As the world anticipates the upcoming coronation of King Charles III and his wife Camilla as King and Queen, the countdown has officially begun. In just six short weeks, the royal couple will ascend to the throne, marking a new chapter in the history of the British monarchy.
The coronation is a Christian religious event that presents a political theological vision of the state as a union of people under God. The ritual bestows a crown and symbolises royal or imperial power and among the rituals will be oaths, anointing and enthronement.
Pastor and academic Reverend Dr Mark Durie is the founding director of the Institute for Spiritual Awareness. Mark writes on the connection between faith and culture, freedom of religion, persecuted minorities and discipling new Christians.
Biblical Traditions
Mark recently joined us on 20Twenty to talk about how the upcoming coronation will reflect biblical coronations such as those of King Solomon and King David. He believes that for more than a thousand years, there have been deep ties between English coronations and biblical events.
‘The appointment of the monarch is definitely shaped by the Bible,’ says Mark. ‘And even more than that, King Charles has arranged for the anointing oil to be made in Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. It’s oil from probably the very place that it came from for Solomon’s anointing. That’s a connection that is tying this ceremony to the ceremonies in Jerusalem.’
According to Mark, it’s also tradition to start the coronation service by singing Psalm 122. It’s actually a communion service that is under the responsibility of the Archbishop of Canterbury. While there are also many other stakeholders, the Archbishop presides over the service.
‘There will be prayers of confession, and readings from scripture,’ says Mark. ‘People will say the creed, there will be consecrated prayers for communion and there will be a blessing. These are all standard elements for a communion service.’
Jesus is Lord
Mark believes it will be interesting to see if the secular media acknowledge these elements. To date, they have largely ignored the Christian aspect of the coronation, not mentioning that it is in fact essentially a service of worship and prayer, containing strong theological content.
‘There’s no doubt that this service acknowledges the sovereignty of Jesus Christ and his centrality for law and order in the nations,’ says Mark. ‘The orb that is given to King Charles has a cross on the top of it, and it’s a symbol that Christ is Lord of all the world.’
‘The prayers and the vows that are made constantly reference the sovereignty of Christ, and that is very significant.’
Listen to Mark’s full interview on 20Twenty below:
