British Attitudes 2

One of the most startling facts facing the church in the British Isles is the steep decline in church-going and an increasing lack of interest in the Christian faith.  Between 7.6 and 10% attend a church on Sunday at the present time, and in some white working class areas the percentage is even lower.  Ofsted have noted that the level of ignorance about the Bible and Christianity among the young is very disturbing and even among teachers the situation is not much better.  Only half of a survey could name one of the four gospels, whereas 60% percent knew that the Koran was the sacred book of the Islamic faith.  Over 65% of British people have no contact with any church. Only 40% believe in God, whereas in America the number is 80%
We are heading for a constitutional crisis. When Prince Charles becomes the monarch the number of Muslim worshippers could exceed the number worshipping in the Anglican Church, which is the Established church of these islands.  Indeed Prince Charles has let it be known widely that he does not want to called Defender of the Faith,a title that every British monarch has used since Henry 8th, but Defender of Faiths.
The decline is especially seen in the Catholic and Methodist Churches.  It has been said that by 2030 the Methodist church will cease to exist.  There some beacons of hope among the charismatic churches, but in most churches any increase in numbers can be accounted for by the immigration of Poles and West Africans.


All this can be compared to the situation in May 1940.  The situation this country faced was nothing short of catastrophic.  Three hundred and fifty thousand of our soldiers were trapped in Dunkirk, surrounded by the victorious panzers of Rommel and Guderian.  Churchill became Prime minister on the 20th May and he decided to go down fighting rather than become the slaves of the Nazis.  On the 26th King George 6th and the Prime Minister called a National day of Prayer, an event unthinkable today.  That Sunday the churches were packed and on the very next day a decision was made to attempt the perilous evacuation of our troops from the shallow beaches of Dunkirk and the remains of adjoining heavily bombed port.  For some strange reason Hitler had ordered his tanks to halt and regroup for essential maintenance. This gave our nation a breathing space. During the next week eight hundred vessels ranging from fishing smacks and pleasure cruisers to regular destroyers lifted the whole of the British army, plus thousands of French troops, from under the noses of the Wehrmacht.  The British looked upon this deliverance as a miracle. 
One wonders what would happen to this country today if we were faced with a similar catastrophic danger


The beach and Port of Dunkirk today.