Was Britain Ever Really a Christian Country?

There was some hoo-ha this week when it was suggested (wrongly) that Cadbury had dropped the word “Easter” from its chocolate eggs. This reminded me of when Starbucks released a minimalist red cup at Christmas and suddenly became public enemy number one. When these things happen, people start talking about ‘attacks on British Christian values’ and the decline of faith in society. But maybe we need to pause and ask a more honest question: Was Britain ever really a Christian country?

Christendom vs. Christianity

To get to the heart of it, we need to make an important distinction. Christianity is a belief system. It’s a life shaped by the teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s a personal and communal commitment to follow Jesus, love God, and love one’s neighbour.

Christendom, on the other hand, is a political and cultural system where Christianity is the dominant, state-backed ideology. It’s when Christian morality is baked into the laws, institutions, and social norms of a nation. Think public worship in schools, bishops in the House of Lords, and public holidays built around church festivals.

Christendom uses the structures of power to promote a Christian-flavoured order. Christianity calls people to radical, voluntary discipleship. And these two are not the same thing. In fact, they often pull in opposite directions.

A Brief History of British Christendom

Christianity likely arrived in Britain as early as the 2nd or 3rd century, brought by Roman soldiers, merchants, and migrants, and well before it became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Though it was a minority faith and sometimes persecuted, there’s evidence of small Christian communities during this time, including British representation at the Council of Arles in 314 AD. Meanwhile, on the continent, the Church’s entanglement with imperial power began under Constantine in the 4th century. That model of Christendom – where church and state worked hand-in-hand – eventually shaped the development of the Church in Britain for centuries to come.

In England, this dynamic took on a distinct form during the Reformation, when Henry VIII famously broke from the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England under royal authority. From that point on, English Christendom was not just about Christianity being culturally central—it was about Christianity being politically English, woven into the very structures of monarchy, law, and national identity.

From the crowning of kings with Christian rites, to the fusion of monarchy and Church, Christianity in Britain has long been institutionally entangled with the ruling powers. Sunday laws, Christian moral codes, and church schools all became part of what looked like a ‘Christian nation.’ But it was more Christian-shaped than genuinely Christian.

Even then, many churchgoers were more social participants than disciples. Being born British didn’t automatically make you a follower of Jesus, it just made you likely to turn up for Harvest Festival.

Church attendance stats were often seen as a barometer of national faith, but let’s be honest: attending church doesn't make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you a car. You can have a Christian culture without Christian conviction.

When Eggs and Coffee Cups Cause Panic

So, when Cadbury were accused of taking “Easter” off its egg branding, people shouted about losing Christian values. But let’s ask: Was Cadbury ever preaching the resurrection? If they'd had gospel tracts on the back of every Creme Egg for decades and suddenly stopped, we might have reason to grumble. But they didn’t. They’re a chocolate company. They make sugar, not saints. The same goes for Starbucks. Their job is to caffeinate us, not catechise us.

It’s not the government’s job to share the gospel. It’s not Tesco’s job either. That responsibility belongs to Christians. If we’re waiting on politicians, businesses, or branding managers to keep Christianity alive, we’ve already misunderstood what Christianity is.

The Truth About Britain

If we're honest, there’s a lot in British culture today that’s not just neutral, but actively anti-Christian. From media cynicism to moral relativism to legislative changes that pressure Christians to privatise their faith, it’s clear that Britain is no longer “Christendom” in the traditional sense. And maybe that’s not the end of the world.

Christianity has always thrived on the margins. It’s at the edges that the gospel often shines brightest. When Christianity gets too cosy with power, it tends to go soft. The radical call to follow Jesus, take up our cross, and love our enemies doesn’t sit comfortably in the corridors of privilege.

What Should We Do?

We should pray for governments to protect freedoms; speech, expression, conscience, worship. That matters. We should expect the state to uphold human dignity and allow Christian practice to flourish. But we shouldn’t expect the state to do Christianity for us.

If we’re truly concerned about preserving and promoting Christian values in Britain, the answer isn’t to get angry at Cadbury. The answer is to live the way of Jesus – to forgive, to serve, to love the outcast, to speak truth with grace, to show hospitality, to seek justice, and to proclaim good news.