A new altar, a new god (in old clothes).
The Church of England leadership it seems has for the most part turned its back on the gospel and is chasing after a new (old) god in the form of earth worship. This is filtering down to the dioceses and into the pews from the pulpit.
There’s an “exhibition” doing the rounds of the CofE (at the time of writing it’s in Chelmsford Cathedral), it’s been doing the rounds for a few years now. As Trojan Horses go, this exhibition and its predecessor are beautiful, in fact, one could almost say they are a wonderful testament to the glory and perfection of the creator.
But scratch beneath the surface and something else emerges, something that is either knowingly embraced or worse, naively welcomed and either one is nefarious.
The rush towards “Man as the saviour of the earth” (of course the Lord needs our help here, we are after all co-sponsors of our own salvation! Not!) has been wholeheartedly and without any form of reserve, embraced as a new doctrine by the Church of England, replete as it is with neo-Marxists, Liberals, Masons and all manner of theological dilettantes in positions of power.
Alas, God has handed them over to their own destruction it would seem as the recent reports in the UK on the demise of Christianity have loudly and triumphantly proclaimed.
Looking back to 2016 a display by the artist Luke Jerram entitled “Museum of the Moon” began an ongoing tour of the world with a centrepiece of a sculpture that, well let’s hear the artist's own description:
Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.
Pretty impressive I am sure you will agree — and it turns out the Moon sculpture makes a wonderful setting under which to hold worship…hmmm where have I read about Moon worship before?
And then we have the inevitable Earth sculpture, co-opted and adopted as the artistic poster child for the liberal eco-lobby that seems to hold sway in the CofE these days.
Constant prayer for the earth, for creation, is all well and good but, when the earth takes centre stage and the Gospel is relegated to nary a mention when Jesus is pushed out or at best used as a makeweight for the emotional prodding of not using plastic straws or cups then we have a problem.
I know of many churches that have taken the opportunity to “worship” the earth and create a narrative of green sermons for the times this admittedly beautiful sculpture was in place, to take the opportunity to preach the gospel of creation, to turn their churches into houses for Gaia (yes, the exhibition was called Gaia after the Greek Goddess.)
Gaia was the Greek goddess of Earth, mother of all life, similar to the Roman Terra Mater (mother Earth) reclining with a cornucopia, or the Andean Pachamama, the Hindu, Prithvi, “the Vast One,” or the Hopi Kokyangwuti, Spider Grandmother, who with Sun god Tawa created Earth and its creatures.
And as if this alone wasn’t enough, from a (very good) article in the runup to a placement in Hull:
The installation aims to create a sense of the Overview Effect, which was first described by author Frank White in 1987. Common features of the experience for astronauts are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment. (my emphasis)
So basically, the installation is designed to create a sense of awe for the creation, not the creator. And, what then should the church have to do with this?
NOTHING.
Who in their right theological mind considers an art exhibition in a church named after a Greek god, driving thought away from the creator to the creation is a good thing? Only those whose primary concern is NOT for the Gospel of Christ or the glory of God but for the salvation of man, by man, through the restoration of the earth.
There is a common thread of a lack of awareness in the C of E, desperate as it seems to be “down with the cool kids” rather than God-pleasing. Art exhibitions are great but, when they have elements, exhibits or items that are anti-Christ then the church should have no truck with them, no matter how many visitors they may bring and how many silver coins in the coffers ring.
As Spurgeon said:
“That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.”
The church seems to be VERY money-focused.
God will not be mocked, He is a jealous God.
