christianity and the challenge of secularisation

Question 1

what was britain like as a secular society

Answer 1

• in the 18th century, the emphasis on reason, evidence and scientific thought encouraged a more individualistic approach to religion. it was now possible to be openly atheist or agnostic
• after the world wars it decreases the amount of people attending church
• from the late 20th century, squabbles and scandals within the church have led to growing disillusionment within traditional christianity

Question 2

how has religion been replaced as the source of truth and moral values

Answer 2

• anthropologists saw concepts of right and wrong as affected by culture
• karl marx regarded religion and it’s views on morality as a social ad political tool wielded by those in power to control the masses
  ,- sigmund freud claimed that it satisfied a psychological need

Question 3

how does christianity still play a significant role in britain

Answer 3

• the CofE 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

Question 4

how did materialism grow

Answer 4

• post reformation views on the value of family life led to a reassessment of attitudes to wealth; secure family life depended on possessions
• the expansion of britains power in africa, the americas and the far east created trading opportunities that led to the development of capitalism
• capitalism was reinforced by the industrial revolution. Great wealth was created in banking, businesses and trading

Question 5

what were new Jesus’ attitudes to wealth and possessions

Answer 5

• in the time of jesus, wealth was regarded as a sign of gods approval
• Jesus’ teaching challenged this
  
  • he told the rich man that if he wished to
    gain eternal life, he must give everything he
    had to the poor
  • his parable of the rich man and lazarus
    contained a warning of dire consequences
    for those who enjoyed great wealth but
    ignored the needs of the poor
  • jesus didnt condemn wealth itself just greed

Question 6

what were new testament attitudes to wealth

Answer 6

• in the early days of christianity people shared everything
• when there was famine in Jerusalem, christians in syria collected money to send to those in need
• the possession of wealth was not seen as wrong in itself; it was the attitude to it that mattered

Question 7

what is the relationship between christianity and wealth in modern society

Answer 7

• a minority of christians adopted the teachings and practices of jesus and the early christians, setting up communities that mirror the life of the early jerusalem community - the bruderhof
• the other extreme is the prosperity gospel
• mainstream christian denominations do not believe there is anything intrinsically wrong in having wealth but possession of it comes with responsibility

Question 8

what is the bruderhof

Answer 8

• it was set up in the early 20th century and its communities are now found in a number of countries, including three in the UK
• members of the bruderhof see materialism as one of the main reasons for the problems of the world today
• they live in communities, without any personal property
• they make certain vows, one of which is to live simply

Question 9

what is prosperity gospel

Answer 9

• this thinking developed in the mid 20th century in the US within the pentecostal tradition is now an international movement
• despite various scandals implicating some of their leaders, many churches have been set up, attracting thousands
• it teaches that christian beliefs and practices will be rewarded by god in terms of material prosperity and physical well being
• members are expected to give generously to evangelistic work and some churches are involved in social projects

Question 10

what is richard dawkins’ god delusion

Answer 10

• the god hypothesis is irrational and contrary to good science
• religion is primitive, harmful and has spread like a virus
• religion encourages discrimination and is a major cause of conflict
• teaching children religion is a form of mental abuse that threatens their development
• people can be morally good without religion

Question 11

what is mcgraths dawkins delusion

Answer 11

• it is not an attempt to show christianity to be true but to show that dawkins’ arguments are fundamentally flawed
• dawkins is wrong to assume that good science is bound to result in atheism
• religion and science are partially overlapping magisteria, they come at the world from two different but equally valid perspectives
• he shows a limited understanding of christianity by assuming all take a literal understanding of the bible
• dawkins is fundamentalist in his unquestioning acceptance of some atheist views and is biased and unscientific

Question 12

what is the fresh expressions movement

Answer 12

• it was set up in the CofE as a result of a 2004 report, which has now been adopted by other churches
• the movement has an evangelical aim in seeking to share christian thinking, but it is not aimed at drawing people into traditional church communities
• works alongside traditional churches, not replacing but supplementing them
• it shares with those who have no contact with church communities what it means to live in a secular society, so it starts from where people are
• it is about listening to the life experiences of ordinary people in their everyday situation and considering how the life and experiences of jesus might give meaning to those experiences

Question 13

what is the house church movement

Answer 13

• views secularisation as largely hostile to the church and sees a parallel in the circumstances of christianity in the first three centuries of its existence, when it suffered persecution by state authorities and by roman society in general
• a movement away from meeting in conventional church buildings with all the formality of worship associated with them

Question 14

what features do house churches also have

Answer 14

• the approach to the bible is often fundamentalist
• those who belong to house churches focus on their individual experience of god calling them to a particular lifestyle or form of worship

Question 15

how is christianity maintaining relevance in a secular society

Answer 15

• in times of major disasters, people often turn to the church to express their grief, find comfort and perhaps make sense of it
• more locally, the church often plays a significant part in helping local communities come to terms with a tragedy such as the murder of a child

Question 16

what were the approaches in central and southern america to support the poor

Answer 16

• in the late 20th century, the extreme poverty caused by political corruption and suppression of any attempt to seek justice elicited two approaches to the problem
  
  • some leaders of the catholic church,
    including the Pope at the time, advocated a
    non-confrontational and non-violent
    approach
  • other leaders joined forces with secular
    protest groups in order to force change. this
    became known as the liberationist approach

Question 17

what is the liberationist approach

Answer 17

• some saw violent action as the only way of removing corruption and establishing justice for the poor
• Archbishop Oscar Romero denounced the governments oppression of the poor in El Salvador, which led to his assassination in 1980. The subsequent publicity raised international awareness of the situation and the churches denunciation of it

Question 18

what were the liberationist approaches in britain to help the poor

Answer 18

• in the late 20th century, several reports showing high levels of poverty and deprivation were published, including ‘Faith in the City’ by the CofE
• as a result, the CofE set up the Church Urban Fund, which gives grants to both secular and religious organisations to tackle the problem
• christians of all denominations continue to take responsibility for the secular well being of society