Page 6 - PT Winter 2021-2022

Gethin Russell-Jones

Just another brick

in the wall?

he final number one in the charts of the Another view
1970s was Pink Floyd’s Another Brick Imagine my surprise, therefore, when I came across
Tin the Wall. Taken from its rock opera, stunningly contradictory figures. Much more favourable
The Wall, this powerfully dystopian anthem to the Christian cause than the one cited by the gloomy
prelate. According to a survey commissioned by the Eternal
called for freedom in the classroom and not Wall of Answered Prayer , a third of UK adults pray and Photo Credit: Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer
1
mind control on the part of the authorities. It attend church at least once a month, with younger people
was a call to action for teenagers everywhere more spiritually active than older generations.
to rid themselves of their mental shackles The survey also revealed that just over a third of UK
and break out. adults (36%) pray on their own or as part of church groups.
More than forty years later, one wonders Even more sensationally, just over a half (51%) of 18 to
if the bricks are greater and the walls taller. 34-year-olds said they prayed at least once a month. As far
as church attendance was concerned, a remarkable 49%
Social media and the 24-hour news cycle of 18 to 34-year-olds indicated they took part in church
have resulted in everyone being spun various services, compared to 16% of over-55s.
webs and fictions most of the time. And the If you’re anything like me, you might be tempted to
ecclesiastical wall seems broken, with church dismiss these figures as works of fiction on the part of over-
attendance dropping off the cliff edge in the last zealous Christians. In fact, the survey was conducted by
pollsters, Savanta ComRes and sampled 2075 adults.
four decades. Richard Gamble, who commissioned the survey was also
taken aback by the results.
I recently heard someone talking about church attendance ‘If I’m very honest, my immediate response was: I don’t
in the UK. Maybe not the most exciting subject under believe it. I sent it back – “check your data” because I was
discussion, but it’s always fascinated me. The correspondent stunned.’ He believes these results challenge some deep-
took the view that it currently stands at around 2% of seated views that are constantly aired. ‘I’m often challenged
the population. when I’m doing press interviews, should we be building a
This is the lowest percentage I’ve ever heard for Sunday Christian landmark in a secular society? These results really
attendance, and it made me rather glum. I’m a realist when challenge that notion that we live in a secular society.’
it comes to organized religion, but I’ve generally reassured A Christian landmark? Richard is the founder of the
myself that extinction wasn’t as close as this statistic Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer, whose audacious vision
suggested. Only one person’s opinion, but he was a bishop is to build an enormous piece of public art in the middle of
of some sort, so I took the view that his judgement was Britain. By the end of 2023, a gigantic statue, made up of
probably correct. a million bricks, will host a million accounts of answered

6 The Plain Truth Winter 2021-2022 Find us online at www.plain-truth.org.uk