{"id":143338,"date":"2026-02-17T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=143338"},"modified":"2026-02-16T17:14:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T22:14:17","slug":"telegraph-bijan-omrani-if-the-church-of-england-were-serious-about-revival-this-is-what-they-would-be-doing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=143338","title":{"rendered":"(Telegraph) Bijan Omrani–If the Church of England were serious about revival, this is what they would be doing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

…whilst it seems happy to be contending with issues of process, and to devote endless air-time to questions of same-sex marriage and minor issues from special interest groups \u2013 for example, a\u00a0crusade for sustainable flower arranging<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 there is hardly any intellectual energy or attention devoted to debating the fundamental questions of why it seems so difficult to engage the nation with the Christian message, and what the Church should do in response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the Church were serious about dealing with the decline in numbers, it would be straining every sinew to reacquaint the nation with the fundamentals of the Christian story and scripture. It would be attempting to re-propagate an inherited culture of hymns and music, choirs, liturgy, poetry and literature which brought the faith to life, and into people\u2019s lives. It would be working boldly to call for the Bible and Christian culture to be a more prominent part of school education and public life, and to remind people of the central importance of this culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the absence of this, people will simply not have the knowledge of Christianity that will allow them to come to faith, even if they have the urge to do it. When Christ and the disciples preached in Galilee and Jerusalem, they were preaching to a people who, although poor, knew scripture and the idea that a Messiah had been promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it is, the Church simply isn\u2019t doing enough. It is underpowered in spreading public knowledge of the faith. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>

Yes \u2014 the CofE must pour its main resources into parishes and into theological education at every level. Otherwise the Gen Z revival (which is certainly real, significantly, amongst youth of high ability and likely influence) could readily lapse without support. @SaveTheParish<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/DNRUJZ3CRF<\/a><\/p>— john milbank (@johnmilbank3) February 16, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>