Religion and Spirituality in the Modern World – serie

Religion, Modernity and Postmodernity is the first book to engage the study of religion with contemporary theorizing about culture. It addresses important issues such as whether there are postmodern forms of religion, whether theories of religion framed in terms of modernity can be recast to suit new or emerging circumstances, and how the study of religion can be better integrated with recent developments in the study of culture.

Religion, Modernity and Postmodernity is the first book to engage the study of religion with contemporary theorizing about culture. It addresses important issues such as whether there are postmodern forms of religion, whether theories of religion framed in terms of modernity can be recast to suit new or emerging circumstances, and how the study of religion can be better integrated with recent developments in the study of culture.

In Mysticism After Modernity, Don Cupitt argues that the extensive modern literature about mysticism has rested upon a mistake - the belief that there can be meaningful experience prior to language.

In Mysticism After Modernity, Don Cupitt argues that the extensive modern literature about mysticism has rested upon a mistake - the belief that there can be meaningful experience prior to language.

This examination of Hinduism in the context of modernity will be of interest to all students of Hinduism, as well as to those interested in the sociology and history of religion. Shows Hinduism to be a highly dynamic world-view which challenges western notions of modernity. Considers a broad range of topics including women, the caste system, the self, divinities and gurus. Contains up-to-date discussions of modern Hindu culture and beliefs.

This examination of Hinduism in the context of modernity will be of interest to all students of Hinduism, as well as to those interested in the sociology and history of religion. Shows Hinduism to be a highly dynamic world-view which challenges western notions of modernity. Considers a broad range of topics including women, the caste system, the self, divinities and gurus. Contains up-to-date discussions of modern Hindu culture and beliefs.

This book brings together over 300 important readings on religion in modern times, offering a new framework and language for making sense of religion today.

This book brings together over 300 important readings on religion in modern times, offering a new framework and language for making sense of religion today.

This book deals with the largest global shift in religion over the last forty years, the astonishing rise of Pentecostalism and charismatic Christianity.

This book deals with the largest global shift in religion over the last forty years, the astonishing rise of Pentecostalism and charismatic Christianity.

Drawing on an international range of examples, Steve Bruce offers a comprehensive and up-to-date defence of the secularisation debate.

Nature, Technology and the Sacred ‘This book will be an obligatory reference point for those wishing to locate the contemporary debates about how we should live with technology and nature within the longer scope of Western history.’Ulrich Beck, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich ‘Szerszynski draws on several centuries of Western religious and philosophical thought to rebut the idea that modernity’s love affair with technology has taken the sacred out of nature. His provocative, wide-ranging study will broaden the horizons of environmental scholarship as well as science and technology studies.’Sheila Jasanoff, Harvard University ‘This book will stand for many years to come as the authoritative treatment of a topic which in turn stands at the very centre of the entire ecological debate.’John Milbank, University of Nottingham This provocative and timely book argues that contemporary ideas and practices concerning nature and technology remain closely bound up with religious ways of thinking and acting. Using examples from North America, Europe and elsewhere, it reinterprets a range of ‘secular’ phenomena in terms of their conditioning by a complex series of transformations of the sacred in Western history. The contemporary practices of environmental politics, technological risk behaviour, alternative medicine, vegetarianism and ethical consumption take on new significance as sites of struggle between different sacral orderings. Nature, Technology and the Sacred introduces a radically new direction for today’s critical discourse concerning nature and technology – one that reinstates it as a moment within the ongoing religious history of the West.</

Nature, Technology and the Sacred ‘This book will be an obligatory reference point for those wishing to locate the contemporary debates about how we should live with technology and nature within the longer scope of Western history.’Ulrich Beck, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich ‘Szerszynski draws on several centuries of Western religious and philosophical thought to rebut the idea that modernity’s love affair with technology has taken the sacred out of nature. His provocative, wide-ranging study will broaden the horizons of environmental scholarship as well as science and technology studies.’Sheila Jasanoff, Harvard University ‘This book will stand for many years to come as the authoritative treatment of a topic which in turn stands at the very centre of the entire ecological debate.’John Milbank, University of Nottingham This provocative and timely book argues that contemporary ideas and practices concerning nature and technology remain closely bound up with religious ways of thinking and acting. Using examples from North America, Europe and elsewhere, it reinterprets a range of ‘secular’ phenomena in terms of their conditioning by a complex series of transformations of the sacred in Western history. The contemporary practices of environmental politics, technological risk behaviour, alternative medicine, vegetarianism and ethical consumption take on new significance as sites of struggle between different sacral orderings. Nature, Technology and the Sacred introduces a radically new direction for today’s critical discourse concerning nature and technology – one that reinstates it as a moment within the ongoing religious history of the West.</

Leading religious and cultural commentator, Peter Berger, explores how and what we can believe in modern times. Deals clearly with questions such as ‘Does God exist? What was so special about Jesus? How can one be Christian in a pluralistic society? Structured around key phrases from the Apostles’ Creed. Draws on the Christian theological tradition and the work of other relevant thinkers, such as Freud and Simone Weil. The author takes the position of an open-minded sceptic, exploring his own beliefs.

Comparing existing evidence from the USA and Europe, with a UK-based study of religion and spirituality, this fascinating book addresses the most pressing question in the study of religion today: are new forms of spirituality overtaking traditional forms of religion? Based on the detailed study of religion and spirituality in Kendal, UK Compares pioneering findings from Kendal with existing evidence from the USA and Europe Provides a theoretical perspective which explains both secularization and sacralization Offers some startling predictions about the future of religion and spirituality in the west Is written in an accessible and lively style, and will appeal to a broad range of readers interested in the future direction of belief in the western world.

Comparing existing evidence from the USA and Europe, with a UK-based study of religion and spirituality, this fascinating book addresses the most pressing question in the study of religion today: are new forms of spirituality overtaking traditional forms of religion? Based on the detailed study of religion and spirituality in Kendal, UK Compares pioneering findings from Kendal with existing evidence from the USA and Europe Provides a theoretical perspective which explains both secularization and sacralization Offers some startling predictions about the future of religion and spirituality in the west Is written in an accessible and lively style, and will appeal to a broad range of readers interested in the future direction of belief in the western world.

This insightful and provocative journey through spiritual landscapes explores the ways in which spiritualities of life have been experienced and understood in Western society, and argues that today’s myriad forms of holistic spirituality are helping us to find balance in face of the stifling demands of twenty-first century living. An enlightening book which explores the ways in which spirituality has been experienced and valued in Western societyTraces the development of modern spirituality, from the origins of Romanticism in the eighteenth century, through to the counter-cultural sixties and on to the wellbeing culture of todayExplores the belief that modern spirituality is merely an extension of capitalism in which people consume spirituality without giving anything backContends that much of the wide range of popular mind-body-spirit practices are really an ethically charged force for the ‘good life’, helping us to find balance in the demands of twenty-first century livingWritten by an acknowledged world-leader working in the fieldCompletes a trilogy of books including The Spiritual Revolution (2005, with Linda Woodhead) and The New Age Movement (1996), charting the rise and influence of spirituality today.