Latest / Chapel Talks / An Implication - Class in the 2020s and beyond | Kirsten Birkett | School of Theology 2026

Transcript

An Implication - Class in the 2020s and beyond | Kirsten Birkett | School of Theology 2026 · Chapel Talks

0:00
Thank you very much for inviting me to speak.
0:02
It's been a while since I've been in this lecture
0:05
theatre. Feels very familiar. Let me just read
0:11
to you what Matthew sent me. He said, consider
0:15
the issue of class and ethnicity, class and nationalism.
0:21
looking at how we speak theologically and practically
0:23
as local ministers, churches and individual believers
0:26
into our increasingly fraught and fractured wider
0:29
society. And that's just the first half. So no
0:36
pressure then. I can't possibly give you answers
0:40
to all of these topics, but what I'm going to
0:43
hopefully finish today with is just some reflections.
0:48
are arranged around these sorts of ideas as we
0:52
look at implications of some of the things we've
0:57
been hearing today. Well, contemporary British
1:02
society is very fractured, isn't it? It's fractured
1:07
around questions of class, ethnicity, nationalism
1:11
and identity. Economic inequality has widened
1:16
over recent decades, while public debate has
1:19
become increasingly polarised. Political discourse
1:23
frequently frames communities against one another.
1:28
Conflict has always made good television and
1:31
now it makes good social media as well. So we
1:35
get urban against rural, working class against
1:38
middle class, migrant against native -born, cosmopolitan
1:41
against patriotic. And social media just intensifies
1:46
the outrage. We often prefer simplistic narratives
1:52
over patient understanding. And so within this
1:56
environment, Christian ministers, churches and
2:01
believers are confronted with difficult theological
2:04
and pastoral questions. How should Christians
2:09
speak into a culture marked by resentment? and
2:14
fragmentation? How should churches respond when
2:18
national symbols such as the flag of St George
2:21
become contested signs associated with exclusion?
2:27
What should Christians make of movements such
2:30
as Unite the Kingdom marches, which claim to
2:33
defend national identity yet can also be seen
2:36
to communicate hostility towards outsiders? How
2:42
can the gospel be proclaimed without becoming
2:45
captive either to partisan nationalism or some
2:50
kind of dismissive elitism? Well, as we look
2:55
at class in the 2020s and beyond, I do want to
3:00
comment a bit on the rise of Christian nationalism,
3:03
which is certainly not limited to one class.
3:06
But in popular depictions, it is linked heavily
3:09
with traditionally working class and benefits
3:12
class cultures. And I also want to point out
3:17
these are not academic concerns. They're not
3:20
abstract concerns. I mean, they emerge in local
3:24
congregations. They emerge in neighbourhoods
3:27
where people experience insecurity about their
3:31
housing, about their employment. where people
3:36
are concerned about immigration, about cultural
3:39
change and political representation. Many working
3:44
class communities feel neglected, both economically
3:48
and culturally, and some perceive churches, universities
3:53
and political institutions as dominated by middle
3:56
class voices that are not listening to them.
4:00
At the same time, minority ethnic communities
4:03
often experience exclusion. racism and suspicion
4:07
in precisely those contexts where national identity
4:11
is being most loudly asserted. Churches are not
4:16
immune from these tensions. Congregations can
4:19
unconsciously mirror the caste divisions and
4:23
ethnic anxieties of the wider society. So the
4:29
challenge is not merely political but theological.
4:36
must ask what it means to confess Jesus Christ
4:38
as Lord in a society increasingly organised around
4:43
competing identities and grievances. The Gospel
4:48
speaks to these questions. It speaks to questions
4:52
of belonging, of dignity, of neighbourliness,
4:56
of justice and reconciliation. But the church
5:01
must learn how to speak these answers in ways
5:04
that are truthful, compassionate and attentive
5:08
to lived experiences. Christian witness cannot
5:14
be aligned uncritically with nationalism if that
5:18
means excluding those whom Christ welcomes. But
5:23
it can't dismiss concerns about national identity
5:26
if it is to not appear detached from concerns
5:33
about economic insecurity. The task of ministry
5:39
is always deeply complex and it seems to be getting
5:44
even more complex. Well, how do we understand
5:50
these questions of class and ethnicity? Questions
5:54
of class and ethnicity are deeply interconnected
5:59
in modern Britain. In public discussion, we can
6:04
treat them separately and they often are treated
6:06
separately, but people's lived experience demonstrates
6:09
that economic inequality and ethnic identity
6:13
frequently overlap. Working class white communities
6:18
can feel economically abandoned and culturally
6:21
mocked. while minority ethnic communities may
6:25
face disadvantage and racial discrimination.
6:28
And political rhetoric sometimes encourages these
6:32
groups to see each other as competitors for resources.
6:40
Class has historically been central to British
6:43
identity. We heard from Matthew this morning
6:47
the way in which industrialisation created strong
6:51
working class communities shaped by labour, locality
6:56
and collective solidarity. And churches often
7:01
stood physically and socially within these communities.
7:06
Parish churches and Methodist chapels provided
7:09
not only spiritual care but also education. welfare
7:13
and social cohesion. But deindustrialisation
7:19
in the late 20th century devastated many local
7:22
economies. Stable employment disappeared from
7:25
former mining towns, docklands and manufacturing
7:28
centres, and in many places this economic dislocation
7:32
produced generational unemployment, addiction
7:36
and poor health and social despair. At the same
7:42
time, Britain was becoming more and more ethnically
7:45
diverse through migration from Caribbean, South
7:50
Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. This diversity
7:56
has raised questions in a lot of people's minds
7:59
concerning national identity and social integration.
8:04
And I'm sure you can remember all the different
8:07
metaphors that have been used from... You know,
8:11
in what way do we expect people to integrate
8:14
into an existing culture? Economic hardship and
8:21
rapid demographic change sometimes occurred simultaneously,
8:26
particularly in poorer urban areas. And so in
8:30
such contexts, frustration about housing shortages,
8:34
overstretched public services or low wages could
8:38
easily become... It wasn't necessarily that the
8:44
problem was immigration, but it's so easy for
8:48
immigration to become the visible target of people
8:50
who are concerned about other things, about their
8:54
insecurity in various ways. Churches have often
8:59
struggled to address these realities adequately.
9:04
Some churches have spoken prophetically against
9:07
racism. while failing to engage seriously with
9:10
class resentment and economic insecurity. Others
9:15
have focused heavily on traditional national
9:18
values while neglecting the experiences of minority
9:21
communities. The danger in both cases is reductionism.
9:27
Human beings are never only members of one group,
9:31
yet social structures profoundly shape or how
9:38
we speak about social structures profoundly shapes
9:41
people's experiences and perceptions. Now theologically,
9:47
Christianity insists on the equal dignity of
9:50
all people because all are made in the image
9:53
of God. All people are in God's image, all people
9:58
are sinners, all people are in need of the redeeming
10:02
death of Christ. This challenges all forms of
10:08
racial hierarchy and ethnic supremacy. Christian
10:12
theology at the same time recognises the reality
10:15
of sin and the tendency in every human heart
10:18
to want to create an in -group and an out -group.
10:22
We want to have someone to look down on. That's
10:26
the essence of pride. And so humans will always
10:29
create ways of excluding someone to look down
10:33
upon. The New Testament church wrestled with
10:38
precisely these tensions. Early Christianity
10:41
brought together Jews and Gentiles whose histories,
10:44
customs and identities were profoundly different.
10:49
The Apostle Paul repeatedly confronted divisions
10:52
concerning status, ethnicity and belonging. In
10:58
Galatians 3 .28, he famously declares that in
11:01
Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave
11:04
nor free. This doesn't erase social distinctions,
11:08
but it rightly relativises them before the greater
11:11
reality of belonging to Christ. And importantly,
11:16
the New Testament vision of unity is not homogenising.
11:23
The book of Revelation imagines people from every
11:26
tribe, language and nation worshipping together
11:30
before God. Christian unity is not achieved through
11:35
forced sameness. And this has profound implications
11:40
for our churches. Congregations should neither
11:44
deny cultural difference nor permit such differences
11:48
to become grounds for exclusion or superiority.
