The desecularization of the world : resurgent religion and world politics

For Two Centuries Theorists Of Secularization Have Been Saying That Religion Must Inevitably Decline In The Modern World. But Much Of The World Today Is As Religious As Ever. This Volume Challenges The Belief That The Modern World Is Increasingly Secular, Showing That While Modernization Does Have Secularizing Effects, It Also Provokes A Reaction That More Often Strengthens Religion. Seven Expert Social Observers Examine Several Geopolitical Regions And Several Religions - Catholic And Protestant Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam - And Explore The Resurgence Of Religion In World Affairs.--jacket. The Desecularization Of The World : A Global Overview / Peter L. Berger -- Roman Catholicism In The Age Of John Paul Ii / George Weigel -- The Evangelical Protestant Upsurge And Its Political Implications / David Martin -- Judaism And Politics In The Modern World / Jonathan Sacks -- Europe : The Exception That Proves The Rule? / Grace Davie -- The Quest For Meaning : Religion In The People's Republic Of China / Tu Weiming -- Political Islam In National Politics And International Relations / Abdullahi A. An-naʹim. Edited By Peter L. Berger. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 123-128) And Index. Theorists of "secularization" have for two centuries been saying that religion must inevitably decline in the modern world. But today, much of the world is as religious as ever. This volume challenges the belief that the modern world is increasingly secular, showing instead that modernization more often strengthens religion. Seven leading cultural observers examine several regions and several religions and explain the resurgence of religion in world politics. Peter L. Berger opens with a global overview. The other six writers deal with particular aspects of the religious George Weigel, with Roman Catholicism; David Martin, with the evangelical Protestant upsurge not only in the Western world but also in Latin America, Africa, the Pacific rim, China, and Eastern Europe; Jonathan Sacks, with Jews and politics in the modern world; Abdullahi A. An-Na'im, with political Islam in national politics and international relations; Grace Davie, with Europe as perhaps the exception to the desecularization thesis; and Tu Weiming, with religion in the People's Republic of China. "For Two Centuries theorists of "secularization" have been saying that religion must inevitably decline in the modern world. But much of the world today is as religious as ever. This volume challenges the belief that the modern world is increasingly secular, showing that while modernization does have secularizing effects, it also provokes a reaction that more often strengthens religion. Seven expert social observers examine several geopolitical regions and several religions - Catholic and Protestant Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam - and explore the resurgence of religion in world affairs."--BOOK JACKET. Theorists of "secularization" for two centuries have been saying that religion must inevitably decline in the modern world. But much of the world today is as religious as ever. This volume challenges the belief that the modern world is increasingly secular, showing instead that modernization more often strengthens religion. Seven expert social observers examine several regions and several religions -- Catholic and Protestant Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam -- and explore the resurgence of religion in world affairs. A few years ago the first volume coming out of the so-called Fundamentalism Project landed on my desk.