I am delighted to contribute a Foreword to this important book. I say this for two reasons: first, because I am deeply committed to the notion of religious literacy as such, and second, because the chapters that follow explore this idea in new ways, each of which reflects a particular situation. Religious literacy must be engaged in context: getting it right can make all the difference; getting it wrong can make a tricky situation even worse.

What has led us to talk in these terms? In order to capture what is happening, we need to step back a little and examine the different factors contributing to the religious situation in modern Britain – and indeed, in much of Europe. These are outlined below. Each factor is important in its own right, but the crucial point to grasp is that they push and pull in different directions: some indicate greater secularisation, others the reverse. It is this combination that exposes the need for religious literacy.

The first factor relates to the role of the historic churches in shaping European culture. Other influences were important (notably, Greek rationalism and Roman organisation), but the Judaeo-Christian tradition has, without doubt, had a lasting impact on European society – in, for example, the framing of time and space in this part of the world, and in establishing the categories within which we think about religion. Nobody pretends, however, that the historic churches are able to discipline the beliefs and behaviour of British people in the 21st century – indeed, the very idea is offensive. They remain nonetheless important points of reference at particular moments in the lives of individuals and communities, and indeed, of the nation itself. That said, the number of people who think in these terms is declining, and more secular ways of marking the highs and lows of life (both individual and collective) are becoming increasingly popular. Taken together, these shifts are evidence of secularisation – the process is gradual and uneven, but undeniable.

This is not, however, the whole story. New forms of religious life are beginning to emerge as an observable change takes place in the churchgoing constituencies of Britain. These are operating increasingly on a model of choice, rather than a model of obligation or duty. The implications are important.