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The CofE hasn't been seriously interested in young people - unless they're in a very narrow band of middle-class youngness - for at least fifty years now.

So they're already beyond reach.

It isn't seriously interested in inclusiveness, either. (Clearly.)

The legitimisation is entirely ritualistic. The CofE is really one of the last remaining links and relics of the Empire. Losing it would mean a final admission that the days of empire and immense significance are over - at least among the Westminster, shires and Belgravia set who care about these things.

The oiks elsewhere are hardly relevant in this, even though they happen to form a popular majority.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Wed Feb 10th, 2010 at 08:48:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ThatBritGuy:
The CofE hasn't been seriously interested in young people - unless they're in a very narrow band of middle-class youngness - for at least fifty years now.

From memory, I'd underline "at least".

I also agree that disestablishment would be the end of the CofE. The strands of Low Church Evangelicalism, Middle Church stodgy conventionalism, and High Church Anglo-Catholicism (to simplify) have only held together over so many years thanks to the snob-appeal tradition of the ancient established Church. A few Evangelicals might peel off towards Nonconformist Evangelical denominations (but mind the steps, you're going down the class stairs rather fast), and a few spikies might turn RC (no social decline there), but by and large Anglicans hold on for prestige reasons. A disestablished CofE in which each local church would gain autonomy, would pretty soon lead to a break-up.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Thu Feb 11th, 2010 at 02:44:07 AM EST
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