For an institution that it supposedly moribund and antiquated, and which welcomes a mere five million or so people through its doors each week, there was rather a lot of media interest in the appointment of the new Archbishop of Canterbury last week.
Interest does not, of course, mean respect, let alone sympathy, but the reverse it also true: just because an institution finds itself in the lens on account of its problems and divisions that doesn?t mean the public wants it dead. Indeed, you could argue the reverse: it is precisely because we are quietly proud, and expect so much of our institutions ? the BBC, parliament, police and even the Royal Mail ? that we froth with indignation when they go awry, as most have very badly, of late.
The Church of England falls into this category, suffering from a particularly acute version of ?NHS syndrome?. Ask the general public what they think of the NHS and you will get a list of seemingly-terminal symptoms: dirty hospitals, long waiting lists, misdiagnoses, etc. Ask them about their GP or most recent hospital experience, and the story is rather different.
It is the same with Christianity in Britain. When, during some qualitative research a few years ago, I asked non-religious groups about the ?typical? Christian, the response was bracingly negative: boring, judgemental, old-fashioned were some of the kinder adjectives. Then, half an hour later in the groups, apropos of no particular question, the same people would casually mention a neighbour, a colleague, a friend who happened to be a Christian and who was ? wait for it ? actually rather nice/ helpful/ community-minded. It was him who mowed the lawn, she who took my daughter to Guides, that family that did a soup run. As with individual Christians, so with the churches ? only more so.
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Source: http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2012/11/16/church-of-england-image-and-substance/
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