Religion in Modern Britain

by Steve Bruce

Covering a key topic in both sociology and religious studies, this book is a thorough and lively introduction to the character and place of religion in contemporary British society. A brief introduction places the major British churches in their historical context and explains our curious combination of religious freedom and state-supported churches. Subsequent chapters examine a wide array of evidence on the influence and popularity of the churches, and on religious beliefs and behaviour, and document the following the decline in the mainstream churches; a shift to the `sectarian' right in Protestantism; the rise of non-Christian ethnic minority religions; and increasing interest in the occult and New Age spirituality. Particular attention is given to the issue of what sort of people remain religious and how their religious beliefs affect their lives. Throughout the book, Britain's religious life is compared with that of other European societies and the final chapter shows how recent changes can be understood as a response to fundamental features of modern industrial democracies. The book will be an invaluable introduction and point of reference for students of the social sciences and religious studies. The Oxford Modern Britain series comprises authoritative introductory books on all aspects of the social structure of modern Britain. Lively and accessible, the books will be the first point of reference for anyone interested in the state of contemporary Britain. They will be invaluable to those taking courses in the social sciences.

Genres: Sociology, Nonfiction

143 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

Steve Bruce (born 1951), Professor of Sociology at the University of Aberdeen since 1991, elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2003 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2005, he has written extensively on the nature of religion in the modern world and on the links between religion and politics.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Bruce is a leading voice among sociologists of religion in modern Britain, who has written much on the secularisation debate, and is a defender of the secularisation thesis. At the same time, he is very well aware (and has collaborated with) revisionist historians such as Callum Brown, so this book is, not unexpectedly, a rigorous and data-rich account of religious decline in twentieth-century Britain, presenting the secularisation thesis in its most systematic sociological form.

Bruce draws on survey data, denominational statistics, and comparative analysis. He argues persuasively that the erosion of religious practice and belief in Britain is not merely a surface-level cultural shift but reflects deep structural changes in modern society. The book is a must read for anyone seeking a foundational understanding of how industrialisation, individualism, and social fragmentation have, in this thesis, steadily marginalised institutional Christianity from public and private life alike.

The book is thought-provoking, but certainly not uncontested. Bruce treats new religious movements, as well as evangelicalism, and Pentecostalism. He argues these are incapable of reversing the overall secularising trend, and I thought he was particularly astute in his remarks concerning new age beliefs. Scholars disagree, however. Bruce's thesis is here, but attempts at refutation are elsewhere. E.g. the essays in "Redefining Christian Britain: Post 1945 Perspectives" (edited by Jane Garnett et al.) Readers interested in the more complex interplay between religious renewal and cultural modernity may wish Bruce had engaged more deeply with charismatic and ethnic minority Christianity, as has been discussed in "Church Growth in Britain - 1980 to the present" by Goodhew or especially "Christianity in the Twentieth Century: A World History" by Brian Stanley, which volume arrives at a nuanced view that the twentieth century was neither "the secular century" nor "the Christian century," but must instead it should be viewed as a era of rapid, uneven, and often fragile Christian expansion and contraction.

Nevertheless, as a concise and clearly argued introduction to the sociology of religion in a British context, the book remains a benchmark work. Don't skip this one. Essential reading for students and researchers who need to understand the intellectual framework against which debates about religious vitality in contemporary Britain are still conducted.