1. Running head: CHRISTIANITY IN BRITAIN: A DECLINING SOCIAL NORM 1
Christianity in Britain: A Declining Social Norm
Tommy Morgan
Radford University
tmorgan4@radford.edu
2. CHRISTIANITY IN BRITAIN: A DECLINING SOCIAL NORM 2
Abstract
This paper explores the results of primary and secondary research studying the decline of
Christianity being practiced regularly in the United Kingdom. According to Steve Bruce, at the
current rate of church membership and attendance decline most British denominations will cease
to exist by the year 2030 (2001). According to an article in The Times, affiliation with the
Church of England fell from 40 percent to 20 percent in less than three decades (Gibb, 2014).
This paper will analyze several hypotheses developed to explain why religion is declining as a
social norm in Britain and aim to find a definitive answer as to exactly why the decline is
occurring.
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Christianity in Britain: A Declining Social Norm
Religion has been a major part of British culture since the dawn of the country’s
dominance began. Christianity, to be more specific, has been a part of the United Kingdom since
1534 when King Henry VIII separated from the Catholic Church and established the Church of
England. Even today the majority of British citizens identify as members of the Church of
England. With that being said, only 30-35 percent of the adult population in Britain regularly
attends church services (Bruce, 2001). Why then is Christianity and religion in general struggling
to stay afloat in the secular floodwaters that are pouring into Britain? Several hypotheses have
been developed to answer the question. Feminism, the British National Party, lack of demand by
the Church, increased secularization, and societal norms are all possible causes to the decline of
religion in the United Kingdom.
To begin, Dr. Callum Brown claims that, “Feminism has hastened the decline of
Christianity in Britain” (Feminism). The Times’ article explores the possibilities of women’s
liberation leading to a weakened Church. Dr. Brown’s argument dates back to the 1960s when
the Church of Scotland shunned and condemned women for being promiscuous. This loose
behavior was a product of the sexual emancipation that took place during the time period. Brown
claims that these actions led many women to turn their backs on the Church causing attendance
numbers to fall and weakening the Church (Feminism). The new identity of freedom and
expression that women began to strive after undermined the Christian lifestyle of conservative
and respectable. Brown claims that, "This discomforted the churches, and the Church of Scotland
in particular warned of the promiscuity of young girls, for which they were described as sexist”
(Feminism). To support Brown’s reseach, the Church of Scotland’s membership has halved since
1956 and only six percent of the population is active churchgoers (Feminism).
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Continuing, the Church of England has had its own set of issues involving politics.
During the 2010 elections, the British National Party (BNP) was at the height of their popularity
because they stood for “authentic British sovereignty.” However, this authentic British pride was
accompanied with anti-immigration, islamaphobia, and white superiority (Davey, 2011). The
BNP has caused problems for the Church of England because they associated themselves as the
“Christian party” and made ties to the Church without first consulting the Church officials. Due
to the party’s harsh racist beliefs, many of the Church’s members resented the connection the
BNP made with the Church of England which caused some members to halt their attendance
(Davey, 2011). The Church of England also resented the British National Party and their claim of
being the “Christian party” due to their racist ideals, which go against Christian doctrine (Davey,
2011).
Due to the resentment the Church of England has for the BNP and the problems the party
has been causing the Church has taken steps over the past decade to respond to the far-right
members. The Church has supported several political candidates who oppose the BNP
throughout recent elections in hopes to unseat the party’s control in the nation (Davey, 2011).
The candidates being supported generally stand for diversity and the future of modern Britain.
The Church shows that they support the changes Britain is going through by aiding these
candidates in hopes to mend their reputation (Davey, 2011).
Another problem the Church of England has been facing is its inability to encourage its
members to adhere to the rules and beliefs of the Church. Baroness Hale of Richmond, a
Supreme Court justice in the UK stated in an article in The Times, “Britain is one of the least
religious countries in Western Europe because the Church of England is a very undemanding
church” (Gibb, 2014). The justice says that the lack of dietary laws, dress codes, etc. is necessary
5. CHRISTIANITY IN BRITAIN: A DECLINING SOCIAL NORM 5
in having a successful church congregation. The United Kingdom is often referred to as a
“paradoxical country” when it comes to religion. The justice points out that politicians do not
wear their religion proudly, minority communities practice religion more openly, and while
British people claim to be members of the “C of E,” affiliation to the Church of England fell by
20 percent from 1983 to 2010 (Gibb, 2014).
To continue, Baroness Hale also blames human rights laws for the decline in Christianity
(Gibb, 2014). As of now, there are only discrimination laws in Britain that do not take religious
beliefs into consideration when looking at cases employment, selling of goods and services, civil
disputes, etc. (Gibb, 2014). By protecting the religious beliefs of Christians more Brits would
feel comfortable expressing their Christian beliefs again.
In addition, other research has found that religious decline in Britain has been
generational in nature. “Generational” in the context that decade after decade each generation is
less religious than the one before it (Crockett & Voas, 2006). By using cohort, period, and age
effects to measure the causes of religious decline, Crockett and Voas (2006) found that religious
affiliation was almost universal at the beginning of the 20th
century and is found in less than half
of those born in 1970s in Britain.
Furthermore, cohort effects measure population-level religious decline to see if one or
more birth cohorts grow into less religious adults than the previous. Crockett and Voas (2006)
found that the cohort of the 1990s were substantially less religious than that of any other birth
cohort before. Period effects measure population-level religious decline to see if it occurs across
all cohorts at a specific time like World War II. Crocket and Voas (2006) found that religious
decline took place across all cohorts in Britain during World War II and the “open-minded”
6. CHRISTIANITY IN BRITAIN: A DECLINING SOCIAL NORM 6
times of the 1960s (see Figure 1). Age effects would measure the offset to the decline created as
people become more religious with age. The research showed the aging society became more
religious in their old age towards the end of the 20th
century offsetting the decline in religion for
a brief period during the 1990s (Crockett & Voas, 2006).
Another finding that has caused religious decline in Britain is secularization. Steve Bruce
(2001) looked at the numbers surrounding church membership, Sunday schools, full-time
religious professionals, religious offices, new religious movements, and beliefs over the last 150
years (See Tables 1 & 2). In each of the categories studied there was a unanimous decline across
the board. Bruce (2001) found that new religious movements were centered around non-
Trinitarian churches, such as Mormon and Jehovah’s Witnesses. While the main Christian
churches were losing members over the last 150 years the new movements were gaining them
(Bruce, 2001). Bruce’s research led him to an Anglican cleric who pointed out the decline in
church membership and Christianity is the product of so many choices when it comes to
Christianity (Bruce, 2001). The cleric pointed out that with secularization comes more open-
mindedness and resentment towards the conservatism of the Church. This has cause new
churches to be formed and a plethora of church choices for the average “Christian” to choose
from making the true Christ following Christian almost irrelevant in Britain (Bruce, 2001).
Another hypothesis comes from the Archbishop of Canterbury. He expressed that he
believes Britain is, “Certainly not a Christian country if measured by the number of people
actively attending church” (Bingham, 2014). This comes from a national debate in Britain where
the topic of Britain as a Christian country was being discussed. The Archbishop went on to state
that, “In the general sense of being founded in Christian faith, this is a Christian country”
(Bingham, 2014). But, he also acknowledges that Britain has become a melting pot of different
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cultures, ethnicities, and religions that have positively shaped the country. The Archbishop
reminded listeners of a core principle of Christianity, which is acceptance. Christians are to love
and accept people of all kinds just as Jesus loves all of the earth’s people. With that being said,
he ended his argument by stating, “Christian faith has enabled us to be welcoming to other
faiths” (Bingham, 2014). He believes Britain is a Christian country based on its core values and
founding attributes not by how many people sit inside the chapels every Sunday.
An article by Peter Stanford takes defense of Christianity by looking at the positive things
Christians do in Britain. Stanford takes a look at the place of religion, especially Christianity, has
in the law, state, taxpayer funder, and service delivery in the United Kingdom (Stanford, 2014).
Focusing on Prime Minister David Cameron’s comments about Britain being “fundamentally
Christian” as a nation, Stanford believes Cameron’s words should have been interpreted much
more lightly. The number of Christian and Christian-based organizations in the UK is over 7,000
(Stanford, 2014). Stanford believes that these organizations are prime examples of what makes
Britain fundamentally Christian. These organizations do thousands upon thousands of unseen
good deeds for the British communities that keep the British up and running (Stanford, 2014). In
fact, 213 of the Christian-based organizations incorporate the promotion of equality and diversity
into their programs and 3,685 of them include advancement of education programs (Stanford,
2014). So, even though the number of people attending church services may be declining, there
are still Christian organizations doing the work keeping the Christian values alive in Britain,
according to Stanford (2014).
