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Archbishops’ Council distanced from ‘self-destruct’ prophecy
By Rachel Harden
CHURCH TIMES
A CHURCH OF ENGLAND spokesman has distanced the Archbishops’ Council from the views of a retiring member who has predicted that the Church of England will “continue to implode and self-destruct”.
Jayne Ozanne, a member of the Council since 1999, wrote to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York predicting “a time of great persecution, which will drive Christianity all but underground in the West”.
She warns that “an increasing number” will “fear man more than God” and seek to promote a “socially acceptable” gospel. As a result, many will continue to leave the C of E, but a “new Church in England” will arise, taking the form of “many single cell groups across the land”. “No longer recognising denominational badges, people will look to see the mark of spirit-filled faith in each other.”
The paper was circulated at an Archbishops’ Council meeting this month, but not discussed.
The C of E spokesman said that one of the Council’s strengths was “the wide range of perspectives offered by its members. Jayne Ozanne is setting out her personal view, as she is clearly free to express it. The Church of England encourages a lively exchange of views at every level.”
Speaking on Tuesday, Ms Ozanne said that it was not a case of her against the Council. She said she had received positive responses. “I really care about what is happening. There are some deep-rooted issues that we do not like to talk about while we focus on the presenting issues.”
Ms Ozanne said that her document was “not exactly” good news for the Church of England, but was good news for the Church in England. Although she would be happy to discuss it with the Archbishops, there had not been an opportunity to do this so far, she said.
“Wake-up call"
The Bishop of Chester, Dr Peter Forster, has introduced a document by the Maranatha Community, “The State of our Nation”, which says that the UK is “a sick society in danger of losing its soul”.
The document was presented in Parliament and at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday as a “wake-up” call to warn politicians of the “growing evidence of moral and spiritual disintegration”. An “evidence sheet” lists 120 examples, mainly statistics gleaned from a range of sources, in support of this from across the country, relating, among other things, to marriage breakdown, drug abuse, pornography, and vandalism
Dennis Wrigley, leader of Maranatha, an inter-denominational group, said: “The time has come for us to recognise the extreme seriousness of our situation. Politicans in the United Kingdom have a clear responsibility to realise the consequences of de-Christianising our nation.”
For further information, visit:
www.jayneozanne.com
