Attempts are now being made in Britain to relegate Christianity to the "border of irrelevance", according to a cathedral chief.If the attempts succeed it will mean the destruction of "a unique vision of humanity and all that is best in it."
The dire warning comes from the Subdean of Lincoln’s Anglican Cathedral, Canon Alan Nugent. The 66-year-old sets out his fears in a minster chapter letter distributed to members of the cathedral congregation on Sunday.
Canon Nugent, who has been at the once strife-torn cathedral since 2003, says it has been suggested that within 25 years, practising Christians will be excluded from senior posts in both local and national administration --- because of a "widespread" assumption that anyone confessing a robust faith "must be an extremist or irrational or both".
Canon Nugent comments: "Secularisation has been going on for a long while and has brought about the marginalisation of the Christian faith. Christian beliefs, instead of promoting the values underlying our society, are now simply regarded as a private life-style choice which should have no significant place in determining any aspect of social policy."
And he claims: "There are many who seek to exclude Christian belief from social debate because for them belief is synonymous with irrationality, prejudice and extremism."
Canon Nugent declares: "I worry that this is so. And I worry more where it will leave Christian faith in terms of British society. Will it be just a recreational extra?"
The Subdean, who was ordained in 1967, goes on: "If there has been one consistent theme passing through my years of ministry I hope it has been the promotion of a Christian faith which is at once reasonable and a revelation. "It's because I have been immersed in the gospel that I have discovered fresh and powerful understandings of humanity, of truth, of freedom --- because each of these reflects the nature and mystery of God."
Canon Nugent adds: "Having caught the vision of faith, I am deeply concerned that those people and pressures in our society that will not be content until the Christian faith is relegated to the border of irrelevance win the day. For in doing so they will destroy a unique vision of humanity and all that is best in it."
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(Source: RI)