11:55
So, as we experience these tensions, We've got
12:00
both tensions between classes and tensions between
12:04
ethnicities, and those tensions are sometimes
12:08
conveniently made to collide because that suits
12:11
political discourse. In this context, we get
12:15
the rise of something like Christian nationalism.
12:19
And nationalism is one of the most powerful forces
12:23
emerging to shape modern political imagination.
12:29
Now, at its best, something like nationalism
12:31
can express gratitude for shared history, a certain
12:36
cultural memory and a social solidarity. Love
12:43
of place, language and tradition is not inherently
12:46
sinful. Christianity itself values facedness.
12:52
Jesus was born into a specific people and culture.
12:57
The incarnation affirms that human beings do
13:01
belong somewhere. But nationalism becomes dangerous
13:07
when national identity is elevated into some
13:11
kind of ultimate loyalty. The 20th century demonstrated
13:15
repeatedly how nationalism can descend into exclusion,
13:20
xenophobia and violence. When the nation itself
13:24
becomes sacred, Outsiders become threats and
13:28
dissenters become enemies. In contemporary Britain,
13:34
nationalism is often entangled with class anxieties.
13:38
Many working class communities feel that the
13:40
political elites have ignored or despised their
13:44
concerns. National symbols such as the flying
13:48
of the flag of St George can therefore function
13:51
as assertions of visibility and dignity. Flying
13:55
the flag may express a desire to reclaim local
13:58
identity and pride in communities that feel economically
14:02
and culturally marginalised. But symbols don't
14:07
operate in a vacuum. For many minority ethnic
14:11
Britons, the flag of St George carries much more
14:15
ambiguous associations. Some people may see it
14:20
simply as an English national symbol. Others
14:24
associate it with football hooliganism, with
14:27
far -right movements or anti -immigrant sentiment.
14:31
Context matters enormously. A flag displayed
14:35
during a community celebration may communicate
14:39
welcome and belonging. It may be communicating,
14:42
come and join us. The same flag displayed alongside
14:46
aggressive rhetoric about migrants or taking
14:49
back the country. may communicate hostility and
14:53
exclusion. We need to attend carefully to these
14:58
ambiguities. It's too simplistic either to condemn
15:03
all expressions of national identity as racist
15:06
or to insist that national symbols are always
15:10
innocent. Christians are called to discern the
15:15
meanings that symbols acquire in practice. Movements
15:20
such as Unite the Kingdom marches similarly reveals
15:23
that sort of complex dynamic. Supporters may
15:28
describe such events as expressions of patriotism,
15:31
concern for social cohesion or defence of traditional
15:35
values. And I'm sure there are many people that
15:38
is genuinely all that they're thinking about.
15:41
But critics can interpret the same march as locals
15:45
for being exclusionary nationalism. or coded
15:49
hostility towards migrants and minorities. The
15:54
church cannot respond merely through slogans.
15:58
Instead, Christians must ask a deeper question.
16:01
Who feels included with the imagined nation that
16:06
they're defending? Who feels excluded? What fears
16:10
and hopes are motivating participants? And how
16:14
does the rhetoric used reflect or distort the
16:18
gospel? One danger for churches is moral condescension.
16:25
Middle -class Christians may quickly dismiss
16:27
working -class patriotism as ignorant or xenophobic
16:31
without listening seriously to experiences of
16:35
economic insecurity, social fragmentation or
16:38
political abandonment. As one who was looking
16:42
on as an outsider during the Brexit vote, I could
16:46
see this happening over and over again. The demonisation
16:51
of the other side happened continually, but also
16:56
that each side accused the other ones of being
16:58
the ones who were demonising them. And conversations
17:02
would descend into it almost immediately. Given
17:08
that so many of our evangelical churches are
17:12
middle class, we have to be very careful that
17:16
that sort of condescension is not reflected in
17:20
the way we talk. That kind of dismissiveness
17:23
just deepens resentment and alienation. Christian
17:28
ministry requires attentive listening. We can't
17:35
dismiss these concerns about national identity,
17:42
but neither can we baptise nationalism in Christian
17:45
language. Throughout history, Christianity has
17:48
been used to legitimize national superiority
17:51
or imperial ambition. And when crosses and flags
17:56
become too closely intertwined, the gospel is
17:59
distorted. Jesus consistently refused political
18:05
messianism. Can't say that word. He refused to
18:10
become a political messiah. His kingdom transcended
18:14
political borders and welcomed outsiders. But
18:19
the tension is unavoidable in our current context.
