Trends in Faith and Church

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Trends in Faith and Church

• Rev Dr Philip Hughes
• Christian Research Association

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Trends in Tasmania
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Comparison of Denominations 2006 - 2011
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Some Points of Interest

• Tasmanian population is growing slowly
• Throughout Australia, the number of Christians
  continues to rise, but not at the same rate as
  the population
• Now just over 13 million or 61 of the
  population, up by 3 in 10 years
• Across Australia, other religions have risen
  faster than Christianity, by 60 over 10 years,
  but are still only 2 of the Tasmanian population
• Most of the increase has been because of
  immigration of young families
• Hinduism is the most rapidly growing religion in
  Australia
• Immigrants, however, are also moving to 'no
  religion' in significant numbers
• Across Australia, 'no religion' counts for 22 of
  the population compared with 29 in Tasmania
• Much of the increase in 'no religion' is due to
  people who did not answer the question in 2006
  describing themselves as 'no religion' in 2011

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Denominationally

• Anglicans declining across Australia
• Baptists growing in most places
• Catholics growing because of immigration
• Pentecostals continue to grow, but now at the
  same rate as the population nationally
• Uniting Church, Presbyterians and Salvation Army
  is in decline nationally

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Immigrants in Tasmania

• Immigration a major factor in religious change
• People from other religions from 5 to 7
  Australians, but just 2 Tasmanians
• About 2,000 a year to Tasmania
• Largest group Chinese
• Then UK and New Zealand.
• Also many Indians and Malays

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We see some gradual trends They reflect some
revolutionary changes
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We are at a special moment in human history

• In the ways, we have thought of our identity
• Partly as a result of globalisation of humanity
• In the ways we deal with the past
• And our understanding of tradition
• In the ways we put together our view of the
  world, previously through religion
• As something determined by individuals

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Our Identity

• For millennia, hunter gatherers were associated
  with tribes and extended families
• The individual was entirely absorbed by the tribe
• Often, every member of the tribe wore the same
  distinctive dress
• World 'beyond sight' was seen in terms of a great
  variety of spirits, in natural world, ancestors,
  within
• Spirits could help or hinder, required
  acknowledgement

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Remnants of hunting and gathering communities
remain

• Asian and African tribal peoples
• Aboriginal traditions
• But also in more sophisticated cultures where
  other traditions have been over-laid like the Thai

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From animist times of hunter gatherersa
spirit house in Laos
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Development of Settled Communities Nations
Empires

• As farming communities developed, tribes
  increased in size, and settlement led to the
  formation of 'towns' and 'nations'
• Within these nations, people had diverse roles
• And social classes emerged
• But identity was of class and occupation within
  the nation
• With communities came belief in gods
• With larger and more powerful nations, belief in
  more powerful gods

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Cybele

• Greek Artemis
• Roman Diana
• Goddess of hunting and fertility

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Around 5th Century BC

• Religion changed from paying homage to the gods
  to living morally
• Isaiah and other prophets challenged Israel
• Socrates and Plato challenged Greek society
• Buddha challenged the Indian subcontinent
• Confucius challenged the Chinese empire
• Been continuing 'reminders' of the moral
  dimension of religion
• Jesus, Mohammed, Gandhi

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These Prophets Brought a Moral Dimension to
Religion
They challenged people to reflect on the way they
lived rather than simply requiring
'acknowledgement' as had the spirits and gods
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Other Developments

• Religions moved from being national to being
  global
• Jesus and Christianity
• Buddha and Buddhism
• Mohammed and Islam
• Baha'i faith
• Religions became increasingly focussed on holy
  texts with the advent of printing
• Protestantism
• Sikhism

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Rise of Educated Trading Class

• Middle class emerged as an independent part of
  society in 15th century in Europe
• Development of own educational institutions
• Development of independent religious
  organisations - denominations
• Authority seen to reside in religious texts
• Meaning found through roles in society, nation
  and religion, in occupation, in denomination and
  in obedience to the religious texts
• Faith provides the basis for belief in an
  ordered, structured world
• For example, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Baptists

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Rise of Industrial Communities

• Rise of the working classes in 19th century
• Development of 'small groups'
• Emphasis on personal religious experience
• Authority resides in religious experience, but is
  interpreted by the community
• Faith provides the basis for belief in a personal
  God who is a 'friend' in times of need
• For example, Methodism and Pentecostalism

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Rise of Post-Industrial, Global Communities

• Middle class morphs into society of individuals
• Life becomes an evolving biography
• Series of different occupations
• Series of relationships
• Series of voluntary personal interests
• Organised religion becomes personal spirituality

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Today, personal identity is no longer primarythe
individual's relation to nations or classes

• Identity is formed reflexively
• And is continuously variable
• When we describe ourselves
• Often speak of our biography
• Jobs we have done
• Places where we have lived
• Our family
• We are individuals
• All of us are different, unique, creating lives

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Changes in society

• Ethnicity no longer clear for many of us
• People are highly mobile geographically
• Increasingly see ourselves as part of a global
  humanity
• No longer clear class divisions
• People are highly mobile socially
• Financial division not linked so clearly to
  certain occupations or family history

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Understanding of history and tradition

• Personal identity used to be determined largely
  by one's history and its traditions
• Still is for many people, such as the Indigenous
  people of Australia
• Every child learnt at series of stories, patterns
  of behaviour, which determined how one lived
• Today, most of us feel that we can pick and
  choose what traditions we adopt

