Product Description

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?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #66916 in eBooks
• Published on: 2005-01-14
• Format: Kindle Book
• Number of items: 1

Review
"This is an important book that should be read by anyone concerned with the future of religion in this country. I say this for two reasons: first, because it tells us new things about the nature of religious activity in Britain; and second, because the authors offer an interesting interpretation of their data, drawing from innovative theoretical insights." Church Times

“It is clear that this book, with the distinctions it introduces and its daring central thesis, is a major contribution to the current debate. The careful way in which the authors develop their argument step by step, taking into account possible objections, is admirable.” Journal of Contemporary Religion

"Is Britain undergoing a seismic cultural shift with New Age forms of spirituality set to overtake traditional Christian expressions? That's the fundamental question explored in depth by two leading researchers into religious life in Britain today. Their landmark book ... sets out their findings with back-up evidence from studies worldwide. It raises key issues for all concerned for the future of Christianity in Britain." The Baptist Times

"Clearly, this book written by leading sociologists of religion, is a must for anyone interested in sociology, alternative spirituality and Christian studies, and will be made reference to in many forthcoming researches. I strongly recommend anyone with an interest in this field of study to read the book as it highlights current research findings as well as breaks new ground in sociology of religion." Australian Religious Studies Review

"This book explores the significance for contemporary religion and spirituality of the subjective turn in modern culture. To understand this, we need both careful empirical research and constant reflection on our categories. Heelas and Woodhead supply both in generous measure." Charles Taylor, McGill University

"This well-researched and cogently argued study offers a challenging diagnosis of the spiritual condition of present-day Britain. It will be hotly debated by sociologists, theologians, and all those interested in the future of religion and spirituality." Hugh McLeod, University of Birmingham

"The Spiritual Revolution provides a much-needed survey and theoretical synthesis of research on religious involvement, particularly in Great Britain and the United States … The result is a much more nuanced and productive account of religious change than the usual secularization versus sacralization approach." Penny Marler, Samford University

"A book such as this, whose contributors understand the shades of grey and are able to provide a critique of the religious fanaticism and extremism (on all sides) that has given the rise to so much of the controversy surrounding The Passion, should be essential reading in schools and universities everywhere." Chris Deacy, University of Kent

From the Back Cover
Are we living through a ‘spiritual revolution’ in which traditional forms of religion are giving way to new forms of spirituality? Are yoga, reiki and other forms of holistic practice set to become more popular than churchgoing?

This book addresses these questions by presenting findings from a major research project designed to chart the state of religion and spirituality today. Though it finds little to support more extreme claims of change, it discovers that spiritualities which engage with the depths of personal experience are faring far better than religions that demand conformity to higher truth. These developments are explained by drawing attention to the significance of a ‘subjective turn’ in the wider culture – whereby conformity to external obligations becomes less important than sensitivity to inner life and wellbeing.

About the Author
Paul Heelas is Professor in Religion and Modernity and Linda Woodhead is Senior Lecturer in Christian Studies, both in the Department of Religious Studies at Lancaster University, UK. They have written extensively on religion and spirituality in the modern world.

Customer Reviews

Aimed at the Statistician
This book was a bit of a disappointment to me since it is long on reporting research statistics and analyzing survey results and short on philosophical or cultural discussion. It fairly well chronicles the shift in some demographic groups from "religion" to "spirituality" but it does so from a rather detached, clinical standpoint. If you are on board with the new spirituality and are looking to read an apology for your change or, if you are deeply opposed to such a transition and consider yourself an unbendging traditionalist in religion, you probably won't find what you're looking for in this book. North American readers should be advised also that the focus of the study is a demographic survey of an English town in the U.K.

Fascinating, but too much research for the general reader
The book attempts to study the rise of spirituality through the in depth study of one community, its different "religious" and "spiritual" practices and their change over time.
For those who are just interested in the general theory-- that "subjectavism" has caused the attractiveness of new pratices -- the detailed information about the specific community is a bit cumbersome, but probably necessary for specialists who need to be convinced that the thesis is true.

The Spiritual Devolution of the West
The aim of the book is to test if the oft-repeated idea that the "New Age holistic spiritual movement" (or what to call it) is taking over the dominant religious domain of society instead of the more traditional churches. The authors of the book and their co-workers decided to test this thesis in an English town of well over 20 000 inhabitants by the name of Kendal. They show that with some exceptions, the traditional religious currents of Europe are failing in their attempt to attract new members of their congregations while the old members die off in too large numbers to be replaced. The result is naturally the fact that in Europe today most churches are just empty shells on the average Sunday compared to what they were say in the 1950's or even better the 1850's. My local church for example, when I last took communion two weeks ago, it was mainly females of 70-80 years of age and a few younger individuals sprinkled in between, me (late 20's) the youngest one there.

The situation is somewhat different in the US, where the churches seemingly are better off, but if you read the statistics closely, the same pattern of ill news for the churches is there although just a few years behind. Supposedly, the whole "New Age" phenomenon (henceforth; NA) of "holistic spirituality" (more or less anything that could possibly be labelled "spiritual) is increasing at the same time, but as the numbers clearly tell in this book, not by far as much as the churches decrease. In addition, the kind of "devotees" that the NA attracts are mostly just selfish individualists that want to live better here and now and that's it. As they write on p. 83; "[...] they do not look for forms of the sacred which transcend the particularities of their lives". Isn't that the entire point of religion; transcendence?

The big problem I have with the book is the either dishonest or much uninformed nature of the authors, they seem to forget that the thesis of this book doesn't really matter when you take one big issue into consideration; Islam. The growth of any European form of religion pales quickly compared to Islamic growth, fuelled by immigration and Muslim natality in the West. According to new statistics; England will be an Islamic Republic within 30-35 years, yet the authors talk about "NA taking over the scene within 50-60 years". Head in the sand anyone? All is not bleak though, surprisingly only 8 % of the population in England consider themselves "convinced atheists", so clearly somewhere there is huge potential for a religious revolution, if the right formula is found.

Read this book along with Dr. Kevin MacDonald's "The Culture of Critique" (to understand why the situation came about) and baron Julius Evola's "Revolt Against the Modern World" (to understand the solution), and you'll be sure to thank me afterwards. An interesting book, but too narrow in its focus. 3,5 stars.