Secularisation

• What is secularisation?

  Means many different things

  Less people are attending acts of worship or claiming to belong to a religion

  More people claiming to be atheist

  Fewer things in life are based around religion

  Political and legal decisions made without reference to religious ideas and moral views associated with religion

  People are free to believe, or not, as they wish
• Secularisation implies that Christianity is loosing its authority and power in society
• New forms of expression: christain responses to secular values

  Christianity throughout time has had to continually reinvent itself in order to operate effectively in the world of its time

  Movements such as the Fresh Expressions and the House Church movement are two of the ways some Christains have responded to the problem of secularisation
• Key stats

  Between November 2012 and November 2020, the % of people claiming to believe in a God in Britain has decreased by 10% from 37% to 27%
• Key stats 


  Christianity globally has stayed at around 33.3%
• Historically, religion has not been a matter of individual choice
• The continuing public role of religion

  Religion has moved into a personal sphere as a personal commitment, however, many still defend aspects of the Christian religion, for example preserving church buildings
• Traditionally, the ideas of right and wrong were closely linked to religion. However, the rise of secularisation and the development of social sciences has weakened the notion of objective morality and links with religion
• Increase of secularisation has also meant that faith is seen as an entirely personal choice and private matter for the individual. People no longer feel like they need to declare allegiance to Christianity. However, Christianity still plays a role in Britain. For example, the Church of England is the established Church in England, and the national anthem is essentially religious
• New movements in response to secularisation

  Fresh Expressions - This movement was set up by the Church of England - the movement has an evangelistic aim is seeking to share Christian, but is not aimed at drawing people into traditional Christian communities.
• New movements in response to secularisation

  The House Church Movement - In the early days of the Christian church, Christians met in private houses. The house church movement seeks to replicate this practise. The house church movement is a movement away from the conventional church buildings with the formality of worship associated with them. The approach is often fundamentalist and they focus on their individual experience of God calling them to a particular form of lifestyle and worship
• Liberationist approaches: supporting the poor and defending the oppressed


  The liberationist approach can be summed up in the phrase 'the preferential option for the poor' which was at the heart of Jesus' ministry and endorsed by leaders of the early church. In Britain, several reports showed high levels of poverty and deprivation. The Church of England as a result set up the Church Urban Fund (CUF), which gave grants to both religious and secular organisations to tackle the problem
• The replacement of religion as the source of truth and moral values

  During the Dark Ages, religion had complete authority. During the renaissance, religion and rational thought worked together to allow people to develop personal morality. From the 19th century onwards, people see religion as a matter of personal commitment
• The relegation of religion to personal sphere

  After the reformation there was a general and gradual acceptance that people should be free in matters of religion. As society became more secular individuals could make their own decision in what to follow. Now we live in a multi-faith society
• The continuing public role of religion

  Although religion has been relegated to the personal sphere, many people defend aspects of Christianity, such as preserving cathedrals, and the Church of England still remains the established religion in England