There are many cultural expressions of the Christian faith – from the obvious things like Christmas trees, Christmas cakes/ puddings, Easter eggs and Shrove Tuesday pancakes through to ashed foreheads on Ash Wednesday, Lenten fasts, all kinds of Christian music/songs (carols, Mass, chants) and symbols like crosses and Bible verses on posters.
There are many other less well-known Christian traditions involving all kinds of rhymes and recipes, songs and stews, feasts and festivals. Some have become completely secularised so that nobody has any memory of their original Christian nature (like the croissant, which was associated historically with the defeat of Islamic armies, and thus was banned by Islamic State in 2013).
For all kinds of reasons, the Christian faith has been on the retreat in British (and Western) culture for at least 150 years. Whatever the reasons… we live in a culture in which the mainstream has been stepping away from conscious cultural expressions of the Christian faith for many decades. Even in 1867 Matthew Arnold could hear the ‘melancholy, long, withdrawing roar’ of the Christian sea of faith.
Transparency in church: A Biblical call for confession
The concept of confession isn’t new. In ancient times, sins were openly confessed within the community – as we read …