Review by Choice Review
Bruce (sociology, Univ. of Aberdeen) is one of the leading sociologists of religion in the world, and this book represents the culmination of years of research and thought. At a time when many scholars have called the secularization thesis into question, it makes available the most informed and sophisticated defense of this thesis. It is a splendid read as well. Readers may find themselves arguing with this book on nearly every page, as this reviewer did, resisting Bruce's position but fearing that he is getting the best of them. Bruce criticizes Rodney Stark's rational choice theory (supply-side economics applied to religion) throughout, with creative and provocative discussions of the decline of Christianity in Britain and the United States. Especially helpful is his discussion of subsistence religion, or how people meet their own religious demands apart from calling on organized suppliers. Readable, debatable, and full of important insights on everything from the failure of New Age religions to a cautious defense of the golden age of religion thesis, it is a book that all libraries should own. No serious (or even casual) student of religion can afford to neglect it. S. H. Webb Wabash College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Challenging "supply-side" proponents of the enduring vitality of religious belief in the modern world, Bruce (Univ. of Aberdeen; Religion in the Modern World) proclaims that religious "decline is not a sociological myth." The stress in the title should go on the word is: the data show that God really is dead, despite God's vestigial survival as a nostalgic relic or nebulous aid to self-realization. Modernization has caused religion to change in such ways that it has lost its social significance. As Bruce argues, "Individualism, diversity and egalitarianism in the context of liberal democracy undermine the authority of religious beliefs," making belief in God a personal option rather than a compelling necessity. Opponents to the secularization argument (chiefly Rodney Stark) point to the strength of religion in America. But under secularization, "It is not self-conscious irreligion that is important," Bruce writes. "It is indifference." Sociological research increasingly points to a growing cultural indifference to the supernatural and the exclusive truth claims of religion. Bruce's book is a compelling, vigorous, and scrupulously fair defense of what the secularization paradigm means and does not mean. Highly recommended for all libraries. Steve Young, McHenry Cty. Coll., Crystal Lake, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Library Journal Review
