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The Desecularization of the World: Resurgent Religion and World Politics
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.
143 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1999
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David Martin
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 15, 2020
Berger is brilliant, funny and wise. His writing is insightful, flows with ease, and engages the reader with mini-revelations. Though he writes only the first chapter, a few others are equally enthralling, especially those on Pope John Paul II’s philosophy, and that concerning Islam. Unfortunately a few others belong only to sociologists—speculation and esoteric social theories, where social theorists debate whether their world is made all of one thing or all of another. In the John Paul chapter we find the Pope soundly defeating postmodern silliness in its rejection of universality. The chapter on Islam teaches much, perhaps most of us never knew, and provides reasoned, balanced direction toward Islamic change for the better, though some of that is a bit idyllic when it comes to the fundamentalist branch (or any fundamentalist).
Berger’s premise is this: to assume we are living in a secular world is wrong. The world today “is as furiously religious as it ever was, and in some places more than ever.” Though modernity has secularizing effects it has provoked powerful movements of counter-secularization. Which hearkens back to the Brooks Adams 1896 classic, “The Law Of Civilization And Decay.” In it, Adams notes with no one left to defeat, ideas from around the Empire flooded Rome causing a near universal dis-ease among its population. Their response? Extreme religious eagerness, the sprouting of new mystery religions of which Christianity was but one of many. Berger’s point is made that our upsurge today is primarily among conservative, traditionalist, orthodox movements of Islam, and in the Christian world among Pentecostals and other Evangelicals at the expense of Catholicism and mainline Protestantism like Lutheran, Episcopalian, and Methodists.
Why has modernity had this affect? Berger is clear, because modernity has removed all the old certainties while most people find it impossible to live with uncertainty. Any movement that “promises to provide or renew certainty has a ready market.” Those “dripping with supernaturalism,” he writes, “have widely succeeded.”
Berger claims that the secular crowd, while thin on the ground in numbers, wield excess influence on the media and universities, of which he is a member at Boston U. Without mention of educational differences between secular and non, Berger clarifies a chasm between them, “The religious impulse, the quest for meaning that transcends the restricted space of empirical existence in this world, has been a perennial feature of humanity,” he writes. “It would require something close to a mutation of the species to extinguish this impulse for good… The critique of secularity common to all resurgent movements is that human existence bereft of transcendence is an impoverished and finally untenable condition.” That is, like it or not, religion, mysticism, and mythology have been and will remain part of humanity. Finding a path to balance in the face of warring zealotry—which was of such concern to the Founders—is a subject of concern in this fine book.
Berger’s premise is this: to assume we are living in a secular world is wrong. The world today “is as furiously religious as it ever was, and in some places more than ever.” Though modernity has secularizing effects it has provoked powerful movements of counter-secularization. Which hearkens back to the Brooks Adams 1896 classic, “The Law Of Civilization And Decay.” In it, Adams notes with no one left to defeat, ideas from around the Empire flooded Rome causing a near universal dis-ease among its population. Their response? Extreme religious eagerness, the sprouting of new mystery religions of which Christianity was but one of many. Berger’s point is made that our upsurge today is primarily among conservative, traditionalist, orthodox movements of Islam, and in the Christian world among Pentecostals and other Evangelicals at the expense of Catholicism and mainline Protestantism like Lutheran, Episcopalian, and Methodists.
Why has modernity had this affect? Berger is clear, because modernity has removed all the old certainties while most people find it impossible to live with uncertainty. Any movement that “promises to provide or renew certainty has a ready market.” Those “dripping with supernaturalism,” he writes, “have widely succeeded.”
Berger claims that the secular crowd, while thin on the ground in numbers, wield excess influence on the media and universities, of which he is a member at Boston U. Without mention of educational differences between secular and non, Berger clarifies a chasm between them, “The religious impulse, the quest for meaning that transcends the restricted space of empirical existence in this world, has been a perennial feature of humanity,” he writes. “It would require something close to a mutation of the species to extinguish this impulse for good… The critique of secularity common to all resurgent movements is that human existence bereft of transcendence is an impoverished and finally untenable condition.” That is, like it or not, religion, mysticism, and mythology have been and will remain part of humanity. Finding a path to balance in the face of warring zealotry—which was of such concern to the Founders—is a subject of concern in this fine book.
