Letter: Sunday schools and a moral lifeline

Sir: Sunday schools may again have something to offer a Britain in moral crisis. It is intriguing to note that in the second half of the 19th century crime fell as enrolments at Sunday schools rose. A subsequent decline in attendance preceded a steady escalation of lawlessness.

For thousands of children, draughty church halls are perhaps the only place where they hear about the Ten Commandments, once adhered to by atheists and churchgoers alike. For generations, these Commandments offered developing minds a framework of consistent moral values which condemned anti-social behaviour such as murder, rape, violence and theft. More than just a set of religious rules to be kept, they are part of God's definition of humanity. People - even young teenagers - who step outside these guidelines take a step away from what it means to be truly human.

The statement by Masud Hoghughi of the Aycliffe Centre for Children (1 March) that 'the horrors we see now are nothing to what is coming unless we take fundamental measures to deal with our alienated young people' is almost too frightening to contemplate. Eight out of 10 children under 13 years old have no contact with the church. We owe them the opportunity of the moral education which benefited so many of us, whether or not they become Christians.

Yours sincerely,

CLIVE CALVER

General Director

Evangelical Alliance

RONALD A. NATHAN

General Director

African Caribbean Evangelical Alliance

London, SE11

2 March