The issue of the investiture and coronation language is very easy to understand, however.  A future King Charles does not want to defend the Christian faith, but all faiths -- even faith itself.

As The Telegraph reported,

A Clarence House spokesman said: "There has been work done on the accession planning as you would expect however there has been no planning of the Coronation or its contents." The Prince has been advised on the accession by Sir Stephen Lamport, his former Private Secretary, who was a senior civil servant.

Vernon Bogdanor, the constitutionalist who is Professor of Government at Oxford University, said: "In 1952, when the Queen came to the throne, it was very much an Anglican society. The Prince of Wales will become head of a nation which is multi-denominational.

"The Prince has said that he wants to be seen as a defender of all religious faiths and not just the Anglican church but the Coronation is an Anglican ceremony. Any change would require legislation."

Prince Charles originally wanted to be known as "Defender of Faiths," but will now settle for "Defender of Faith," according to sources close to the Prince.  Just a few years ago, Prince Charles commented:

All the great prophets, all the great thinkers, all those who have achieved an awareness of the aspects of life which lie beneath the surface, all have showed the same understanding of the universe or the nature of God or the purpose of our existence--and that is why I think it is so important to understand the common threads which link us in one great and important tapestry.

Anyone who looks closely at this statement will recognize immediately that it is false.  The various religions of the world are not talking about the same divine reality, nor revealing "the same understanding of the universe or the nature of God or the purpose of our existence."  To the contrary, there is no generic "faith" in any meaningful sense of the word.

This news out of Great Britain tells us a great deal about the future of the House of Windsor and, in its own way, about the future of the British people.  The public decline of the Church of England is nothing less than tragic, but grave theological compromises preceded its statistical free fall.

Nevertheless, far beyond the green and pleasant land of Britain, this news also tells us a great deal about how so many people understand faith.  They see it as a substance or stance without any necessary object or referent.  In this view, it all comes down to mere faith, and faith in faith -- and faith in any faith.

Christianity makes a claim to being the faith, indeed the faith "once for all delivered to the saints" [Jude 3].  That is the faith that deserves our defense, for it is faith in Christ, and in Christ alone, that saves.

In addition to being one of Salem’s nationally syndicated radio talk show hosts, R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and recognized as one of America’s leading theologians and cultural commentators. Contact Dr. Mohler at mail@albertmohler.com.