An 'apology' for the church
The figures are obvious. The church in the UK is in serious decline.
In 1900 55% of children were in a Sunday School of some kind. In 2000 that number had dropped to 4%. In addition, there has been a rapid growth in population so that the number of church going Christians, old or young, becomes ever more obviously a minority.
Why is it happening?
What is the cause of the decline? Many people imagine that it began after the Second World War. The baby boom generation of the 1950s grew up without the traditional commitments of their parents. The 1960s cultural and sexual revolution saw an entire generation turn their backs on church going. Therefore, the decline is often seen as a product of the past 50 years.
Comedy, free speech and warnings from the past
Hannah Arendt was a Jewish philosopher who grew up in Nazi Germany. Eventually she had to flee to France and, …