I, a lay Anglican, am reassured by this. I want the clergy to be a bit more left-wing than me. It’s a sign that they are deeply involved in the lives of the poor, that they have a sense of solidarity with them and give those on welfare the benefit of the doubt. It is proper that a large sector of them should advocate a greater redistribution of wealth, and criticise capitalism. (There are plenty of other voices to cheer capitalism.) Ideally, they should do with great caution, rather than Guardian-leader self-righteousness. But it’s OK for a few to dabble in more radical campaigning ”“ that’s part of the Christian tradition. Overall, the survey suggests to me that the Church is in pretty good shape.
I’ve always had the distinct impression, from reading his columns, that Theo Hobson is the kind of English expat who thinks the USA=NYC.
Theo Hobson: the CofE “is in pretty good shape.” No, seriously. He actually said that. It’s hilarious.
What a dill.
Oh well, he can’t do much harm, leave him to mutter in the corner.