March 7, 2020
In this short anthology of essays, Peter L. Berger, along with 6 other scholars, analyze the fluctuations in the size and impact of different religions on culture throughout the world. They produce fascinating insight to counter the post-modern idea that religion is on the decline, but rather, is actually on the incline. They discuss how not just Evangelical Christianity, but also Catholicism, Islam, Buddism, and many others are steadily growing in society. They counter notions that "Islam is automatically bad" and that "Christians shouldn't be involved in government" or that culture is leaving religion behind. While it was a bit academic and hard to follow at times, I did find certain nuggets of wisdom and genius in the book. I read this for a class, but definitely enjoyed a decent amount of it. The biggest knock I give this book is that it was too academic and designed more for the learned individual rather than the layman, but I hardly could blame the writers for that. 7.0 out of 10. Good job.
October 22, 2025
When i started reading this book, which is basically a compilation of essays from different authors, i would never imagine I would rate it this low, especially after a great start of the book.
Second chapter about catholicism during John Paul II, and a third chapter focusing on political implications of rising number of evangelists, written by George Weigel and David Martin respectfuly, are phenomenal. Not only are they well written, but the reasonings, premises and conclusions are all clear and logical. That is "a must" in academic writing, regardless of whether you agree with opinions stated by the authors!
However, the fourth chapter about Judaism and politics in today's world left me speechless. To put such a biased essay, with no firm arguments, no critical thinking, and just a simple praise in a book like this was really surprising for me. I hoped I'll gain some academic knowledge and hear some interesting new perspective from this essay, not a biased political statement.
Although other chapters in the book were fine, I can not give this book more than 2 star, because to include such a chapter into it is for me a serious breach of academic integrity. There are so many good essays and authors with a variety of different opinions on the topic of judaism and politics, which at least try to be objective. You should've given space to them.
Second chapter about catholicism during John Paul II, and a third chapter focusing on political implications of rising number of evangelists, written by George Weigel and David Martin respectfuly, are phenomenal. Not only are they well written, but the reasonings, premises and conclusions are all clear and logical. That is "a must" in academic writing, regardless of whether you agree with opinions stated by the authors!
However, the fourth chapter about Judaism and politics in today's world left me speechless. To put such a biased essay, with no firm arguments, no critical thinking, and just a simple praise in a book like this was really surprising for me. I hoped I'll gain some academic knowledge and hear some interesting new perspective from this essay, not a biased political statement.
Although other chapters in the book were fine, I can not give this book more than 2 star, because to include such a chapter into it is for me a serious breach of academic integrity. There are so many good essays and authors with a variety of different opinions on the topic of judaism and politics, which at least try to be objective. You should've given space to them.
July 4, 2022
The argumentation was poor, most of the authors were relaying more on their oppinion than on facts (especially one who wrote about judaism). This book was one of recommended ones for my class "The introducation to sociology" and leaving me surprised how this is considered the classic. The easiness with which one could poje holes in their theories is devastating. (I am sorry on my poor articulation of sentances in English. It's not my first tounge.)
June 13, 2019
Great study of religion in the world, set against backdrop of the (failing) 'secularization thesis.'
April 29, 2022
Nice mix of essays. Though older, I still learned a lot.
August 3, 2022
AN interesting study in modern religious trends causing both hope and concern
September 29, 2025
berger my goat
July 17, 2014
Buku ini merupakan kumpulan esai yg diambil dari ceramah tujuh pembicara dalam serangkaian ceramah ilmiah di Boston University, diantaranya: Peter L. Berger, George Weigel, David Martin, Jonathan Sacks, Garcie Davie, Tu Weiming, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim.
