The opinions expressed by John Blunt are not necessarily those of this newspaper
IS THERE no end to the Church of England's death-wish desire to be trendy?
For now, we hear, bishops are to go clubbing in an attempt to persuade young people to go to church - the notion idea being that if they won't go to church, it must go to them.
And the Lambeth Conference heard last week that, "however difficult, however embarrassing," clerics must make it their mission to get in touch with the young of today.
But, assuming that these evangelists can make themselves heard above the bedlam din in the clubs or be understood by those whose idea of religious substance is something that gives them a heavenly high, isn't there something else flawed about this idea?
I refer to the cringe factor. Don't they know that the spectacle of a beaming, grey-haired geezer in a purple shirt and back-to-front collar sallying into the seething mass of bodies on a club dance floor is guaranteed to turn off kids - precisely because they would see through it as a contrived and silly attempt to appear "relevant" when, in fact, it's hard to imagine a place where a bishop would be more out of place.
Rather than these bopping bishops being embarrassed, it's the kids who will be embarrassed for them - and giving them a wide berth.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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