Lastly, progressive change and three new perspectives could be to blame for the decline
in the prominence of religion in Britain. First, in Britain there have been movements by the
Labour party and other government coalitions that have emphasized the importance of faith
8. CHRISTIANITY IN BRITAIN: A DECLINING SOCIAL NORM 8
communities making contributions to personal and communal well-being (Atherton, 2011).
Secondly, the civil society approach to governing has also gained in importance. The need for
resources and time for leisure are both at an all-time high unlike at any other time in Britain’s
history (Atherton, 2011). Thirdly, there is a surge of importance being put on the use of human
capital on economic and technological activities. This has caused the recognition of research on
the use of capital for religious and spiritual significance to human living to go down (Atherton,
2011). Each of these new perspectives could be fueling the decline in religious beliefs and
church attendance in Britain.
These three new perspectives are all aspects of the sweeping progressive change that is
overtaking Britain. Along with the majority of the world, Britain is experience massive
globalization. Globalization has forced governments around the globe to adapt their policies,
procedures, beliefs, etc. to make their nations more competitive in the global market (Atherton,
2011). In Britain, part of this adaption has caused the government to lose its ties from
Christianity or any religion in general (Atherton, 2011). Politicians do not show their religion nor
is it openly spoken about often. By shedding its religious overcoat, the British government and
society has evolved and adapted to become a player in the globalized world (Atherton, 2011).
In conclusion, Christianity has always been a vital piece of the intricate cultural puzzle
that makes up the United Kingdom. As the decades have gone by church attendance has gone
down and population has risen. Several factors have been mixed to create the giant pot of
religious decline we see in Britain that dates back to significant events like World War II and the
1960s when feminist ideals went against the Church’s conservative doctrine. As society has
continued to evolve and become more complex, new perspectives have been created and have
had an influence on this massive decline. With a higher importance being put on economic and
9. CHRISTIANITY IN BRITAIN: A DECLINING SOCIAL NORM 9
technological advancements the need for religious exploration has declined. Despite the efforts
of those who defend Christianity and the ties it has to the British culture its decline cannot be
denied. For now there is no definitive answer to the question of religious decline in the United
Kingdom. Perhaps in another 150 years we will be able to pinpoint the cause of this decline.
Then again, by that time Christianity and religion may be in the forefront of British culture once
again.
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References
Atherton, J. R. (2011). Public Mission for Changing Times: Models for Progressive Change from
American and British Experience. International Journal Of Public Theology, 5(4), 410-
434. doi:10.1163/156973211X595916
Bingham, J. (2014). Archbishop: Britain not a 'Christian country' -- if judging by numbers in the
pews. The Telegraph Online.
Bruce, S. (2001). Christianity in Britain, R.I.P. Sociology Of Religion, 62(2), 191-203.
CROCKETT, A., & VOAS, D. (2006). Generations of Decline: Religious Change in 20th-
Century Britain. Journal For The Scientific Study Of Religion, 45(4), 567-584.
doi:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2006.00328.x
Davey, A. P. (2011). Confronting a beast: the Church of England and the British National
Party. International Journal Of Public Theology, 5(4), 435-457.
doi:10.1163/156973211X595925
Frances Gibb; Ruth, G. (2014). Church is in decline because Christianity is not demanding
enough, says top Judge. Times, The (United Kingdom), 8.
N.A. (n.d). Feminism 'fuels Church decline'. Times, The (United Kingdom).
Stanford, P. (2014). Churches should speak up loudly against their critics. Third Sector, (798),
17.
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Appendix 1
Table 1
Church Membership, United Kingdom, 1900-2000
Year Member thousands Population thousands
Member as % of
population
1900 8,664 32,237 27
1920 9,803 44,027 22
1940 10,017 47,769 21
1960 9,918 52,709 19
1980 7,529 56,353 13
2000 5,862 59,122 10
Source: Bruce, S. (2001). Christianity in Britain, R.I.P. Sociology Of Religion, 62(2), 191-203.
Figure 1
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Appendix 2
Table 2
Sunday School Scholars, United Kingdom, 1900-2000
Year % of population
1900 55
1920 49
1940 36
1960 24
1980 9
2000 4
Source: Bruce, S. (2001). Christianity in Britain, R.I.P. Sociology Of Religion, 62(2), 191-203.