American Christianity will recover from the virus, but English churches are in big trouble

<div>When the shadow of the coronavirus is finally lifted, the British public will have a long list of people to thank: doctors, nurses, cleaners, shop assistants, charities and – maybe – Boris Johnson. But there won’t be a round of applause for the parish clergy, that’s for sure, and it's not really their fault: the bishops, especially the Catholic ones, have mishandled the Covid crisis spectacularly.<br><br>And in the United States? To be sure, there are bishops and pastors who, like the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, form a Mafia of the Mediocre. But there is dynamism, too, and it’s interesting to note the extent to which successful Catholic and Protestant parishes share a common culture. <br><br>My guest this week is Keith Stanfield, the brilliant young violinist whose Opus 76 String Quartet played Beethoven for us so beautifully a few weeks ago. In addition to having played football for Western Samoa in World Cup qualifying matches, Keith has worked in the US financial sector. He’s a practising Catholic and a keen observer of the Evangelical churches where he regularly performs. He expresses some strong opinions in this episode. So do I. You'll also hear a few seconds of ear-splittingly hideous music and some pointed remarks about the impending vandalism of the Westminster Cathedral Choir.<br><br><em>Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></div><p>Become a <em>Spectator </em>subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/follow-your-podcasts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spectator.co.uk/adfree</a> to find out more.</p><br><p>For more <em>Spectator</em> podcasts, go to <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spectator.co.uk/podcasts</a>. </p><br><p>Contact us: [email protected]</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>