That’s the name of an article in the new issue of Time. It seems that there’s Christian revival in London among an unlikely crowd: the elite in places like Kensington, Pimlico and Brompton. According to the editor, much of the revival is due to one church – Holy Trinity, Brompton - and its rector, Nicky Gumbel.
HTB’s success stems from its ability to foster a sense of community in its youthful participants, says Gumbel. It may also be able to openly discuss issues with which Britain’s famously stuffy elite remain uncomfortable. Even in cases were all material wants are met, Gumbel says, there remains a “spiritual hunger” among London’s wealthy youth. “No matter how nice your house or car is, there’s something missing,” he says. “If you go to the pub and ask what the meaning of life is, people will just laugh at you. But if you can find a group of people who are like you, and want to discuss these questions, it can be a profound experience.”
Orthodox Christianity – the real, undiluted Gospel – is plain food for the simple and a banquet for the wise. Not to mention true. Naturally, the gnostics of every age portray the Gospel as intellectually wanting and a crutch for the inadequate. It’s strange, however, that the gnostics are threatened by something that is, by definition, beneath contempt. But threatened they are:
In 2006, local residents blocked church plans to build a large theological study center. And secular groups have raised concerns about the course’s content: Concerned about the influence of Holy Trinity Brompton on Britain’s future ruling class, the British Humanist Association recently partnered with Richard Dawkins, secularist Oxford professor and author of The God Delusion, to raise funds for advertisements to counter the Alpha course’s own advertising campaign, with posters on buses carrying an inscription with a similar font to the Alpha’s posters: “There is probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life,” they state. Within a few weeks, the fund raised $180,000 after setting a target of just $7000.
Judging by the success of the HTB, however, the humanists may be fighting a losing battle.
Losing battle, indeed.
