A Lament for the Church of England: The Woke Apostasy

In the multi-coloured world of Justin Welby we find ourselves not in the wilderness of Babylon but in the shadow of our own spiritual Jerusalem, besieged by a new heresy. The Church of England, once a bastion of Christian doctrine has now taken up the mantle of what the world calls 'woke', forsaking the teachings of Christ for the fleeting acceptance of cultural trends.

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me," (Psalm 51:5) - so begins the narrative of every human, fallen yet capable of redemption. However, the Church, in its newfound wisdom seems to have confused this redemption with the temporal ideologies of the day, forsaking the eternal for the ephemeral.

The Word of God which declares, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus," (Galatians 3:28), has been distorted into a doctrine of victim-hood and division. Where once the Church sought to unite under the cross it now divides under the banners of race, gender, and cause, forsaking unity in Christ for diversity in sin.

The Church's recent endeavours, as reported, include setting aside vast sums for historical reparations, an act that while intended for reconciliation, inadvertently questions the very acts of repentance and forgiveness central to Christian teaching. "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you," (Matthew 6:14). Where is the call for forgiveness in this transactional penance?

Moreover, the embrace of so-called 'inclusive' theologies which twist Scripture to affirm lifestyles explicitly condemned therein, marks not an evolution but a betrayal of the faith once delivered to the saints. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind," (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). This passage, among others, has been either ignored or reinterpreted to fit a narrative of acceptance that Christ did not teach.

The Church, in its quest for relevance has forsaken its role as the salt of the earth, meant to preserve the teachings of Christ against the rot of cultural decay. Instead, it has become insipid, losing its savour, good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden underfoot of men (Matthew 5:13).

We see clergy, ordained to shepherd the flock, now leading them into pastures where wolves of ideology feast. They preach not from the Gospels but from the texts of secular theorists where compassion is dictated by political correctness rather than divine love. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;" (2 Timothy 4:3).

This woke movement within the Church of England is not merely a shift in social stance it is a theological insurrection, a redefining of God in the image of man's desires rather than man being transformed into the image of God. It is a call to worship at the altar of the zeitgeist rather than at the foot of the cross.

Let us pray, not for the Church to be relevant to this age, but for it to be faithful to the ages. For if the Church of England continues down this path, it will find itself not only estranged from its flock but from its very Shepherd.

"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent," (Revelation 2:5). Herein lies both the warning and the hope for the Church of England: repent, return to your first love, and be the light in the darkness, not a reflection of it.

Amen.

Brother Hereward, Inwit Monk, Order of Mercia