18:23
Christians belong simultaneously to earthly nations
18:26
and to the kingdom of God. Augustine famously
18:30
described believers as citizens of both the earthly
18:33
city and the city of God. The earthly city will
18:38
be shaped by competing loves and power struggles.
18:42
while the city of God is ordered towards divine
18:44
love and peace. Christians can't withdraw entirely
18:49
from national life, but neither can they identify
18:51
the kingdom of God with any particular nation
18:54
state. And by the way, I would recommend reading
18:59
Augustine's The City of God, well, at any time
19:02
really, but especially right now. So as we speak
19:08
into this fraught situation, Let us pay particular
19:13
attention to the kind of language we use. How
19:17
we speak about these issues matters profoundly.
19:21
Language can heal or wound. In a polarised culture,
19:25
speech often becomes performative and adversarial
19:30
and social media only plays into this because,
19:34
frankly speaking, that's what's going to get
19:37
you the clicks and the likes. That is what is
19:40
going to propel the machine. Public discourse
19:44
rewards outrage rather than understanding, and
19:47
churches are not immune from this temptation.
19:51
So ministers are going to face pressures from
19:55
multiple directions. Some of the people in your
19:59
congregations will expect explicit political
20:03
alignment. And we'll see it as a portrayal of
20:06
the gospel if you don't explicitly align Christianity
20:09
with one particular group or party. Others will
20:15
demand neutrality and see it as a portrayal of
20:19
the gospel if you do connect with any particular
20:23
political view. And again, social media is just
20:28
going to amplify the conflict. So practically...
20:34
One thing this means is resisting caricatures.
20:37
It's very easy to portray all expressions of
20:41
patriotism as racist or all concerns about racism
20:44
as anti -British. And that kind of binary thinking
20:48
just obscures the complexity. Christian ministers
20:53
are going to have to cultivate a very nuanced
20:56
public language that acknowledges complexity
20:59
and resist. the temptation to give slogans and
21:04
clickbait. For example, churches can affirm that
21:10
many people display the flag of St George out
21:12
of genuine affection for their country and their
21:14
local community. Simultaneously, churches can
21:18
acknowledge that some people experience such
21:20
symbols as intimidating because of their association
21:24
with extremist movements. Both realities can
21:28
be true at once. And pastoral wisdom requires
21:31
holding these tensions together without collapsing
21:35
into the slogans. Similarly, Christians should
21:40
avoid language that dismisses entire social groups.
21:45
Now, I realise this is difficult. Sometimes terms
21:49
such as left -behind communities, white working
21:52
class, immigrant communities, they're convenient
21:55
shorthand. for the complex realities that we're
21:59
trying to talk about. But they can also flatten
22:03
human complexity. We should speak about people
22:07
first as persons made in God's image rather than
22:11
primarily as demographic categories. And we also
22:17
need to listen. Effective ministry begins not
22:21
with pronouncement but with... No, that's the
22:26
wrong thing to say. Sorry, I didn't mean to say
22:28
that. We need to listen to the communities we're
22:33
speaking into. Ministers who never enter working
22:38
-class estates or immigrant neighbourhoods will
22:42
struggle to have credibility speaking about either.
22:46
Churches need spaces where people from different
22:48
backgrounds can encounter one another as neighbours
22:51
rather than stereotypes. And churches are almost
22:56
uniquely positioned to be able to provide that
22:59
sort of hospitality. As we listen to people,
23:06
it requires attentiveness to pain because working
23:10
class anger is often rooted in real experiences
23:13
of neglect, of economic precarity and cultural
23:17
humiliation. And if you haven't experienced what
23:21
it's like to live on the edge, you don't know
23:23
just how stressful that is. So listen to people.
23:30
Minority ethnic fear is often rooted in real
23:32
experiences of discrimination and exclusion.
23:36
It's not enough to say, well, they prove that
23:38
there's no structural racism. I mean, that's
23:41
not the point. Those particular studies proved
23:44
one thing. But you have to listen to people's
23:47
actual experience of what it's been like to live.
