Sir Cliff to the rescue

Today, we carry in the main paper a lengthy spread and commentary about the latest Religious Trends, where Christian Research finds that church attendance in this country is declining at such a rate that within a generation, mosque attendance will outnumber churchgoing. Followed up by The Lead among others, it seemed to me that there was a link that the Government is failing to address in its current thinking on the issue of 'Britishness' between religion and identity. Well there is one man who perhaps can save both the Christian religion in Britain, and even British identity itself, from extinction. In my view, this man personifies Britishness, a man both timeless in his appeal and in the strength of feeling he arouses in people. It is Sir Cliff Richard. Later today, he is launching his new book and CD of his 50 Favourite Bible Stories.  (Update Friday: Another spread, this time featuring Sir Cliff and his book of Bible stories, in the paper today.)

To illustrate the strange way Sir Cliff fits into our culture, and how he epitomises the contradictory nature of 'Britishness', witness this from our office today.

A senior editor tells me we want to do this properly, write a nice piece about him, get one of our 'great writers', Ben Macintyre, along.

I am now full of evangelical fervour for my ever-favourite pop star, and pleasantly surprised at the enthusiasm for him that seems to exist at The Times.

I had a good show in the paper today. Lambeth will soon be over. The sun is shining. I start humming Summer Holiday to myself.

'Shall I ask him to sing?' I suggest brightly,

'Goodness no,' says the editor, looking utterly appalled. 'Whatever you do, don't do that.'

I run off quickly, before he can sack me.

News and taste, it seems, do not always coincide. Sometimes the wire over the chasm between damnation and salvation can be an exceedingly narrow one indeed for a religion correspondent in Britain today.

Comments

[George Sign]

It fascinates me that anyone seriously believes in the major religions. They are all man made and it's easy to see why. If you are born in a Muslim country chances are you will be Muslim. If born in a Christian country you will be a Christian, etc etc.. What does this tell you? Indoctrination starts at birth.

[Ian Chisnall]

The data on church attendance always makes for interesting reading, particularly if it is bad news. However as Coordinator of Hope08 I can assure readers and Ms Gledhill that the Church (ie the people who follow Jesus) is strong and thriving. We have seen interest in Hope08 initiatives from people in over 1400 locations throughout the UK, expressing their faith in all sorts of imaginative ways. Perhaps that would make a story for tommorrow?

[christoph]

great singer.great religion.

[Kevin Crinks]

Those who bewail the declining numbers attenbing church services should remember that it is up to them to get their bum on the pew.

The Church does its bit, it's up to them to reciprocate.

[George Parr]

Before any Anglicans can endorse THIS as a good idea, it must of course be determined absolutely by Super Christians exactly what Sir Cliff's [snip] consists of. [big snip] Predictably the faithful will have to split into Richardists and Cliffhangers for this to work!

[Yunus]

Are you going to mention his dreadful religious movies? His plastic surgery? If he will be offering his holiday home to Gordon now he's looked beleagured? His [snip] his platonic relationships? If he still thinks homosexuality is a dangerous sin like he did when he was pals with Mrs Whitehouse? Good luck with your contribution to Cliff's Clean Image PLC. It takes some skill to stay squeakier than the Osmonds.

(rg writes: has it occured to you that he might be genuinely a good person? why is there such a lack of trust in the possibility that someone who looks clean and behaves in a clean way might actually be clean? as far as I am concerned he is not so much a living doll, more a living saint. leave cliff alone!)

[kevin]

My mother adores Cliff Richard but she's in her late seventies...I'm a atheist and somewhat younger.

[David Keen]

Ok Ruth, help us out here. There is no record on the Christian Research website of the latest Religious Trends publication, nor is it in any online bookshop you might expect to stock it (Amazon, Eden, Wesley Owen etc.)

I feel a bit daft asking, but is the article based on a new report, or on something Christian Research have already published? It's quite hard to check sources when you can't find them!

(rg writes: it is strange isn't it how reluctant they are to publicise their own research and how coy they are being now I've publicised it for them. I wonder why??? The report was published on Tuesday. It is called 'Religious Trends 7' ISBN 978-1-85321-176-8. Everything in my story is properly substantiated by the graphs and figures in the report. I've checked this morning with the Church of England and the director of communications, Peter Crumpler, says there is nothing wrong with my journalism with regards to this story.)

[An American Observer]

Churches in the U.S. have had to deal with declining membership as well. In my view, it's because for a long time they acted as if they were still in the 1950s, when a person had to attend church to be considered "respectable." As such, they just assumed that the next generation would follow suit, so they neglected Sunday School, youth activities, and university chaplaincies.

Churches that have been successful in retaining younger members and attracting young couples with children give them age-appropriate training in the Christian faith and almost more important, give them something to do within the parish, whether it's serving at the altar, doing charitable work, singing in a voluntary youth choir, or planning and working on social events.

