In early 2005 Lord Bromley Betchworth, a contributor to the Ecumenical Research Committee in England, returned to the U.K., after living in the U.S. for 12 years, returned to a culture that had dramatically changed.

Betchworth, in seeking to address the decline, wrote these words in the forward to an ecumenical report that sought to explain the moral breakdown in a once vibrant Christian nation.

I was shocked at how moral values had changed in such a short time and how church attendance in mainstream denominations was in free fall. Four out of five churches were either declining or simply static.

If America mirrors a country in its development, it would be England. Therefore, we can learn much from the example of the U.K.

In order to better understand the development of Englands spiritual history, we are served well by looking into the past.

In March 1887, Charles Spurgeon anonymously published the first of two articles entitled The Down-Grade in his monthly magazine, The Sword and the Trowel. The author was Robert Shindler, a close friend of Spurgeon and fellow Baptist pastor. Tracing the state of evangelicalism from the Puritan age to his own era, Shindler noted that every revival of true evangelical faith had been followed within a generation or two by a drift away from sound doctrine, ultimately leading to wholesale rejection of God. He likened this drifting from flat truth to gradually declining slope, and it was, therefore, labeled the down-grade.

After the initial two articles, the readers began to respond by reporting on how Ministers throughout England had responded. There were some who affirmed the reality of a down grade, but there was an alarming amount of people who reported receiving from their ministers disgust at the pessimistic nature of the tone of the articles and that England was really very vibrant. The rebuttal from a large amount of ministers was that Spurgeon took the Bible too literally and evangelism too strongly. A pungent odor of a weakening view of the authority of Scripture and the softening view of the dire condition of the spiritual bankruptcy of mankind were underlying themes.

Spurgeon replied by writing the third article himself and he was clearly disturbed at reports from readers regarding their own ministers. Therefore, Spurgeon took direct aim at the ministers in England.

The case is mournful. Certain ministers are making infidels. Avowed atheists are not a tenth as dangerous as those preachers who scatter doubt and stab at faith. . . . Germany was made unbelieving by her preachers, and England is following in her tracks.

Spurgeon offered that a person in such a case should address the issue and not shrink back from an erring minister.

A little plain-speaking would do a world of good just now. These gentlemen desire to be let alone. They want no noise raised. Of course thieves hate watch-dogs, and love darkness. It is time that somebody should spring his rattle, and call attention to the way in which God is being robbed of his glory, and man of his hope.

Spurgeon ended the article with a final barrage that would lead him to being isolated by a large segment of clergy and ultimately resigning from the Baptist Union in England.

It now becomes a serious question how far those who abide by the faith once delivered to the saints should fraternize with those who have turned aside to another gospel. Christian love has its claims, and divisions are to be shunned as grievous evils; but how far are we justified in being in confederacy with those who are departing from the truth? It is a difficult question to answer so as to keep the balance of the duties. For the present it behooves believers to be cautious, lest they lend their support and countenance to the betrayers of the Lord. It is one thing to overleap all boundaries of denominational restriction for the truth’s sake: this we hope all godly men will do more and more. It is quite another policy which would urge us to subordinate the maintenance of truth to denominational prosperity and unity. Numbers of easy-minded people wink at error so long as it is committed by a clever man and a good-natured brother, who has so many fine points about him. Let each believer judge for himself; but, for our part, we have put on a few fresh bolts to our door, and we have given orders to keep the chain up; for, under color of begging the friendship of the servant, there are those about who aim at robbing the Master.

Consider your view of Scripture and effort to reach those in your life. Are we in a personal down-grade? Remember, all movements begin with one person and we are all making our churches either stronger or weaker…

Next, we will continue to trace the decline of the spiritual temperament of
England.

Quotes taken from, Christianity Vanquished in England, an article by Ed Vitagliano, (AgapePress), and excerpts from Ashamed of the Gospel by John F. MacArthur Jr. (Crossway).