Why are so many Sydney Anglicans half-hearted when it comes to our very simple mission task: "Pray. Connect. Expect'?

I think it is because we have unconsciously bought into secularisation: this is the idea that scientific advances have inevitably led to a decline in religion. 

The secularisation narrative is a powerful myth in our society. It is so powerful that it destroys our confidence that God can bring revival.

In his book The Secular Age - which won the 2007 Templeton Prize for Science and Religion - the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor has debunked this popular notion of "secularisation', showing that the decline of Christian belief in the West has been far from smooth, but a very incomplete and twisted tale indeed.

Large social changes have always impacted the churches. Christianity has survived because visionary leaders have kept true to the gospel, while adapting to new forms of church life. 

Taylor points out that there have been moments when secular faith shatters, and people turn back to God.

The 18th century in England was bleak for Christianity: traditional parish life was destabilised by the industrial revolution; deism infected the church leadership; church attendance in some areas was lower than today. 

Then there was a moment of cultural crisis: the French revolutionary terror sparked popular fear of atheism. So as people moved to the industrial towns, in God's providence, they were ready to receive the gospel message proclaimed by evangelical preachers and form new churches.

Taylor adds that the dawn of industrialism gave evangelicals an opportunity to develop new forms of church - and the growth of evangelical denominations in the 19th century (such as Sydney Diocese) was the fruit.

We are now facing the fact that the denominational era has ended, along with social forces that created it.

What we have witnessed since the 1960s, says Taylor, is a fragmentation of belief in the West rather than decline per se. Fragmentation of belief has led to what Taylor calls a "fragilisation" of personal identity " whether we are Baptist or Buddhist, Mormon or Muslim, atheist or agnostic - we are forced to constantly confront beliefs that challenge our own.

This is both good and bad news.

It means there is more pressure on our children than ever before to give up the faith. Nevertheless, the number of people who convert to Christianity during their lifetime has never been higher either.

Advocates of secularisation will cite census figures that show a decline in the number of people willing to affiliate with labels like "Anglican; or "Presbyterian'.

However, Taylor argues that the decline in denominationalism is occurring even amongst committed Christians because of the importance of personal authenticity in navigating the current cultural climate. We are forced to "own" the totality of Christian faith for ourselves, not appeal to membership of a church denomination.

Indeed, Australian data suggests that the percentage of young adults attending church today is exactly the same as it was in the early 1980s. The difference is that fewer church-attending Gen Ys see themselves affiliated to a denomination.

Taylor's conclusion is that new forms of church - especially attuned to concerns about authenticity - will soon arise to replace 19th century style denominationalism.
This doesn't mean that Anglican churches in Sydney are about to follow the dodo into extinction. But it is critical that our churches are open to change.

One picture of what these new forms of church will look like is the Total Church concept of "mission through Christian community". Total Church taps into the current yearning for authenticity because it embraces every aspect of life.

If nothing else, this movement should tells us that its time we got fair dinkum about our Christian lives together.