[Tony Lane]

You report that Christian Research finds that it's recent survey shows the Church of England is in terminal decline. Good headline grabbing stuff, but who are CR and what evidence was its report based on? Was it independently verified?
If CR and your reporter would care to get out into the towns and villages I am sure that they will both find that the C o E is in good shape and thriving. In our parish, the Church has a solid core of 2-300 regular weekly worshippers of all ages, and who are also active in many aspects of the community.
I know of many other dynamic and expanding Christian churches in a variety of locations around the country, including a part of London, not usually reported because of its Christian values.
Come on, M/s Gledhill get out of your ivory tower, and meet real people. Write something positive and good about what is actually happening in our towns and villages. Take risks - you may surprise yourself.

[Clive]

Judging by some of the narrow minded views expressed by some of those closest to my local church it is hardly surprising that Christianity is in decline. Centuries of high level Christian thought replaced by the most simplistic televangilism.

[John McD]

George Sign,

I don't suppose it has occurred to you that Islam and Christianity are variations of the same belief/knowledge?

I'm sure you're aware of the external knowledge/rules that science and logic has always been based on. Since the branch of rational thought that is boolean logic and maths relies on such external rules, why should not any other area of rational thought.

If human consciousness amazes you then perhaps it should think harder about it before ignorantly dismissing it.

Just a thought.

[stephen clark]

I think you should ask for your own personal concert.
For heaven's sake your job has to have some perks!

[FrDavid]

George presumably was born into a secular democracy which supposes religion is man-made. What does that tell him of the way he's been indoctrinated?

[iain rae]

Falling church attendances is only lamented by those with a vested interest.Mature educated adults have no problem of personal British identity and can enjoy visiting empty churches without having to believe in the supernatural.

[Zac]

three of my favourites for Cliff:

"Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death. And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast. And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death." (Leviticus 24, 16-21)

" But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes........... I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: ............ and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you......I will punish you seven times more for your sins. ....... And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.......And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation,....... And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste..." (Leviticus 26,14-33)

"And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:
Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took...there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us." (Deuteronomy 2, 33-36).

[Stephen Trott]

The CD is a great idea, but for it to have maximum impact it needs to be published free of copyright.

In that way it can be published and downloaded freely on the internet, by many times the number of those who would buy a CD.

There must be many other well-known Christians, in addition to Cliff, who could also make a big contribution to evangelism in this way, in English and in many other languages.

Perhaps Cliff could set an example with this very welcome CD?

[David Keen]

I still can't work out how the figures quoted from the report in Quadrant, a CR publication

http://www.christian-research.org.uk/quad.htm

which put Anglican attendance in England at 1.89m, and in the UK at 3m, square with the 0.89m reported in your spread yesterday.

Is the 0.89m figure attendance, electoral roll, or something else? Ok, by any measure it's decline, but nothing like as catastrophic as what was reported.

(rg writes: thank you David you have quite properly been raising this point on a number of other blogs as well. I've just posted a new blog including the exact tables on which I based my report, and which detail church attendance which is what I wrote about. I am uncertain where the Quadrant figures come from.

There is another table in the report besides the ones I've posted. It is number 12.5.1, and it details church members in the UK rather than attendance. The figures there are 5.6 million for 2005, 5.5 million for 2010 and 1.4 for 2050. That is for all churches, not just CofE. The same table does list CofE membership as well, which is put at 1.268 million for 2005, 1.140 for 2010 and a mere 328,200 for 2050. These are all in chapter 12, the chapter which contains the forecasts.

I think Benita Hewitt of Christian Research has been extremely ill-advised to say my story is 'misleading'. It is a classic case of 'shoot the messenger'. Peter Crumpler at Church House, the head of communications, is himself saying that the problem here is not with the journalism. However I do feel sorry for Benita and am praying for her and her organisation. I suggest we all do the same.)

[Rick Beekman]

Zac;
Great teaching The Word Brother!

John McD;
You stated; "Christianity and Islam are variations of the same belief/knowledge." to a small degree you are correct.

Christians believe of course that Jesus Christ is God Almighty. Islam believes "Allah" is God Almighty.

Islam believes Mohammed was Their Prophet of God and Islam believes Jesus was only a Prophet.

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is The only God not just a "Great Prophet"

Islam Believes God Had no Son so The "Virgin Birth" of Jesus is Un-True. Islam teaches Ishmael was the sacrifice offered by Abraham to God out of Obedience. Christians know Isaac the other son of Abraham was the chosen one. Giving Israel The Blessing Over Ishmael and Islam.
There Were 12 Apostles Of Jesus/Twelve tribes of Israel/Twelve tribes of Islam.

The fact remains Jesus Christ who is God manifested in The Flesh (I Timothy 3 v 16). God went to Calvary robed in a human body to shed his sinless blood for we worthless humans...Allah nor Mohammed went to the cross for your sins. Jesus Died(The human Form of God) Around 33AD...Mohammed came along in 600 PlusAD And tells The World He Is The Prophet Of God Etc.

Conclusion; Why Then did GOD then say nailed to The Cross "It is Finished" (John 19 v 30).
Since Jesus said It was finished why then 600 years later would he change his mind and Change his name to "Allah" and get a "New" Prophet..Mohammed? Answer He Did'nt.....