(Un)Believing in Modern Society

Jörg Stolz is Professor of Sociology of Religion at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Substantively, he works on the description and explanation of different forms of religiosity, evangelicalism, secularization, and comparison of religious groups across religious traditions. Judith Könemann is Professor of Practical Theology in the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Münster, Germany. She works on the description and explanation of various forms of individual religiosity, and religion in the public sphere. Mallory Schneuwly Purdie holds a PhD in Sociology of Religion and Applied Study of Religion. She is a researcher at the Institute for the Social Sciences of Religions at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Thomas Englberger has worked on the description of religiosity in Switzerland, especially on Roman Catholicism, and on the pluralisation of values and religiosity. Michael Krüggeler, PhD, is a sociologist of religion who has worked both quantitatively and qualitatively on the secularization and individualization of religion.

"If you read just one book on the sociology of religion published in the last ten years, this is the one to choose. It provides both a synthesis of earlier research and a fresh analysis of religious change in modern society. It combines the general reach of quantitative studies with the rich detail of qualitative work. Best of all, it offers convincing explanations." - David Voas, University of Essex, UK"This is a very important book. The theory of religious-secular competition proposed by the authors is a challenging alternative to former theories of secularization, individualization, and rational choice." - Karel Dobbelaere, University of Leuven, Belgium and Honorary President of the ISSR"Creatively using both quantitative evidence and in-depth interviews, this book will stand as the authoritative account of religion in Switzerland at the beginning of the twenty-first century. But it is more than that. The authors' conceptual map of the Swiss religious landscape helps us think more clearly about religion elsewhere, and their explanation of recent religious trends in Switzerland rings true for other places as well." - Mark Chaves, Duke University, USA"I really liked this book. It is well-written, clear, concise, comprehensive, and based on excellent methodology. (...) This book can serve as a model for how to conduct a comprehensive study of (non)religion in many locations around the world." - Ryan T. Cragun, The University of Tampa

• Preface; Introduction: religion and spirituality in the me-society, Jörg Stolz and Judith Könemann; A theory of religious-secular competition, Jörg Stolz and Judith Könemann; Four forms of (un)belief, Jörg Stolz and Mallory Schneuwly-Purdie; Identity and social structure, Jörg Stolz and Mallory Schneuwly-Purdie; Belief, knowledge, experience, action, Mallory Schneuwly Purdie and Jörg Stolz; Values and change of values, Jörg Stolz and Thomas Englberger; Major churches, evangelical churches and alternative-spiritual suppliers, Jörg Stolz and Thomas Englberger; The perception and evaluation of religion(s), Jörg Stolz and Thomas Englberger; The change in religiosity, spirituality and secularity, Jörg Stolz, Thomas Englberger, Michael Krüggeler, Judith Könemann and Mallory Schneuwly Purdie; Conclusion: (un)believing in modern society, Jörg Stolz and Judith Könemann; Appendix;