Articles - Book Reviews - Robin Gamble

"The Irrelevant Church" by Robin Gamble

Published by Monarch. ISBN 1-85424-163-X Price £6.99

A title like this is bound to raise a few hackles. If you think that might be the case, just wait until you get into the book! At its heart is the author's conviction that the Church, and in particular the Church of England, is largely irrelevant to much of the population, and that it only has itself to thank for this predicament. If I've put you off already then maybe the Archbishop of Canterbury's recommendation will keep you reading - "An exciting challenge in which lie the seeds of hope and growth".

Robin Gamble has lived most of his life in darkest Bradford, where he is now vicar of St Augustine's. He contends that the so-called "Golden Age" of the Church in Britain, during the last century, was nothing of the sort. Indeed, he argues that it was a time when many churches sought the support of the growing middle classes by deliberately excluding the poor; contrary to much of Christ's teaching. This legacy continues today, he suggests, continuing to weaken the Church: "The churches are like a well known chain store, with branches all over the country; that is sliding towards bankruptcy; either we change or we go bust."

Gamble moves quickly on to examine how the Church could better understand its responsibility to the poor, and the richness that those excluded can bring to the Church. He then devotes the final tranche of his book to looking at how the Church can grow out from this unstable situation. His is a response for the whole Church, and not just those churches in working class areas. He would contend that his book even has something to say to leafy Roundhay!

Despite its hard hitting message (or maybe because of it) this is actually quite an easy book to read. There's a copy in the church library, so give it a go.....

Jeremy Trew

© St Edmund's Church, Roundhay