Dear Sir
It is perhaps not surprising that an article written from a self-confessedly non-conformist standpoint should decide against the idea of Establishment (‘Breaking the Church/State Link’, EN, June). Even so, a few brief points may be made in response.
Firstly, it is not true to claim (as the piece does) that the Queen is the ‘Head of the Church of England’ – for Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and Her Majesty merely its governor.
Secondly, the separation of church and state in America is held up as a positive example to follow – yet this to ignore the profound differences in the history and ecclesial culture of our two nations.
Thirdly, the concern is raised that Establishment ‘forever allies Christianity with worldly governments’, without considering that the direction of traffic can also flow in the opposite direction: that Establishment allows the church to bring gospel concerns and values to bear on the affairs of state.
Fourthly, the article fails to consider the ‘grass roots’ advantage of Establishment: it embodies a commitment that the good news of Jesus Christ should reach to every person in the land, providing a priest to whom he may turn, and a Christian fellowship with whom he may gather. The author’s anti-Establishment views, in short, are all well and good, but one would not want them to grow too established.
Yours sincerely,
