GREAT BRITAIN

BRITAIN TODAY

Britain is an island nation on the edge of continental Europe and having a love/hate relationship with the European Union. Once the head of the British Empire, its world-wide sphere of influence is much diminished in the present day, although some links are still maintained through the British Commonwealth. The English language is one of the most useful globally, being the primary language of 800 million people as well as the major language of international communication. Although Britain was the first industrial economy, decades of decline and major recessions have hit the economy hard. Unemployment is high and drug related crime is on the increase.

There is religious freedom in Britain. The Church of England (Anglican) is the established church in England, and the Church Of Scotland (Presbyterian) in Scotland. However the strong christian heritage of the 18th and 19th centuries has given way to a weak and dispirited church in a land of moral collapse and ignorance of the christian message. Church attendance has declined drastically in the 20th century and although 66% would claim to be christian, only 11% actually attend church. However, the proportion of evangelicals to all church-goers has increased dramatically, with evangelicalism strongly represented within all the major denominations. The Evangelical Alliance has made a significant impact on many government officials in recent years. A major evangelistic outreach currently reaching many people is the Alpha course, a 13 week course designed to lead people to faith and then capitalise on their presence by reaching their friends. The general attitude to christianity is "if it works for you, that's great". The New Age movement is gaining ground as is intellectualism. Ethnic minority religions are also on the increase.

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