The Decline of Christian London

The City of London became one of the most powerful trading cities in the Western World under Norman occupation. Its wealth was reflected in the number of Christian buildings within the square mile- which at its zenith prior to the Great Fire of 1666 had 108 churches (equivalent to one church every 3 acres, and for every 300 people). However, the adoption of Calvinism during the protestant reformation saw the lifting of a ban on Usury as well as the introduction of Calvin's concept of 'double predestination', thus instilling the birth of modern capitalist sensibilities. Ironically, the ensuing desire for material wealth (as theoretically 'endorsed' by God), saw the number of churches reduce dramatically to make way for new financial institutions (such as the Royal Exchange and Bank of England, both of which were built over Christopher Wren churches). It has been largely argued that this, together with the privileging of scientific reification brought about during the Enlightenment, saw a reversal in the Material/Virtual binary condition, creating a world that largely favoured reductive materialism. The City of London is now the 'least religious borough of London', and the 43 remaining churches struggle to survive with poor congregations and financial contributions.

Decline of City of London's Churches