Your View: C of E Services

All the major Christian denominations are involved
Remembrance SundayRemembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday

Dr Alan Billings

Police and Crime

Commissioner

Paul Hurt is not quite right in saying that Remembrance Day services are ‘dominated by the Church of England’.

All the major Christian denominations are involved and have produced ecumenical services.

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In Sheffield in the last few years there have been Methodist and Roman Catholic as well as Anglican clergy leading the prayers in Barker’s Pool. It would probably be more correct to say the forms are ‘traditional’ and reflect the country’s Christian heritage.

Because they are ‘traditional’ and familiar they are capable of holding together a fairly broad range of people, including those of other faiths and non-believers.

Among the latter is Lord Rees, the former Astronomer Royal and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, who put it this way: “Just as there are Jews who keep the Friday ritual in their home despite describing themselves as atheists, I am a ‘tribal Christian’, happy to attend church services.”

I should hate to think that Paul Hurt – who happily lives on Providence Road – feels he can never sing Jerusalem again.