ABSTRACT This introductory article contextualises relevant historiography and explores definitions of ‘modernity’, ‘modernisation’ and ‘secularisation’. The twentieth century posed distinct challenges to efforts to relate faith to the social order: accelerating industrialisation, urbanisation and functional differentiation as well as the growing impact of technology and predominance of science. The subjective perspectives of Church leaders and lay Christian intellectuals as they sought to understand and respond to these conditions are historically important. This issue explores these themes in Britain and Ireland, taking into account a range of Christian reactions to transforming societies, stressing how Christians developed innovative strategies for meeting new challenges.

中文翻译：

---

导言：二十世纪英国和爱尔兰的基督教现代性

摘要 这篇介绍性文章将相关史学置于语境中，并探讨了“现代性”、“现代化”和“世俗化”的定义。二十世纪对将信仰与社会秩序联系起来的努力提出了不同的挑战：加速工业化、城市化和功能分化，以及技术和科学优势的影响越来越大。教会领袖和平信徒基督教知识分子在试图理解和应对这些情况时的主观观点具有历史意义。本期探讨了英国和爱尔兰的这些主题，考虑了基督徒对社会转型的一系列反应，强调了基督徒如何制定创新策略以应对新挑战。