It is very easy to blame the decline of English Christianity on the so called Permissive Society of the 1960s and since, and the material wealth available to even the poorest amongst us, but in reality the Church has to look a little closer to home if it wants to see the causes of its decline.
From the eighteenth century onwards the Christian faith changed from a means of interpreting the world into a moral code, one that was predominantly set by ruling groups and was therefore seen as yet another source of oppression.
The residual hostility towards the Church today is because it is often viewed as being an establishment organisation. Indeed the mainstream churches are still establishment in their outlook, a sort of Guardian readers prayer group, for the managerial classes only.
Three hundred years ago Congregational churches began their slow transformation into effectively Unitarian churches, denying God's grace, making us work for God's favour. The Methodist Church too, leant heavily in that direction. In a propertied society, governed by new laws handed down from above, God took on the role of supernatural policeman.
He could see everything you did! And he would judge you!
The land was enclosed, the peasantry impoverished, and morality covered the land. The Church became a keen supporter of social order, the magistrate, the government, the hangman, the army.
The rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate, was the creed.
The Church supported wars in Europe and further afield. It became the enemy of the poor.
It became an institution the self respecting poor kept at arms length. The parson, the minister - they were the officer class.
And today the remnant of the Church ploughs the same furrow.
They're happy to lecture us on global warming - the consequence of all those peasants getting rich - but scarcely raise a whisper when the government's allies massacre Christians.
It is not only the Church of Rome that has surrendered to the third temptation.
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