John Keble, Odstępstwo narodu

The present text is a translation of John Keble’s (1792–1866) sermon, National Apostasy, preceded by an introduction. Keble was an Anglican thinker, theologian, poet, and a leader of the Oxford Movement. The sermon is a response to the liberal reforms of the English Parliament introduced between 1828 and 1832, which changed the traditional status of the Anglican Church in the state and the principles of state policy in line with utilitarian and Erastian ideas. Keble regarded these changes as a renunciation of the political dimension of Christianity, which he considered harmful to the state and the Church. Keble’s sermon is regarded as the beginning of the Oxford Movement, which protested against the growing secularisation and liberalisation of public life in England.