Out in the Open in a Threatening World”
The Scottish Churches’ Industrial Mission 1960–1980
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9968017 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ron Johnston (0000-0003-3031-8573, Glasgow Caledonian University, corresponding author), Ronald Johnston, Elaine Mcfarland (Glasgow Caledonian University) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-27 |
| Publication date | 2010-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Review of Social History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-8590 • E-ISSN: 1469-512X |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0020859009990605 |
| OpenAlex | W2113281510 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 1 |
By combining archival research with the oral testimony of ex-industrial chaplains – and others with direct experience of industrial mission – this article explores a neglected dimension of religious outreach, and attempts to provide a nuanced interpretation of the interrelationship between de-industrialization and secularization in post-1960 Britain. By 1965, over 100 industrial chaplains operated throughout industrial Scotland across a range of industries. Functioning at the cutting edge of the Kirk’s efforts to halt what was clearly identified as a slide in faith, the chaplains were also perfectly placed to bear witness to Scotland’s traumatic and painful process of de-industrialization. Historians agree that the correlation between falling church attendances and religious belief is problematic, and this case study presents clear evidence that “discursive Christianity” remained significant in Scotland well into the 1980s. However, this research also highlights that institutional religion was far from passive in the face of secularization, and that the very presence of chaplains in the workplaces helped bolster the credibility of religion in a secularizing society
Christianity · Credibility · Face (sociological concept · Industrialisation · Political science · Secularization · Social science · Sociology · Witness · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religious studies
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.38 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2023 (14) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |