Mission In Ireland Today

Accessed from www.rte.ie

Last week we thought about religion in Ireland from a sociological perspective and explored the claim made by Durkheim, Weber and Wilson that secularization is a uni-directional, irreversible process. We also considered the phenomenon of globalization and noted that secular-leaning sociologists have suggested that with modernization on a worldwide scale comes secularization.  The fact remains that neither of these assumptions are beyond question.  Religion is strong in many parts of the world (including Latin America which has been impacted greatly by globalization) and there is what you might call a conservative reaction to secularization and globalization happening in many contexts. Moreover,  theories about secularization seem to be too mechanistic and too wedded to evolutionary theory. Human beings are reflexive agents who can influence social trends and not merely function as their pawns. 

Faith in Ireland

Having set the context from a sociological perspective,  it is time to explore in some depth mission in contemporary Ireland. Steve Skuce (and some others who have written about the current situation) suggest that Ireland as a whole (North and South) is saying farewell – one at perhaps a swifter rate than the other - to the forms of Christendom that have been so overwhelmingly dominant in Ireland’s past.  By Christendom,  we do not mean the church’s presence in society (that will continue),  but its historic centre place. 

Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland for the majority of its history has functioned overwhelmingly as an expression of Christendom. In 1976 an American scholar, Bruce Francis Biever, published a survey of religious and moral attitudes of Dublin Catholics that was carried out in the 1960s.  The results are stunning in terms of the obviously pivotal role the church played in society at that time.

87% of correspondents disagreed with the statement that if there is a conflict between the church and state, the state should prevail. 

84% agreed that ‘if I had a son, I would surely wish him to be a priest, above and beyond everything else in the world.

82% disagreed that the church’s view on sex was out of date.

73% disagreed that the pleasurable sensations associated with sex are good.
 

How do we know, therefore, that things have changed rapidly and radically in the intervening period? Apart from surveys that we will examine in some detail, I would direct you to books such as The End of Irish Catholicism? by Vincent Twomey and Skuce’s interesting little book Faith Reborn which both trace this relatively sudden reversal of fortunes for the mainstream churches.

  

A simple way in to understanding the change of outlook which has taken place in the Republic of Ireland is this potted summary of recent key events.  

1.     Changes in the laws of the Republic have marked a turning away from Catholic moral influence (e.g. the legalization of divorce, the widespread availability of contraceptives, the legalization of homosexual practices and the recent Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act which itself came fast on the heels of civil partnership legislation that had been initiated in 2010.) There is little question that especially in regard to moral teaching, the Catholic church has lost much of its power to influence. Two random examples from surveys taken in 1981, 1990 and 1999 respectively  illustrate the rapid loss of church authority in these matters.  The percentage of the population saying abortion was never justified fell from 83% in 1981, to 66% in 1990, to 60% in 1999.  On the issue of homosexuality, the percentage saying the practice was never justified fell from 62% in 1981, to 56% in 1990, to 38% in 1999.




Paedophile priest, Fr. Brenden Smyth Accessed from irishcentral.com

2.    Another key factor in recent Irish history is the impact of clerical child-abuse and the widespread loss of confidence in the Catholic Church as a result of that Church’s perceived dealing with the issue. Arguably, the Catholic Church may never recover substantially from the damage done by abuse and the church’s apparent complicity in protecting abusers. 



3.    The recent impact of the Celtic Tiger economy which helped create a more materialistic and less caring Ireland. 

4.    Global culture and global values sweeping away traditional culture and traditional values.  This is evidenced in the dramatic increase in cohabitation and the rate of births outside marriage, the fall in church attendance and, in the case of Roman Catholicism,  an unprecedented decline in the numbers of those training for the priesthood.  Take these figures collated by Dr RD Stephens regarding vocations to the Roman Catholic priesthood. 1965 – the figure was 1,375. By 1994 – 201. 1998 – the figure was 92 and by 2000 – 61. A recent report in The Times of London predicted that in 20 years time Ireland will have two thirds less priests.  The Irish Catholic newspaper put the figure as a drop from 4,752 to 1,500 in 2028. Brian McFadden’s hit of a few years back (Irish Son) perfectly highlights the way old attitudes and old attachments are being left behind. 

5. The fall in church involvement has been accompanied by an increasingly multi-cultural and inter-faith Ireland. According to a survey done on Religion and Nationality in the Republic, there are now over 30,000 Muslims resident in Southern Ireland. 

