Secular Lives, Sacred Hearts contends that the traditional sociological account of secular Britain is misleading and that we should learn to think in terms of the nation being 'culturally Christian'. The church should therefore take seriously those occasions when ministry is sought - such as baptisms, weddings and funerals - and try to puzzle out what it is that people are seeking. Offering some clues based on small scale research done in his own parish, the author argues for a recovery of the idea of the local church as a parish church - concerned for all within its boundaries.