Almost every commentator I read across the political spectrum agrees on one thing: that our society is increasingly fractured and fragmented.
I have been intrigued for sometime about the connection between this and a growing secularisation – a movement that led to the statement “the death of God”, which reached its high water mark at the turn of the millennium.
But looking back, commentators, again from across a wide spectrum, increasingly see the issue not in terms of atheism versus belief, but against church structures and organised religion. Many – I include myself – feel that the church indeed needed challenging. The terrible scandals and bigotry have rightly been called out.
So, the new questioning and reformed church structures lead to new possibilities. For exciting reading, I read the weekly paper The Church Times (!) courtesy of my colleague Lionel who hands it onto me after he has finished – so I am always a couple of weeks late. I read an article from 22 May by Matthew d’Ancona reflecting on the relevance of belief in a fragmented world:
“Why should we be surprised? The collapse of trust in public institutions, the fragmentation of old social structures, the wretched prevalence of despair, and the atomisation of traditional communities – all these have contributed to a crisis of meaning, and a consequent recourse to the most resilient and fire-tested belief systems of all. ….In an age of great psychic and social stress, it is, I think, an instinctive recourse to ancient forms of metaphysical explanation which offer transcendence, communion, and wisdom to those who lead increasingly volatile, precarious and disaggregated lives.
“I do not mean to say that secularism is doomed. Rationality is essential to any civilisation. But unaided, it has been shown to lack the sinew, stability, and heft to hold a complex society together. That old assumption has been tested to destruction. In times of pulverising change, human beings look for an anchor.”
It is worth noting he says that the rational and faith need to go together – which has always been the traditional Church of England position. A healthy local church should hold all these together, strengthening both the church and wider community. This holding together is the opposite of the fragmentation we see round about us. It is an inclusive community in the sense that every single person is a child of God and therefore to be cherished, nurtured and valued.
In our local churches here we acknowledge both the spirituality of ancient timeless services and that of more modern worship – and above all a giving of meaning and purpose to life that transcends the fragmentation and noise we see round about us. Almost every service ends with the words “The peace of God which passes all understanding be with you.” That’s what we are offered by faith – an “anchor” in our troubled and fragmented world.
And finally, the community aspect, the bringing together, is why fairs, dog shows and cream teas are not just an optional extra but have their rightful place for local churches: it is a two-way process and I am so grateful for the many people in our villages for their help and support.
Peter