Christianity and the challenge of secularisation

• Secularisation


  The process by which religion loses its influence in society
• In pre-Reformation Europe, people's lives and thinking were strongly controlled by the Church
• After the Reformation, the monarch dictated the official religion and those who died were liable to torture and death
• Reformation


  Encouraged a more individualist approach to religion
• In the eighteenth century, the emphasis on reason, evidence and scientific thought further encouraged a more individualistic approach to religion
• It was now possible to be openly atheist or agnostic
• Nineteenth century laws permitted greater religious freedom, the horrors of two World Wars in the twentieth century and the challenge to authority experienced in the 1960s decreased further the number of those who attended church and who regarded themselves as 'practising' Christians
• From the late twentieth century, squabbles and scandals within the Church have led to growing disillusionment with traditional Christianity
• Secular


  Concerned with the affairs of this world, so not with religious or spiritual matters
• Humanism


  The belief that people can lead good lives without holding religious or superstitious beliefs
• Traditionally, ideas of right and wrong were closely linked to religion
• Many Christians, if asked for the source of morality, would and still do refer to the Bible
• Right and wrong were and still are seen by many Christians as objectively right and wrong
• The development of the social sciences has weakened the notion of objective morality and the links with religion
• Anthropologists saw concepts of right and wrong as affected by culture
• Karl Marx regarded religion and its views on morality as a social and political tool wielded by those in power to control the masses
• Sigmund Freud claimed that religion satisfied a psychological need
• Modern secular humanism includes the belief that people can live morally good lives without religion
• Increasing secularisation has meant that faith is seen as an entirely personal choice and a private matter for the individual
• People no longer feel that they must declare allegiance to Christianity as Britain's traditional and national religion
• The Church of England is the established Church in England and in Scotland it is the Church of Scotland
• The National Anthem, sung on a wide range of occasions with great gusto, is essentially religious; its opening word is 'God'
• Materialism


  A world view that regards material possessions, wealth and personal comfort as more important than any spiritual beliefs or practices
• Capitalism


  The political and economic system that allows wealth to be controlled by individuals and businesses for private profit
• Communism


  A political system in which power, wealth and status are equally shared by all who live in the community or nation
• For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.: '1 Timothy 6:10'
• A minority of Christians have adopted for themselves the teachings and practices of Jesus and the early Christian Church, setting up communities that mirror the life of the early Jerusalem community
• Bruderhof


  An evangelical Christian movement whose members live in communities, having given up all personal property
• Members of the Bruderhof see materialism as one of the main reasons for the problems facing the world today
• They live in communities, without any personal property
• They make certain vows, one of which is to live simply
• Prosperity theology/Gospel


  A form of evangelical Christianity that views wealth, power and status as rewards from God for strong faith and good works
• Mainstream Christian denominations denounce prosperity theology but they do not adopt the Bruderhof approach to wealth
• They think that there is nothing intrinsically wrong in having wealth but possession of it entails great responsibilities for its use
• Christians are to be responsible stewards of their wealth, sharing it generously and sacrificially with those in need
• Many churches are involved in the running of food banks and encourage their members to become involved in projects that care for the homeless
• Some of the voluntary aid agencies working to end global poverty have a Christian foundation, e.g. Christian Aid, Tearfund and CAFOD
• Militant atheism


  The view that all religion is a bad thing that must be actively fought against
• Irrational


  Without reason, often in the sense of being contrary to reason
• Militant atheism really came into its own in the late 20th century with the writings and interviews of people such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry