St George is no crusader

Press Office — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:53:42 +0100

The religion and society think-tank Ekklesia has welcomed a new painting of St George, the patron saint of England, which portrays him as a man of compassion and challenges the myth of 'the crusade

St George is patron saint of dissenters, says think-tank

staff writers — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 08:06:33 +0100

St George isn't about jingoism, he's a global figure who took on empire and backed persecuted minorities, says a new report from Ekklesia - which wants 23 April to be a public holiday celebrating dissenters.

When the Saints Go Marching Out: Redefining St George for a new era

Simon Barrow — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 07:33:59 +0100

This paper proposes that the figure of St George should be reclaimed according to his true, hidden story – as a dissenter against the abuse of power, a contrast to religious crusades, a global figure we share with other nations, someone who offered hospitality to the vulnerable, and a champion of right rather than might.

It proposes that St George’s Day should be re-branded as a national day to celebrate an English contribution to the history of dissent – the witness of people like the abolitionists, the suffragettes and those who have sought to combat racism, nationalism, debt, poverty, colonialism and war with the vision of a nation and world open to all.

For the churches, we believe, St George can be a post-Christendom saint. He is a Christian figure, but he does not ‘belong’ to Christians. However, in his faithful nonconformity he invites the churches to become better servants of Jesus by abandoning reliance on a romanticised past and (in the case of the Church of England) a legacy of Establishment privilege – and seeking a better way.

[An (earlier version) *.PDF of the report below is also available here]

Ekklesia Staff

Category - Englishness

St George is no crusader

St George is patron saint of dissenters, says think-tank

When the Saints Go Marching Out: Redefining St George for a new era