Need for Newman
Sir: I always read Paul Johnson's contribu- tions with great interest and I agree with much of what he writes in his articles on 'A Media church?' (6 April). When he con-
eludes that without the material supports of the cathedrals and what remains of the wealth of the mediaeval church the Angli- can Church would virtually disappear in a generation, I hope and believe he is too pessimistic. All human institutions ebb and flow. The Anglican Church in Newman's day was at a very low ebb; it recovered under the inspiration of the Oxford Move- ment.
In spite of the many reasons for depress- ion in the Church today there is no reason to despair. My parish church today (Easter Day) was packed to the doors. I expect Mr Johnson knows of the Church of St Alban's, Holborn. No one who knows this church could possibly say that religion in the Church of England is a dying cult, and no one could maintain that its congrega- tions are small and increasingly elederly, and I believe this pattern can be seen in very many Anglican churches throughout the land. But perhaps we need another John Newman!
Alfred Hibbert
4 East Drive, Sawbridgeworth, Herts
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