|
 |
|
| The Royal Albert Hall in London, opened in 1871, is renowned for the many events that have taken place there. Older readers may remember the Tom Rees evangelistic rallies in the immediate post-war years, and some may have memories of Christian occasions even further back in time. The present writer was present for the Covenanter Union Silver Jubilee in 1955 when Stephen Olford was the main speaker, and was there again for the introductory meeting for Billy Graham's campaign at Earls Court.
For the majority of people, though, the main event they associate with that venue is the annual series of Promenade Concerts organised by the BBC and, in particular, the famous Last Night of the Proms with its concluding rendering of patriotic songs. As a teenager in the late 1940s and early 50s that night came across to this writer as a terrifically moving expression of a pride in our country that was fully justified.
Fifty years ago the memory of our wartime stand for liberty was still fresh. We had our heroes and our great men and women to celebrate. The royal family occupied a place in the affections of the nation that appeared unshakeable. Through the ensuing decades that atmosphere has changed and one wonders if those who today join so lustily in the singing have that same feeling. Now we live in a more cynical world. The great are cut down to size. Respect for those in authority has diminished. National pride appears to rest on the ephemeral success of our sporting champions, here today and gone tomorrow.
Of course there are things that are better, and it would be foolish to deny that. There are achievements in which we can take considerable pride, and there are those who make a valuable contribution to the wellbeing of society here and overseas. Yet all around there is evidence of moral decay and an increasing sense of disillusionment. Material prosperity appears to provide no antidote. Perhaps for some the singing now at the Last Night of the Proms could be more a matter of nostalgic escapism than a genuine expression of present-day pride.
What has all this to do with Christians, however? Aren't we meant to be separate from all this? In one very important sense we are. Our citizenship is in heaven. We belong to a kingdom that is utterly different from any earthly empire, however great it may have been or still is. Our first and supreme loyalty is to the King of kings and Lord of lords. It was Edith Cavell, the nurse executed by the Germans during the 1914-18 War for aiding escaped British prisoners of war, who said, "Patriotism is not enough", when she disavowed all hatred and bitterness, and Christians can echo those words today with even stronger emphasis.
We cannot ignore the fact, though, that this country has had a wonderful history. It is still for many of us the best country in the world in which to live. When we become Christians and look more closely at the way God has worked in the history of our country we see how richly He has blessed it and used it across the last few centuries. Beyond any question at all it was this country and its empire by our lone stand in 1940 and the following year that made possible the ultimate defeat of Nazi Germany. We would be very wrong not to acknowledge this before God with thanksgiving for His goodness towards us.
Nor should we overlook the part this country has played in the spread of the Gospel. Recognising that the hand of God is to be seen in the working out of His providence throughout the whole world we must attribute the emergence of Protestantism in this country to no accident of history, whatever some of the means by which it took place. Even the reign of Queen Mary with its grim persecution of faithful men and women had its place in God's working. Elizabeth I's religious settlement, though it fell short of Puritan hopes, was necessary in the form it took to unite the country in its resistance to spiritual, political, and military threats from the continent.
It was oppression of the Puritans in the next century that brought about an exodus to the American settlements with the long-term implications this had for the eventual history of North America and the part it has played in the spread of Christian missions to so many other parts of the world. Critics may point to the baleful consequences of some British and American activities but in this present age sin will always manifest its presence in human shortcomings. None of that, though, can take away from the benefits now and for eternity of God-inspired Christian activity.
In recognising the part the English-speaking nations have played we should not overlook the hand of God working in and through other nations. His purposes concern not only us, but people throughout the whole world. It is the world that He loved, not the British Isles alone. Sometimes we make the mistake of forgetting that. Our patriotism can make us nationally selfcentred when, as Christians, we are meant to be true internationalists. Only as we see our country in that light can we serve her best interests as we should spiritually.
This has implications for us in facing some of our present-day problems. Ever since the Reformation Rome has sought to bring this country back into the papal fold. This is hardly surprising considering Rome's underlying belief about her position in the purposes of God.
Of course Rome has many other irons in the fire apart from the UK. There is hardly a country in the world where Rome has no problems and we are only a part of her agenda. What is our actual motivation, though, for resisting her influence today? There could be a variety of reasons. Some might simply represent uninformed prejudice. Others might arise from the perceived effects of Roman domination. Above all else, however, our supreme motivation ought to be concern for the truth of the Gospel and the rightful position in that of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the most important issue at the time of the Reformation, even though the accompanying political and military consequences have often obscured this.
Our concern for our country in this matter, therefore, must be more than the negative one of keep-ing Rome from occupying the driving seat. That way is sure to fail. Our responsibility is to declare the Gospel as plainly, as often, and to be heard by as many, as we possibly can. In other words it is to forward the kingdom of God in our land, not a material kingdom, but the building up of the body of Christ.
In this way we shall not only resist the errors of Rome, but also provide the answer to the emergence of Islamic influence in our country. There may be legitimate general questions and discussion about the scale of immigration and the problems of multi-culturalism. The threat from more militant elements, accompanied by the planning and actual carrying out of acts of terrorism, must be countered by the appropriate agencies. Social legislation is presenting new problems. These are primarily political issues. No matter at whatever level we look, however, the Christian task still remains the same, to preach the truth of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the work to which the churches are called, and it is a work that must be carried out in a genuinely Christian spirit that glorifies God.
We may well lament the state of our country today. Our patriotism can do no other when we consider the position from which we have fallen, despite all that may still be claimed for us. Even more, though, we should lament the state of the churches, and the ways in which the truth is obscured or even denied within so many. However, churches are made up of people like ourselves and we must examine ourselves to see if we really are what we should be as those who claim to be redeemed by the grace of God and born of His Spirit.
Here lies our most urgent problem, our own spiritual weakness.
That problem can only be answered by the power of God as we confess our need and call upon Him to have mercy upon us with a readiness to be obedient to His will. We need to know the truth. We need to believe the truth, but we also need to live the truth. Governments at their best can only do so much. When God works in and through His people the spiritual scene can be transformed, with consequences for society as a whole. If we believe that what are we doing about it? |
|---|
|
| back to magazine page |
|
|
