A former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II is warning that the Church of England is suffering a spiritual collapse, rapidly approaching apostasy and demographic extinction.
“It will become hollowed out with nothing at the center,” Gavin Ashenden told EWTN, lamenting that the church is clinging to its wealth and historic buildings but has lost the vitality of faith. “They will keep a show going in the more dramatic places,” he said, referencing ceremonies like royal funerals and coronations, while local parishes “are very close to being defunct already.”
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Ashenden, who left the Anglican Church in 2019 and converted to Roman Catholicism, pointed to the Church of England’s aging congregation and lack of youth engagement as signs of irreversible decline, as reported by The Christian Post.
“The average age in Anglican parishes is over 70, and there is no great renewal in the youth, so demographically, it’s simply going to evaporate,” he said.
/**/Ashenden resigned from his royal post in 2017 after speaking out against St. Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow for reciting Quranic verses denying Christ’s divinity during an Epiphany service. He later explained the decision to leave Anglicanism came with personal cost but was rooted in conscience. “It was easy and difficult at the same time,” he told EWTN.
Over the years, Ashenden said he tried to reason with liberal Anglicans, warning, “You’re changing the nature of faith itself.” When he publicly voiced his concerns, he said he was told by the Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household that his views might be seen as representing the queen herself, prompting him to resign.
His journey, marked by suffering and supernatural encounters, included a vision in the 1990s in which he briefly experienced the agony of Christ on the cross. “Once you’ve discovered God really does love you… it gives a value to your life that you never lose,” he said.
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The Bible warns that in the last days, many will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceptive spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Tim. 4:1). Apostasy is part of the prophetic picture of the end times, something believers are cautioned to expect but also to pray against. While such events shouldn’t shock us as Christians, they are a clear reminder to remain rooted in the truth of God’s Word and pray for revival within the church.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