23:50
And Christian ministry can't afford to validate
23:53
just one form of suffering. Everybody has their
23:57
own forms of suffering. So how do we conduct
24:04
a local ministry in this kind of society? So
24:07
far, it's certainly pretty impossible. And local
24:12
ministers do have... a uniquely difficult position
24:15
in some of these issues. So unlike national commentators
24:21
or politicians, the local church leaders minister
24:25
among actual people whose lives intersect with
24:28
them daily. A single congregation might include
24:32
older working -class patriots, recent migrants,
24:36
middle -class professionals, unemployed young
24:39
adults, and people shaped by profoundly different
24:42
political narratives. In fact, we would like
24:46
it if our congregations included all those groups.
24:49
That's actually what we're aiming for. The minister's
24:53
task is not to silence disagreement artificially,
24:57
but to cultivate a community where disagreement
25:00
doesn't destroy fellowship. Now, this requires
25:05
theological depth as well as pastoral patience
25:08
and probably a good deal of moral courage. It
25:13
would be much easier just to serve one social
25:17
group at a time. A congregation can easily become
25:21
culturally middle class, even while proclaiming
25:25
universal welcome, just because it's easier to
25:28
stick with people like you. But remember that
25:35
we are called to be hospitable and hospitable
25:38
to strangers. And hospitable is not just friendliness.
25:43
Biblically, hospitality involves bringing the
25:47
stranger in. In practice, this may involve churches
25:51
examining whether their styles, their leadership
25:54
structures and social cultures unintentionally
25:58
exclude certain groups. Would a smoker feel comfortable
26:03
inside your church services? You need to deliberately
26:09
think of who are the people you would like to
26:12
bring in and what things might they feel uncomfortable
26:16
about. And sometimes you won't know until you
26:18
actually start talking to people about what it's
26:21
like walking into your church. Ministers have
26:27
to preach prophetically. against some of the
26:31
problems we're seeing. We must realise that racism
26:35
contradicts the gospel because it denies the
26:38
equal dignity of human beings created in God's
26:41
image and that class contempt similarly also
26:44
contradicts the gospel. Sneering attitudes towards
26:49
working class culture, towards their accents,
26:52
even towards their patriotism. are profoundly
26:55
damaging and often overlooked within educated
26:59
church cultures. Middle class good manners are
27:03
not the same as godliness. And this needs to
27:07
be addressed overtly because people just won't
27:10
realise. It's so easy if you've always been a
27:14
Christian in a middle class context to assume
27:16
that the nice people around you are models of
27:19
what Christians ought to be. But it's not the
27:22
same thing. The gospel will undermine any culture
27:26
and it takes work to work out what exactly is
27:29
the Christian culture that we're aiming for.
27:34
The issue of accents is particularly significant
27:37
in Britain. How people speak remains deeply tied
27:41
to perceptions of intelligence, respectability
27:45
and authority. Received pronunciation still carries
27:50
social prestige. while regional or working class
27:54
accents may be unfairly associated with ignorance
27:57
or aggression. And you can see this in the way
28:02
people's body language even reacts to another
28:06
individual once they hear the accent. Is the
28:10
body language reacting in attention, and this
28:14
is someone I need to listen to, or is it reacting
28:16
in, I'm now a bit suspicious of this person?
