NeuroDivine

How liturgy, pastoral care and conscience sustain a democratic society.

I write as an Anglican who values faithful witness and public service while insisting that Christianity in a democratic society must resist militaristic, coercive and triumphalist forms. Democratic citizenship, liturgical humility and pastoral care require a Christianity that builds common life rather than casting faith as enlistment into a spiritual militia.

The soldier model

The soldier model frames discipleship as enlistment into a military-style movement, using language of soldiers, training, drills, deployment and ranks. It treats commitment as operational readiness and reduces spiritual life to tasks, attendance and measurable outputs, encouraging visible campaigns and performance over slow inward formation and pastoral accompaniment.

Why it is unnecessary and dangerous in a democracy

• Compresses discipleship into obedience and mobilisation. Christian identity is formed by worship, sacrament, study and pastoral relationships rather than by checklists and drills.
• Encourages sectarian posture and social polarisation. Military metaphors create an us-versus-them mentality that corrodes the practices of deliberation, negotiation and mutual respect that sustain democracy.
• Blurs the line between spiritual conviction and political coercion. Democracies depend on pluralism and non-coercive witness; militarised language invites the perception of the church as a faction seeking power.
• Privileges a narrow temperament of masculinity and activism. Valorising aggression and visible action sidelines patient service, quiet care and the less glamorous work of sustaining community.

A healthier Christian witness

• Liturgical formation over martial triumphalism. Worship disciplines people in confession, forgiveness, patience and hope.
• Pastoral presence over recruitment metrics. The parish as a place of hospitality, care and mutual support models a public Christianity that strengthens civil society.
• Prophetic engagement over partisan mobilisation. The church should speak truth to power and stand with the vulnerable through moral clarity and coalition-building rather than combative rhetoric.
• Formation of conscience over training for action. Teaching rooted in Scripture, reason and tradition cultivates discernment for public life rather than a checklist mentality.

Practical steps for churches

• Replace enlistment and warfare language with invitations to formation, hospitality and service.
• Invest in pastoral formation, liturgy and theological education that equip people to live faithfully in plural public spaces.
• Partner with civic organisations across differences on shared goods such as poverty relief, healthcare and community wellbeing.
• Foster reflective practices—study, prayer, sacrament and confession—that temper zeal with charity and prudence.

Conclusion

A militarised Christianity is unnecessary and counterproductive in a democracy. The church’s truest public service is to form people in worship, conscience and compassion so they contribute to the common good without coercion or triumphalism.

Note

The above is written as a response to “The King’s Army” (trigger warning) and their recent action in Soho, London. Standing in the streets shouting “Jesus Saves” does not seem to be the way to bring disciples to the Lord.