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has also had its own marked religious decline.  A joint study involving Queen’s University and the University of Ulster in 2005, based on a statistical accumulation of surveys conducted between 1989 and 2004,  found that Catholic Church attendance had dropped from 90% to 62%. Presbyterian attendance dropped from just under 50% to 40%.

Church of Ireland attendance from slightly under 40% to 35%. 

The two most worrying statistics from a church vantage point are that by the time of the 2001 census 13.9% of the population described themselves as having no religion or refused to state a religion. Other research bears out that the youngest group studied – those born between 1985 and 1996 – were the age category who were the most likely to claim to have no religion.  (Northern Ireland: Churches face dramatic decline.  Ekklesia 25 Nov 2005  Religioscope www.info.religion)

Ambivalent Statistical Evidence

Before we move on from statistics I wish to mention the results of a 2008 Irish Examiner/RedC opinion poll from the Republic of Ireland which sought to assess the state of faith in Ireland. What is interesting is that the level of core belief in the country is much stronger than one might imagine. Even though church attendance has dropped to 45%, 84% still believe in God, and an incredible 53% accept the reality of hell. So the situation is still one where people are becoming unchurched or de-churched but not necessarily secularized yet. However,  it is still not possible to take too much comfort from these facts since distance from religious practice inevitably leads to an ignorance of the basic convictions of Christianity. Thus this generation may be more unchurched than secularized, but the same could not be said of a subsequent generation begotten by this one.

Conclusions

Ireland as a whole faces a situation where the religious landscape will be dramatically changed and the old monolithic structures of Catholic Ireland and Protestant Ulster replaced by a brand new mission context. One that is not devoid of features of the old, but sufficiently new to warrant new approaches.

I want to paint a very rough picture of what this new Ireland might look like and remind you of some of the opportunities that this might afford the churches.  

We face a situation which may mean co-operation at a scale hitherto unknown in Ireland.  Thus whilst the church may have had its day as an institution wielding political and social power, it has a chance to rediscover itself as a movement which can influence the culture afresh but this time as a diaspora in the terms suggested by Karl Rahner and Joseph Ratzinger.

What are the contours of this new Ireland that may be emerging?  
 

Spock and Kirk accessed from sodahead.com

 

 

I have prefaced some of these descriptions with the word ‘more’ because some of these features are an intensification of what is already happening.  There is also a sense in which being ‘more something’ does not entirely negate what is being replaced.  The change is not a total change and substantial remnants of what was there will remain.  So the new Ireland,  North and South, will be;

 

More Post Christian.  

More and more people will have looser links to their religious past and will forge their own path.  Again this is reflected in the European value survey of 1999 where just under 24% of the group aged between 18-24 went to church every week as against 75% in 1990.

More post denominational

There is a sense in which only a fat and satisfied Christendom can afford the luxury of a very denominational mentality.  The burgeoning strength of secularism will function as a wake-up call to many and there will be a greater impetus to make common cause with those who share a similar faith and values.  Moreover, church involvement will be increasingly less defined by duty and loyalty and more by the consumer mindset. ‘What suits me or what does it do for me?’ may be more important than whether this is my own denomination.

More postmodern 

Arguably the modernist mindset with its emphasis on rational, linear thought; respect for institutions and hierarchies … is being replaced by a postmodern mindset which reacts to truth claims proclaimed as dogma,  rails against the law of non-contradiction and is looking for authentic experience.

A missiologist called Stuart Murray summed up the traits of folks living in the emerging post modern culture as these – and I wonder how many of them apply to people you know in Ireland, north or south:

• Truth is relative – it’s what works for me. It’s fine if you’re a Christian and that’s your thing, but it doesn’t do it for me.
• Not impressed by authoritative institutions. 
• A deep commitment to individual choice. It’s up to me what I do and nobody should be telling me.
• I’ve said this already. A readiness to hold together contradictory beliefs and not to be worried about logical coherence. Don Carson, a very conservative New Testament scholar said that soon there will be devotees of both John Calvin and reincarnation.
• A deep concern for the environment and
• An understanding of humanity as part of this environment, rather than separate from it. Thus some Eco Warriors and Animal Rights activists.

More broken

The collapse of the old social mores as a result of individualism and pluralism may mean there is less to hold the society together and secure models of family and togetherness may become less and less the norm.
 