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Personal Challenge

• Some individuals take advantage of the freedom of
  our age
• Find satisfying occupations
• Develop worthwhile relationships
• Find sense of purpose
• Nurture their own sense of spirituality
• Some individuals struggle to find what suits
• Fail to find place in society, relationships with
  others
• Life becomes aimless

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In last 50 years

• Religion as
• Institution
• Hierarchical leadership
• Associated with ethnic heritage

• To Spirituality as
• Sets of resources
• Individual 'ownership'
• Developed individually

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Massive Turn in Western Culture

• Others ... argue that we are witnessing a
  tectonic shift in the sacred landscape that will
  prove even more significant than the Protestant
  Reformation of the sixteenth century. What we are
  living through, they argue, is nothing less than
  radical change in which religion - namely
  Christianity - has been eclipsed by Christianity
  ... what Charles Taylor calls 'the massive
  subjective turn of modern culture'. ... It is a
  turn away from life lived in terms of external or
  'objective' roles, duties and obligations, and a
  turn towards life lived by reference to one's own
  subjective experiences (relational as well as
  individualistic).
• Paul Heelas and Linda Woodhead, The Spiritual
  Revolution Why Religion is Giving Way to
  Spirituality, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 2005.
  Introduction.

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What Does 'No Religion' Mean?

• Fundamentally, it means 'not identifying with a
  religious organisation'
• For some, it means not identifying with a
  particular religious denomination
• For some, it means 'spirituality' rather than
  denomination
• For others, it is the rejection of anything beyond

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For most Australians

• Religion is simply not on the agenda
• Most do not feel any need for it
• Except as encouraging care
• Around 25 of the population 'do not know' if
  there is a God, and another 35 are not at all
  sure
• And have no particular reason to solve the issue

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Believe in God
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Why?

• Can live without reference to whether God exists
  or not
• Although sometimes, belief in God gives some
  additional hope, eg in sickness
• Widespread lack of confidence in the churches
  worse than Federal govt!
• Many see hypocrisy, and 'judgement'
• Science provides adequate picture of the world
  for most purposes

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Hence

• Increasing scepticism about religious
  institutions
• Some turn to 'spirituality'
• Others do not feel the need for either
  spirituality nor religion

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The Ministry of the Church In a Disinterested Age
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Plenary discussion 1. List the major types of
ministry 2. How well received are each of these
and among who?
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Group discussion 1. What does the Census and
survey data and the reception of ministries tell
us about the population's perspectives of
religion? 2. How should we respond
theologically? (What works should not
necessarily determine directions.) 3. What
should be our directions for ministry in the
future? 4. Are there forms of ministry in which
we can better do together than as separate
denominations?
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Some of my conclusions

• Build on effective ministries such as
• Education
• Welfare
• Chaplaincy
• These offer connections
• But all of these more effective if the spiritual
  and communal dimension is integrated

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Thai Church Story

• Examined the Thai Church as it related to culture
  in order to reflect on how we should be relating
  to culture
• On the surface, the Thai church looked American
• Architecture
• Dress of minister
• Liturgy style
• Music

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Thai Church Dismissed as 'Non-Thai'
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At heart, in the practice of faith ...

• Thai church was very Thai
• Most sermons were developments of the theme 'Do
  good, receive good do evil, receive evil' the
  law of Karma
• People placed Bibles under their pillows to 'get
  better'
• People thought of God as the great and most
  powerful 'Spirit Lord'

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Consequently

• The Thai Church appeared to be 'foreign' and
  unattractive to most Thai
• The Thai Church did not offer real alternative
  ways of dealing with the challenges of life
• Except in terms of patronage from a 'higher
  spirit'
• And hence most Thai felt Christianity was an
  alternative to Buddhism
• And, mostly, Buddhism was adequate

Just 1 of Thai people are Christians.
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In the West

• To what extent do we 'dress' Christianity in a
  'foreign' cultural dress?
• Forms which made more sense in the 19th or early
  20th century, eg in architecture, music, liturgy?
• To what extent do we offer a really different way
  of meeting the challenges of life?
• That might be meaningful to people who are
  struggling?

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Provide Opportunities for Exploration of Faith

• Many people want to explore options for life,
  including faith
• But not willing to be supportive of 'heavy'
  institutions
• Provide new options through small groups,
  courses, immersion experiences
• Note success of 'The Abbey'
• Also success of Alpha Groups

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Build on Openness to Spirituality

• Through schools
• Through welfare
• Through community activities
• Shown how attention to the spiritual can enhanced
  most aspects of life

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Variety in Forms of Engagement

• Do not put all resources into 'local community
  congregations'
• What about festivals of faith?
• Immersion experiences? Retreats?
• Offer small groups advertised through mass media
• What about engaging people in the spiritual
  dimension of our present economic problems,
  environmental issues, healthcare, etc.

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What can be done together better than separately?

• Festivals of faith?
• Programs of engagement through education, music,
  retreats, immersion experiences ?
• What about small rural communities?
• Ecumenical congregations?
• Social welfare activities?

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Christian faith was never meant to be static

• As the church moved out of Palestine
• The church faced many new challenges
• Now as the church faces a post-modern and
  individualistic society
• So there is a need to develop new expressions
• A matter of building the new alongside the old
• I believe, as we do, we will find God ahead of us