The New Visibility of Religion: Studies in Religion and Cultural Hermeneutics (Continuum Resources in Religion and Political Culture)

"Since the late 1980s sociologists have been drawing our attention to an international surge in the public visibility of religion. This has increasingly challenged two central aspects of modern western European culture: first, the assumption that as we became more modern we would become more secularised and religion would disappear; and secondly, that religion and politics should occupy radically differentiated spheres in which private conviction did not exert itself within the public realm. The new visibility of religion is not simply a matter of what Keppel famously called 'The Revenge of God', that is, the resurgence of Christian, Islamic and Jewish fundamentalism. Religion is permeating western culture in many different forms from contemporary continental philosophy, the arts and the media, to the rhetoric of international politicians. This collection of essays brings together a unique collection of voices from theology, aesthetics, social and political science, philosophy and cultural theory in an exploration of four major aspects of this new visibility of religion: the revision of the secularisation thesis, the relationship between religion and violence, the new re-enchantment of reality and the return of metaphysics. The exploration is conducted through essays by and interviews with figures at the forefront of reflecting upon this major cultural shift and its implications. It is distinctively multidisciplinary, examining the phenomenon of the rise of religion in Western Europe from a number of interrelated perspectives."--Bloomsbury Publishing. This Is A Unique Collection Of Essays That Brings Together Contributions From Theology, Aesthetics, Social And Political Science, Philosophy And Cultural Theory To Examine The Surge In The Public Visability Of Religion. Revising Secularization Theory / James Sweeney -- Five Ways Of Relating Religion And Politics, Or, Living In Two Worlds : Believer And Citizen / Patrick Riordan -- Secularism, Faith, And Freedom / Rowan Williams -- The Bloody Skin Of The Victim / René Girard -- The Ambiguous Cachet Of Victimhood : On Violence And Monotheism / Wolfgang Palaver -- Monotheism And Violence / Terry Eagleton -- The Art Of Disappearing : Religion And Aestheticization / Yves De Maeseneer -- The Re-enchantment Of The World And The End Of Modern Art / Peter Weibel -- The End Is Nigh : A Reflection On The Relationship Between Media And Religion / Alexander Darius Ornella -- Radical Orthodoxy Ten Years On : The Return Of Metaphysics / John Milbank And Graham Ward -- Politics And The New Visibility Of Theology / Peter Manley Scott -- Religion After Detraditionalization : Christian Faith In A Postsecular Europe / Lieven Boeve. Editors, Michael Hoelzl, Graham Ward. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Hoelzl, M. Ward, G. Introduction I. Secularisation Sweeney, J. Revising Secularisation Theory Riordan, P. Five Ways of Relating Religion and Politics William, R. Secularism, Faith and Freedom II. Violence Girard, R. Palaver, W. The Bloody Skin of the Victim Palaver, W. The Ambiguous Cachet of Victimhood: On Violence and Monotheism Huber, S. Visibility, Rivalry and Religious Identity Eagleton, T. Ward, G. III. Aesthetics Larcher, G. 'Religion' in Modern Contemporary Art Ornella, A. 'A Devil in a Midnight Mass': A Reflection on the Relationship between Media and Religion Weibl, P. Larcher, G. IV. Theology Ward, G. Milbank, J. Hoelzl, M. Scott, P. Boeve, L. Religion after Detraditionalisation: Christian Faith in a Post-Secular Europe V. Conclusion Hoelzl, M. Ward, G.