The English are a Germanic people who enterd Great Britain over 1500 years ago from Central Europe. Due to repeated conquests (Vikings, Norman French), mixing with the Celtic inhabitants of Britain, and acquisition of a large empire in the 17th-20th centuries, the English are ethnically quite diverse. England was a major power that created the most widely-spread colonial empire on the globe, which is now relinquished. England, as part of the U.K., maintains a great cultural influence throughout the world; the English language is a second language for many in the former empire and beyond.
The English are found mainly in the United Kingdom and its remaining possessions (e.g. Bermuda, Gibraltar, Caribbean islands, etc), and also in many other nations around the world, as well as many of English descent in the United States, Canada, Australia, etc.
Millions of English live in large cities (London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, etc.) but also in small towns and country villages. Most live at a "First World" level in comfortable homes with sufficient employment, entertainment and access to all aspects of modern life.
Though nominally a Christian nation, with a great Christian heritage, most English are secularized. It is stated that more people in England attend mosque (due to a large influx of Muslims from former colonial areas since 1960) than church, and there is validity to this claim. England is an example of a post-Christian culture, though the Church is stronger here than on much of the European continent. The English are susceptible, like other secularized populations, to a wide range of beliefs from astrology to Buddhism, though in the main they are likely materialistic, practical atheists.
The English have gone from overweening imperial pride to industrial melancholy and malaise. Their nation once sent out Christian missionaries to all parts of the earth, and was shaped by successive Evangelical Revivals in the 18th and 19th century. A new Revival is needed to reshape the character of the English.
Pray for revival by the power of the Word preached.
Pray that revival will spread thought England and give new purpose to many who are living aimlessly.
Pray that the English will recapture the spirit and resources they once used to evangelize much of the world and send out missionaries again.
Pray that Christians in England will be boldly filled with the Holy Spirit and will speak out against the ills of their society, and for the cause of Jesus Christ.
Pray that the Church in England will become an example of ethnic harmony and diversity as it welcomes people from non-English backgrounds now living in the U.K.
Scripture Prayers for the English in United Kingdom.
| Profile Source: Thomas Watch |