Di akhir 90-an surat kabar dipenuhi dengan pemberitaan mengenai pengaruh agama atas politik. Dimana-mana muncul gerakan kembali ke kemurnian agama yang cukup fenomenal di masa modern. Benarkah semata-mata karena kesadaran spiritual semata? Sebaliknya, fundamentalisme agama hadir sebagai reaksi atas sekularisme politik. Saat ini sekularisme telah berubah menjadi agama baru yang mesti dipatuhi dan dijadikan pegangan, sebagaiman yg terjadi di banyak negara. Pemerintah sekuler bersikap bahkan lebih represif daripada negara berbasis agama. Anti tesis dari kenyataan ini adalah bangkitnya gerakan-gerakan fundamentalisme agama. Sebagaimana dikatakan Peter L. Berger; melampaui motif-motif agama yang murni, kebangkitan ini merupakan bentuk gerakan protes dan tantangan terhadap elit sekuler.
Buku ini mencoba untuk memberi solusi bagaimana kita menyikapi fenomena ini lebih jauh agar kita dapat melihat pengaruh agama dalam wilayah politik di abad ke-21 (Elliott Abrams).
Di akhir 90-an surat kabar dipenuhi dengan pemberitaan mengenai pengaruh agama atas politik. Dimana-mana muncul gerakan kembali ke kemurnian agama yang cukup fenomenal di masa modern. Benarkah semata-mata karena kesadaran spiritual semata? Sebaliknya, fundamentalisme agama hadir sebagai reaksi atas sekularisme politik. Saat ini sekularisme telah berubah menjadi agama baru yang mesti dipatuhi dan dijadikan pegangan, sebagaiman yg terjadi di banyak negara. Pemerintah sekuler bersikap bahkan lebih represif daripada negara berbasis agama. Anti tesis dari kenyataan ini adalah bangkitnya gerakan-gerakan fundamentalisme agama. Sebagaimana dikatakan Peter L. Berger; melampaui motif-motif agama yang murni, kebangkitan ini merupakan bentuk gerakan protes dan tantangan terhadap elit sekuler.
Buku ini mencoba untuk memberi solusi bagaimana kita menyikapi fenomena ini lebih jauh agar kita dapat melihat pengaruh agama dalam wilayah politik di abad ke-21 (Elliott Abrams).
July 15, 2013
This book is a great overview on how religion and faith still plays a prominent role in shaping the politics of the world. These Six authors unpack some of the worlds biggest religions and largest geopolitical spaces from the U.S. to China. I really enjoyed reading Jonathan Sacks on Judaism and Tu Weiming on China.
June 22, 2015
Peter Berger, the eminent sociologist of religion, has edited a book that tackles head on the failure of the "secularization hypothesis" that modernity inexorably results in the decline of religion. The secularization hypothesis has been with us since the 19th century and it has failed to account for the explosion of religious revival.
January 3, 2016
A necessary read for those who believe that society is moving toward secularism in the 21st century. Peter Berger and a group of scholars challenge this thinking, and prove our world is headed the other direction, if it is headed in any direction. Religion is alive and powerful in world politics.
September 28, 2008
Gave some insight into fundamentalists and their "gifts of the spirit" view that I had not come across.
May 1, 2017
The secularization hypothesis holds that religious belief is undermined by modernism; as societies modernize, religious belief and practice inevitably wanes. This book shows how that hypothesis is proved wrong in most places in the world. It also considers "European exceptionalism", i.e., that Europe is the one place where the hypothesis appears to be true.
This book looks at religious trends around the world, especially South America, Africa, and China. I am especially interested in anyone who can give educated guesses about the state of the semi-underground Christian churches in China, which could prove to work a massive cultural transformation in the next decades if some estimates of its size prove true. The book also makes some tentative guesses about how religion might reassert itself in Europe. I was hoping for a bolder thesis from each of these essays, however. It may not be the book's fault if the data is truly confusing, and this is social science after all, a field where fact-gathering is especially difficult. I guess we have to settle for a equivocal repudiation of the secularization hypothesis for now.
This book looks at religious trends around the world, especially South America, Africa, and China. I am especially interested in anyone who can give educated guesses about the state of the semi-underground Christian churches in China, which could prove to work a massive cultural transformation in the next decades if some estimates of its size prove true. The book also makes some tentative guesses about how religion might reassert itself in Europe. I was hoping for a bolder thesis from each of these essays, however. It may not be the book's fault if the data is truly confusing, and this is social science after all, a field where fact-gathering is especially difficult. I guess we have to settle for a equivocal repudiation of the secularization hypothesis for now.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews