The Changing Context of Ministry: Religion and Values in Britain Today

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The Changing Context of Ministry Religion and
Values in Britain Today

• Professor Linda Woodhead
• l.woodhead_at_lancaster.ac.uk

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Society
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Religious Britain?

• 2001 census
• Personal identity
• High levels of belief
• Religion in the landscape
• Religion in public life
• Minority religions

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Secular Britain?

• Religious practice
• Growing non-belief
• Religion and national identity
• Religion in the landscape
• Religion and politics not doing God
• Indifference

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Other evidence

• spiritual not religious
• Growth of spirituality
• Occasional Christian practice
• Values

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The puzzle how best to describe the current
situation?

• Some clues
• Fuzziness
• Christian in my own personal way
• Value commitments

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Society today

• Regulation of public life the new iron cage
• De-regulation of private life
• hence the high value given to autonomy and
  authenticity

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Religions changing role

• Christendom (to early 1960s)
• Compact constellation of commitments
• The churches control over culture
• Religion and politics the establishment

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The social form of religion
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The 1m Question

• How does the Church of England respond?