Former Archbishop Calls Great Britain 'Post-Christian': Could Immigration Remedy That?
Lord Williams of Oysetmouth, the former archbishop of Canterbury, has recently spoken out about the state of Christianity in Great Britain. He believes that Christianity is in decline. But Lady Warsi disagrees.
The former archbishop of Canterbury recently sat down for an interview with The Telegraph, where he discussed the decline of Christianity in Britain, saying the country is "post-Christian."
"But [Britain is] post-Christian in the sense that habitual practice for most of the population is not taken for granted. A Christian nation can sound like a nation of committed believers, and we are not that," he said.
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But, according to Lady Warsi, the senior minister of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lord Williams' statement may not be entirely true. Warsi, who also serves as the minister for faith, said that, due to immigration, Britain's Christian population may be on the rise. She admitted, however, that her opinion is not a popular one.
"Some people fear that immigration somehow makes Britain less of a Christian country, but actually, the opposite is true. Immigration has played into the Christian revival in this country," she said.
Lady Warsi went on to look to Christianity in other countries as proof that immigration could bolster the country's religious population.
"Look at the facts of church-going today. Some of the biggest church-goers are people whose heritage is in Africa and the Caribbean. We have eastern churches and we have Chinese churches," Warsi said.
The minister for faith was adamant that immigration is helpful to the Christian population, and people should not think otherwise.
"Britain is a Christian country, but you can be Christian of all sorts of background and heritage. The diversity of Britain is not taking away from Christianity. It has actually led to a revival of Christianity," she explained.
