Church of St John the Baptist, Burnley

St John the Baptist’s Church ('In the Parish of the Good Samaritan’) in Burnley was closed when I called. Little drew my attention apart from the large west window which must render the internals bright and airy if it is not cluttered with awful, dull Victorian glass, and the defibrillator attached to its frontage. All credit to the church officers for installing this; we considered it at Salem Chapel, and, planning permission for Listed Buildings aside, it would have cost us well over a thousand pounds. Anyone in St John’s tightly packed, terraced neighbourhood may run to this yellow box and potentially save a loved one’s life.

People sometimes think that this is the purpose of the church, too, and Romans Catholics are particularly prone to this error. The church on earth or even heaven saves no-one. Former believers offer us no grace, and earth-dwellers cannot confer salvation, either. The Church does not dispense God’s forgiveness, and her clergy cannot substitute themselves for Christ’s own ministry. It is Jesus Christ Himself who draws, saves and sustains. It is important that the Christian is a part of a church but he must not confuse the community of the saved with the Saviour of the community. That would be like thanking the ambulance’s steering wheel for getting you to Accident & Emergency, or bestowing gratitude on the doctor’s gloves.