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Any way you look at it, England’s King Henry VIII was one of the pivotal figures in the emergence of Europe as we now know it. A larger-than-life figure—meant in virtually every way imaginable—Henry was an energetic monarch. Just consider his six wives or his assertive statecraft. He was also brilliant, which princes often are not. When Martin Luther began preaching reformation, King Henry came to the pope’s defense, upholding the old faith and the Catholic church. In return, in 1521 the pope granted to King Henry VIII and his heirs a glorious title, Defender of the Faith. It was a move the pope lived to regret. For multiple reasons, Henry led England out of the Catholic world and into a state church, the Church of England. But Henry and his heirs, right down to King Charles III, kept the title, even if they did not keep the faith.
Until now, that is. Buckingham Palace has announced that King Charles III will redefine his own constitutional role and will shift from serving as Defender of the Faith to a role in which he will “protect the space for faith within the multi-faith nation.” The shift from “Defender of the Faith” to “Protector of Space for Faith” is clumsy beyond reason. It represents an abject rejection of the throne titles and what they stand for. Oddly enough, but made necessary by his monarchial mandate, King Charles will remain supreme governor of the Church of England. So, Britain will have a supreme governor of the state church who wants to broaden his embrace to include all major religions, New Age nonsense, and just about anything you can package as a form of religious faith.
We were warned. Charles told us of his plans long before he assumed the throne. Decades ago, he was already talking such drivel. In a now infamous interview with journalist Jonathan Dimbleby, released in 1994, Charles revealed his intention to shift from Defender of the Faith to Defender of Faith. The removal of “the” was proposed as a way to be more inclusive, more representative of modern Britain’s multiculturalism, and more universalistic. As Charles explained, he wanted to defend all faiths in virtually all forms, which he saw as basically one reality refracted through various lenses. Charles is also radically committed to his own eccentric form of ecological and holistic teachings and practices often described as New Age. He admitted the influence of Sir Laurens van der Post, one of the best-known gurus in Britain.
Most people who knew of the interview will probably remember his admission of committing adultery when married to Princess Diana. That got the headlines, not the New Age nonsense.
The Church of England is in a free fall, with weekly attendance falling to less than two percent of the nation’s population.
Queen Elizabeth II was quite serious about her Christian commitment and she respected the leadership of the Church of England, even as the state church constantly lurched from one theological controversy to the next. Interestingly, King Charles did accept the Defender of the Faith title at his coronation on March 6, 2023. Perhaps he did so out of respect for his mother, for the monarchy, or for public opinion. He certainly did not fear the Anglican bishops, many of whom hold to their own, let’s just say, unconventional theological beliefs. As the Telegraph reported: “The Prince caused controversy within the Anglican church when he floated the idea several years ago of becoming Defender of the Faiths in an attempt to embrace the other religions in Britain. In a compromise he has now opted for Defender of Faith which he hopes will unite the different strands of society, and their beliefs, at his Coronation.” The king appears to have changed his mind. Again.
The British people are now being told that Prince William is basically an agnostic. Who knows what comes after King Charles? We don’t even know all that will happen under the reign of Charles.
The bigger issue is what all this means for the present and the future. The Church of England is in a free fall, with weekly attendance falling to less than two percent of the nation’s population. The church now has a woman serving as Archbishop of Canterbury. The secularization of the nation has reached epic proportions, even as Islam and other faiths grow in presence and influence. Authentic Christianity, with congregations and ministers faithful to the gospel, does exist, but the believing church bears witness within an increasingly hostile culture. The headwinds are strong.
About the time the palace made this announcement, it also announced that King Charles and Queen Camilla would not live in Buckingham Palace, even after a horribly expensive renovation. Tellingly, that attracted more headlines than the monarchy’s proposed changes from Defender of the Faith.
Several years ago, I was invited to be part of a small group of Christian leaders summoned to meet with Prince Charles to discuss a book he had written in favor of ecology and his mystical worldview. I can assure you that the meeting was interesting and the conversation was fascinating. Having experienced that conversation, I can assure you that this move has been a long time coming.
All this raises a most interesting question: Where is King Henry VIII when you need him? For all his many faults, I am quite confident that Henry would know what to do in this situation. King Charles intends to defend faiths, but not the faith “once for all delivered to the saints.”