Something there? Understanding the spirituality of people who don't go to church
A recently published report in the UK explores the spirituality of people who do not go to church.
The two most important observations we can make about our society and people's attitudes to the Bible's message are:
- Church attendances are continuing to nose-dive, and
- People increasingly see themselves as 'spiritual but not religious'
Putting these two observations together, it appears that the Churches are failing to touch people at the point of their self-perceived spirituality. Churches are seen as institutionalized, power-hungry structures, rather than as vehicles through which people might meet a genuine spiritual world. (I'm sure there is more to it than that - the fact that the Good News of Jesus Christl demands belief in certain realities, that it makes uncomfortable moral demands, that it requires submitting to Jesus as Lord - all these things fly in the face of people's sinfulness.)
This new report begins with the observation that
(I do not think it is possible to argue from this to any particular conclusion about the truth or otherwise of spiritual beliefs; the follower of Jesus Christ will account for this spiritual awareness in terms of the way God has made us, the 'God-shaped blank' in our hearts (Pascal), our hearts being restless until they find their rest in Him (Augustine). The naturalistic atheist can account for the same phenomena in apparently evolutionary terms - perhaps in terms of survival value -, without reference to a transcendent creator God).
The report goes on to say that it ought to be valuable from the perspective of mission to
As a follower of Christ, I find this kind of research quite unexceptionable, and indeed valuable. It seems to sit well with Paul's assertion that 'God has not left Himself without testimony....' (Acts 14:17).
The researchers used four focus groups to study 31 people who were not involved with any kind of church, yet who considered themselves in some way spiritual or religious. They broke the groups down in terms of age and gender, to see what difference (if any) these made. 29 of the people were then interviewed one-to-one as well. The aim of the research was to discover people's own understanding of their individual spirituality.
Spiritual people
People are aware of, and open to, the spirit world. About three quarters of the people in Britain are likely to admit to having some kind of spiritual or religious experience.
What kind of spiritual experiences?
- a pattern in events, characterized by a comment such as 'these events were meant to happen'
- being aware of the presence of God
- prayer being answered
- being aware of a sacred presence in nature
- being aware aware of the presence of the dead
- being aware of an evil presence
A taboo on talking about spirituality
The researchers discovered a taboo on talking about spirituality - people (especially men) are embarrassed to admit to any kind of spirituality. However, they also found that this taboo is gradually dissolving - people are more open to talk about spiritual experiences now than they were twelve years ago.
People do not read the Bible
People who are outside the church but call themselves spiritual or religious do not read the Bible. Their knowledge of the Bible is minimal to non-existent. (The older they are, the more likely they are to have some residual knowledge of the Bible from childhood.)
There seemed to be no connection between most people's personal beliefs or understanding of God and the Bible. Where people did care to respond to questions about it, at best it seemed that the Bible was full of 'nice stories'. At worst it was impossible to understand. For many it was viewed in the same light as Shakespeare; part of our cultural heritage, but hardly relevant to daily life.
People are cynical about the church, and do not attend
People are cynical about the church as a religious institution. The church is seen as hierarchical, dogmatic, bogged down in empty ritualism. Churchgoers are seen as arrogant in their assumption that they are the bearers of the truth.
The church's primary function - if it has one at all - is seen as offering comfort in times of trouble or support to the inadequate. Most normal people do not need it. Even where people (often older people) are still 'believers', they are no longer 'belongers'. (Perhaps some of this reflects a general move in our culture, where people resist being committed to anything, and are increasingly cynical about all institutions, not just the church.)
It is not quite true to say that people in Britain are 'unchurched'. There are many people who have been involved with a church (sometimes deeply involved) in the past, but who have left, perhaps because they feel alienated because of the way the Church has treated them.
People still believe in some kind of god
Overwhelmingly, people are convinced that there is 'something there.' However, they are likely to believe in a 'generic god', not specifically the God of the Bible. On the whole, people do not see a place for Jesus, and do not know where He 'fits in.'
Traditional monotheism is still the natural religious assumption for the ordinary person in the street, but as a practical belief the idea has been watered down to mean not much more than that God will intervene if my relatives or I get into difficulty.
People may be characterized by 'a desire to believe but inability to believe.' They describe themselves as being 'on a journey', and are annoyed when the church offers cut and dried answers that deny the mysteriousness of life. They are likely to have a pick and mix theology, with ideas taken from a range of different (and even contradictory) sources.
Implications for Church life and evangelism?
It is clear from this research that folk religion is alive and well in the UK. It is not so superficially 'Christian' as it would have been a generation or two ago.
Are there ways we can connect with people's natural spirituality? (Their sense of providence, that 'these events were meant to happen'; their experience of prayer when in need)
How can we, without compromising the Gospel, be more open to people's doubts and questions and sense of mystery? Do we alienate people unnecessarily by rushing to bring closure? (Perhaps this accounts, in part, for the success of unorthodox groups like 'Holy Joe's')
People find the church remote and inaccessible, and its dogmas demanding. One commented
The report says:
The single most significant issue that dissuades people from belief in Christ is not science, but the problem of suffering and evil:
About
the report:
'Understanding
the Spirituality of People who don't go to Church'
A report
on the findings of the Adults' Spirituality Project at the University
of Nottingham
David Hay and Kate Hunt
Center for the Study of Human Relations
University of Nottingham
August 2000
From this research, a set of questions on spiritual experience was prepared for inclusion in the BBC Soul of Britain national survey. Apparently a report of the findings of this survey is due to be published by HarperCollins at some point (date not yet known).