The Sea of Faith
Was once too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
It cannot be denied that this is a powerful image, and no doubt it seemed an accurate description of the waning influence of the Christian faith in Arnold's time. And yet, as prophesy, Arnold's words haven proven untrue. Although arguably the influence of the Church in the West has declined even more than it had in Arnold's day, in much of the rest of the world "the Sea of Faith" has not been "withdrawing" but, rather, surging forward, as the number of Christians in the non-Western world, especially in Africa and Asia, has been growing spectacularly. Moreover, we have the words of the Lord Jesus Himself assuring us that the "Sea of Faith" shall yet prevail. As he told the Apostle Peter in response to Peter's declaration that Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the living God": "...on this rock [the truth Peter has just uttered] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matthew 16:18, NIV). In the end, nothing shall be able to hold back the high tide of Faith.
Image of Matthew Arnold from Wikimedia Commons