Rethinking church, state, and modernity : Canada between Europe and the United States

Ambitious in scope, Rethinking Church, State, and Modernity considers some central concepts in the sociology and history of religion and, simultaneously, how Canada's religious experience is distinctive in the modern world. The contributors to this volume challenge the institutional approach that stresses a strict division between "church" and "state", which seems inappropriate in late-modern and post-modern scenarios. Rather, the authors favour an interpretation that is marked more by fluidity than fixity. Canada, which stands somewher between the largely secularised Europe and the relatively religious United States, is well situated as a testing ground for the leading conceptions of the fate of religion in modern and postmodern societies. The book focuses mainly on Christianity, looking at what is distinctive about Canadian situations, and discusses the concomitant decline of some religious groups and the ongoing vitality of others in an increasingly multi-faith and globalized society. The emergence of constitutional rights and identity politics have both contributed to the transforming relationship between church and state and the contributors to this volume pay special attention to the political and social attitudes of religious groups and to the consequences of these attitudes. Subjects covered include: the role of God in the Canadian Constitution; anglophone religious responses to the referendum crisis of 1995; evangelical subcultures in Canada and the United States; and specifically postmodern topics such as the body and consumerism.

The contributors consider how Canada's religious experience is distinctive in the modern world, somewhere between the largely secularized Europe and the relatively religious United States.

Booknews

Contributors approach from different angles the task of rethinking church, state, and modernity, looking at patterns, alignments and alliances, civic and civil religion, believing and belonging, and identity, gender, and body. They analyze the role of religion, human rights, and government authority in the making of the 1982 constitution, and discuss the Catholic Church and public politics in Quebec. They compare evangelical subcultures in Canada and the US, and look at family violence and church-state relations in Canada. The editors teach sociology and history at Queen's University, Canada. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"Rethinking Church, State, and Modernity considers some central concepts in the sociology and history of religion and explores how Canada's religious experience is distinctive in the modern world. The contributors to this volume challenge the institutional approach that stresses a strict division between 'church' and 'state,' which seems increasingly inappropriate in late-modern and post-modern society and instead, favour a more fluid interpretation."--BOOK JACKET