28:21
Again, these are issues that need to be addressed
28:24
overtly because people won't realise that they're
28:26
doing it. And ministers must create space for
28:32
difficult conversations. Avoiding controversial
28:37
issues is easier, but it allows resentment and
28:42
misinformation to grow unchecked. So churches
28:46
can become places where fears about immigration,
28:49
identity and economic insecurity can be discussed
28:53
honestly without descending into hostility. Oh
28:56
yes, I know what a big ask that is. I know how
28:59
difficult it will be to curate and to chair these
29:04
sorts of discussions. But the goal is not victory
29:08
in an argument. The goal is mutual understanding
29:12
and discernment. So studying the Bible, having
29:16
a shared meal, hearing people's testimonies,
29:20
these sorts of things are all part of helping
29:23
people actually encounter each other and listen
29:26
to each other rather than retreating into political
29:30
abstractions. And all of this needs to be grounded
29:35
in church discipleship. We're not just... creating
29:43
social action for the sake of it. Our primary
29:47
identity is not political, but spiritual. What
29:51
we are trying to do is create mature Christians
29:54
who know how to love. And so we need to gather
29:59
around the word before being engaged in public
30:02
controversy. This matters because it reorients
30:06
what our human identity actually is as sinners
30:10
in need of Christ. Christian unity is not just
30:15
sentimental and it's not just structural. Churches
30:20
proclaim a unity through the shared truth, the
30:26
truth that actually gives people identity and
30:29
actually teaches people how to relate to each
30:31
other. And that means that the church can create
30:36
an alternative community. So now I'm going to
30:40
talk for a bit about... the church as alternative
30:44
community. Because we're more than just commentators
30:49
on society. The church actually embodies an alternative
30:53
social reality shaped by the kingdom of God.
30:56
It gives people a new peer group to belong to
31:01
and to model themselves by. This is not withdrawal
31:05
from society, but a faithful presence within
31:08
it. Inviting people to church is astonishingly
31:13
powerful. I think it's easy for us to forget
31:15
just how radical a community a church can be.
31:21
Just by existing as groups of people with meaning
31:25
who show hospitality, we are being radical. Christian
31:31
communities witness powerfully just by being
31:34
Christian communities. In an age of fragmentation,
31:37
these sorts of communities are deeply counter
31:40
-cultural. Society increasingly sorts people
31:45
into homogenous groups based on, well, you know,
31:48
all the different identities they can be based
31:50
on. But churches possess the unique possibility
31:54
of gathering people who would otherwise rarely
31:57
encounter one another. But it's not automatic.
32:02
Many churches sadly do reflect the segregation
32:05
of wider society. Congregations easily become
32:09
overwhelmingly middle class, ethnically homogenous
32:12
or politically uniform because it's just easier.
32:16
It's easier to be with people like you and it's
32:19
easier to walk into a group of people who seem
32:22
to look like you. So it's going to require intentional
32:28
effort. One practical implication involves leadership.
32:34
We've talked a bit about this today. Churches
32:39
do need to be conscious about seeking leadership
32:43
that reflects the diversity of the body of Christ.
32:47
Working class voices and minority ethnic voices
32:50
shouldn't just be included symbolically, but
32:54
genuinely. It's hard to do because in a context
33:00
where everyone's busy and resources are stretched,
33:02
it's much easier. to go to the person who by
33:05
their upbringing and background already has confidence
33:08
and public speaking skills and those sorts of
33:12
abilities. It's harder to see the potential in
33:16
someone who didn't grow up that way but can be
33:19
nurtured and taught to have those qualities and
33:23
be a truly biblical leader. But we have to do
33:28
that hard thing because otherwise, well, we're
33:33
not. being faithful to God's witness and we're
33:39
just going to continue to perpetuate our stereotypes.
33:46
So, yeah, genuinely raising up different leaders.
33:50
Another implication concerns mission. Churches
33:54
often focus outreach towards groups that resemble
33:57
the existing members. But the gospel constantly
34:02
moves to... the groups that are not the same
34:06
as the existing members. So if we're going to
34:10
look at ministry in more deprived areas, that's
34:13
going to require long -term commitment rather
34:15
than just temporary charitable projects. The
34:22
New Testament describes Christians as aliens
34:25
and strangers in the world, and that's an important
34:27
reality to keep hold of. Christians belong everywhere
34:31
and nowhere. And importantly, our mission should
34:38
avoid paternalism. Working class communities
34:42
and migrant communities are not merely recipients
34:44
of church benevolence. They possess gifts, wisdom,
34:50
and they need the gospel. Effective ministry
34:53
involves partnership, not just rescue narratives.
34:57
Don't just provide food for poor people, eat
35:01
with them. Talk with them. Get to know them.
