seeing shrinking membership. Raven compared this with a modern independent nation such as Kenya which, despite having enormous problems, has a vibrancy and hopeful vision for the future, characterised by a growing population through healthy birth rates, a growing church and a maturing political system.
