The Archbishop of York has called on the church in England to rediscover its self-confidence as he warned that the future of Britain could be one in which God is completely excluded from the public realm.

|PIC1|"Britain is tired of its own culture and the unbridled consumerism and secularism have led many to assume that human beings alone can make themselves," said Dr John Sentamu. "God has been totally shut out. What we are in danger of developing is a culture that excludes God from public consciousness."

In his speech entitled 'Uncovering the purposes of God' delivered at York Minster, Sentamu warned: "The relegation of religious thought and of religious motivation to the lowest form of knowledge, not only runs the risk of negating the role played by Christian champions of social justice but more importantly risks removing those core and essential values of human worth which are essential in discovering God's purposes."

Sentamu also recalled his appeal at his inauguration sermon as the 97th Archbishop of York for the Church in England to "once again be a beacon" for the people of England.

He appealed once again for the Church in England to regain its position as a leading light once again, urging that, "The church in England must rediscover her self-confidence and self-esteem".

Dr Sentamu spoke out against the trend to forget Britain's Christian heritage. "Such an approach also forgets the truth of liturgy, in the words of St. Bede, that it 'was the Gospel which conferred nationhood on these islands'."

|QUOTE|He went on to list numerous UK charities which have made major contributions to society in the last century alone and all founded by Christians, including The Hospice movement, Amnesty International, Shelter, Save the Children, the Samaritans, Alcoholics Anonymous, the Shaftsbury Society, Jubilee 2000, the YMCA, the trade Justice Movement, the Children's Society, and National Children's Homes.

"Whilst Christians can in no way claim to have a monopoly in the field of social justice, their contribution has been incalculable," he said.

In the speech, the Archbishop of York urged British Christians to see Muslims as allies in the struggle against secularism, adding that British Muslims were not offended by Christianity and preferred it to a secular state.

He went on to stress the important position of the family as the "primary social unit", saying that children should be, so far as possible, "brought up by their parents as members of one family" to ensure the well-being of the whole community.

The diverse speech also reflected on the recent conflict between Israel and Lebanon which Sentamu criticised by saying it had been characterised by the "cheapening of human life" now taken for granted by those in power.