[T]o repudiate Christianity is not only to sever ourselves from our past, but to cut off the source of all the things we value now and that we need in the future, such as freedom, tolerance, individual dignity and human rights. A new restoration is needed now, with a revival of the faith, a recovery of a Christian politics and a re-founding of this nation on the teachings that [King] Alfred made the basis of the common law of England all those centuries ago.  

On July 18, British Conservative Party Member Danny Kruger gave a beautiful and passionate speech before British Parliament. He called on England’s leaders to remember where they’d come from, and he warned what lies ahead if they don’t. Britain’s glory, he argued, is rooted in the riches of Christianity. Abandoning that heritage is why the nation is now struggling.  

It’s fitting that Kruger spoke to a mostly empty room. Though the speech has since gone viral, few other MPs bothered to show up for it. It’s difficult to imagine a better analogy for our cultural moment than a faithful voice warning against looming dangers, yet widely ignored. 

Kruger’s speech should be listened to in its entirety. After sharing the long history of Christianity in England, which dates back over 1000 years to when the nation first emerged from pagan Germanic tribes, he noted the unique bond between the Church of England and the nation. The very room where he spoke was, in fact, a chapel, and the government plays a role in leading the church. 

Americans differ on the idea of a state church, with good reason. And yet, we ought to share Kruger’s concern about losing our religion. Christianity made the modern world. As historian Tom Holland has noted, our ideas about justice, love, mercy, and human rights did not come from idol worshipers. These ideas came first from the ancient Hebrews and were handed to the Early Church. They result from the long meditation on Christianity’s divine truths. 

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