Tom Holland: Is the Church of England more than just the religious wing of multiculturalism?

Tom Holland, historian, author, co-host of The Rest Is History podcast, is interviewed by Bishop Graham Tomlin about what the history of Christianity and of the Church in England can tell us about the future of the Church of England's public legitimacy.

Panel on History
Walter Bagehot famously described the Crown and the House of Lords as the ‘dignified’ part of the English Constitution, which elicits the loyalty and confidence of the people in the political system, in part by its pageantry and performance of ancient rites and rituals. The Church of England has played a distinct role in shaping the nature and culture of this nation. Since the Act of Supremacy (1534), the monarchy has been intimately tied to the established church as its supreme governor, a fact of which we were reminded in the coronation of 2023. Meanwhile, Bishops of the Church of England, and in the past, of the Churches of Wales and Ireland also, contribute to the deliberation of the House of Lords. This session will explore this settlement and its current significance in English and UK life.