Looking back into British history, the church has not always been a very pretty sight.  Its failings come into sharp relief when any kind of a ‘U-turn’ is contemplated.  Do we really want to go back to anything associated with the kind of failings the church has exhibited through the ages?

Mood of apology

In recent years, leaders of Uturn UK worked personally with nearly 2,000 UK churches to help them to be ‘there’ for their local communities.   As these churches sought to reach out within their locality, to be available to local people and help them with their problems, there was a mood of profound apology amongst those church leaders and members.   There was, and is, a realisation that major failings have marked the ministry of churches up and down the country (and through the ages) – and that many members of the public have in fact been hurt by the church.

Many failings

One widely-recognised failing has been a ‘judgmental’ spirit, where members and leaders can regard themselves as ‘better’ than those outside the church – in spite of what their own faith teaches them.  This led to members of the public feeling criticised, rather than forgiven and helped, when they had messed up and were seeking help.  Another failing has been to be harsh in the application of doctrine or discipline.  Many people have been scarred by experiences in convent schools and the like, where a harsh and unyielding regime was common, even in the post-war era.  Recent revelations about child abuse and its subsequent cover-up only add to the litany of hurt.  This represents a huge and sustained betrayal of trust by people in authority in the church.

Furthermore, churches had in many cases become boring, even unbelieving – going through the motions of a tradition that had ceased to speak to newer generations.  So many were put off by ‘school assembly’ religion and many churches were little better (or not better at all) than meetings that regurgitated lifeless hymns and oft-recited words in a way that simply didn’t meet people where they were.

Finally, so much of the teaching and demeanour of the church, into the post-war era, was of the ‘kill-joy’ variety, which seemed to be all about “don’ts” more than “do’s”, and continued the puritanical line that all enjoyment must surely be of the Devil.

And so it is hardly surprising that much of Britain threw off the ‘yoke’ of that sort of Christianity, particularly from the 1960s; in many quarters a great cry of freedom went up as this was done.

Not all bad

This is of course a one-sided and painful account of some of what sometimes went on in the name of religion.  There always were many good-hearted churches, leaders and members, that sought to serve as best as they could, with signs of real spiritual life.  But the fact remains, as the leaders of so many churches will now willingly testify, that the record of Christianity has been severely blemished – and that this, right now, is a severe impediment to people in any sense ‘coming back’.  It is also an impediment to people understanding the Gospel, which is in fact all about the son of God, Jesus, who went about with prostitutes and others routinely looked down on (“sinners and tax collectors”), told their accusers to “cast the first stone” only if they had no sin themselves, who was immensely popular with the ordinary people, who came to lift guilt rather than impose it, and who called the religious authorities of his day “hypocrites” to their faces!

Passing on the apology

As so many British church leaders have recently been minded to apologise, most sincerely, for the shortcomings of the church, it is important here to pass that message of apology on to a wider readership – you!  The church has failed, in so many ways, to give a true account of Jesus and his ways; it has put harshness, judgment and guilt in place of love and forgiveness; and it has failed to connect with where people are at.  For this, we – as a Christian-based organisation – also want to say “sorry”, and offer profound apology to all that have experienced hurt at the hands of the church.

A new era

If the church has often taken forward its message in a clumsy (and unworthy) sort of way, that does not however immediately invalidate the message.  This is particularly the case because the original message of Jesus is of such a very different character.  In contrast to the above, many people who do go into one of the more lively churches (of which there are now many) are quite amazed by what they now find.  Forgiveness, love and acceptance are normally much more evident than anything else and there is an enthusiasm and life in many fellowships that is both surprising and attractive.  There has been a huge effort to go ‘back to the roots’, say sorry for past faults, and try again – this time with rather more success!

One of the brightest and most relaxed features of the new church scene is what is called the Alpha Course, an introduction (over a meal) to basic Christianity, which has so far been attended by about 2.5 million people in Britain.  This is offered by nearly 9,000 churches in the UK and details of the nearest ones – probably several within a mile or two of where you live - can be found at www.alphacourse.org.

If Britain is to turn over a new leaf, it will be important that churches are seeking to do the same – and important, too, that people who have historically been put off by church, should have the opportunity to re-engage with faith – and with the church that is supposed to help us sustain it.

Next: A second chance for Christianity?