Long Live the King?

This Saturday, the world will watch as Great Britain crowns a new monarch. For 74 years, Prince Charles has stood in the shadows of Queen Elizabeth, waiting for his moment of earthly glory. Sadly, Queen Elizabeth was the last monarch of the old guard. Prince, soon to be King Charles, will break with tradition and chart a different course for Great Britain.

Of interest to Anglicans is Charles’ relationship with the church. The king of England is the head of the Church of England. This goes back to King Henry the VIII and his break with the Catholic Church of Rome. Martin Luther and John Calvin’s Protestant Reformation centered on questions of faith and tradition. The English Reformation had more to do with palace politics and the king’s sexual immorality than with questions of faith.
Luther broke with the Roman church over issues of faith. Henry VIII broke with the Roman church over his efforts to have his first marriage annulled. Henry had six marriages, and sent two of his wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, to the executioner’s block at the Tower of London. Like it or not, that is the genesis of the Church of England.

As spiritual head of the church, the archbishop of Canterbury will charge the king with protecting the church. This is a quid pro quo relationship. The church acts as an intermediary between God. By crowning the king, the church is saying God has ordained this person to be king. Therefore, all subjects must bow in submission before the throne. In return, the king gives protection to the church and becomes its secular protector. Constantine, in 4 AD, was the first secular ruler to be the protector of the church. And the church has suffered for it ever since.

Of importance to Christians is King Charles’ pledge to defend the faith. The palace reports Charles will be Defender of the Faith but also a defender of faiths. To be a defender of all faiths puts the king in direct conflict with his church’s traditional teachings from the Bible. Jesus claims to be the way, truth, and the life. He says he is the only way to God. Anyone trying to get into the sheepfold any other way is the same as a thief and a robber. If King Charles becomes the protector of all faiths, the Church of England’s supremacy is no more. The archbishop of Canterbury should rebuke Charles and refuse to take part in his coronation. I do not look for this to happen.

The faithful shouldn’t be surprised at this news. Pope Benedict XVI was the last traditional Pope. Pope Francis is the face of the new Catholic church. He is a socialist and is doing his best to steer his church away from the faith of his fathers. King Charles will do the same. They will lead their flocks to the harlot church.

A harlot church is coming, says the Book of Revelation. The harlot church will be of great apostasy and strength, riding to conquer and to subdue. Earthly power will provide it with a beast to ride on. She will use the power of the beast to strangle religions around the world. We are seeing governments around the world enacting legislation prohibiting preaching or teaching anything they find offensive. Most often, these laws prohibit preaching against the new progressive, inclusive morality.

This progressive, inclusive message is not popular in the liberal Presbyterian church, USA. It just released statistics for last year. It continues to die. In 2000, it reported nearly 2.5 million members. Last year it reported losing 53,000 members. It now stands at 1.14 million members. It also lost over 100 churches and 285 clergy last year. In a similar fashion, the larger United Methodist Church continues its hemorrhaging of members as it becomes more progressive and liberal. Over 3,000 congregations have voted to exit the United Methodist denomination. Untold numbers of members are silently leaving. Church officials in both denominations try to put a positive spin on the falling numbers, but the numbers speak volumes. The faithful are rejecting the new relevant all-inclusive progressive message and clinging to the old-time religion.

King Charles, like all earthly kings, has feet of clay. The archbishop of Canterbury should remind Charles that Jesus said no one can serve two masters. He must love one and hate the other. To be lukewarm is not an option. King Charles will bow before King Jesus one day and give an account. Pray he doesn’t hear; “I never knew you.” Oh, by the way, everyone will appear someday. What will you hear?