35:08
Jesus redefined community repeatedly throughout
35:11
the Gospels. When he was asked, who is my neighbour,
35:16
he knew he was really being asked, who is not
35:19
my neighbour? And he responded with the parable
35:22
of the Good Samaritan, in which the hero belonged
35:25
to a despised out -group. The parable destabilises
35:31
our natural tendency towards tribalism by insisting
35:35
that neighbourliness transcends ethnic and social
35:38
boundaries. It transcends people like you. Now,
35:43
this does not require Christians to abandon local
35:46
or national attachment. It's okay to love your
35:50
country. It's even okay to be sad that it's not
35:54
the same as it used to be. That's okay. But it
35:59
means that these sorts of attachments must always
36:01
be subordinate to the command of love. A Christian
36:06
may value English culture, Welsh identity, Scottish
36:11
tradition, even Northern Ireland. But at the
36:16
same time, you have to reject hostility towards
36:19
outsiders. The problem emerges when Christian
36:24
faith becomes fused with nostalgic nationalism.
36:29
Nostalgia often idealises an imagined past of
36:33
cultural homogeneity and social order. Yet such
36:37
narratives frequently ignore the bad things that
36:40
happened and the fact that it kept on changing.
36:45
So we need to approach national history carefully
36:48
with truth rather than sentimentality because
36:51
every nation contains both beauty and sin. Gratitude
36:57
for one's heritage must coexist with realism
37:00
and it must also understand that all nations
37:05
will fall. This world is not ultimate. At the
37:11
same time, churches need to understand why national
37:14
identity appeals so strongly, especially during
37:18
periods of rapid change. Insecure society often
37:23
seeks stability through symbols of continuity
37:26
and belonging. And ministers who just dismiss
37:30
those emotional needs entirely risk alienating
37:33
people who already feel culturally displaced.
37:38
The only... What's going to be the solution to
37:42
this ultimately is remembering where does our
37:45
stability lie? It's never in a national identity.
37:50
It's in the God who is God of all cultures. He's
37:54
the only one who does not change, who will not
37:57
let us down, who is entirely trustworthy and
38:01
faithful. Not any nation, certainly not any government.
38:11
This all comes back to the call to practice hospitality.
38:15
It's hard, of course. Hospitality is messy and
38:19
hard work and scary. That's because people are
38:23
hard work and messy and scary. It's not easy
38:27
to do the day -to -day of getting to know people
38:30
and listening to people and being with people.
38:34
There are a million excuses. But what about if
38:37
I have to do this or if this is more important
38:40
or I just don't have time? But that's ministry
38:43
for you. What did you think you were getting
38:45
into? So what are some practical ideas we can
38:52
have to finish off with? How can churches and
38:57
individual believers respond practically within
38:59
our increasingly fractured society? Well, do
39:04
consider investing seriously in deprived communities.
39:10
Evangelical Bible preaching churches are overwhelmingly
39:13
middle class. Well, of course, it's good when
39:16
middle class people are saved. Everyone needs
39:18
to be saved. But it means that the good Bible
39:23
preaching faithful churches tend to be in middle
39:26
class suburbs. Can a person without a car get
39:30
there? Those sorts of practical concerns have
39:35
to be considered when we're thinking about our
39:38
mission, our church planting, about where we're
39:40
going. We need churches where people are. It's
39:45
too easy to stay in the nice churches with people
39:48
like us. We need to go and live and plant churches
39:51
with the people who don't have that contact.
39:57
Churches can teach political humility. No political
40:00
movement perfectly embodies the kingdom of God.
40:04
Christians should resist both cynical disengagement
40:07
and total ideological identification. We don't
40:11
withdraw from society, but we don't think the
40:13
politicians are going to save us. The church's
40:16
loyalty to Christ remains primary. Believers
40:21
should practice disciplined speech. Social media
40:25
encourages reactive outrage and tribal signalling.
40:29
But Christians should model patience, factual
40:33
honesty and refusing to dehumanise other humans.
40:38
And remember, we are against gossip, but what
40:42
exactly does that mean? And when was the last
40:45
time your church taught the congregation what
40:47
gossip is and how to avoid it or other sins of
40:51
speech? This includes challenging misinformation
40:55
and conspiracy thinking. Fear and resentment
40:59
often flourish through distorted narratives about
41:02
whatever group it is what we're currently feeling
41:05
afraid of. Christian commitment to truth requires
41:09
careful discernment. And churches should equip
41:15
believers theologically. Many Christians lack
41:18
the frameworks for thinking about nationalism,
41:20
race and class beyond the partisan media narratives.
