Faith Debates – What Does the Church Offer the Next Generation

A somewhat intriguing and slightly disturbing discussion at Lancaster University about what the COE can offer the next generation.

I have to say that the only real thing that the Church of England, or any Church for that matter, has to offer is Jesus. Not its clergy, its bishops, its synod, its buildings, its press releases, its programs, or its political views. If you want some vague pomo spirituality, some leftish economic theory, and some individualistic morality, then watch the Oprah network! I would not get up early on a cold and wet Sunday and drag my family to hear something that I could just as easily get from watching the BBC or by reading the Sydney Morning Herald. The best thing about the church and the only reason why it can or should endure is because it sets before a diverse bunch of broken and tired people the person of Jesus. Jesus our saviour, our hope, our brother, with God as our Father, and the Holy Spirit our comforter. Everything else in comparison is, to be brutally honest, skybala “human filth.” That is why the church exists, to declare the love of Jesus Christ, reconciliation to God, and life in the Spirit; the rest of the business is not unimportant, but secondary to the christological witness of the church. Our raison d’etre is Jesus Christ, that and nothing else.