Product Description: It would not be an exaggeration to say that during the last century, most especially during and since the 1960s, the language of spirituality has become one of the most significant ways in which the sacred has come to be understood and judged in the West, and, increasingly, elsewhere...read more

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 society Traces 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 today Explores the belief that modern spirituality is merely an extension of capitalism in which people consume spirituality without giving anything back Contends 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 living Written 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.

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? 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...read more

Product Description: In "Predicting Religion", 20 experts in the study of religion present their predictions about the future of religion in the 21st century - predictions based on careful analysis of the contemporary religious scene from traditional forms of Christianity to new spiritualities...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Peter Berger is the most influential contemporary sociologist of religion. This collection of essays is the first in-depth study of his contribution to the field, providing a comprehensive introduction to his work and to current thought in the study of religion. Themes addressed include: * Berger on religion and theology* Religion, spirituality and the discontents of modernity* Secularization and de-secularizationA postscript by Peter Berger, responding to the essays, completes this overview of this major figure's work.

Product Description: 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. (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: 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...read more

Product Description: Based on the late Elie Kedourie's lectures at the London School of Economics, this is an introduction to the often difficult, sometimes opaque writings of Hegel and Marx. Kedourie provides an exposition of the contributions made by these two thinkers shaping the foundations of contemporary political philosophy...read more

Product Description: This is the first wide-ranging and accessible introduction to the fascinating subject of the New Age movement.

Product Description: The modernity and postmodernity debates of recent years have tended to direct attention towards frameworks of periodization, and away from the social and cultural processes currently at work in the world. This volume reverses the emphasis, to focus on modes of authority and identity, and to examine the roles which existing and new traditions may play in our epoch...read more