Rotting from the Head: Radical progressive activism and the Church of England
Authors: Jim McConalogue, Jack Harris, and Rachel Neal
Publisher: Civitas
Year: 2021

It takes a special kind of incompetence to make an established church completely irrelevant. Yet, against all odds, the Church of England has pulled it off. Rotting from the Head lays out exactly how it happened. The authors document the Church’s complete surrender to radical progressive activism, its hostility to traditional English liberties, and its embarrassing attempt to remain ‘relevant’ by replacing theology with left-wing Twitter slogans.

The Church of England was once a defining institution of English life. It gave us moral instruction and some of the best choral music in the world. Today, it gives us Justin Welby mumbling about ‘climate justice’ and bishops posting their pronouns on social media. As this report makes clear, it no longer has any interest in religion or the people who actually sit in its pews. It exists purely to signal virtue to an audience that has as much belief in God as I have—none at all, that is.

One of the most entertaining parts of the Church’s decline is its full-throated embrace of climate hysteria. Rotting from the Head documents how clergy have gone from preaching the Gospel to standing in the street with Extinction Rebellion protestors, chanting about carbon footprints. If the early Church Fathers were willing to die rather than renounce their faith, today’s clergy will happily glue themselves to a pavement for the sake of a fashionable cause.

The Church has declared a ‘climate emergency’ as if this is something within its authority to do. It has committed itself to reaching ‘net zero’ by 2030, presumably because it thinks people attend services for energy efficiency tips. Various bishops have compared climate change to a biblical apocalypse, which is particularly funny coming from an organisation that doesn’t seem to believe in sin any more.

And, of course, it has swallowed the ruling class’s entire climate agenda in its evil entirety. The Church of England is always keen to talk about the ‘cost of living crisis’—but not keen enough to oppose Net Zero policies that will make heating your home completely unaffordable. It would rather police your carbon footprint than question the government’s energy policy. There is no lie it won’t repeat if it makes the clergy feel more ‘progressive.’

Once upon a time, the Church of England was on the side of individual freedom. It defended English law against overreaching monarchs. It helped develop the moral and cultural foundations of liberty. Now, it thinks liberty is problematic. As the authors demonstrate, the Church has abandoned any concern for English traditions in favour of fashionable, university-grade radicalism.

For example, the Church now officially believes in ‘systemic racism’. This means that, rather than caring for its congregants, it sees its own history and people as something to apologise for. Its leaders are forever denouncing Britain’s past while simultaneously clinging to their positions in its most ancient institutions. It talks endlessly about ‘diversity and inclusion’ but wants to purge anyone who doesn’t share its narrow, politically correct worldview.

The Church now backs government measures to police ‘hate speech,’ as if giving the state more power to monitor people’s thoughts is a Christian thing to do. It embraces the kind of corporate-led social justice that allows institutions to appear ‘moral’ while crushing individual rights. And, of course, it has no problem using its influence to campaign for whatever cause is currently popular with the Guardian editorial board.

This is an institution that was once a pillar of national life. Now, it spends its time demanding the removal of statues, rewriting history, and promoting pseudo-religious concepts like ‘unconscious bias.’ One wonders if the clergy will start issuing indulgences for racial privilege next.

It’s difficult to say whether the Church of England can be saved. There are two possible solutions: either a ruthless purge—depriving every bishop who treats Christianity as a cover for political activism—or outright disestablishment. The first option seems unlikely, given that its leadership appears to despise the traditions it is supposed to uphold.

Perhaps the best course of action is to let it die. The Church has made itself irrelevant. It has no real theology, no sense of mission, and no courage. It exists only to apologise and scold, and to repeat the fashionable nonsense of the ruling class. And for that, it does not deserve to exist.

Let it collapse under the weight of its own pretensions. And when it does, perhaps something more worthwhile—something genuinely spiritual—can take its place.