It’s been a busy weekend of sport, as they say on the BBC (one and a half days of cricket and one of football*)- not to mention My Daughter’s Birthday Part 2 and Back to Church Sunday, so I now have a great deal to write about but no time to do so.
For any readers who may worry that their set’s on the blink, and feel tempted to bang on the top of their computer and ring the man from Rediffusion, here’s something to look at until normal service is resumed –
* I had Friday off, which is why the weekend lasted more than 2 days.
The Crimson Rambler 
Have a look at Unmitigated England’s piece on ‘Back to Church Sunday’. I’m sure it, and the comments, will be of interest.
Thanks for this. I did see the original post, and I’m interested in the comments it’s provoked.
I’m very sympathetic to the general thrust of it – and I particularly agree with UE’s point about “calm, simple faith” and yours about the “still small voice of calm”.
On the other hand (and I’m afraid there is usually another hand where I’m concerned) I’m not sure that I feel that the Church is is quite such as awful state as some of the discussion implies. Perhaps I’m lucky in the church I attend – St. Nicholas, Little Bowden – but I don’t think I’ve heard a banal sermon there.
I certainly agree that most of the more modern hymns are uninspiring, and that I do prefer the language of 1662 and the BCP. I do dislike the mania for ripping out pews, but also have some sympathy for the idea – which often lies behind it – that the church has a role to play in providing a social centre, or a meeting place for the community or – and it’s very difficult to avoid some sort of horrid jargon here – a “third space”.
I think I am feeling slightly chastened because a while ago St. N’s decided to build an extension – for the sort of reasons I’ve suggested above – and I was very suspicious of it. Perhaps I would object more if I were more of an architectural purist, but it does strike me as being a sympathetic addition, and it does allow the church to be used for various groups for mothers and children, older people and so on.
Having said all that, I do know exactly what you (and UE) mean about “relevancy”, and I do wish the Church would stop barking quite so loudly and persistently up the wrong tree.