Letters | 13 October 2016

Cathedral going

Sir: While I enjoyed much of Simon Jenkins’s analysis of why England’s cathedrals are thriving (‘Why cathedrals are soaring’, 8 October) his article misses the point. As a self-confessed non-worshipper, his understanding of these buildings and their significance lacks a crucial dimension. The raison d’être of our churches and cathedrals is faith and worship. By focusing exclusively on historical and aesthetic elements and ignoring their continuing important spiritual role, Jenkins risks behaving like a restaurant critic who never bothers to taste the food on offer. I would suggest that most people who go to cathedral services do so not to avoid ‘demands’ to pray, but because the intercessions, the music and most of all the preaching are of a quality you don’t always find in the 1,000 best churches he has also catalogued. Perhaps Jenkins needs reminding that all are welcome at the Lord’s table, and he should break the habit of a lifetime and come and join us.