A church out of touch?  Not all seem so in the CofE, thank God. Many CofE churches seem to connect very well with the general population and regularly see newcomers, young and old...... The interesting thing is that Brits (especially young Brits) seem to be more represented at those churches which offer very different views to those widely accepted in society .... it is wonderful to see hundreds of young Brits at some churches coming to get in touch with God and his word  

Hi john, I tried to post a reply to you earlier, but it seems to have got lost. The best guide you could go to, though it suggests a lot of reading, is here:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/pwh/index-bos.html

John Boswell is the outstanding cultural historian in this field. I heard him speak in London to the Consultation Group back in the early eighties. He was inspiring.  More info about him at Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boswell

John,

You may find some useful material for a theological critique at the Jubille Centre Cambridge papers.   See for example:

http://www.jubilee-centre.org/topics.php?topicID=1&catID=1

OOOOPS.  TYPO. resource.

Hi John. I think it would be hard to find a better resourse than this:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/pwh/index-bos.html

The church doesn't exist to give religious sanction to whatever 'mainstream society' does and thinks.

But that's probably a less sophisticated answer than John Martin wants.  I'm sure reverend and learned readers of Fulcrum can deliver (ask he asks) 'a critique through the lens of a theology of culture'.

OK. So a Times opinion polls says church attitudes over gays is seriously out of touch with mainstream society. The finding strikes a chord with what I find every time I'm interviewed by secular journalists and radio presenters on this topic. Can anyone out there help me with a critique through the lens of a theology of culture?