More spiritual

Sinead O'Connor accessed at fanpop.com

Sinead O’Connor comments,

‘As a race we feel empty. This is because our spirituality has been wiped out and we don’t know how to express ourselves. As a result we’re encouraged to fill that gap with alcohol, drugs, sex or money. People out there are screaming for the truth.’

If the thought of Sinead O’Connor is anything to go by, there is still a spiritual hunger in Ireland but one which does not expect relief from the ministrations of the church. Ironically, there may be a perception that the church is too modern and too rational for those seeking spiritual solace in the likes of the Body/Mind/Spirit section of so many of our bookshops.


 

 

Four Pathways

That is the situation that I suspect we are moving into and I want to suggest four pathways forward for the church and some thoughts about how these ways forward can be practically engaged with by ordinands and any other concerned Christians.

 

1. Move towards a more plural expression of church.

The traditional parish system with its inherited ways of doing things is not to be disparaged but there is an increasing place for new expressions of church to complement the parish system.  This is still in its very infancy in the Church of Ireland and what I say reflects more my English experience, though with Boring Wells and Rathmines there is evidence of greater flexibility and more thinking outside the box here.  The hope might be that a growing place would be found for fresh expressions of church perhaps targeted towards specific groups where interested outsiders can simply ask questions. Churches that do not carry all their eggs in one basket and have more than one point of entry will be crucial for the future health of the denomination.  This goal may be attempted through more or less conventional church planting but perhaps also through daring community initiatives where ‘church’ may initially be a committed group of people living in an area responding to significant social needs. What is needed is creativity.

2.  Mission as dialogue, meal and pilgrimage.

The days of the authoritative institution may be over but the core message of the faith may be presented in a context which allows for dialogue, table fellowship and journey.  Alpha, Emmaus and other by now almost traditional approaches highlight the effectiveness of this approach. New mission strategies can take these approaches to the workplaces and the neighbourhoods and out of church halls.  

3. Mission as partnership

This is a multi-faceted opportunity which has the potential to unite the Anglican church (a) with non-religious people of good will as together they respond to grave social needs;  (b) within itself as wealthier parishes in terms of finance and personnel liaise with and support other parishes in the development of new mission strategies; and with other denominations as they increasingly do Kingdom work together. 

4. Mission as the building of authentic community.

Relational mission in a postmodern Ireland may increasingly be the most effective means of promoting the faith.  Congregations that have a warm and vibrant life to share can minister to people who are affected by issues such as individualism,  family breakdown, racism and sectarianism and in doing that ‘image out’ more the new reconciled community that Christ sought to establish. 

I love this quote from John Drane’s The McDonaldization of the Church.

‘In a world of dysfunctional relationships in which people are hurting and constantly being put down, either by individuals or by the more impersonal operations of the system in general, many are desperately seeking for a place where they can belong and be valued. For the majority the entry point to anything that might be regarded as ‘fulness of life’ will begin and end when they find a safe place where they can be themselves, and be affirmed and lifted up in the human struggle.’

 

CONNECTIONS?

How do we make connections between these aspirations and what is done in ministry?   The short answer is ‘Exposure, exposure, exposure.’ Church planting was an alien concept to me until I worked as a curate in a church that had been planted 20 odd years before. Passion for the unchurched was created through exposure to the RUN network. 

Catching a vision through meeting those engaged in this kind of mission, through visiting parishes that are beginning to develop these strategies, through participating in mission initiatives whilst on placement,  through learning to nurture lay leadership via engagement with where that’s already happening – this kind of exposure all serves to take these themes beyond the classroom and text book into personal experience. Today is the day of small beginnings but exposure to effective mission strategies will inspire the future leader.

 

I want to close by sharing a thought – a positive one about our own religious situation in Ireland. I am quoting here from an Irish sociologist who has a realistic perspective on the situation we’re facing. Tony Fahy says this,

‘The explanation for the varying fortunes of organized religion [he means Britain and the UK where it seems to be flagging and the US where it’s succeeding] is to be found in the ability or otherwise of the churches to respond appropriately to the demand that is there for religion. The organisations will thrive in so far as they are properly responsive to the religious needs of the people.’ 

In other words, there is no inevitability about decline or, sadly, about revival.  Our challenge is to be relevant, wise, passionate and caring.