World News and Trends: Decline of Christianity in Britain and Europe

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Decline of Christianity in Britain and Europe

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Churches grew in Britain up to the beginning of the 20th century. From then, although the trend was a decline in growth for 50 years, the statistics occasionally fluctuated upwards, and church membership rose in the early 1950s. Then the '60s marked the beginning of a long free fall in church membership and attendance.

Two plausible reasons have been suggested for the decline: the loss of so many British men during two world wars and the growth of secularism. The archbishop of York, David Hope, recently said: "There are deep spiritual yearnings, longings. Large numbers of people say they pray. But they are not into religion." Dr. Hope blamed the church for not addressing the problem and helping people who find themselves spiritually adrift.

Of course, the decline is not confined to the British Isles. For example, the phenomenon is common to Western Europe and Scandinavia. As Newsweek magazine recently reported: "Modern Europe is a postreligious society. More accurately, what was once the heartland of Christendom is a post-Christian society. Throughout the Continent churches stand empty."

To gain a perspective on why Christianity has declined in effectiveness on a global scale, please request our free booklext The Church Jesus Built.(Sources: Newsweek magazine [Atlantic edition], The Times [London].)