Baptists and the coronation 

Andy Goodliff delves into the archives of The Baptist Times to discover what was written in 1953, and in doing so asks: what are Baptists saying about the coronation today?  

The last time there was a royal coronation was 2 June 1953. On that occasion, present among the 7,000 at the service were Henry Bonser (Baptist Union President), Ernest Payne (General Secretary of the Baptist Union), Ernest Brown (an MP who was a Baptist), Sir Guildhaume Myrddin Evans (a senior Welsh civil servant), Arnold Clark, Cyril Black (an MP who was a Baptist) and Hugh Martin (a Baptist and Moderator of the Free Church Federal Council).

As Free Church representatives, Bonsor and Martin were also part of the procession. 

Bonser reflected afterwards that 'as a spectacle the Coronation was superb' and said that 'the Sound Reinforcing System worked perfectly and all present heard the spoken word without distortion.' He describes sitting 20 yards from the throne.

In his words about the Queen, he said: 'As she passed slowly along the nave and mounted the steps leading to the altar, it was obvious to all present that Her Majesty was deeply conscious of the solemnity of the hour, and this impression deepened as she placed her hand upon the Bible and promised by the help of God, to keep the Coronation Oath . . .

'The prayer, "God save the Queen," that echoed through the Abbey, has seldom been uttered with deeper feeling or more devout intensity.'

He concluded, 'It was a moving experience to be one of the great assembly gathered from the ends of the earth. There we stood: rulers and subjects, nobles and commoners, servicemen and civilians, ministers and laymen; people of many nations, separated by estate, fortune, colour, politics, and religion — yet a family, united in loyalty to our Queen. I left the historic building with the prayer that the Commonwealth, in the reign of the Queen Elizabeth II, might enter upon a new era of faith and prove worthy to remain the instrument of God for the enrichment of the world.'

At his presidential address, given a few months earlier at the Baptist Assembly, Bonser began by 'invoking the blessing of Almighty God upon our gracious Queen. May she long be spared to reign in righteousness and to lead us in the paths of peace. We tend to Her Majesty the fealty of loving hearts, the service of willing hands, and every loyalty compatible with our duty to God.'

What is visible in all the articles in The Baptist Times around the coronation is the sense of love for the Queen, instilled perhaps, by the vow she made as a 21 year old that her whole life would  be devoted to service, and her invitation to Britain and the commonwealth to pray for her that 'God help me to make good my vow.' 

At the 1953 Baptist Assembly, a resolution was passed that said:

'The Annual Assembly of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland gladly pledges itself to observe the desire of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II that her forthcoming Coronation be observed as a time of national and personal dedication to the service of God and His Kingdom, and assures her of their ready response to her request for the prayers of her subjects . . . The Assembly prays that the blessing of God may rest upon Her Majesty the Queen and the members of the Royal House, and upon all peoples of the Commonwealth.'

?This coronation feels different. There has been little in The Baptist Times reflecting on King Charles and the coronation. Lots of churches might well be doing something, but probably because it is seen as a missional opportunity, rather than perhaps out of the same need that was there in 1953.

In the 70 years since the last coronation, Britain has changed. Our feelings, at least for some, are more conflicted about the monarchy. Baptists have never spoken out against the monarchy — despite being on the side of parliament in the English Civil War. Baptists have generally been 'patriotic' in their loyalty to King or Queen, although they have always wanted to speak for the freedom of religion and the separation of church and state.

The coronation is a deeply Anglican service, seen in the prayers and the liturgy issued for the new King and Queen.

Does that matter? Have we anything to say as Baptists? What is our theological reflection on the coronation — is it something that can be compared to the coronation of David or Solomon? 



Image | Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II | Wikimedia Commons
 

Andy Goodliff is the minister of Belle Vue Baptist Church, Southend. He is a lecturer in Baptist History at Regent's Park College, Oxford

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