A Wedding for Charles and Camilla
A commentary by Melvin Rhodes
Good News writer and regional pastor, Ghana
When King Edward VIII had to choose between the British
throne and the "woman he loved", he opted for marriage and
declined the crown. Edward's problem was that his relationship
with the twice divorced Mrs. Simpson was considered to be incompatible
with his role as titular head of the Church of England. That was in 1936.
Times have changed.
The Church of England today is a very different church. In contrast
to 1936, today's church ordains women as priests and permits actively
gay clergy, both of which are prohibited in the scriptures. It's
no surprise then that they have liberalized the teaching on divorce,
though not as much as some other churches have done. The new rules do
not permit Charles and Camilla to marry in church as she was instrumental
in coming between him and his first wife, the late Princess Diana.
However, a civil ceremony is acceptable to the church and will go ahead
at Windsor Castle on April 8th.
The prince's future subjects are naturally divided on this. Older
people are all too aware of the scandal that rocked the British Empire
70 years ago. But younger people have grown up in a society that increasingly
accepts alternative lifestyles, including "living together".
Most people seem to feel that marriage is more respectable than what
used to be called "living in sin", so it's doubtful
that the news of the upcoming marriage will of itself do any damage to
the throne. That damage has already been done.
When Elizabeth II became Queen 53 years ago this month the monarchy
was at the center of what was still the biggest empire in history. It
was a highly respected institution that was the unifying symbol of the
Empire and Commonwealth. The Queen herself was looked up to by all her
subjects and was welcomed by enthusiastic crowds wherever she went. As
Sir Winston Churchill, British prime minister at the time of her ascension
to the throne, put it: "The Queen is the lady we respect because
she is our Queen, but whom we love because she is herself."
When Churchill died 13 years later, those feelings remained intact.
But it was all to change in subsequent years. There are a number of reasons
for this:
- Loss of empire—which reduced the universal role of the monarch.
The Queen remains Head of the Commonwealth but is now Head of State
in only 16 out of 54 Commonwealth countries. In 1952 only India had
become a republic within the Commonwealth, replacing the Queen's
father with a figurehead president.
- Britain 's loss of sovereignty to the European Union. The
ultimate goal of an "ever closer union" for the EU means
the monarchy is seen by many as an obstacle to further European integration.
The sovereign is the very symbol of sovereignty.
- The media. Greater exposure to the media has exposed too much of
the private lives of members of the royal family, thereby diminishing
respect for the monarchy as a whole, although the Queen herself remains
above reproach. Additionally, television, which once was of a high
standard in Britain, now makes fun of the royals along with politicians,
with resultant cynicism amongst the populace.
- The Queen's four children must also accept responsibility
for the diminished respect for the monarchy. Proverbs 14:34 tells us
that "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to
any people." The Queen's children and grandchildren clearly
need to be reminded of their duty to serve and to always set a good
example in their personal behavior.
What it comes down to is this:
God gave us His Law, the Ten Commandments, for our benefit. As is evident
from passages in Deuteronomy 28, blessings follow obedience, while negative
consequences inevitably follow disobedience. This applies to all of us—to
members of the British royal family and to presidents, prime ministers
and citizens of all nations.
The main difference between most of us and our leaders is that their
sins have a much wider impact. They have political consequences and can
reduce their nation's stature in the rest of the world.
It is very important for world leaders to understand this and to take
it to heart. Notice this explicit command of God to a monarch: "Also
it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall
write for himself a copy of this law ... it shall be with him, and he
shall read it all the days of his life ..." (Deuteronomy 17:18-19).
 The
Ten Commandments define the moral principles that make or break individuals
and nations—according to whether they are applied or
ignored. For a compelling explanation of the far-reaching application
of God's commands to all levels of life, take the time now to request
or download your free copy of our exceptionally insightful booklet: The
Ten Commandments.
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