41:25
And preaching and discipleship needs to address
41:27
these issues directly. It's not going to happen
41:30
automatically. In other words, we need to know
41:33
more doctrine. We need to understand what the
41:37
gospel celebrates, what the gospel challenges
41:39
in any culture. We need to understand a doctrine
41:44
of the fall. We need doctrine of suffering and
41:47
its significance. We need to understand eschatology
41:50
and how not to over -realise it. Most of all,
41:54
we need to understand that life now is preparing
41:56
us for eternity, and so eschatology will tell
42:00
us what really matters now. The local church
42:05
can't solve every structural problem within society,
42:08
but it can become a sign of another possibility.
42:14
So, what of the future? Despite the seriousness
42:18
of current divisions, Christianity remains fundamentally
42:23
a religion of hope. The gospel doesn't deny human
42:28
conflict. It doesn't deny that there's prejudice
42:30
and injustice. In fact, it tells us why those
42:34
things are there. But through Christ, God reconciled
42:39
to himself all things, whether on earth or in
42:43
heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
42:46
Sinful humanity can be reconciled to God. And
42:50
this flows out in reconciliation between communities.
42:54
Paul writes in Ephesians that Christ has broken
42:57
down the dividing wall of hostility between peoples.
43:00
Through the cross, enemies may become members
43:04
of one household. Now, of course, the church
43:08
has often failed to embody this vision fully.
43:12
Christians have participated in racism, in imperialism,
43:16
in class oppression and nationalist violence.
43:19
And sometimes it happens because Christians are
43:22
too willing to go with the flow to accept whatever
43:25
the moral majority decides is the morality of
43:32
the time. Honest acknowledgement of these failures
43:36
is necessary. But the gospel is still true. In
43:43
contemporary Britain, hope can begin in small
43:45
and local ways. A parish meal where refugees
43:49
and lifelong residents share their stories with
43:51
each other. A congregation where accents associated
43:55
with different classes are equally valued. A
43:59
minister willing to listen patiently to fear
44:03
without endorsing prejudice. Churches choosing
44:08
knowledge of God. over culture war rhetoric.
44:14
Now, such practices can appear very small, but
44:19
the kingdom of God often begins in these small
44:21
acts. Importantly, Christian hope is grounded
44:27
not in optimism about human nature, but trust
44:31
in God's transforming grace. Left to ourselves,
44:36
we will drift towards tribalism and resentment.
44:40
But the gospel interrupts this pattern by creating
44:43
new forms of belonging. We've already talked
44:47
about the vision in Revelation 7 -9 where John
44:49
sees people from every nation, from all tribes
44:52
and peoples and languages. And this is reflected
44:56
in the reality of our churches. We can gather
45:00
people from all tribes and peoples and languages.
45:05
And they come not because they're naturally alike.
45:09
not because they naturally get on, but because
45:11
they have all received mercy. And that vision
45:14
challenges contemporary society profoundly. Modern
45:18
culture often teaches people to define themselves
45:21
primarily through opposition to others. But we
45:25
know that identity is received as a gift through
45:29
relationship with God. The longing that so many
45:34
people are showing for something real, something
45:37
understandable, something stable and something
45:39
trustworthy is a longing for God. We need to
45:43
preach what the truth is and where it's found.
45:47
We also need to preach that the perfect world
45:50
won't be found yet. No social system will heal
45:54
the problems of sin. That's been the major problem
45:56
of, well, since the Enlightenment, certainly
45:58
throughout the 20th century. We cannot build
46:01
heaven here on earth. Whatever political system
46:04
we have, whatever laws we have, whomever we let
46:07
into the country or exclude, it will not be perfect.
46:10
The answers do not lie here. The church's calling
46:16
in a fractured society is faithful witness. We're
46:20
called to speak the gospel. It's the gospel that
46:24
saves individuals. The gospel undercuts and subverts
46:27
any culture. and will challenge any culture.
46:32
Therefore, go, make disciples of all nations,
46:37
baptizing them in the name of the Father and
46:39
the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe
46:43
all that Jesus commanded us, and he will be with
46:46
us to the end of the age. Thank you.