3B Migration and Christianity in the UK

Question 1

What has the UN recorded about the number of people currently displaced by conflict?

Answer 1

• It is the highest it has ever been

Question 2

Explain how Christianity is a story of migration?

Answer 2

• Israel’s faith begins w/ Abraham + Sarah journeying to Canaan
• Leviticus 19:34 - “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were all aliens in the land of Egypt.”
• Mary + Joseph = uprooted three times: from Nazareth to Bethlehem; Bethlehem to Egypt; Egypt to Galilee
• Good Samaritan: a stranger, yet moved with compassion; performed first aid; took him to shelter; provided money for further care
• Catholic c.ch celebrates The World Day of Migrants and Refugees

Question 3

Complete the sentence: Christianity is the religion with the largest…

Answer 3

…representation amongst immigrants to the UK w/ a r. affiliation

Question 4

Explain the challenge of maintaining a sense of community cohesion.

Answer 4

• Large influx may be learning English ∴ lang. barrier which hinders teaching + difficult for priests to respond to personal crisis
- Some appoint an ‘immigrant chaplin’ or an ‘episcopal vicar’ who takes responsibility for imm.s
- Older migrants w/ relevant lang. skills = valuable asset
• Sig. differences in worship styles
- C.chs attempt to respect diversity + enc. to incorporate diff. worship styles

Question 5

Where do the largest influx of Christians to the UK come from? What has been the result of this influx?

Answer 5

• The Caribbean + West Africa

• Pentecostalism = pervasive there
• Has led to 1000s of new c.chs + reversal of c.ch decline in some areas

Question 6

What does Pentecostalism emphasise?

Answer 6

• The experiences of the worshipper

• Constant reference to exp. of early c.ch in Acts 2
• Does not follow a written liturgy
• Has components such as dancing, clapping, speaking in tongues

Question 7

How many estimated Pentecostalist Christians are there in the world?

Answer 7

• 300 million

- Prob. more C.tians in southern hemisphere for first time in history

Question 8

How many people in the UK attend black majority churches?

Answer 8

• 500,000

- 60 yrs ago, hardly any

Question 9

Give some brief information about the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

Answer 9

• Nigerian denomination founded in 1952
• Experienced dramatic growth - 800 congregations in UK
• Their largest c.ch in UK = Jesus House: 2000+ ppl every Sunday

Question 10

Give a quote from Hollenweger (worldwide expert on Pentecostalism) about Pentecostalism.

Answer 10

• “Pentecostalism is revolutionary because it offers alternatives to ‘literary theology’”

Question 11

Many new churches and denominations in the UK have a majority immigrant membership. Why have British churches not assimilated more foreign-born worshippers?

Answer 11

• Worship differences
- Clear diff.s btwn experiential P worship and literary/liturgical approaches
- But:
i) Many c.chs from long-standing denom.s have embraced P worship style - ‘charismatic churches’
ii) There are indigenous P c.chs in UK
• Social support
- Migrant groups have their own needs, relating to pressures of est. a new home
- Many black + ethnic minority c.chs offer counselling on legal aspects of imm. process
• Uneven spread of immigration
- The Office of National Statistics: 75% of migrants go to London + additional 10% to SW
- ∴ large regions across UK w/o sig. no. of imm.s ∴ no opp.s for c.chs to assimilate

Question 12

What does the UK have a long history of?

Answer 12

• Sending missionaries to spread the C.tian message

- There are Anglican + Methodist c.chs in most parts of British Empire

Question 13

What does ‘reverse mission’ mean?

Answer 13

• Countries that once sent missionaries become the target for missionary work from the countries they once evangelised

Question 14

Give two reasons as to why reverse mission is occurring.

Answer 14

• Global shift of C.ty to the southern hemisphere

* Dramatic c.ch decline in UK + perception from maj. C.tian countries that Britain = secular/atheist

Question 15

Give three examples of activities labelled as ‘reverse mission’.

Answer 15

• All three of these activities are united by a desire to see C.ty thrive again:

• Short-term visits of non-British C.tians - e.g. Africans coming to share music, drama, dance in c.chs
• C.ch workers coming w/ intention to ‘evangelise’ + bring about conversions
• C.chs intentionally appointing a leader from a migrant background

Question 16

Has reverse mission been successful?

Answer 16

• Scholar, Rebecca Catto: reverse missionaries face cultural challenges inc. resistance of secular UK nationals to C.tian message + diff. to adjust to a new country
• Reverse mission has not stemmed the tide of c.ch decline
• Some reverse missionaries have shifted their focus to fellow nationals
• But, has caused long-standing c.chs to reflect more intensely on the quality of outreach

Question 17

What is the secularisation thesis?

Answer 17

• The view that as societies modernise, r. will decline in at least one of three ways:

1) Decline in c.ch attendance
2) Decreasing role for c.ch in public life
3) Loss of personal faith in God + C.tian beliefs

Question 18

How many annual church closures does the Church of England report?

Answer 18

• 20

Question 19

While 47% of 18-34-year-olds have a religious affiliation, how many pray occasionally or regularly?

Answer 19

• 67%

Question 20

From 1989-2005, what has happened to the number of evangelicals in the Church of England?

Answer 20

• Risen from 26% to 34%

Question 21

What has happened to the London Diocese of the Church of England since 1990?

Answer 21

• It has grown by 70%

Question 22

In recent decades, what has been the cause of much church growth in the UK?

Answer 22

• Immigration

Question 23

In the North-East, 125 churches opened between 1980 and 2015. How many have black (and ethnic minority) majority attendees? How many have a significant majority? How many are historical denominations? How many church closures were there in the same area?

Answer 23

• 47 have black (+ ethnic minority) majorities
• 37 have a significant majorities
• Only 18 are historical denominations
- 0 = Catholic
- 1 = CofE
• 148 church closures in same area