Christianity, Society and Secularisation

What is the proper relationship between Christianity and the wider society? How should the Church engage with politics? And is religion inevitably declining in the modern world? These questions are central to the study of Christianity at A-Level. This lesson examines the secularisation thesis, the relationship between Christianity and the state, liberation theology, feminist theology, and the complex relationship between Christianity and science.

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The Secularisation Thesis

Key Definition: Secularisation is the process by which religion loses its social significance — its influence on politics, culture, education, and daily life. The secularisation thesis holds that modernisation inevitably leads to the decline of religion.

Max Weber (1864–1920)

The German sociologist Max Weber is one of the founding figures of secularisation theory. He argued that modernity involves a process of "disenchantment" (Entzauberung) — the replacement of magical, religious, and mythical explanations of the world with rational, scientific ones.