A daily newspaper has been something of a luxury. There was a suggestion early in the lockdown that a newspaper could be a risk. Apparently the virus could survive on paper and anyway it wasn’t a good idea to go into a shop. No great loss, you might think. You have the internet, the telly and the beloved wireless. But I have appreciated the few newspapers that have come to hand over the past few months. You know, the smell of the paper, the ink on your hands, the rage when some idiot writes something you don’t agree with.
So on Friday Gabrielle has things to do in the village and comes back with a Times. A woman named Ann Treneman has a ‘Notebook’ in which she has a go at Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Describing herself as an ‘irregular churchgoer’ she writes:
‘The Archbishop of Canterbury when asked where God was during the pandemic, said “right in the middle of it”. Hmm. I take that to mean that the Almighty will be down the pub this Saturday, because no one can accuse the church itself of being anywhere near the action.‘
This kind of thing seems to be part of a journalistic theme at the moment. At the beginning of the lockdown the historian Simon Heffer writing in the Telegraph describes himself as ‘overtly godless’ but nevertheless criticises Justin Welby for his lack of spiritual leadership. A similar piece appeared in the Spectator recently written by the well-known controversialist Douglas Murray who in the past has described himself as a ‘Christian Atheist’. As well as indulging in a bit of Welby-bashing he accuses the Church of England leadership generally as being docile in the face of government pressure to close down the church buildings:
‘Perhaps they saw the opportunity for a longish sabbatical or a chance to rest their knees.’
Murray acknowledges the online services and devotional material (including blogs!) which are being provided and the fact that Justin Welby is doing a stint among Covid-19 victims in a London hospital but he doesn’t allow any of this to affect his main argument that the Church has been spectacularly remiss during the epidemic.
The interesting thing about all of the above is that at best, like Treneman, they are on the fringes of Church life or at worst, like Heffer and Murray, entirely absent. So what do we take from this? Being as charitable as possible, they may be hungering for spiritual reality in their lives and the Church of England’s output is just not satisfying them. Or maybe they have to write about something and the Church is an easy target.
If these journalists are looking for serious theological thinking in the face of a pandemic then this is not hard to find. In the earliest days I found Professor Donald Macleod’s essay on God and the pandemic both challenging and comforting. This can be accessed on his website. There have also been contributions from John C. Lennox, John Piper, Tom Wright and Walter Breuggeman. All honest grapplings with our vision of God and the challenges we face in the pandemic.
If these journalists wish to engage in some form of worship then they are spoiled for choice. There is scarcely a parish church in the UK that is not working hard to provide something online. In response to Murray’s piece a letter was printed in the Spectator signed by 4 bishops in which they point out that over 5, 000 parishes in England are now offering worship online. The picture is not much different in Scotland and far from ministers enjoying ‘a longish sabbatical or a chance to rest their knees’ we are finding that live-streaming and recording are far from an easy option.
It crosses my mind that any defense we raise will have little effect on our three journalists. At the best of times they appear to be dismissive of the Church and they are aware that the worst of times is always a challenge to the Church so let’s just turn the screws. Reading that back I am aware that might come over as more than a little sour but sometimes experience does that to you. The antidote, however, is to be grateful for those who have worked through the theological issues in these Covid-19 days and have been courageous enough to go into print. Also, to be grateful to colleagues in many denominations who have worked hard at sustaining online worship as well as supporting the sick and bereaved when the pastoral care they would normally give has not been possible. Their Christian witness has been unflagging.
I do not believe any of this has gone unnoticed by God. His Word assures us that nothing that is done for the Kingdom is ever in vain and that is despite unfriendly judgements. In the end His is the only judgement that matters.
